Chalkbeat

Indianapolis Public Schools reverses no-zero grading policy

2026-08-27T23:22:12+00:00

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Indianapolis Public School students can receive a zero on assignments again, but only if they make zero effort to complete them.

The IPS school board updated the district’s grading policy to remove the district’s no-zero grading policy for students in first through 12th grade in a unanimous vote on Thursday.

The change comes about six years after the no-zero policy was implemented and is largely due to teacher feedback, said Lela Simmons, IPS chief learning officer, during the school board’s agenda review session on Tuesday.

Now, students can receive a zero on an assignment if they make no attempt to complete it after getting multiple opportunities and support from the teacher. How that works is up to the teachers and will depend on the student and their grade level, Simmons said.

If students make a good faith effort, they will earn at least 50%, Simmons said. Anything 59% or lower is an F, while other letter grades are about 10 points each. For example, anything 90% or higher is an A and grades between 80% and 89% are a B. Earning at least 50% on an assignment makes it more likely students will pass the class.

She said the aim is to continue to give students opportunities to do better and try again.

The no-zero policy was approved in July 2020 and meant that the lowest score students could receive was 50%.

“The intention of that shift was because it is incredibly hard for students to come back from zeros in their grades,” Simmons said.

She said the change was also in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which led to students learning virtually and missing assignments for related reasons such as quarantine.

The policy had multiple critics, including some IPS staff and parents who said it was difficult to implement and to identify students who needed support. Simmons told the board that teachers said the change didn’t prepare students for college.

Based on that feedback, Simmons said the new policy is a “happy medium.”

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

How did Indiana students do on a revised ILEARN this year?

2026-08-11T17:05:25+00:00

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Around 42% of Indiana students were proficient in English language arts and 43% were proficient in math in 2026, according to state testing data released Tuesday.

While pass rates on the state test, the ILEARN, were similar to scores from past years, education officials cautioned against making comparisons, because there have been significant changes to state standards and to the test itself in recent years. The 2025-26 school year was the first in which all students took three ILEARN checkpoints throughout the year, followed by a shorter, end-of-year test.

The change marks another chapter for the ILEARN, which replaced the ISTEP in 2019, and which was canceled in 2020 during the pandemic.

From 2021 to 2025, Indiana students’ proficiency in English language arts on the ILEARN remained essentially flat, while math proficiency increased around five percentage points.

Beginning this year, the new ILEARN scores — along with SAT and IREAD scores — will be a factor in the A-F grades that schools receive. Officials also presented IREAD and SAT scores at the Tuesday meeting of the State Board of Education.

The ILEARN is administered in grades 3-8. The state counts proficiency rates as students who scored proficient or above proficient on the test.

In 2026, just over half of Indiana third and fourth graders were proficient on the math section of the ILEARN. That rate declined in middle school grades, with around 34% of eighth graders passing the math section.

Around 41% of third graders were proficient in English this year. That share remained consistent throughout grades 4-7, increasing slightly to 44% for eighth grade.

“The difference is in math, that if you have cracks in your foundation early, the ripple effect that that has on all other skills is harder and harder to recover from,” said Ana Shults, the Indiana Department Of Education’s chief academic officer, about the difference in the subject score trends.

A breakdown of the scores by student groups also revealed persistent gaps in proficiency.

For example, just 29% of students who received subsidized meals — a federal measure of poverty — scored proficient in English, compared with 53% of students who didn’t.

The state did not make school-level ILEARN data available on Tuesday, but officials did not say why. The state board approved new passing scores for the ILEARN at the meeting.

Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the test aligns well with the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test administered by the federal government.

“We have a very tough assessment, tough standards,” Jenner said.

Officials: ILEARN scores not only measure of knowledge

Education officials framed both the ILEARN and the SAT as measures of a student’s progress toward college readiness. But that might not be the only measure of success for all students, they said.

“We’ve talked to many employers, we’ve talked to the military. The SAT is not a score that they necessarily have interest in,” said Paul Ketcham, assistant secretary of education.

Both tests will inform the state’s new A-F grades for schools, with elementary and middle school students assigned points for both growth and proficiency rates in ILEARN English/language arts and math.

SAT proficiency is a standalone indicator worth 10% of a school’s grade, but more weight is given to the share of students earning the state’s new diploma seals.

All Indiana juniors take the SAT, which serves as the state’s high school assessment to meet federal requirements.

This year, 52% of students met the college-ready benchmark in reading and writing on the SAT, and 26% of students did so in math. Another 9% were approaching the benchmark in reading and writing, and 22% were approaching the benchmark in math.

52% of students scored below the college-ready benchmark in math, and 39% scored below the benchmark in reading and writing.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

‘Have a great day’: School 51 welcomes students to the new year with cheers and high fives

2026-08-10T21:10:31+00:00

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From the moment students stepped off the bus at James Russell Lowell Montessori School 51, they were met with cheers from waiting adults.

School and district staff, along with others from the nearby Edna Martin Christian Center, lined the sidewalk to the doors, waiting for the students’ arrival.

“Come on down, get excited!”

“Hi sweetheart, have a great day!”

The cheers and well wishes were punctuated by barks from MJ, the school’s therapy dog, as students gave high fives and hugs on their way in the doors.

“The first day is always exciting, it’s great to be here,” said School 51 Principal Christine Rembert, adding that staff at the Martindale-Brightwood school had prepared all summer for the students’ return. Roughly 350 students are attending the prekindergarten to fifth grade Montessori school this year.

Students from James Russell Lowell Montessori School 51 are greeted by teachers and staff with high fives on the first day of school in Indianapolis.

Students across central Indiana are returning to class this month, and Monday marked the first day of school for Indianapolis Public Schools. The new year marks one that will likely bring significant changes for schools within IPS boundaries as the new Indianapolis Public Education Corporation, a mayor-appointed board, begins overseeing buildings, facilities, and some finances. The board is also putting a tax increase to fund schools on the November ballot, while IPS faces budget cuts regardless of the outcome.

Rembert acknowledged that there is a lot happening in the city overall, as well in the personal lives of staff and students. Students pick up on adults’ emotions, she said. “When grown-ups feel unrest, kids feel it too.”

That’s why inside the school walls, she said, the focus is on creating a place of belonging.

Parents want to know that the school is filled with adults who care for their students and will help them develop the confidence and agency to choose who they want to be later in life, Rembert said.

School 51 focuses on literacy from first day

The first day of school also lands the day before state test scores for last year’s ILEARN and IREAD are expected to be released. At School 51, Rembert said she’s excited for the scores to be unveiled, and the school will use a $25,000 literacy grant from the United Way to maintain and expand its literacy focus, especially for the school’s youngest and oldest students.

The school’s literacy focus has been on students in first through third grade, but the grant will help expand that work to pre-K, kindergarten, and older grades, she said.

In the early learning classrooms, building community and literacy skills are at the top of the agenda for the first day.

Students ages 4-5 work on spelling their names during the first day of school at James Russell Lowell Montessori School 51 on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Indianapolis.

Pre-K and kindergarten students in Melisa Alkire’s classroom started the day by spelling their names. Students matched letters written on clothespins to the letters in their names written on a card.

The activity helps students learn to spell their names while also strengthening the fingers they use to hold the pencil, Rembert said.

Next door, early childhood teacher Mary Haste said her students will practice writing their names to build literacy skills. She also wants to build a love of reading early with books in her classroom that students can see themselves represented in.

Haste said the first week of school is her favorite. It builds relationships with students that last all school year, she said, adding that hopefully means fewer tears too.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

This Decatur Central teacher’s marketing class helped launch rebranded district logos

2026-07-02T16:53:51+00:00

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When the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township unveiled its rebranded logos last school year, it turned to an in-house marketing firm: Jessica Sandvold’s Strategic Marketing and Digital Marketing classes at Decatur Central High School.

Sandvold designed a curriculum in which students treated the district as a marketing client. She said the project pushed students to think about “what would resonate with a broader audience, which is a critical mindset in marketing.”

While students learned marketing strategy and practiced collaboration, Sandvold said the project also gave her a new perspective on structuring assignments and teaching concepts to students new to marketing.

Sandvold became a teacher four years ago after encouragement from a mentor. Now, she hopes to inspire her own students by helping them discover potential career paths.

“I get to help them explore who they are, what they’re interested in, and how that can translate into a career,” she said. “That sense of purpose, helping students see a path forward, is what drives me every day.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I didn’t originally set out to become a teacher. I started at Decatur Central as an administrative assistant to Christine Mullis, who also leads the EDGE Academy small learning community. My daughter had just graduated in 2022, and at the time I was returning to the workforce after staying home with my three young children. Initially, I was looking for a role that aligned with my family’s schedule and allowed me to explore a new career path.

A few months into the job, a business teaching position opened. I was honestly unsure if I could do it, but Christine saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself. Her mentorship and belief in me played a huge role in my decision to take that step and in the teacher I’ve become.

