By Jason Bearce, Indiana Chamber vice president of education and workforce development
Reading and literacy are the foundation of a highly skilled workforce. That’s why it’s so troubling – especially in today’s talent-driven economy – that nearly one out of every five Hoosier adults lack basic literacy proficiency and roughly the same number of Indiana students struggle to read by the end of third grade.
In response, the Indiana Chamber and others – led by the Indiana Senate Republicans, have made legislation (Senate Bill 1) aimed at boosting the declining reading and literacy rate a top policy priority for the 2024 legislative session.
There is such a domino effect when a student falls behind in reading. If these challenges persist to adulthood, individuals face numerous barriers just navigating daily life, let alone securing stable, living-wage employment.
Most of the language in SB 1 has been greeted with broad bipartisan support, including earlier identification of student reading deficiencies in early grades, more proactive summer school and tutoring support for at-risk students and an emphasis on evidence-based instructional strategies grounded in valid science of reading research.
Policymakers have parted ways, however, when it comes to SB 1’s provisions pertaining to whether students who can’t read by the end of third grade should be held back, or “retained.” Retention dominated the recent discussion with Democrat lawmakers and those testifying in opposition to SB 1 arguing that the retention language should be removed altogether or delayed until science of reading reforms adopted last session have more time to take effect.
Senator Linda Rogers (R-Granger), the bill’s author, and the Indiana Department of Education maintain that retention is a last resort option with multiple “good cause” exemptions for English learners, students with disabilities and students who have been held back previously.
To mitigate the risk of struggling students falling further and further behind, the Indiana Chamber and other SB 1 advocates contend that reading policies that combine proactive intervention with selective retention are preferable to social promotion practices that advance students to the next grade level regardless of skill level.
The good news is that SB 1 will pass this session with policies outlined to better identify and address reading difficulties sooner with early interventions and targeted supports. This will start the process of getting Hoosiers – both youth and adults – to where they need to be regarding reading and literacy.
During the final weeks of session, the Indiana Chamber will continue to lend its voice that the comprehensive approach currently found in SB 1 is exactly what is needed for the state.
Overall in 2024, the organization is championing policies that fall under the six pillars of the Indiana Chamber Foundation’s recently released visioning plan for the state, Indiana Prosperity 2035. Of particular emphasis is a trio of goals around education and workforce: 1) increase accessible and affordable childcare; 2) address the reading literacy problem; and 3) strengthen work-based learning and the talent pipeline.
