ANDERSON, Ind. — IREAD is a nationally recognized reading exam for second and third-graders that measures reading level and comprehension. If students fail before they end third grade, they could be held back. Due to recent state laws, around 3,000 students were expected to be held back in 2025 alone. Programs like Read United are working with community schools to turn the page and create new stories for students.
“By targeting these students that we considered those bubble kids or bubble students, ones that we think ‘hey if they get a little more attention, a little more one on one, we can really see some growth’, and we have seen that,” Director of Communication and Public Relations for Anderson Community Schools Brad Meadows said.
More than 40 Read United volunteers work in Anderson Community Schools. Two of them being Meadows and Kim Williams. Each volunteer gets two students for two 30-minute sessions once a week. Volunteers use games, books and other activities to help build reading skills, excitement and wonder.
“I love that excitement that they have when they read a difficult word, or you know, just last week I was with one of my girls, and she said look how much we’ve read!” Williams, Vice President for Resource Development and Marketing at Heart of Indiana United Way, said. “You know she was just so excited about what she's accomplished.”
Because of this program, Anderson schools saw a 10.5% increase in the number of students who passed IREAD than the year prior, being the largest increase in the state.
“It's just pride. I had one of the two kids I was working with last year who, a teacher came up to me towards the end of the year and was so excited to say how awesome this little boy had done and that he had passed his i-read and just saying did he tell you and he just had a big smile on his face,” Williams said.
Currently, Muncie Community Schools does not have any Read United programs, but United Way is hoping to get some up and running in the future. To volunteer, you can sign up through Read United at the beginning of the calendar year, or you can contact Anderson Community Schools.
Contact Abby Urban with comments at abigail.urban@bsu.edu.