I chose to teach marketing because it’s where my background and passion align. I have a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing, along with master’s degrees in Public Administration and Marketing Project Management. More importantly, though, I’ve always been someone who connects well with people. Building relationships is one of my strengths, and that’s at the core of how I approach teaching.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

One of my favorite lessons to teach is our semester-long small business project, where students develop their own realistic business from the ground up. Entrepreneurship is something many of my students are genuinely interested in, so this project gives them a chance to turn that interest into something tangible and meaningful.

Throughout the semester, students take on the role of business owners. They create a brand identity with a logo and slogan, decide what products or services they want to offer, define their target audience, and think through how they would actually market and operate their business.

It’s not just a creative exercise; it pushes them to think critically, make decisions, and problem-solve in ways that mirror the real world.

What I love most is seeing students take ownership of their ideas. They start to realize that building a business takes more than just a good idea. It requires planning, adaptability, and persistence.

How did you approach working with the students on the district rebranding?

We began working on a district logo launch video, and then expanded into developing concepts for how each school’s new logo could be introduced. I used my prior experience with marketing and rebranding to build out a structured process for students, essentially turning a real-world brand launch into a guided curriculum.

Students worked through planning, content creation, and editing while collaborating in teams. They also took on leadership roles, presented their ideas, and operated under real-world expectations, meeting deadlines, following guidelines, and even signing confidentiality agreements. We treated it like a true client-based project, which elevated both the level of professionalism and student investment.

How did you make the project a real-world work experience for students?

Students approached the district rebranding as if they were working for a real marketing client. Over several months, they collaborated in teams to plan, create, and refine content that would introduce the new district and school logos in a way that felt engaging and authentic to our community.

Their work included brainstorming campaign concepts, identifying target audiences, scripting and storyboarding videos, filming and editing content, and presenting their final ideas. Throughout the process, they had to think critically about messaging, audience perception, and how to build excitement around a brand, skills that directly mirror what professionals in the marketing field do.

The experience was intentionally designed to feel as close to real life as possible. Students worked under deadlines, followed project guidelines, signed confidentiality agreements, and treated each phase of the project with a high level of professionalism. They also participated in group collaboration and took on leadership roles, which added another layer of accountability.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is that teaching is like “building the plane while you’re flying it.” At the time, I didn’t fully realize it was advice, but it has become something I rely on every day.

That mindset has been incredibly important because teaching requires constant flexibility. You’re navigating new students, evolving expectations, and shifting systems, all while trying to make content meaningful and engaging. There isn’t a perfect moment where everything is fully “built”... you have to keep moving forward anyway.

I’ve learned to give myself grace in that process. Some days don’t go as planned, and that’s part of the job. What matters is staying adaptable and continuing to show up for students.

I also bring that mindset into my classroom. I talk to my students about handling uncertainty and making the best decisions with what they have in front of them. They’re going to face similar situations in their future careers, where things aren’t perfect or fully figured out. The goal isn’t perfection … it’s learning how to adjust, problem-solve, and keep going.

How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

I try to be intentional about self-care whenever I can, whether that’s something small like getting my nails done or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen. I also have three daughters at home, and being their mom is one of the biggest ways I recharge. Spending time with them fills my cup in a way nothing else can.

Over time, I’ve learned that you can’t pour from an empty cup. I used to feel guilty taking time for myself, but I’ve realized it’s not optional … it’s necessary. When I take care of myself, I’m able to show up better for my students and my family.

I also enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family. Those moments help me reset and come back to work with more energy and perspective.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Cambridge-backed courses are expanding in Indiana. Here’s how schools are using them.

2026-05-27T11:00:00+00:00

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Before 2024, students at Whiteland High School seeking advanced curriculum could already choose between Advanced Placement and dual credit courses.

So when school officials considered adding a new curriculum backed by the University of Cambridge in 2024, they wanted to address the needs of a specific subset of students: the community’s growing population of non-English speaking students, who represent around 14% of the district and speak 64 languages.

They found that the essay-based test in Cambridge courses allowed students to demonstrate their mastery of advanced content while they were still learning English, said assistant superintendent Cassandra Shipp.

“We don’t want to limit our students who we know are bright,” Shipp said. “Regardless of whether they’re taking AP or Cambridge, our students have to be global competitors.”

Indiana wants more schools to offer Cambridge STEM courses through $500,000 in grant funding earmarked in the latest state budget. The long-term goal is to create another way for students to earn an advanced diploma that leads to automatic college admission. Schools can apply for grant funding that will help pay for teacher training and program fees.

In February, the state’s department of education awarded six schools — including Whiteland — funds to introduce courses like Thinking Skills, Computer Science, Biology, and Chemistry. Now, it has opened another round of funding to allow up to 16 more public and private schools to start offering these classes.

What are Cambridge Courses?

Cambridge courses come from the University of Cambridge in England through its nonprofit Cambridge International Education.

Though the courses are new to Indiana, and less common nationally than Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes, they’re offered in approximately two dozen other states and 160 countries.

The offerings from Cambridge are a little like both IB and AP programs: Like IB, Cambridge offers programs that begin in elementary school and go through high school; but like AP, it also offers standalone courses.

Passing an A-level Cambridge course in an Indiana high school is equivalent to passing one in the U.K. or Singapore and indicates that a student is ready for college-level coursework, said Mark Cavone, the North American regional director for international education at Cambridge University Press and Assessment. While not necessarily aimed at multilingual students, some features make the courses a particularly good fit for them, like the incorporation of Global English, a neutral form of English.

While most Cambridge courses are aimed at students going to college, the organization also offers some career-oriented courses, such as in marine science and travel and tourism, Cavone said.

“The thing that keeps us up at night is that we want kids to be college and career ready by the time they graduate high school,” Cavone said.

How can Indiana students use Cambridge courses?

Through the expansion, more Indiana schools will be able to allow students to earn the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, or AICE, diploma, Cavone said.

The AICE diploma is one of the ways that students can earn an Honors Enrollment Seal in the state’s new high school graduation requirements, which guarantees students admission to any of the state’s public universities. Students can also earn this seal by earning an associate degree, IB diploma, AP Scholar with Distinction, or other advanced pathway. And schools receive a $2,495 bonus for every student who earns an honors enrollment seal.

Cavone said Indiana’s diploma redesign and education choice policies made it a good fit for the organization’s expansion.

Currently, Cambridge courses are available mainly in traditional public high schools, Cavone said, along with some charter and private schools. The first round of grant funding from the Indiana Department of Education was awarded to four public high schools, one charter school, and one private school:

Whiteland Community High School at the Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation. The district also offers Cambridge English courses in middle and high school that are not backed by the grant.
North Central High School in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township
Terre Haute South Vigo High School at the Vigo County School Corporation
East Chicago Central High School at the School City of East Chicago
GEO Next Generation Academy
Al-Haqq Foundation Academy

Schools interested in applying for the IDOE grant should fill out the application before July 17.

Corrections and clarifications: This article has been updated to include the correct name for Cambridge International Education.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Bell-to-bell cellphone ban passes Indiana Statehouse. What does that mean for schools and students?

2026-02-25T23:58:45+00:00

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A tighter cellphone and device ban is on its way to Indiana schools after lawmakers passed SB 78 to limit phone use during the school day.

The bill’s bell-to-bell ban builds on Indiana’s existing school cellphone ban, which currently requires students to put away phones and other personal devices during instructional time. The purpose of the added restriction is to create more uniform policies from school to school and classroom to classroom that take the onus of enforcement off of teachers, according to the bill’s author.

On Wednesday, Indiana state senators concurred with changes made by House lawmakers, sending the bill to Gov. Mike Braun for his signature.

The proposal received significant support from educators throughout the session who said cellphones led to distractions and fights.

“Inside the classroom, where attention and focus and human connection are essential, these devices have become a significant barrier to learning,” said John O’Neal of the Indiana State Teachers Association. “A wireless device ban is not about restricting technology, it’s about creating an environment where students can thrive.”

But some school leaders also expressed concern about the potential costs to implement the bill, like paying for additional lockers or storage pouches, as well as learning devices for students who previously brought their own. In response to cost concerns, House lawmakers changed the bill to remove language requiring “secure” storage, with the aim of allowing schools to use existing facilities like cubbies to store the devices.

Under the bill, public school districts and charter schools would have to adopt policies that require students to either leave their devices at home, or to put the devices away, powered off and inaccessible, for the entirety of the school day. The bill defines devices as cellphones, tablets, laptops, gaming devices, or smartwatches that are connected to phones or the internet.

The bill would allow some exceptions, such as for students who need the devices for medical reasons, translation, or as part of their special education services, or in the case of an emergency. It would also allow audio recording devices for notetaking.

And students could bring their laptops or tablets from home to use for learning at a teacher’s direction until July 1, 2028. After that date, these devices would have to be provided by the school in order to be used for learning.

The restrictions would not apply to private schools. A failed Democratic amendment would have included private schools that accept state vouchers in the requirements.

If the bill is signed into law, school districts will need to adopt bell-to-bell cellphone policies by July 1, 2026 and possibly prepare space to store students’ cellphones before the beginning of the next school year.

Under the bill, the Department of Education is also supposed to publish model policy guidance that would include how schools could use existing resources to comply with the law.

