The district decided to start giving out I-Ready lessons and diagnostics starting September 2023. Schools are required to have most students at grade level and above. Therefore, LAUSD decided to help support students to meet those goals by giving them educational support and guidance.
Many students wonder what I-Ready is, as it has been introduced to their homerooms. I-Ready is a learning program that monitors students’ progress throughout the year and determines where they need improvement. I-Ready is broken down into two programs: the I-Ready Diagnostic and I-Ready personalized Instruction. The I-Ready Diagnostic is a digital assessment that adapts to how a student answers the questions to determine where they are and what lessons they could benefit from. The I-Ready Personalized Instruction is a paced lesson given out to students accommodating their needs. I-Ready covers both reading and mathematics lessons.
The I-Ready diagnostic works in a simple way. Every time a student answers a question wrong, the questions get easier. Vice versa, every time a student answers the questions right, the questions get harder. The initial question would start at the student’s grade level and then move up and down the difficulty scale based on their answer. After the diagnostic, the test sees what areas need improvement or work on and gives personalized lessons to the students. This helps find the best way to support students in areas they are not well versed in. These lessons go the pace students prefer so they can go the pace they need to benefit them. I-Ready gives students coins to play games on the online program once they finish their lessons to help motivate them to continue.
As many of the students and homeroom teachers know, I-Ready English and Math lessons are assigned to the students in the homeroom. Many might be asking, why it is mandatory to do these lessons. Some wonder whether it is useful for students or just another program put in the curriculum. A student named Justine Relona claimed, “I do not see any improvement in mine or my classmate’s learning”. Two other anonymous students claimed they have not witnessed any knowledge gain but it can be useful if used accordingly.
I spoke to Ms. Sandoval, Instructional Coordinator at NAHS and she said, “I think the students can benefit.”
