Let's be honest. Nobody likes I-Ready. The students don't like taking it. The teachers don't like giving it. The schools don't like grading it. And the county doesn't like giving it. There are so many alternatives to I-Ready. Canvas, Blackboard Learn, Kahoot, and Nearpod are just a few of the many alternatives that we could use. Why not use one of these instead of I-Ready? What is stopping us? I understand that most schools use I-Ready because it shows real growth. But do that school really understands how I-Ready does it? The absolute worst thing about I-Ready is exactly that. The algorithm. The diagnostic test at the beginning stresses the fact that it is not a typical test. This because the test will change as you go. For example, when you get a question right the test will give you a harder question. When you get a question wrong, the test will give you an easier question. In this way, once you finish the test, the algorithm will calculate what "level of difficulty" your question is on, and that is your final score. The test will give you a number. That number essentially represents you as a person. The test, also at the beginning, says that if you try your best, you will get lessons that are "right for you". This the algorithm's way of saying, this test will label you. The algorithm doesn't see you as Jackson, Mary, or Alex. It sees you like 467, 236, or 687. And when the school sees this number, it does the same. The school will take your number and factor it into your grade. When they do this, they are labeling your ability to learn, as a person, off of a test. Disgusting. We should ban I-Ready. With enough help, we can end this era of I-Ready. Give way to a new way of learning. Without algorithms. With real teachers. With real learning. Successful growth. No machines labeling us as a person. Real genuine learning. We can develop a love for learning, instead of dreading it. We can achieve this. Together.