In testimony before lawmakers earlier this month, Jeff Butts of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents and former superintendent of Wayne schools said the district of around 16,000 students received an estimate of $275,000 for phone storage pouches.

Whiteland Community High School does not have enough lockers for its 2,100 students, Principal Duke Lines told lawmakers. Under the school’s current device policy, students can use their cellphones during lunchtime, for teacher-directed instructional use, or for work-based learning purposes.

“If students carry backpacks with them all day, is a phone inside a backpack considered inaccessible?” he said.

While lawmakers initially changed the bill to allow schools to use Secured School Safety Grant funds to purchase storage pouches, they ultimately removed this language from the legislation.

They also rejected an amendment to allow schools to charge parents a fee of no more than $25 for storage pouches was rejected — but lawmakers did clarify that schools already have the ability to charge this kind of fee if they choose to do so.

The 2026 legislative session is expected to end this week.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Gov. Mike Braun visits students on career pathways during Career and Technical Education Month

2026-02-10T23:38:17+00:00

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When high school junior Avelyn McGrane completes the veterinary science program at the Central 9 career center in Greenwood, she’ll have options.

After spending this year doing lab work in the classroom — which includes a rescue cat room — she can complete a year-long internship working with animals during her senior year. After graduation, many students go on to a two-year vet tech degree or a four-year program at Purdue University, said teacher Jessica Smith, and students can add four more years of veterinary school beyond that.

Established in 1972, Central 9 offers 26 career pathways to 1,200 students who come to the center from nine high schools in Johnson and Marion counties. On Tuesday, the center hosted its first-ever gubernatorial visit: Gov. Mike Braun toured the facility as part of his proclamation of February as Career and Technical Education Month, asking students and teachers about the post-high school opportunities the programs provide.

Central 9 offers 26 career pathways to 1,200 students who come to the center from nine high schools in Johnson and Marion counties. Gov. Mike Braun visited for the first time on Feb. 10, 2025.

Career programs have taken the spotlight in Indiana since the state overhauled its graduation requirements to emphasize career experience in high school beginning with the class of 2029, or current freshmen.

The goal at Central 9 — and in career and technical education programs across the state — is for students to graduate with a diploma, some postsecondary education or training, and an idea of what they’d like to do after high school.

For Indiana, the push for workforce training in high school is also needed to address the shortage of skilled workers, state leaders have said, while calling on employers to provide more work opportunities to students.

Gov. Mike Braun toured Central 9 Career Center in Greenwood on Tuesday as part of CTE Month.

“We need a lot of HVAC professionals,” Secretary of Education Katie Jenner told students in the HVAC program Tuesday. Jenner joined Braun on his visit.

Each career pathway at Central 9 has an advisory board made up of industry professionals who can connect students to internships as well as help arrange donations of equipment like a fire engine. The Central 9 program also relies on federal Perkins grants that support CTE programs, said executive director Bill Kovach. The center has leveraged those funds to buy equipment such as a simulated ambulance and digital anatomy tables.

Some students, such as those in Central 9’s firefighting academy, may be eligible to go directly into the workforce, school leaders said. Students in the early education program are already working in nearby day cares, making lesson plans and planning art activities with the goal of eventually pursuing degrees in early childhood education.

McGrane said she isn’t immediately going into veterinary sciences.

“I love the class and I still have a passion for animals, but I’m going into the military,” McGrane said, to work with K9 teams.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner visits Central 9 Career Center on Tuesday with Gov. Mike Braun.

Students say they appreciate the freedom that real-world workforce programs provide compared to the traditional high school experience, said the school’s marketing manager, Tiffany Bickerstaff. But the program also expects students to meet recommended qualifications, like a minimum GPA or attendance, as well as skills like communication with adults coping with stressful situations, which Bickerstaff said helps get the “right student in the right seat.”

“We want them to understand this is adult-level training and college level curriculum,” Bickerstaff said. “The difference between here and high school is that we treat them like adults.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

$10 million federal grant will bring high-impact tutoring to more Hoosier students

2026-01-14T18:41:36+00:00

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A high-impact tutoring program created at the University of Notre Dame will scale to reach second and third graders across Indiana with a new federal grant.

The Indiana Department of Education received a five-year, nearly $10 million Education Innovation and Research grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand the model, which gives tutors research-backed skills to help students while also aiming to strengthen the educator pipeline.

In the Tutor-ND program, interdisciplinary teams from the university train and support tutors in evidence-based skills such as the science of reading as well as teach them to build caring relationships with students. The program currently works with more than 20 organizations that offer tutoring including South Bend Community Schools and local Boys and Girls Clubs, according to the program’s website.

With the new grant, Notre Dame will partner with the Indiana education department to serve at least 9,000 students who are high-need, defined as attending schools with an IREAD pass rate under 85%, according to the grant application. Of those students, 2,000 will be very high-needs, or not on track to pass the state reading test.

The grant allows the program to expand in Northern Indiana and for other universities to create new regional hubs in their communities with Notre Dame’s support. The additional universities will be selected through an application process, and Butler, Indiana, Purdue, Ball State, and Valparaiso universities, and the University of Louisville have expressed interest, according to the grant application.

The application also says that tutors include high school and college students, instructional aides, and other school-connected adults.

The grant-funded tutoring will be during the school day and will start in fall 2026, according to the state department of education.

The new program is the latest piece of the state’s ongoing investment in student literacy through programs, resources, and policy, including mandated science of reading in schools and a law to hold back students who don’t pass the IREAD, with some exceptions. In 2025, Indiana third graders passed the IREAD at a record-setting rate of 87.3%, which was up nearly 5 percentage points from 2024.

Expanding Notre Dame’s program allows for more high-impact tutoring and for community members to get involved in the state’s literacy push, state education department officials told the state board of education at its meeting Wednesday.

“Notre Dame in partnership with other higher ed institutions across Indiana can help us train an army of people to help tutor and support our students,” Katie Jenner, Indiana secretary of education, told the board.

Additionally, the state education department partnered with WestED on the grant to be an independent evaluator who will measure the impact.

Update: This story was updated to include that the grant-funded tutoring will be during school, starting in the fall.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

IPS school board approves teacher contract with minimum salary increase of $1,510

2025-11-14T00:11:02+00:00

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The Indianapolis Public Schools board approved a new two-year teacher contract through 2027 that provides a minimum raise of $1,510 for this school year and $1,010 in the next.

The vote on Thursday covers employees represented by the Indianapolis Education Association, which includes teachers, nurses, psychologists, media specialists, and speech and language pathologists.

Educators are only eligible for raises if they receive an evaluation of “highly effective” or “effective,” the two highest ratings. Raises are based on years of experience, academic specialty, and evaluation rating.

The raises come as IPS faces an uncertain future and an impending fiscal cliff. A voter-approved tax increase that residents passed in a 2018 operating referendum will expire next year. The district will also begin sharing more property tax revenues with charter schools in the coming years due to a law passed earlier this year.

The district previously said in a statement that the contract will help support IPS students as it plans to campaign for another operating referendum that would support its cash balance at the end of 2026-27 and beyond. The district could float another operating referendum to voters in 2026.

Tina Ahlgren of the Indianapolis Education Association said she was proud of the agreement that the union was able to build by working collaboratively with the district. Although increases were smaller than in previous years, she said that is to be expected, based on the fiscal reality for the state’s public schools.

“Most districts across the state are feeling their own financial stress and have responded by offering minimal increases or in some cases no increase at all,” she said. “IPS has made a concerted effort to strategically plan for continued paid salary increases, and we see that in this contract.”

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson also stressed the positive relationship between the district and the IEA.

“We very much appreciate the thought partnership, strategic partnership, and leadership of our partners in the IEA,” she said.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana Teacher of the Year 2026: Meet Megan Johnson, a ‘dedicated literacy champion’

2025-11-12T12:00:00+00:00

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Indiana’s 2026 Teacher of the Year Megan Johnson always knew she wanted to be a teacher.

Growing up, she loved the classroom. And her teachers helped her build confidence and discover her talents, despite being a student who “often blended in,” she said.

“I realized that what I loved most was the relationships and the sense of belonging that school created,” Johnson said. “I knew I wanted to be part of giving that same experience to my own students one day.”

As a fourth grade teacher at Central Elementary in Plainfield, Johnson said she wants “to be the teacher who truly sees every student, who takes time to know them well, and who pours into them the way my teachers poured into me.”

Johnson was named Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Department of Education in October, and said she’s still “in awe of it.” The more than 60-year-old state program aims to inspire and celebrate the teaching profession in Indiana. State Secretary of Education Katie Jenner praised Johnson for her embrace of the science of reading, calling her “a dedicated literacy champion.”

In her new role, Johnson said she wants to get to know teachers across the state.

“I want to celebrate the hard work and dedication of educators and share the great things happening in our schools with the broader community,” she said. “Above all, I hope to carry the voices of teachers and students with me, shining a light on the passion, creativity, and heart that exists in classrooms across our state.”

