| As I travel District 23, I hear from many residents who want schools to renew their focus on reading, writing and arithmetic. I agree, and so do many of my colleagues in the General Assembly. Over the last two years, the legislature has increased K-12 funding by $2.4 billion and supported programs designed to create better student outcomes in both reading and math. For example, we passed legislation requiring a return to proven literacy instruction methods and other bills to support stronger math skills. Last session, I sponsored a bill that passed the Senate unanimously that will ensure middle schoolers are appropriately challenged with rigorous math curricula by teachers who are well prepared to teach it. With partners from the nonprofit sector, Indiana has also created a new program called Summer Learning Labs. This initiative currently has 37 sites across Indiana that are helping students achieve major gains in reading and math. The early data show that students enrolled in the program achieved a 25-percentage point increase in English/language arts proficiency and a 24-percentage point increase in math proficiency. I have reported in this newsletter in the past the recent historic improvements for our Hoosier students, but they are worth repeating. In the most recent data: Fourth graders’ reading scores improved from 19th to 6th in the country on the nation’s report card. Eighth graders’ reading scores improved from 17th to 6th in the country on the nation’s report card. Third graders achieved a nearly 5% increase in literacy rates on the 2024-2025 IREAD assessment, which is the largest increase in reading proficiency since launching the IREAD test in 2013. This amounts to an additional 6,000 students who are now proficient in foundational reading skills. These improvements are not possible without our state’s great teachers, which is why I supported a new law this year that requires schools to spend more of their state funding on teacher pay and raises the minimum teacher salary to $45,000. As your state senator, I will continue to find ways to ensure Hoosier children have all the tools necessary for bright futures, no matter where their paths take them. |
