INDIANAPOLIS — About 20 percent of Indiana third-graders can't read, according to the Indiana State Department of Education.
That's why the Indiana General Assembly has made education a top priority this year. This week, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law the Every Child Learns to Read bill, which several educators consider controversial.
“My concern with SB 1 is the mandatory retention portion,” said Dr. Harold Olin, Superintendent of Greenfield Central Community School Corporation.
When SB 1 goes into effect this summer, Indiana third-graders who fail the state's reading assessment will not advance to fourth grade, with limited exceptions.
“Research results show that retention does not have the desired effect on student learning,” Dr. Olin said.
But there are other parts of the bill that Dr. Olin said he supported, including provisions that would strengthen professional support and tutoring efforts for elementary school students who are struggling with reading and writing. Ta.
“I praise [the General Assembly] It’s about an interest in literacy,” Dr. Olin said. “I wish they would have given us more time to see if the interventions we are implementing are having the desired effect.”
Another bill signed into law this week requires schools to create cell phone use policies for students. IU professor emeritus Russ Skiba said one-size-fits-all policies won't make schools safer or change student behavior.
“It discriminates against certain groups, pushes more children out of school, and disproportionately punishes students of color,” Skiba said.
Other education bills signed by Gov. Holcomb include a bill to combat student absenteeism and a bill that effectively eliminates tenure at public universities. HB 1002, which bans anti-Semitism in K-12 public schools and public universities, has not yet been signed.