Below, Johnson told us about her love of reading, pitching a playground project with her students, and the best advice she’s ever received.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

I tell my students all the time, “Oh, this is my favorite subject,” or “This is why I love teaching science,” or “This is why I love teaching math and reading.” The truth is, I really enjoy all subjects because each one has something special to offer.

Megan Johnson, a teacher at Central Elementary School in Plainfield, hugs students after she was named the 2026 Indiana Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Department of Education.

Science stands out because it is so hands on and gives students the chance to learn through discovery. I can introduce a concept, but they get to explore and see the learning come to life in front of them. That moment of curiosity and excitement in their eyes is incredible to watch. In fourth grade, we do a lot with energy, and those lessons are so much fun. Students make real connections and begin to see how the world works.

Still, I could choose favorite lessons from every subject area because each one offers its own kind of magic in the classroom.

What does teaching literacy look like day-to-day in your classroom?

In my 19 years of teaching, literacy is the subject that requires the most effort, care, and understanding of each individual student. It is something that I am always studying and reflecting on, trying to find the best ways to reach every learner in my classroom. I truly believe that students need to have a purpose for everything they do in reading. When I let them in on what that purpose is, they invest more deeply in their learning and take greater ownership of their progress.

Over the last five years, I became a strong supporter of the science of reading. Even when I did not fully understand it at first, I knew it was something worth trying. Each year since, I have continued to add new practices and strategies that align with that research.

In my classroom, literacy is active, purposeful, and engaging. My students read a variety of texts and apply comprehension skills in meaningful ways. For students who need it, we include focused work on phonics. I make it a priority to build background knowledge and vocabulary across all subject areas so students can connect more deeply with what they read.

Megan Johnson, the 2026 Indiana Teacher of the Year, poses for a photo with state Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.

Literacy in my classroom is a living, growing process that I continue to refine each year, and I am so proud of the progress my students make through it.

What is an example of the project-based learning you do with students and community partners?

I am especially proud of a playground redesign project that my students and I created in September 2020.

After reading a text that highlighted the diversity of needs, we took a closer look at our own playground and realized that it was not fully accessible to all students, including some at our school. That sparked an important conversation about inclusion and fairness, and I challenged my students to redesign our playground so that all children in our school and community could use it.

We discussed working within a budget, researched playground equipment that would meet the needs of children of different ages and abilities, and even brought in an architect to talk about design, blueprints, and accessibility standards. My students created digital models of their redesigned playgrounds and presented their ideas to our principal for consideration.

This project went far beyond a single subject. It combined literacy, math, science, and technology, but more importantly, it helped my students see the impact they can have on the world.

Although the funding wasn’t available to make it happen, it was one of those experiences that truly made learning come alive and showed students that their voices and ideas matter. One student fell in love with architecture, and still plans to pursue it as a career as a now middle schooler.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The best advice I ever received came from my first principal, Mr. Mike Underwood. He told me to “shut my door and teach” in the kindest, most loving, and professional way. At the time, I did not fully understand what he meant, but looking back, it makes perfect sense.

What that advice means to me now is that there will always be a lot of noise around education. There are positives and negatives, and sometimes the negative voices seem louder than all the good that is happening in schools. But there truly is so much good within the walls of every classroom, including my own. I have made my classroom an anchor place for my students. I bring in people from the community to connect with them, use best practices and research to guide my instruction, and make sure my students have everything they need to grow and be successful.

So, in that sense, I do exactly what he told me years ago: I shut my door and teach.

Inside those walls, I can control the climate, joy, and learning. It is a space filled with positivity and purpose. I block out the noise that does not serve my students, and when they leave my classroom, I hope they carry that same joy, learning, understanding, and confidence into the world.

How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

Outside of school, my most important roles are being a wife and a mother. My husband and I are raising two sons, a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old, who are both active in sports. Along with their activities, we love exploring, hiking, and traveling. We have visited 19 of the national parks, and we try to take trips that help our boys see the world, meet new people, and gain a broader perspective on life.

I also take care of myself in smaller ways. I enjoy running, reading, and spending time with friends over meals, sharing stories and catching up. Balancing family time, outdoor adventures, and moments for myself helps me recharge and stay grounded, so I can bring my best self to my students each day.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Proposed IPS teachers contract would provide smaller raises amid shaky financial outlook

2025-11-11T18:30:52+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools teachers would receive smaller increases than in the past two years under a proposed two-year contract up for a vote on Thursday.

The 2025-27 contract for teachers, media specialists, social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, and speech and language pathologists offers a minimum salary increase of $1,510 in year one and $1,010 in year two, while raising the minimum salary to $54,800 in 2025-26 and $55,600 in 2026-27.

The raises come at an increasingly precarious time for IPS, which faces a funding cliff. The district is projected to end 2026 with an estimated $44 million deficit, according to cash flow projections from September.

The district relies on additional property taxes through an operating referendum to help fund salaries that will expire next year. A state-mandated group is also exploring how the district and charter schools could pool transportation and facility resources. And lawmakers earlier this year mandated the district to share more property tax revenues with charter schools while also passing property tax cuts. Those changes are estimated to cost the district roughly $5 million in 2026 and about another $4 million in 2027.

“It would have been unrealistic to expect IPS to provide the exact same compensation amounts as previous years,” said Tina Ahlgren, bargaining chair for the district teachers union, the Indianapolis Education Association, noting the district’s reduced enrollment and shifts in funding models. Ahlgren estimated about 1,500 employees are in the bargaining unit.

In a statement, the district said the contract will help IPS support students as it plans to campaign for another operating referendum, which will support its cash balance at the end of 2026-27 and beyond.

“Our partners in the Indianapolis Education Association understand our fiscal realities and worked collaboratively on this tentative agreement to reach what we all believe to be a fair and reasonable contract,” the district said.

Here are a few major takeaways from the proposed 2025-27 contract.

Teachers with new literacy endorsement would get raise

Raises are based on a teacher’s years of experience, academic specialty, and whether or not they received the two highest ratings, “highly effective” or “effective,” on their evaluations.

Although lawmakers recently repealed a state law forbidding raises for teachers rated as “ineffective” or “improvement necessary,” the proposed contract prohibits salary increases for those rated in those lower-performing categories.

All teachers who taught in IPS last year would receive annual increases. Teachers would also receive different raises based on whether they have completed one to seven years or eight or more years.

The district would continue to give additional raises for employees who served in hard-to-fill positions in the prior school year. Those include special education teachers, school psychologists, social workers, and certain STEM, career-technical, and dual-credit course educators.

The proposed contract also includes a new $150 salary increase for teachers who receive the literacy endorsement mandated for some educators by the state in 2024.

Teachers who perform additional roles, such as certain instructional or leadership roles, would receive stipends dictated through a four-tier system that maxes out at an additional $7,000 annually.

The contract would also maintain a program launched as a pilot in 2023 that provides additional pay for teachers who cover for absent colleagues.

Teachers would receive an extra $25 per hour if they lose their preparation periods to cover for a class due to the absence of another teacher. They would also receive the extra hourly rate if a principal places at least 30% of students from another class into their classrooms “due to the temporary absence of another teacher.”

Ahlgren said the program was popular with teachers during the previous contract cycle, with 341 participating in 2023-24 and 364 in 2024-25.

Could a retirement plan change bring teachers back?

Annual insurance premiums would also increase by about 8% under the contract, according to the teachers union.

The new contract would also change the vesting schedule for 403(b) retirement plans, reflecting an option the district said was already part of the retirement plan but not in the contract.

Rather than waiting five years to become fully vested, the contract offers a partial vesting schedule starting at 20% after one year of service. Employees would be 100% vested in the plan after five years.

Ahlgren said the change could recruit teachers who have left IPS and wish to return.

“There are a good number of folks who think the grass is greener and leave, and then are contemplating coming back,” she said. “They’ll weigh all the pieces, and it’s one more thing that could tilt the scale back in our favor to come back.”

The school board will vote on whether to ratify the contract on Thursday at 6 p.m. at 120 E. Walnut St.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s how many students were held back thanks to Indiana’s retention law

2025-11-05T18:34:31+00:00

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Roughly 3,000 Hoosier students are repeating third grade this school year, due to the state’s retention law.

This is the first school year students were held back under the 2024 law that mandates retention for students who don’t pass the state’s reading test, the IREAD-3.

The law sought to address the growing number of students who were promoted to fourth grade without passing the test, which is an indicator of the early literacy skills tied to success in later grades. It has exemptions for certain students such as those with disabilities or those who are learning English, and gives students multiple chances to pass the test, including twice in the summer after third grade.

The state’s department of education presented data on IREAD pass rates and retention to the State Board of Education on Wednesday, revealing the total number of students who were held back for the first time.

“We will be watching those students very closely,” State Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said of the students held back, “to ensure they are readers following this year.”

Statewide, over 84,000 students were tested, and 10,663 didn’t pass the IREAD by the end of third grade. Of those, 6,950 received a good cause exemption to go to fourth grade anyway, 3,040 were held back, and roughly 673 students either left the state or are now homeschooled, per the state’s presentation.

A state dashboard with this data for traditional public schools, charter schools, and private schools is available online.

