Cloud Hosting

By Casey Smith | Indiana Capital Chronicle

For The Republic

INDIANAPOLIS Indiana lawmakers are moving forward with a GOP priority bill that requires earlier interventions for students struggling with literacy despite concerns from some education experts and district officials over a provision they said would require more third graders to be held back.

Senate Bill 1, authored by Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, would require IREAD testing to begin a year earlier, in second grade, and allow those who pass at that stage to be exempt from taking the test again in the future. Around 60% of Hoosier schools are already testing students early.

Students who do not pass must receive targeted support during third grade to help them improve their reading skills. After a full year of remediation and three chances to take the IREAD test lawmakers want schools to retain students who do not pass the test by the end of third grade.

The bill advanced from the Senate education committee in a 9-4, party-line vote and now heads to the full chamber.

The issue drew nearly three hours of discussion and testimony at the Statehouse on Wednesday. Although many who spoke said they support other elements of the bill especially those that seek to increase reading support for the states youngest students pushback centered around language to codify a statewide third grade retention policy.

There is a 60-year body of research around retention that has shown lots of negative impacts, especially social and emotional, for those students who are involved, said Fortville Elementary School principal Vincent Edwards, who has studied Indianas retention policies in-depth. As a principal, Ive been a part of decisions to retain students before, and that is an extremely high-stakes decision for those students and those families.

Rogers maintained her Every Child Learns to Read bill is not a retention bill. Instead, she said the legislation models aggressive literacy policy enacted in Mississippi a decade ago. Mandatory science of reading curriculum and tougher third grade retention rules boosted the state being ranked the second-worst in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022.

Retention is the absolute last resort after we have exhausted all other methods to help struggling readers, Rogers said. But, simply put, if a child hasnt learned basic reading skills by (third grade), they are going to struggle to learn almost any other subject.

Indiana third graders who fail the statewide reading exam can already be held back, but deciding how to implement the state policy is ultimately left up to schools.

Test data show that in 2023, 13,840 third-graders did not pass IREAD. Of those, 5,503 received an exemption and 8,337 did not. Of those without an exemption, 95% moved onto 4th grade while only 412 were retained.

Exceptions are carved out in Rogers bill for students who have been retained in third grade before, special-education students, certain English language learners, and students who pass the math portion of the statewide assessment and receive remedial reading instruction.

The measure could cause thousands more students to repeat third grade, even though its wording is almost identical to Indianas existing administrative rule, which mandates that kids who fail the third grade IREAD test should be held back.

New in Rogers proposal is an exception for students who pass the ILEARN math exam in third grade. Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) data indicates there were 583 such students in 2023.

The GOP-backed legislation additionally mandates summer school to be offered to students who are not reading proficient in third grade or are at-risk second graders behind in literacy. Language in the bill does not require students to actually attend or participate in summer school, however.

The proposal also does not currently allow parents to appeal a schools decision to retain their child, but Rogers suggested, perhaps, such a provision could be amended in later.

If we dont retain them, and they get passed on the danger is if a student cant read and they get embarrassed, theyre going to scrunch down into a shell and not participate at all, and thats a danger that we face, as well, said committee chairman Sen. Jeff Raatz, R-Richmond. When we look at this thing, there are two sides to every story, and it depends on whether or not the data supports (retention), or whether it doesnt. Totally looking at retention as a black mark the younger we do it, the better off they are. Thats proven.

Kymyona Burk, senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd and the former literacy director at the Mississippi Department of Education, told the Senate committee that her states literacy improvement plan, adopted in 2013, included a similar retention policy. But she doubled down that intervention before that time can and should keep students from repeating third grade.

When we think about a third grade policy, we know that this is not just a third grade teachers responsibility, but that begins in kindergarten for some, even as early as pre-K, Burk said. We can prevent reading difficulty in children, but we have to make sure that we are identifying them early and providing them the supports much earlier than third grade.

Edwards remained more skeptical and echoed similar concerns from other local officials.

He said Indianas current policy provides schools an ability to promote students to fourth grade with the understanding that they will receive continued instruction in third grade reading material when its the best choice for a child.

I am not surprised that the number of students being moved on (from third to fourth grade) is high, because there is currently that flexibility, Edwards said. And I believe most schools are probably saying without other factors that would prevail on a retention decision wed rather not retain.

He suggested the state should collect more data about Indianas current statewide retention practices before approving new policy. Others recommended the retention mandates effect date should be delayed until the 2025-26 school year, when all Hoosier teachers are supposed to be trained up on science of reading instruction.

Also in contention this session is a new K-12 computer science course requirement.

House Bill 1243, an omnibus measure authored by Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, includes a provision requiring computer science coursework to be completed by students before high school graduation.

The mandate was part of Gov. Eric Holcombs 2024 legislative agenda, and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner has rallied behind the proposal, too.

She noted Wednesday that although 91% of Indianas public high schools currently offer computer science, only 7% 0f students are actually taking the class.

Its highly important that our students are ready with these skills not just in the tech industry, but in all industries, Jenner said, emphasizing the bills contribution to increased career-readiness efforts.

Even so, some lawmakers and local school officials expressed concerns about the addition of another diploma requirement.

In 2021, the General Assembly mandated a semester-long civics education class for middle schoolers. Last year, requirements for separate financial literacy and career-awareness courses were additionally adopted.

Anytime you add courses, it does make things tricky, said Tim McRoberts, associate executive director of the Indiana Association of School Principals. Honestly, under the current diploma requirements, theres just not a lot of opportunities for kids to take electives, especially if they want to be involved in music or art or something like that. They just dont have the room in the schedule.

The Indiana Department of Education is currently chipping away at a massive redesign of Hoosier high school curriculum and diploma requirements. Changes are expected to go into effect by the 2024-25 academic year.

McRoberts said he hopes the redesign will create more interest in the digital literacy field, but maintained the need for schools to have flexibility when implementing the course requirement.

Indiana Urban Schools Association executive director David Marcotte further proposed an option for some students to test-out of the required course.

We have students who are sitting in our classes that sometimes already have these skills, he said. There are ways that we can design this, for students to show that they have competency in these areas without having to sit in that class.

Jenner agreed with the call for at least some local authority and said state education officials are exploring ways for schools to offer computer science at the eighth grade level, or in lieu of a science or math course, for example.

There are a number of different ways that we can look at this and make sure its flexible, Jenner said.

Still, Karen Jung, president of Nextech, a Carmel-based nonprofit that aims to provide all Hoosiers in grades K-12 with computer science education, said requiring the course is the only way to significantly increase the number of students who enroll.

I think what we have to recognize is that theres a massive distinction between being able to use technology for entertainment purposes or for playing, and being able to actually use it to solve problems in this technology-rich environment that we live in, Jung said. I do believe that it is critical, regardless of the career path that a student chooses to go down, and whatever work theyre going to be going to.

Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, said he doubts the course should be required, though. He questioned what the financial impact would be on schools, and whether the state has enough qualified educators to teach computer science.

It shocks me to suggest that (students) need any more time learning the benefits of computers it completely shocks me, DeLaney said. I go to the supermarket and see two-year-olds with what look like miniature iPads in their hands. I have the feeling that what were doing is taking something that is happening organically, and were requiring it of people who are already doing it.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle covers state government and the state legislature. For more, visit IndianaCapitalChronicle.com.

Visit link:

Indiana literacy overhaul bill advances to Senate chamber with concerns from education officials - The Republic