Results from S-OCS ILEARN tests are in, with mixed results

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has released 2026 ILEARN proficiency results, providing a new look at how students in Spencer-Owen Community Schools are performing in English language arts and mathematics.

The results will eventually be combined with student growth and other data as part of Indiana's school accountability system, with school letter grades expected to be released in December.

ILEARN measures student mastery of the Indiana Academic Standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics for students in grades 3-8. Under Indiana's redesigned assessment system, students complete shorter checkpoint assessments during the school year followed by a cumulative assessment at the end of the year. The change from relying primarily on a single spring assessment is intended to provide teachers with information about student performance earlier in the school year, while there is still time to provide additional instruction and support.

Statewide, approximately 42% of students in grades 3-8 demonstrated proficiency in ELA and 43% were proficient in mathematics, while 31.5% demonstrated proficiency in both subjects.

Results within Spencer-Owen Community Schools varied considerably by school and grade, with several local grade levels exceeding statewide proficiency rates.

McCormick's Creek Elementary School posted some of the district's strongest results. Students there exceeded statewide proficiency rates in both ELA and mathematics at every tested grade level, grades 3 through 6.

In ELA, 50.9% of McCormick's Creek third graders, 53.5% of fourth graders, 46.3% of fifth graders and 56.9% of sixth graders demonstrated proficiency. Statewide proficiency for those grades ranged from approximately 40.8% to 42.2%.

McCormick's Creek students also performed above statewide rates in mathematics, with 58.2% of third graders, 65.1% of fourth graders, 48.1% of fifth graders and 56.9% of sixth graders demonstrating proficiency. The statewide rates for those grades were 51.9%, 52%, 42% and 40.2%, respectively.

Spencer Elementary School's fourth grade also posted particularly strong results. Approximately 63.9% of fourth graders demonstrated proficiency in ELA and 65.1% in mathematics, compared with statewide rates of 42.2% and 52%, respectively. More than half (55.4%) demonstrated proficiency in both subjects, compared with 35.5% statewide.

Spencer Elementary third graders also exceeded the state in ELA, with 49.1% demonstrating proficiency compared with 40.8% statewide, and in mathematics, with 54.5% proficient compared with 51.9% statewide.

Results were lower in Spencer Elementary's upper grades. Among fifth graders, 30% were proficient in ELA and 24.3% in mathematics, while sixth-grade proficiency was 28.4% in ELA and 23% in mathematics.

At Gosport Elementary School, results also differed significantly by grade and subject. Sixth graders performed above the statewide mathematics rate, with 71.4% demonstrating proficiency compared with 40.2% statewide. In ELA, 42.9% of Gosport sixth graders were proficient, slightly above the statewide rate of 41.3%. Results in grades 3 through 5 generally fell below statewide proficiency levels.

Patricksburg Elementary School had proficiency rates below the statewide level in most grades and subjects. One exception was sixth-grade ELA, where 45% of students demonstrated proficiency compared with 41.3% statewide. Sixth-grade mathematics proficiency was 45%, also above the statewide rate of 40.2%.

At Owen Valley Middle School, 47.6% of seventh graders demonstrated proficiency in ELA, exceeding the statewide seventh-grade rate of 41.7%. Seventh-grade mathematics proficiency was 29.9%, compared with 35.9% statewide.

Among eighth graders at OVMS, 40.8% demonstrated proficiency in ELA, compared with 44% statewide, while 26.3% were proficient in mathematics compared with 34.2% statewide. Approximately 25.2% of seventh graders and 19.7% of eighth graders demonstrated proficiency in both ELA and mathematics, compared with statewide rates of 28.4% and 27.6%, respectively.

Economic disparities remain

The results also demonstrate continued differences in achievement based on students' economic circumstances.

Statewide, a sizable proficiency gap remains between economically disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. Similar disparities appear within Spencer-Owen schools, although the size of the gap varies considerably from school to school.

The largest local ELA disparity was at Gosport Elementary, where 75% of students classified as paid-meal students demonstrated proficiency compared with 23.5% of students receiving free or reduced-price meals, a difference of more than 51 percentage points.

At McCormick's Creek Elementary, ELA proficiency was 58.7% among paid-meal students and 43.6% among students receiving free or reduced-price meals, a gap of approximately 15 percentage points. At Spencer Elementary, the rates were 50% and 39.1%, respectively, a difference of approximately 11 points.

The ELA gap was considerably smaller at Patricksburg Elementary, where 38.5% of paid-meal students and 35.6% of free or reduced-price meal students demonstrated proficiency.

At Owen Valley Middle School, ELA proficiency was 52.6% among paid-meal students compared with 43.3% among free or reduced-price meal students.

New Testing, Same Standards

The Indiana Department of Education has cautioned against directly comparing 2026 proficiency rates with previous years because the redesigned assessment established new cut scores and a new baseline for measuring student performance. The assessments, however, continue to measure mastery of the Indiana Academic Standards adopted in 2023.

For that reason, previous years' results can provide historical context, but changes between 2025 and 2026 should not necessarily be interpreted as evidence that student achievement increased or decreased by the same amount.

Complete ILEARN results and additional state and school-level education data are available through the Indiana Department of Education's Data Center and Reports.