Common Questions from Educators and Parents about i-Ready

i-Ready was invented in 2011 as a combination of the i-Ready Diagnostic (i.e., i-Ready test) and an online instruction program, i-Ready Personalized Instruction. i-Ready Personalized Instruction is a research-based program for students in Grades K–8 with an individualized plan for instruction based on each student’s performance on the i-Ready Diagnostic test. Once students complete the Diagnostic, i-Ready builds a unique lesson plan with a starting point for each learner based on their individual results. i-Ready gives teachers the flexibility to add lessons or adjust the lesson sequence based on their own knowledge of their students.

i-Ready was invented in 2011 by Curriculum Associates to make equitable learning a reality for all students. With the careful input of educators, the i-Ready Assessment and instructional tools were designed to pinpoint student needs and support teachers in delivering personalized instruction. The data provided by Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Assessment is trusted by teachers because it’s based on the industry’s most current and rigorous research. Curriculum Associates’ research shows that i-Ready Personalized Instruction improves students’ reading and mathematics achievement on state tests. We are constantly improving our programs based on the latest research, expert educator evaluation, and customer feedback to make sure we are serving the needs of teachers and students.

No, i-Ready is not a waste of time. The i-Ready Diagnostic provides valuable information to teachers, including sophisticated data and actionable insights to help them address students’ individual needs and support meaningful progress. We know classroom learning time is precious, and we believe technology use should be reserved for high-quality, engaging, and productive learning experiences that are proven to help students grow. We conduct rigorous research to understand the relationship between time spent in i-Ready and student growth. This insight informs the research-backed guidance we offer schools about the amount of time students should spend using the program to get the greatest gains and avoid overuse.

"Why is i-Ready so bad?", ask some reviewers who are not familiar with its benefits. Among the many good reasons to use the i-Ready Diagnostic, it saves time for both teachers and students and helps identify areas of learning opportunity. Classroom learning time is precious, and technology use should be reserved for high-quality, engaging, and productive learning experiences that are proven to benefit student growth. There are many rigorous research studies demonstrating the relationship between time spent in i-Ready and student gains in reading and mathematics. This insight informs the research-backed guidance we offer schools about the amount of time students should spend using the program to get the greatest gains and avoid overuse.

The i-Ready Diagnostic is a test designed to help teachers support each student and create a path of personalized instruction for every learner. The adaptive test adjusts its questions to suit each student’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. Students will find the test difficult, but that is OK. Think of it like a vision test: The blurry letters and incorrect answers help the eye doctor find the correct glasses for you. The i-Ready Diagnostic gets harder until a student answers an item incorrectly and then narrows in on exactly where a student needs support. Learn more about how i-Ready works.

i-Ready has been honored with multiple industry awards, including the prestigious CODiE Award for Best Student Assessment Solution. i-Ready has also received high ratings from the National Center on Intensive Intervention, a nationally recognized technical assistance center that reviews available educational tools on the market. The prestigious Buros Center for Testing has also conducted an independent review of i-Ready Diagnostic and has praised the quality of the questions in the assessment. Independent experts at numerous state departments of education have determined that i-Ready is a high-quality assessment and instruction tool, and it has been approved to inform decision making at the district level.

Yes. The teacher–student relationship is at the center of the way i-Ready is designed. Recently, that relationship has been taking many forms. With remote and hybrid learning models, more and more students are taking their i-Ready tests at home and working through i-Ready lessons online. With the help of the resources found in the Family Support center, teachers and families can work together to ensure results from remote testing are reliable and that students are supported during instruction.

Many students across the country are learning remotely this year and using i-Ready at home with the guidance of their teachers and caregivers. While the i-Ready program is purchased by school districts or schools and not by individual families, it can be used at home through district- or school-issued logins.

No. i-Ready is designed to support the active role of classroom teachers by equipping them with accurate, actionable, and easily accessible data that provides rich insight into student learning as well as tools to inform their small group instruction and differentiation. i-Ready helps teachers save valuable time they can use to develop meaningful relationships with students.