ILEARN scores came back - what does Approaching Proficiency actually mean?
My son just got his ILEARN results back and I'm trying to understand what they actually mean. He got Approaching Proficiency in math and Proficient in ELA. The school sent home the score report but honestly the explanation wasn't that helpful. Is Approaching Proficiency considered failing or more of a middle ground?
From what I've pieced together there are four levels: Below Proficiency, Approaching Proficiency, Proficient, and Advanced. His scale score in math was a 1182 and I've read that Proficient typically starts around 1200, so he's about 18 points away. He's in 5th grade and last year he scored Approaching Proficiency in both subjects, so the ELA improvement is real progress.
I'm wondering if these scores have any impact on his advancement to 6th grade or if they're more of a diagnostic tool. The school hasn't said anything about retention but I want to understand what the stakes actually are before the parent-teacher conference next week.
ILEARN scores don't directly determine grade promotion in Indiana - that's still a school-level decision. An Approaching Proficiency in 5th grade won't automatically hold him back.
The ELA jump from Approaching to Proficient is significant and shouldn't be overlooked. That's moving across a category boundary which is harder than moving within one.
My daughter was in the same spot two years ago - third grade ILEARN math Approaching Proficiency. By 5th grade she was Proficient. Consistent tutoring does work even when it feels slow.
The scale score is more informative than the category label. An 1182 vs a cutoff of ~1200 is very different from someone at 1100. Worth pointing that out to the teacher at your conference.