The number of students held back is lower than estimates during the 2023 legislative session, which said more than 7,000 students could be retained in third grade due to the law, Jenner pointed out to the board. She previously said that she didn’t believe many students would be held back.

The smaller-than-first-estimated retention numbers also follow an increase in IREAD scores last school year where 87.3% of students passed the test, an improvement of 5 percentage points from the previous year.

Anna Shults, chief academic officer for the department of education, credited the impact of statewide literacy efforts and policies to support reading, such as giving students multiple chances to pass IREAD, summer school, and more. She also noted that literacy is a key part of the state’s proposed accountability model for schools.

“We are now ensuring that students that are promoted onto grade four are doing so with an ability to read and show mastery of key foundational reading skills,” Shults said.

Students who didn’t pass IREAD can still go to fourth grade

The state has multiple ways for a student who didn’t pass IREAD to qualify for a “good cause exemption” and be deemed that it’s in their best interest to go to fourth grade.

Those are if a student is in special education, if they are an English learner with less than two years of services, if they were previously held back in third grade or more than once before that, and if they are proficient or above in math on the ILEARN.

Schools have the laws and policies to hold students back, but the exemptions allow conversations on the local level about individual students, Shults said.

This school year, of the students who went to fourth grade with an exemption, nearly 75% were students in special education and nearly 24% were English learners. The remaining roughly 1% were either proficient in math or previously held back.

Indiana will continue literacy support going forward

For students who don’t pass the IREAD, Shults said the state’s focus will be on interventions for those students and what is happening day-to-day for them in school.

And she said the state will continue to make sure educators have what they need to improve literacy rates overall by looking at schools’ reading plans and providing teacher training, literacy resources, testing checkpoints, and supports like tutoring and summer programs.

The state board also heard a report on summer learning labs from Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. This summer was the fifth year for the program that does English and math education, and it served roughly 12,000 students in 144 locations across the state.

Students take an assessment at the beginning and the end of the five-week program, and Brown said data showed gains across the board for all students.

He added that research also showed gains on state tests following the summer program, and the largest gains were for students who also did tutoring through Indiana Learns in addition to the summer learning labs.

Next, he said, the Mind Trust is looking at ways to replicate the program during other breaks from school in the fall, winter, and spring.

Update: This story was updated on Nov. 6 to include a link to the state dashboard.

Chalkbeat Indiana reporter Aleksandra Appleton contributed to this story.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

I asked my Haitian students why they answer me in Creole. Here’s what they said.

2025-09-25T11:00:00+00:00

Sometimes, I wonder if the students doubt my proficiency in English.

But I quickly put that thought out of my mind, remembering my first visit to this elementary school in September 2023. Back then, students learning English far outnumbered native speakers of English. I loved how the kids in the hallway cheered in response to my question: “Kòman nou ye?” — Haitian Creole for “How are you doing?” That day, they identified a Creole speaker in their midst.

The following month, I walked into Promise Prep elementary — now called PLA@48, following a recent merger — in Indianapolis as a Haitian Creole/ESL Interventionist, tasked with supporting the learning journey of the Haitian immigrant students working to improve their English proficiency.

As a native of Haiti who was mostly educated in French, I bring with me my own challenges that come with learning English. To say that my position resonates with my own experience is an understatement. And now, my role has been extended to include family engagement and support services for our Haitian students and their caregivers. They can reach out to me for public transportation passes, for example, or for help with a job application.

Websder Corneille is the founder and director of the Haitian Creole Program, an adjunct college lecturer at Indiana University, and a reading interventionist at Promise Prep.

Now, as Promise Prep’s reading interventionist, I see myself as serving the community, not just the students or the school. The Haitian parents seem to see me that way, too. As a result, I am sometimes exposed to the realities of their lives, including economic hardship, unstable housing, language barriers, and physical and mental health-related issues following arduous journeys to the U.S. Knowing what they’ve endured has helped me create responsive resources that reflect their experiences, and has led me to seek out professional development opportunities related to trauma-informed care.

I am always looking for ways to connect with our scholars, especially the Haitian ones with whom I have a common background and language.

Because I help manage students’ arrival each day, I am among the first people to greet them and hear about their morning. My ability to foster connections was recognized when, during the 2023-24 school year, I was honored with the Support Staff of the Year award from the school. I received notes of praise and congratulations on a Haitian parents’ WhatsApp group.

I’ve been at the school for almost two years now, and my Haitian students still address me in Haitian Creole, even when I initiate the conversation in English.

When I stopped by a third grade classroom to share an announcement with the teacher, a student welcomed me with a flurry of questions.

“Mr. C., gen gwoup jodi a?” (Mr. C., do we have small-group reading today?)

It’s not possible today. The room is busy with testing.

Oke. Ap gen demen? (OK. What about tomorrow?)

Yes, for sure. We will be reading a story with four paragraphs and extracting the main idea.

- Dakò. Mèsi! (OK. thank you!)

This short conversation is representative of my daily interactions with Haitian students.

One time, I asked a fourth grader why she always addresses me in Creole. She smiled, then responded: “Mwen santi m pi byen epi konekte ak ou.” (I feel more comfortable and connected to you.)

Her response had me reflecting on my own Haitian immigrant journey in the U.S. over the past two years. I relate to this sense of connectedness, which I, too, nurture when I go to family events or am in settings where Haitian Creole is the dominant language. I nurture it when we gather on May 18 for Haitian Flag Day. Or when we meet up over soup joumou (pumpkin soup) to honor our ancestors’ fight for the liberation of the world’s first free Black republic on Jan. 1, 1804.

When I recounted what my student told me to another Haitian Creole interventionist, she described experiencing something similar at school — speaking to kids in English and having them respond in Creole. I realized that it provides students with the opportunity to interact with someone who speaks their mother tongue and to feel connected on a different level.

That’s no small thing, and it fills me with joy.

To provide my students ages 6-12 with additional support outside of the classroom, I founded the Haitian Creole Program in December 2023. More than 200 people have taken Creole classes in person and online, and the program hosted a children’s cultural summer camp in Indianapolis in summer 2024.

This immersion program was a joint activity with Partners in Literacy Haiti to help students of Haitian descent sharpen their Creole language skills and foster their understanding about Haitian culture. Former Deputy Mayor Judith B. Thomas even paid a visit to a Saturday morning class to share insights on the importance of early literacy for child development with our young Creole language learners.

Throughout the entire program, a Caucasian 9-year-old girl was driven 60 miles to participate, aiming to improve her communication with friends from Haiti. If a kid who’s not of Haitian descent can see the Creole language as a way to foster connections, you can imagine the pride I see in the Haitian students when they master their native language.

Websder Corneille is the founder and director of the Haitian Creole Program, an adjunct college lecturer at Indiana University, and a reading interventionist at Promise Prep. He believes language can be a vector to foster greater belonging and understanding.

How this teacher has used zoology to teach lifelong skills for roughly two decades

2025-09-16T11:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

When Sherry Jackson teaches zoology at North Central High School, many of the lessons are ones she did when she took the course for the first time at Indiana University.

Students do behavior studies, memorize more than 120 birds that live in Indiana, perform dissections, and take timed exams — all similar to the lessons Jackson did as a college student.

She remembers thinking she could never memorize so many animals by sight, and the feeling of accomplishment when she eventually did. And she said the timed exams are an opportunity for her to get to know her students and their interests.

“Zoology is just amazing to me,” Jackson said. “To see the similarities and differences from one animal to the next and compare those to humans, how could your curiosity not be sparked?

This year marks Jackson’s 23rd year as a teacher at the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township’s North Central High School, where she teaches anatomy and physiology in addition to zoology. And she said she considers the school her home, filled with educators who care deeply and who are always learning.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I can remember as far back as kindergarten playing teacher. My mother was heavily involved in the PTO at my brother’s school, and she would bring home old or used school books. I used them to teach my dolls and any friends who came to visit. I even tried teaching my brother, though he wasn’t a fan. Once I got into elementary school, I often found myself helping my peers. I guess the calling started early.

I originally went to college with the intention of becoming a doctor. I majored in biology at Indiana University Bloomington and was in my final semesters when I started having recurring dreams about my future. I had even taken the Medical College Admission Test and begun looking at medical schools, but in these dreams, I never saw myself as the doctor — only as the instructor teaching future doctors. That dream stayed with me. After graduating in 1993 with a degree in biology, I entered the teaching program at IU and never looked back.

How did you become interested in and start teaching zoology?

Life sciences in general are absolutely fascinating to me, but zoology was by far my favorite course in college. That class sparked my curiosity more than any other. I got to learn about animals that I had never seen or heard of and I was challenged with learning extensive amounts of information.

When I came to North Central in 2003, zoology wasn’t available to teach. As the new teacher, I was assigned Physical Science (now called Integrated Chemistry and Physics) and Biology.

A few years later, the department chair and my mentor, Mr. Charlie Russell, approached me about taking on zoology. The moment he asked, I was thrilled. I’ve been teaching zoology ever since, and I love it.

What’s your favorite zoology lesson to teach, and why?

It’s hard to narrow down because I love everything about zoology. We’ve designed the course to be very laboratory-intensive — students spend two to five days each week in the lab.

