i-Ready score chart and placement lookup
i-Ready reports a scale score from 100 to 800, and what it means depends on the grade the student is in. In Curriculum Associates’ own example, a Grade 3 student with 500 in Reading falls in the 474–510 range: a Grade 2 placement, one grade level below. The i-Ready Diagnostic is now called i-Ready Inform, and the publisher says placement scores did not change between 2024–25 and 2026–27.
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Updated . Ranges checked against Curriculum Associates’ 2026–27 placement tables.
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What does an i-Ready score mean?
i-Ready Inform, the test formerly called the i-Ready Diagnostic, is an adaptive reading and math assessment. It reports an overall scale score, and Curriculum Associates’ placement tables turn that score into a placement. Every table runs from 100 to 800.
The same score means different things in different grades, because the tables are read by the grade the student is enrolled in. The PDF’s instructions are to find the student’s grade in the first column, then “find the range that contains the student’s score.” A 500 in Reading is Early 2 for a second grader, a Grade 2 placement for a third grader, and a Grade 3 placement for a fourth grader.
Each score gets two kinds of placement:
- Absolute placement is “the grade level associated with the student’s performance”, such as Grade 2 or Mid 5.
- Relative placement is “the student’s performance relative to their grade level”, such as One Grade Level Below. The PDF’s example: a third grader who scores like a first grader gets an absolute placement of Grade 1 and a relative placement of Two Grade Levels Below.
Reports also group relative placements into five levels: Mid or Above Grade Level, Early On Grade Level, One Grade Level Below, Two Grade Levels Below, and Three or More Grade Levels Below. Curriculum Associates says these five levels feed its growth model and projected proficiency feature.
i-Ready scores by grade: on-grade ranges for 2026–27
These are the on-grade ranges from the overall placement tables. A score below the Early range is below grade level; a score above the Late range places in a higher grade. The lookup above shows every range in a grade’s row, below and above grade too.
| Grade enrolled | Early On Grade Level | Mid Grade Level | Late Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 362–372 | 373–411 | 412–448 |
| Grade 1 | 402–412 | 413–448 | 449–472 |
| Grade 2 | 428–440 | 441–472 | 473–498 |
| Grade 3 | 449–463 | 464–498 | 499–516 |
| Grade 4 | 465–481 | 482–516 | 517–526 |
| Grade 5 | 480–497 | 498–526 | 527–540 |
| Grade 6 | 495–513 | 514–540 | 541–564 |
| Grade 7 | 508–530 | 531–564 | 565–574 |
| Grade 8 | 518–540 | 541–574 | 575–585 |
| Grade 9 | 515–555 | 556–585 | 586–598 |
| Grade 10 | 556–585 | 586–598 | 599–610 |
| Grade 11 | 564–589 | 590–610 | 611–629 |
| Grade 12 | 572–601 | 602–629 | 630–800 |
Grades 9 to 12 use the Integrated pathway ranges. In the Traditional pathway table only grade 10 differs: Early Geometry runs 530–585, and 515–529 is an Algebra 1 placement.
| Grade enrolled | Early On Grade Level | Mid Grade Level | Late Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 362–395 | 396–423 | 424–479 |
| Grade 1 | 434–457 | 458–479 | 480–536 |
| Grade 2 | 489–512 | 513–536 | 537–560 |
| Grade 3 | 511–544 | 545–560 | 561–602 |
| Grade 4 | 557–578 | 579–602 | 603–629 |
| Grade 5 | 581–608 | 609–629 | 630–640 |
| Grade 6 | 598–615 | 616–640 | 641–653 |
| Grade 7 | 609–631 | 632–653 | 654–669 |
| Grade 8 | 620–641 | 642–669 | 670–684 |
| Grade 9 | 640–660 | 661–684 | 685–703 |
| Grade 10 | 652–672 | 673–703 | 704–723 |
| Grade 11 | 660–691 | 692–723 | 724–735 |
| Grade 12 | 668–703 | 704–735 | 736–800 |
Source: Curriculum Associates, 2026–2027 i-Ready Inform Grades K–12 Scale Score Placement Tables, “Mathematics—Overall Placements and Integrated” (page 11) and “Reading Placements—Overall” (page 21). Transcribed by hand and checked twice on October 20, 2026.
What is a good i-Ready score?
Curriculum Associates leaves proficiency to each district, then adds that “students who achieve the Mid Grade Level placement are generally considered to have achieved grade-level proficiency.” So the Mid column above is the publisher’s own answer for each grade. For a fifth grader, Mid starts at 498 in math and 609 in reading. It also warns that proficiency on i-Ready Inform “does not necessarily have the same meaning as proficiency on a state end-of-year test.”
Late and Above Grade Level are rare by design. The PDF says that at most 10 percent of students in each grade reach Late Grade Level on the spring math test, and in many grades fewer than 5 percent do. Placements stop at three grades above the student’s grade, and Curriculum Associates says only about 0.3 percent of students reach that cap.
What do Early, Mid and Late On Grade Level mean?
Only on-grade placements are split into three. Curriculum Associates’ definitions:
- Early On Grade Level (for example, Early 3): students “have only partially met these grade-level expectations.”
- Mid Grade Level (Mid 3): students “have met the minimum requirements for the expectations of college- and career-ready standards in their grade level.”
- Late Grade Level (Late 3): students “have successfully met or surpassed the grade-level expectations of college- and career-ready standards.”
Below- and above-grade placements are not split. The PDF explains that their score ranges are smaller, so “it would be less reliable to provide multiple categories within those ranges.”
Is an i-Ready placement a percentile?
