iReady Inform Scores 2025-2026 by Grade (Math+Reading): What is New and How to Interpret Scores

i-Ready Inform: iReady Diagnostics is now iReady Inform. Besides the new name, it brings smarter assessment, and a better balance between insight and instruction. Here is what is new and what it means for iReady Inform scores in Math and Reading:

i-Ready Diagnostic Is Becoming i-Ready Inform

Curriculum Associates has announced an important evolution of its flagship adaptive assessment. Beginning in the 2026–2027 school year, i-Ready Diagnostic will officially be renamed i-Ready Inform (iReady Inform). While the name is changing, the mission remains the same: helping educators, students, and families clearly understand what students know and what they should learn next.

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The new name reflects a deliberate shift in emphasis. For more than a decade, educators have relied on i-Ready’s adaptive assessment to identify learning needs and guide instruction. Renaming the assessment to i-Ready Inform highlights its central purpose—not simply diagnosing gaps, but informing instructional decisions with clarity, precision, and confidence.

According to Curriculum Associates CEO Kelly Sia, the move underscores how educators actually use the assessment in practice. Teachers are not looking for labels alone; they are looking for actionable insights that lead directly to next steps in teaching and learning.

iready inform scores by grade math reading — iReady Inform scores by grade in Math and Reading will not change, for now. If new test scoring norms are issued, we will update them here.

A Shorter Assessment Option Starting in 2026–2027

Alongside the new name, Curriculum Associates is introducing a shorter assessment option beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. This update responds directly to educator feedback about the need to protect instructional time while still obtaining high-quality data.

The shorter i-Ready Inform assessment is designed to maintain the core strengths educators expect:

Valid and reliable measurement
Actionable, skill-level insights
Clear reports that are easy to understand
Strong alignment with instructional planning

Rather than simply cutting questions, the design focuses on efficiency through smarter assessment. Students are asked only the questions needed to accurately identify their skill levels, reducing redundancy while preserving data quality.

Why Interim Assessments Matter

Interim assessments play a critical role in modern classrooms. Teachers and families want meaningful answers, not just percentile ranks or vague labels like “on grade level.” They want to know what a student understands today and what should happen next to move learning forward.

When designed well, interim assessments provide timely insights without disrupting instruction. When designed poorly, they waste time and deliver data that cannot be acted upon. The challenge is striking the right balance between efficiency and instructional precision.

Instructionally valuable assessments do more than summarize performance. They pinpoint which skills students have mastered and which ones need targeted support. As education researcher John Hattie has emphasized, instructional data must be specific to be useful. Teachers need to know whether a student struggles with fractions, comprehension, or algebraic reasoning—not just that they are “below grade level.”

What Sets High-Quality Interim Assessments Apart

Not all interim assessments are created equal. The most effective tools share several defining characteristics:

They deliver data at the right level of detail, allowing teachers to act on specific skills.
They use criterion-referenced benchmarks, showing how students compare to grade-level expectations, not just to peers.
They adapt to students’ responses, moving on once mastery is demonstrated.
They support realistic and ambitious growth goals grounded in research.

Assessments that focus only on speed or brevity often sacrifice reliability and insight. While very short tests may save minutes, they can miss critical information and lead to weaker instructional decisions.

Balancing Efficiency and Precision in Assessment Design

Designing an effective interim assessment requires thoughtful balance. If a test is too long, it eats into instructional time and student stamina. If it is too short, it risks producing unreliable or overly broad results.

The ideal interim assessment is:

Long enough to yield reliable, valid, and actionable data
Short enough to respect classroom instruction and student focus
Smart enough to minimize fatigue while maximizing insight

As John Hattie has noted, when assessments sacrifice coverage and accuracy for speed, instructional value suffers. Reliable data is essential if teachers are to trust the results and act on them.

How i-Ready Inform Strikes the Right Balance

i-Ready Inform was designed by an assessment team supported by technical experts to deliver both efficiency and instructional depth. Its design principles focus on collecting just enough data—no more and no less—to guide teaching effectively.

Key elements of the i-Ready Inform approach include:

Broad domain coverage: Each subject includes enough items across domains to ensure dependable, actionable results.
Complex reading passages: Reading comprehension is measured using passages that appropriately challenge students and reflect real reading demands.
Adaptive test flow: Once a student demonstrates mastery of a skill, the assessment stops testing that area and moves on.

This adaptive approach reduces unnecessary repetition and keeps the assessment focused on what matters most for each individual student.

What Educators Should Look for in an Interim Assessment

When evaluating interim assessments, educators should ask several key questions:

Does the assessment provide skill-level data that supports instruction?
Does it show how students measure up to grade-level expectations?
Are growth benchmarks realistic and grounded in research?
Are there enough questions per domain to ensure reliable scores?
Are the results easy to interpret and communicate?
Does the assessment connect results to instructional resources?
Does it respect instructional time and student stamina?

Assessments that meet these criteria empower teachers rather than burden them.

Using Interim Assessment Data to Drive Instruction

Teachers consistently say that the most valuable assessments are those that directly inform what happens next in the classroom. When interim assessment data is clear and precise, educators can:

Target instruction to individual student needs
Group students strategically based on skill gaps
Set ambitious yet achievable growth goals
Monitor progress and adjust instruction over time
Communicate clearly with families and colleagues

Precise data leads to precise instruction. When assessments provide clarity instead of confusion, they become a powerful support for learning rather than an interruption.

A Gradual Transition to i-Ready Inform

The transition from i-Ready Diagnostic to i-Ready Inform will roll out gradually, beginning in the 2025–2026 school year and becoming fully implemented by the start of the 2026–2027 school year. During this period, educators may see both names used as systems and materials are updated.

Despite the name change, the core commitment remains unchanged: delivering trusted, reliable data that helps teachers support every student’s growth.

About Curriculum Associates

Curriculum Associates is a mission-driven education company focused on improving K–12 classrooms for millions of students and educators. Serving approximately 17 million students and one million educators, the company combines meaningful data insights with high-quality instructional resources.

Its connected portfolio includes i-Ready solutions for adaptive assessment, personalized instruction, and core curriculum in English language arts and mathematics, along with Ellevation for Multilingual Learners and Stile Education® for middle school science. Through its AI Labs innovation hub, Curriculum Associates continues to develop forward-looking tools educators can trust.

Success is measured not by features alone, but by impact—supporting educators in helping every student thrive.