If I had to choose, my favorite unit is Chondrichthyes — the cartilaginous fishes such as sharks. It’s our first major dissection and allows students to compare the anatomy of sharks with that of mammals. I love watching students work at their own pace, explore in depth, and make real-world connections between shark anatomy and their own. The excitement and sense of accomplishment they feel by the end of the unit is contagious.

What impact does studying zoology make on students?

I’m a huge proponent of teaching lifelong skills, and I’m fortunate to do that through science. Most of my students won’t major in zoology or work with animals, but they will leave my class knowing how to read and follow directions, stay organized, work independently and in teams, and — most importantly — think critically.

Some of my former students have gone on to become doctors, dentists, nurses, teachers, and more. I like to think I played a small role in helping them develop the skills they needed to succeed. Nothing makes me happier than when a former student comes back to thank me. That’s the best feeling in the world.

What was your experience with school and how does it affect your work today?

I’ve been around long enough to see many “new” ways to educate students come and go. Often, these so-called innovations don’t last. I consider myself a bit “old school,” and I firmly believe many traditional methods are still the best. The methods I use are from the time I spent in both high school and college.

I emphasize reading — students in my classes use textbooks. I believe in pencil-to-paper work because it builds stronger neural connections. I also stress multimodal instruction, exposing students to new material in multiple ways.

At the same time, I see myself as a Montessori-inspired teacher. My motto is: “The mind cannot forget what the hands have learned.” Hands-on learning is at the core of what I do. In my classroom, it’s always “go, go, go” and “do, do, do.” We don’t just sit at computers all day — we do science. Some students transfer in from schools where they’ve never done lab work, and I find that unconscionable. My entire education revolved around hands-on learning and I continued this practice in my own classroom.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The best advice I’ve received is: Maintain high expectations and always be consistent with students.

When I talk to new teachers, I always give them this advice. Younger teachers really struggle with the consistency aspect and that can get them into trouble. Gray areas in rules and expectations can really stress out teachers so I learned to be as consistent and hold high expectations with everything I do in the classroom when students are involved.

At first, some students mistake high expectations for being strict or even mean. But once they understand how much I value education, they realize I hold them accountable because I believe in them. I make a point to let them know when I’m disappointed, but I also celebrate their successes. Even rare students who don’t earn the credit in my class grow in meaningful ways, and witnessing that growth is the greatest accomplishment of all.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

2025 ILEARN: English scores flat for fifth straight year as math scores improve

2025-07-16T18:40:42+00:00

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Indiana students’ English language arts scores have remained essentially unchanged for five straight years despite major state investments in literacy, although math scores grew over the same time period, new test results show.

The 2025 ILEARN results released Wednesday show that overall, 40.6% of students scored proficient or better on the English language arts portion of the state test, which is administered in grades 3-8.

That’s a decline of around half a percentage point from last year, and about the same percentage of students who reached proficiency as in previous years going back to 2021.

Since the 2022-23 school year, Indiana has overhauled its reading instruction in early grades to better align with the science of reading. This has included $111 million earmarked for placing literacy coaches in schools and evaluating teacher training programs, as well as a new law to hold back third graders who don’t pass the state reading test, the IREAD.

IREAD scores are expected in August.

In this year’s ILEARN results, the share of third grade students proficient in English language arts improved 1.6 percentage points over last year. But their proficiency rate has risen by only 1.7 percentage points since 2021, due to a decline in performance in 2023 and 2024.

In fourth grade, around 41.4% of students were proficient in English language arts in 2025, a .4 percentage point drop since last year, but a 1.8 percentage point improvement over 2021.

Meanwhile, Indiana students’ math proficiency has increased since 2021, when around 36.9% of all students were proficient in math. In 2025, 42.1% of students tested proficient, an increase of around 1.2 percentage points over 2024.

Notably, math performance in third grade has steadily declined since 2023.

Under a new law passed in 2025, math instruction will see changes similar to the science of reading shift, beginning with a math skills screener for younger students in 2026-27.

Overall, 31.2% of all Indiana students scored proficient in both English language arts and math in 2025. Indiana students recently posted improved scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, in both reading and math.

‘An urgent need to support middle school students’

The bifurcation in math and English language arts performance is most prominent in grades 6-8, where some of the greatest declines in English language arts proficiency and greatest increases in math proficiency occurred this year.

In seventh grade, for example, math proficiency improved 2 percentage points over last year, and 5.4 percentage points since 2021. But in English language arts, proficiency has fallen 3.9 percentage points since last year and 3.2 percentage points since 2021.

State education officials have been highlighting the need for intervention in these grades since 2022.

This year, they’ve linked the state reading overhaul to the difference in scores, with a board presentation pointing out that older students would not have benefitted from the changes in reading instruction that began in 2022-23.

“While we are positively moving and improving in math, there is an urgent need to support middle school students in English/language arts,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner in a news release about the scores.

“These are our students who intermittently came to school during the pandemic,” said board member Pat Mapes of older students. “They’re going to constantly be catching up.”

Scores among different student racial, ethnic, and social groups have remained relatively flat, with some notable exceptions.

For example, Black students’ proficiency in both English language arts and math has grown each year since 2021, with around 21.8% of Black students now proficient in English and 19% proficient in math — an increase of around 4.4 and 7.4 percentage points, respectively. Black students and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students were the only student groups to improve in English language arts proficiency since last year.

Math proficiency among English learner students has improved by 4.2 points since 2021, but English proficiency has fallen from a peak of 13.9% in 2022 to 12.7% — around the same rate as in 2021.

Proficiency rates for students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals have increased from 22% in 2021 to 28.6% this year.

See how students at your school did on the ILEARN test using the table below:

The 2024-2025 school year was the first year that schools could choose to administer the ILEARN at several checkpoints throughout the year, with the goal of giving educators more data on student performance. Around 75% of schools participated in this pilot.

Beginning next year, all students and schools will participate in the checkpoint model. Department of Education officials said that beginning next year, the state will roll out portals for parents to view the results.

SAT reading scores improve, math scores flat

The state also released SAT scores Wednesday in a presentation to the State Board of Education.

Though not required for graduation, the SAT currently serves as the state’s federally mandated high school assessment, and students can use them to meet one of the state’s graduation pathways.

Around 54.8% of 11th grade test-takers met the college-ready benchmark for reading and writing in 2025, an increase of around 2.7 percentage points over 2024. Math proficiency remained flat, with around 25.4% of students meeting the benchmark.

This story has been updated to clarify that the ILEARN scores released Wednesday are for English language arts and math.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear back-to-school stories from the Indianapolis community and share your own

2025-06-30T11:00:00+00:00

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Whether you’re a student, parent, or educator, the start of a new school year is filled with fresh starts and memories.

Maybe it’s the first day at a new school. Or being on the other side of things as the parent waving good-bye. Or maybe it was the start of a school year that made a big impact on you — but you didn’t know it then.

Join us for “New and Nostalgic: A back-to-school community story slam” from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21 at the Pitch Bleachers inside the AMP at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd.

This event is a twist on previous educator story slams — it is open to the community so students, parents, educators, and community members can all come together to tell their stories about the shared experience of back-to-school. We’ll share, connect, and learn from each other as we embark on another new school year. The story slam is co-hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana, Indy Kids Winning, and Mirror Indy.

If you are interested in participating or want to learn more about sharing your story, please fill out this form.

This event is sponsored by ClusterTruck. It’s free, but RSVP is encouraged. Get your ticket here.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Food and drink will be provided.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Teacher Prep Academy hopes to hook high schoolers on teaching — but its funding is in jeopardy

2025-06-09T20:03:31+00:00

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For Brooklynne Ford, becoming a teacher is all about being a positive force in a kid’s life and “helping people.”

The rising senior at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis is getting started on her teaching education early through Teacher Prep Academy, a University of Indianapolis program now in its third year. At the academy, 21 high school students take dual-credit courses and live and learn on the university’s campus for one week. The program is funded by a roughly $700,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Education.

Those who run Teacher Prep Academy hope that in a small way it can help address the ongoing teacher shortage — which is also a challenge nationwide — by preparing high school students to enter the profession. However, they’re uncertain about the academy’s future, since the state grant that funds the program has run out.

“The point of having this camp is to get high schoolers who are interested in going into education and give them a little taste of what education is like as a career,” said program coordinator Leah Trost.

Of the 3,517 open positions on the Indiana Educator Job Board as of June 5, 1,905 of them were teaching positions. This is a somewhat lower number than last summer, when there were about 2,200 teaching positions available in June.

An October Department of Education presentation attributed the Indiana teacher shortage in part to fewer aspiring teachers entering and finishing education programs.

The academy is free to students and includes on-site classes as well as off-site trips to local schools and museums. While the program is still young, students say the academy has encouraged them to continue to explore teaching as a career path.

Ford said she would recommend the program to others and said she is more likely to continue pursuing an education career because she took part in the academy.

“All of your mentors help you make sure that you have not only the knowledge you need, but like the love and support that you need with it,” she said.

