SchoolyardAI
Quiz

Assessment prep

i-Ready Diagnostic Prep for Families (Grades 5-9)

A realistic parent workflow for school-managed i-Ready diagnostics and follow-up practice plans.

ReadingMath

Editorial overview

What this assessment means for your family

Many families meet i-Ready through school, where it is used to identify current skill levels and inform instructional next steps. The key parent move is not trying to replicate the entire platform at home; it is translating school feedback into short, specific routines tied to current assignments.

Curriculum Associates has announced a naming transition from i-Ready Diagnostic to i-Ready Inform beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. For families, the practical meaning stays the same: use school reports, teacher guidance, and consistent after-school reinforcement to close skill gaps without overloading your child.

Grades

Grades 5-9

Format

Adaptive school-issued diagnostic and personalized instruction ecosystem

Typical timing

Administered during school windows set by district/school

Cadence

Commonly beginning, middle, and end of year

Parent playbook

  1. 1Ask your child’s teacher which two skills are most urgent right now.
  2. 2Create a 4-day routine: 15 minutes practice + 5 minutes correction debrief.
  3. 3Use Friday for mixed review and a short confidence check conversation.
  4. 4Bring one question and one progress sample to your next teacher touchpoint.
  5. 5Repeat for two weeks, then update focus areas.

How to read the scores

  • Use teacher-shared domain breakdowns to select one reading and one math focus area.
  • Prioritize skill trends over one-day fluctuations, especially after schedule disruptions.
  • Document one concrete behavior target per week (for example, show work, cite text evidence).

AI workflow

Use tools with intention

Find my plan

Teacher-note translator

Paste teacher comments into NotebookLM and ask for a parent action plan with four short sessions and success checks.

Targeted reteach prompts

Use QANDA or Khanmigo to generate one worked example + one similar independent item for each weak skill.

Weekly mastery recap

Use Quizlet for low-friction retrieval sets tied to the exact terms and concepts from school feedback.

Pitfalls to avoid

  • Treating i-Ready like a consumer app instead of a school-managed program
  • Adding too many practice tools at once
  • Skipping teacher alignment and relying only on generic online worksheets

FAQs

Can families directly buy every i-Ready component for home use?

Some i-Ready purchasing paths are school or district oriented. Families should confirm what is available through their school context.

What is changing with the i-Ready name update?

Curriculum Associates announced a transition from i-Ready Diagnostic to i-Ready Inform, with rollout beginning before full implementation in 2026-2027.

What is the best parent role during i-Ready cycles?

Use school data to run short, repeatable practice routines and monitor whether weak-skill errors are decreasing week over week.