No. Curriculum Associates calls its placement levels “criterion referenced, reflecting what students are expected to know at each grade level.” A placement compares a score with the standards for a grade. A percentile compares a student with other students, and comes from separate national norms tables. Curriculum Associates’ admin page lists K–8 and 9–10 norms tables “For Use in the 2024–2025 School Year” and lists none labeled 2026–27. This lookup gives placements only and does not estimate a percentile.
Is the i-Ready Diagnostic now i-Ready Inform?
Yes. The 2026–27 placement tables PDF says: “Starting with the 2026–2027 school year, i-Ready Diagnostic is now known as i-Ready Inform.” Curriculum Associates’ admin resources page is titled “i-Ready Inform (formerly i-Ready Diagnostic).”
The ranges did not move with the name. The same PDF says “there were no changes to placement scores between the 2024–2025 and 2026–2027 school years.” A chart labeled for 2024–25 gives the same placements as this one.
How do the high school math pathways change the chart?
For grades 9 to 12 a district picks one of two reporting options at the account level. Curriculum Associates says students “receive items from the same i-Ready Inform item pool and follow the same test flow” on either one, so the pathway changes how a score is reported, not the test.
- Integrated labels high school placements Grade 9 to Grade 12.
- Traditional labels them Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 and CCR Math. Course is set by grade: “All Grade 9 students are considered to be enrolled in Algebra I,” all grade 10 students in Geometry, and so on.
The PDF’s example: a ninth grader with an overall score of 520 is Early 9 in the Integrated pathway and Early Algebra I in the Traditional one. The ranges are the same in every row except grade 10. There, 540 is a Grade 9 placement (one below) in the Integrated table and Early Geometry in the Traditional table. CCR Math stands for College and Career Ready Mathematics, which Curriculum Associates describes as “associated with preparedness for entry-level college mathematics coursework.”
Why did an i-Ready score drop from spring to fall?
Curriculum Associates gives two reasons in its common questions. Early in the fall a student “may not have received instruction in some grade-level content,” and some students lose a little over the summer. A new school year also moves the student into a new row, so the same score is read against the next grade’s ranges. Its advice is to compare scale scores rather than placements, because “the i-Ready scale is vertically aligned across years, which means a student’s score can be compared from year to year.”
Ranges also overlap across grades. A Reading score of 600 is Late 3 for a third grader and Mid 4 for a fourth grader, and both count as on grade.
What this chart can’t tell you
- Overall scores only. Domain scores (in math, Algebra and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations, Geometry, Measurement and Data; in reading, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High-Frequency Words, Vocabulary and Comprehension) have their own tables in the PDF. This lookup does not include them.
- No percentiles or state-test predictions. Those come from other Curriculum Associates documents and from the student’s own reports.
- Your district decides what proficient means. Mid Grade Level is the publisher’s general guide, not a rule.
- The official report wins. The ranges here were typed in by hand from the PDF and checked twice. If they ever disagree with a student’s report, trust the report.
- Silent Student does not take i-Ready Inform. It is a separate desktop study app, not made by or affiliated with Curriculum Associates.
i-Ready score FAQ
What is a good i-Ready score for 5th grade?
By Curriculum Associates’ guide, Mid Grade Level or higher. For a fifth grader in 2026–27 that starts at 498 in math and 609 in reading. Early 5 starts at 480 in math and 581 in reading, and a score above 540 in math or 640 in reading places in a higher grade.
What is the highest i-Ready score?
800. Every range in the placement tables tops out at 800. The highest placement a student can get depends on their grade: placements stop at three grades above the grade the student is in, and a twelfth grader’s highest placement is Late 12.
Is i-Ready Inform the same as the i-Ready Diagnostic?
Yes. The 2026–27 placement tables say that starting with the 2026–2027 school year, “i-Ready Diagnostic is now known as i-Ready Inform.” Search terms like “i-Ready Inform score chart” and “i-Ready Diagnostic score chart” point to the same tables.
Did the i-Ready placement tables change for 2026–27?
No. Curriculum Associates writes that “there were no changes to placement scores between the 2024–2025 and 2026–2027 school years.”
What does Early On Grade Level mean on i-Ready?
The student has partly met the expectations for their grade. Curriculum Associates says these students “will benefit from continued on-grade level instruction” and “likely do not need specialized intervention.”
What does a 500 on i-Ready mean?
It depends on the grade and subject. In Reading, 500 is Early 2 for a second grader and a Grade 2 placement, one grade level below, for a third grader. In Math, 500 is Late 3 for a third grader and Mid 5 for a fifth grader.
Why is it so hard to place Above Grade Level on i-Ready?
Curriculum Associates says Late and Above Grade Level “are difficult benchmarks for students to attain, and few students reach these placements nationally,” and that its placements are conservative. At most 10 percent of students in a grade reach Late Grade Level on the spring math test.
Where is the official i-Ready placement table PDF?
On Curriculum Associates’ i-Ready Inform admin resources page, listed as “i-Ready Inform (formerly i-Ready Diagnostic) Grades K–12 Scale Score Placement Tables.” Both links are in the sources below.
Sources
All fetched and checked October 20, 2026.
- 2026–2027 School Year i-Ready Inform Grades K–12 Scale Score Placement Tables (Curriculum Associates, PDF; overall tables on pages 11, 16 and 21, common questions on pages 30–34)
- i-Ready Inform (formerly i-Ready Diagnostic): Resources for Assessment Leaders (Curriculum Associates; lists the placement and norms tables)
Related: Silent Student on i-Ready · Is there an i-Ready answer key? · IXL Diagnostic score chart · All free tools
Silent Student is a desktop study app that works inside Canvas and other course sites, for ages 13 and up. It does not take i-Ready Inform. See what it does and doesn’t do on i-Ready, or browse the other free tools.