Students get hands-on teaching experience

A highlight of the academy for both students and instructors was a recent visit to Indian Creek Elementary School, where students got the chance to work with elementary schoolers and speak with the principal.

Isaiah Jimenez, a rising junior at Franklin Central High School, valued this hands-on experience. He especially appreciates the way the academy has encouraged him to have empathy for his future students.

“This program helps you be able to be more emotionally intelligent, helps you be more considerate, and it helps you be able to teach others,” he said.

Back on the University of Indianapolis campus on a recent Thursday, the state’s future teachers gathered in a classroom for their dual-credit courses.

After splitting up into groups, students worked on their course-ending project, did independent work, and reviewed the concept of high-leverage practice — teaching strategies that improve student comprehension — with instructor Brooke Hamlett.

Hamlett has focused much of the week on showing students how to think like a teacher. She modeled the different strategies she uses to engage students.

She was particularly proud when a student in the Teacher Prep Academy was able to break down why Hamlett chose to re-teach a concept after noticing the student’s minds wandering the previous day.

“I’m so impressed by this batch of kids,” Hamlett said.

The program emphasizes community alongside learning, with mentors leading games and activities to help the student get to know each other.

The students also make connections with teachers, who are able to offer more perspective on day-to-day life in their jobs. One student is already planning to shadow Hamlett next year to get a better sense of what her job in Beech Grove City Schools, where she teaches, is all about.

Teacher prep program’s future funding is in doubt

Teacher Prep Academy is funded through the Attract, Prepare, Retain grant, a state-level grant that supports local initiatives to recruit and retain teachers. As a partner institution, the University of Indianapolis received over $700,000 in 2022 to operate the academy and several other initiatives.

The Indiana Department of Education funded the grant from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, part of the federal government’s COVID aid. But that federal relief has expired, and there’s no other funding source for Attract, Prepare, Retain. That’s left those who oversee the program uncertain about its future funding and whether it will have to shut down.

Program coordinator Leah Trost said they will be exploring other funding options, but at this time, she does not know how they will afford the program next year.

“If we don’t have this camp, we’re going to miss out on possibly getting 30, 35 students who maybe thought about education but weren’t sold on it,” she said.

Not only does the academy provide concrete knowledge and skills to students, it also connects them to like-minded people who are interested in education.

“They would lose such a super-cool opportunity to make connections here at the university, connections in public schools around the city, connections with one another, just this opportunity to meet people that you never would have had the chance to meet and collaborate with,” said Hamlett.

Samantha Camire is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Samantha at scamire@chalkbeat.org.

Wayne Township schools program creates a new path for immigrant teachers

2025-05-07T19:17:34+00:00

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This story was originally published by Mirror Indy.

When Daniela Robledo came to the U.S. from Argentina in 2006, she didn’t just move away from her family and homeland: She left behind her dream job.

Just nine months into her first year of teaching preschool, Robledo and her husband moved to the United States. Despite the fact she’d earned her college degree in Argentina, Robledo worked in housekeeping and retail for years while learning English. She eventually earned certification as a teacher’s aide.

“I have that kind of personality that I can adapt to every situation,” Robledo, now 44, said. “That is the characteristic that helped me to go through all these years with not actually practicing my degree.”

But now, nearly two decades after leaving her teaching job, Robledo is studying to be a teacher again. She’s one of eight participants in a Wayne Township Adult Education pilot program called Praxis Prep that’s preparing college-educated immigrants to get their teaching licenses in Indiana. The semester-long pilot program launched earlier this year.

Seliat Yekinni-Elebute gives a presentation during a Praxis Prep class at Ben Davis University High School on April 17, 2025.

Many of the students in the class are underemployed despite their degrees, working as paraprofessionals — teacher’s aides — in Wayne Township or in other westside school districts.

Because U.S. education and licensing requirements are different from other countries, immigrants trained in certain industries such as health care and education have to get recertified to work in the U.S. That process, which can be lengthy, means highly educated immigrants are often overqualified for the jobs they are seeking. In 2023, 20% of immigrants with a college degree were unemployed or working low-skill jobs, according to Migrant Policy Center.

In order to teach in Indiana, those educated outside the U.S. must meet requirements through the Indiana Department of Education, including matching non-U.S. classes to their U.S. equivalents, having classroom experience and passing the Indiana licensing exam, called Praxis.

Christy McIntyre-Gray, director of Wayne Township Adult Education, said the Praxis Prep class was designed to guide aspiring teachers through that rigorous process.

“They’ve worked really hard, they have skills to contribute,” McIntyre said. “You’re seeing that contribution as a paraprofessional.”

Christy McIntyre-Gray speaks with Shenia Suggs of Wayne Township schools during a Praxis Prep class at Ben Davis University High School on April 17, 2025.

Program staff say the certification program won’t just help these individuals get better jobs. It’ll help their future students, especially those from immigrant families, to have a teacher who understands their native language and experience.

“They know how to reach that child, whereas someone who comes from a different background may not know how to reach that child, because they can’t connect,” said Efila Jzar, instructor for the prep class. “It’s a richness that’s brought.”

McIntyre-Gray hand-selected most of the participants for the pilot program based on their shared experiences as immigrants. But eventually, she’s hoping to expand the prep class to all aspiring teachers who are not yet certified.

State lawmakers, though, added some uncertainty to the program’s future. The most recent Indiana state budget cut $4 million from adult education programs.

McIntyre-Gray doesn’t yet know how the cuts will impact Wayne’s budget and the teacher prep program specifically. She’s waiting for the state to provide more information about what Wayne Township’s share of the adult education budget will be over the next two years.

“How it plays out locally is hard to tell,” McIntyre-Gray said. “They have a lot of challenging decisions to make.”

Modupeola Onigbanio talks with Shenia Suggs of Wayne Township Schools during a Praxis Prep class at Ben Davis University High School on April 17, 2025.

For now, she’s forging ahead with the program as students continue to prep for the exam.

How to teach a teacher

Though students come into the prep class with some teaching experience, they exit not just prepared to sit for the exam, but to teach in a modern classroom.

Coming into the class, many of the teacher prep students struggled with technology, whether because the U.S. uses it more than their home countries or simply because education has changed significantly over the years.

To help her students learn these skills, Jzar weaves technology skills into every aspect of her class, teaching students how to use Google Slides and ChatGPT while they hone their writing and math skills for the exam.

Instead of teaching them just how to pass the licensing exam, Jzar wants her students to be able to continue learning best practices for teachers throughout their careers.

“If I teach them how to teach themselves to move forward, they can teach themselves anything,” she said.

The program is in its pilot phase and will go through the first week of June. After that, students will take the first round of licensing exams, which evaluate their reading, writing, and math skills.

After they get their license, students will be able to student teach, either in Wayne Township or another district.

Getting into the classroom in Indiana

Markens Mezier taught high school math in his home country of Haiti. But when he moved to the U.S., that wasn’t a possibility.

To make ends meet, Mezier worked in a warehouse for two years while taking English classes at night.

The transition was difficult for him. The only heavy things Mezier was used to lifting, he said, were books.

“It was a motivation for me to come to adult education to learn English and pass the test,” he said.

Markens Mezier prepares his presentation during a Praxis Prep class at Ben Davis University High School on April 17, 2025.

Mezier’s been an instructional assistant at the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center for three years now, where he works with students learning English as a second language. He largely translates for students who speak Haitian Creole. Indianapolis has between 20,000 and 30,000 Haitian immigrants, according to the Haitian Association of Indiana.

“When the student comes from another country, English is new for them,” Mezier said. “So you need someone to say, ‘Welcome. OK, you are in a good place to learn. Don’t worry, I can help you.’”

For Victoria Ebea, sharing her experience as an immigrant has been essential to helping her English language students build confidence in their own skills.

“I used to tell them, ‘I’m also bilingual, I’m also an immigrant,’” she said. “If you’re serious about what you want to do and you’re determined that you have a goal and you’re focused, you get it done.”

When Ebea and her husband moved to the U.S. from Nigeria to be closer to her daughter, she couldn’t teach anymore because her degree and certificate didn’t line up with U.S. requirements.

In the interim, Ebea got certified as an aide, working with students learning English as a second language.

Seliat Yekinni-Elebute gives a presentation during a Praxis Prep class at Ben Davis University High School on April 17, 2025.

But teachers in her school noticed her classroom management and discipline skills and encouraged her to get certified. When McIntyre-Gray invited her to join the prep class, it was those votes of confidence that motivated her to sign up.

At 62, Ebea’s older than most of the other students preparing for the certification exam. But the class has helped her develop skills that’ll help her in her personal and professional lives.

“Being in America, standing in the classroom as a teacher,” she said. “That will be an unexpected dream come true.”

As for Robledo, she’s hoping to teach her own class one day soon. She wants to return to early childhood education — which was her career path in Argentina years ago. That passion for educating young children never left her.

“Kids are more innocent, but they are waiting from the teacher to learn,” she said. “I like when people want to learn.”

Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.

Being a first-year teacher is famously difficult. Miss MacNulty gets real about it in this podcast.

2025-03-17T11:00:00+00:00

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Jenna MacNulty woke up at 3:30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning with a 102-degree fever and chills. She’d need to take her first sick day as a teacher, but it wasn’t just a matter of sending a quick email and crawling back into bed. So MacNulty, then a third grade teacher at Hamilton Heights Elementary School in Arcadia, got up and typed out detailed instructions for a substitute.

“As an elementary school teacher, your sub plans are, like, seven pages long, because you’re teaching eight subjects and also you’re with the same kids all day. So you know exactly how those kids work, who’s in charge of what, and who does what when,” she told Year One, a podcast documenting MacNulty’s first year in the classroom in Indiana.

Each episode explores a different issue MacNulty encountered during the 2023-24 school year, her first year on the job. In addition to sick days and substitutes, Year One tackles budgeting on a teacher’s salary, supporting students with IEPs, and managing challenging classroom behaviors.

When the curriculum and ed tech company Carnegie Learning, which produces Year One, approached MacNulty about podcasting through her first year, she was nervous. She decided to share her story anyway to help other new educators through their own challenging firsts. “I hope that they take away that it is okay to not be a perfect teacher,” she told Chalkbeat. “In fact, there is no such thing as a perfect teacher. As much as your students are learning year after year, you are learning year after year, too.”

This school year is MacNulty’s second in the classroom, and she’s teaching fifth grade math at Zionsville West Middle School in Whitestown.

The Year One podcast premiered in August, and new episodes, which MacNulty recorded in real-time last school year, drop every few weeks. The next one, on spring challenges, comes out on April 8. MacNulty’s experiences are the focus of the entire season, but the podcast, which is hosted by the journalist Kanika Chadda-Gupta, also features topical interviews with other educators.

MacNulty spoke recently with Chalkbeat about how COVID restrictions affected her teacher training, classroom learning curves that were steep and surprising, and how podcast listeners are responding to Year One.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I’ve wanted to teach for as long as I can remember. I was the kid who would beg to go to school. When I was at home, I would “play school” with my stuffed animals and print out worksheets for them to do. My mom was an educator, and she played a big role in sparking that interest in me.

Majoring in education in college was tough because it was during COVID. A lot of my student teaching and observation opportunities were stripped because of COVID, when my peers and I were not allowed to enter schools or schools were shut down in the first place. Luckily, by the time I was a senior, ready for my official student teaching placement, I was able to experience the full classroom in all its glory. While that showed me what being a teacher was really going to be like — which scared me a little, I won’t lie — it also affirmed my lifelong passion for teaching.

Why did you agree to document your first year in the classroom in a podcast?

I wanted to share my journey as a first-year teacher to document not only the rewarding moments of my first year in the classroom but also the challenges. I felt compelled to break the facade that I saw so much on social media that teaching is just colorful classroom decor and perfectly curated lesson plans. I hope to showcase the realities of being a teacher so educators like me can feel less alone.

Last school year, Jenna MacNulty taught third grade at Hamilton Heights Elementary School in Arcadia, Indiana.

What proved to be your biggest learning curve during your first year in the classroom? What was the most unexpected learning curve?

Behavior challenges. Learning what management strategies work for various groups of students feels like endless trial and error and can be exhausting at times! The most unexpected learning curve, though, was learning how to teach using my school’s curriculum. You really only feel comfortable using whatever your student teaching placement had you use, so to learn a whole new curriculum was an unexpected hurdle. I had to take extra unplanned time to understand how they wanted me to teach it.

The podcast tackles so many of your firsts. How did you choose what topics to cover?

As I was recording the podcast in real-time throughout my first year, certain milestones and topics kept coming up that would raise alarm bells to me as something I wasn’t necessarily fully prepared for coming into teaching. I knew that other new teachers would want to know how a real teacher tackled those things.

For example, I talked about state testing a lot on the podcast — helping students feel prepared while also providing social-emotional support. If the school you’re at emphasizes state testing, then especially as a third grade teacher, it’s going to take up a lot of your time and brain space.

What has been the audience response so far?

I knew it would resonate because it’s what I would’ve wanted as a first-year teacher. It lets new teachers take a peek into my diary, essentially, and so many new teachers are reaching out to me telling me how much the podcast has helped them feel prepared to enter the field. What did surprise me is how many veteran teachers have also been loving the podcast. Many told me that it has taken them back to their early years of teaching and reignited their spark for teaching.

I felt compelled to break the facade that I saw so much on social media...

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

This year, my favorite lesson to teach has been how to find common denominators while working with fractions. I was able to use storytelling as a teaching strategy, so the idea of making the denominators match really stuck with them. The story I told was about going out on a dinner date and not matching outfits with the person you are going with. Think of denominators as the pants you are wearing, and think of numerators as the shirts. You’re not ready to go out to dinner if you’re wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt and your date is wearing a ski suit! You both need to change to match your fancy restaurant’s dress code.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The best advice I’ve ever received for teaching is that it’s still going to be there tomorrow. That huge stack of papers to grade, that parent email, that extra data form you need to fill out — it all will be there tomorrow. It is OK if your to-do list isn’t all the way completed by the time you leave school at the end of the day. There are literally only seven hours in your school day. You are human and can only do so much! It took me a couple of months of teaching to understand this advice and truly let myself live it out, but boy has it changed my perception of teaching and the workload it brings!

Gabrielle Birkner is the features editor and fellowship director at Chalkbeat. Email her at gbirkner@chalkbeat.org.

Correction: A previous version of this piece spelled MacNulty’s last name incorrectly. It is MacNulty, not McNulty.

This Indianapolis art teacher teaches life lessons alongside drawing lessons

2025-02-14T12:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

It’s “fun Friday” in Makeba Averitte’s art class at Liberty Grove Schools, a K-6 Innovation charter school on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

Fourth graders file in, and he tells them to start by taking two Valentine’s Day coloring sheets and two Black History Month coloring sheets. When they are done, Averitte will hang the latter set in the school’s hallways, but the valentines are for students to give to family, he said.

Averitte’s classroom is filled with color and art from the paint buckets hanging from the ceiling to artwork, including his own, on the walls and cabinets. But it’s also filled with supplies for life: shelves of clothes and a “care cabinet” of hygiene items for students in need. Positive affirmations adorn the walls for students to recite in corresponding King and Queen mirrors. Averitte even keeps hair clippers in his desk for students in need of a haircut.

He fuses history and language lessons with art and talks to students about their emotions, too. Averitte does this all with a big smile and sometimes a dance.

Growing up, Averitte said his teachers didn’t understand what he was going through at home, and how he used humor to distract from his pain. But now, as a teacher himself, he aims to boost students’ self-confidence and open their minds to new ideas. It’s being a part of their village.

“A village means that everyone is doing their part, everybody’s got a role, everybody plays a part,” he said. “It’s a better world.”

A bulletin board in Makeba Averitte's classroom emphasizes the impact that mindset has on a student.

Averitte spoke to Chalkbeat Indiana about merging art with life lessons, building a village, how his mom learned to read as an adult, and the best advice he’s received.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

It never dawned on me, but I always understood the importance of the village. I enrolled my child as a kindergartener at what was then Ignite Achievement Academy (in the same building that Liberty Grove is in now), and when the school held community discussions on the importance of the village, I shared my story. Someone saw something in me, and in 2017, I was hired as an assistant PE teacher, initially. Then, I started offering art as enrichment classes. The rest is history. I’ve been teaching art at Liberty Grove Schools for three years.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

Actually, I love art and social-emotional teaching. I love art because it allows children to see what I saw in art as a kid and currently. You can take a blank piece of paper and turn it into life.

Sometimes students aren’t sure they can create something. Then, I help them see the art in their name, like how the letter A in a name can be the roof of a house. Then, when I see a child turn that letter A into a Christmas tree or something else, it’s amazing. I love seeing their reaction to something they’ve created as well as the confidence they gain when they see they’ve created something amazing.

I also love teaching life skills and coping skills. Bottled-up feelings affect our growth and development all around. It can affect our confidence, our dreams, and more. The same is true for children, and we can help them understand that it directly helps their growth and development. Plus, I really enjoy teaching life skills to students and mentoring others — students and parents, even. For families, we are all on a journey, and I want to remind them that they are not alone. It really is all connected. The village. And that’s how we help prepare students in the classroom, in life, and beyond.

How has your role as the president of the school’s parent advisory council impacted you and your work?

My target is to work with parents and children. That’s how we — the village — help students achieve academically and thrive in life. They are the future. They are making changes in this life, right now, just like the youth of our history who were game changers. We have a role in this life to encourage them every step of the way. This position allows me to share who I am, where I’ve been, and where I am going and encourage them. I want to build up parents on that journey, especially as I reflect on my life and my parent — my mother.

For example, my mother used Indy Reads, and seeing her grow because of it and other times she persevered inspires me. So I share my journey, connections, and resources, like Indy Reads, with families. It really is all connected.

I heard you like to help students work toward their dreams for future careers. How do you do that?

This is a part of my every day. For example, I created a class assignment where I asked students to create their own business logo. They did an amazing job. I saw their excitement and then I encouraged their dreams further by creating flyers for students that showcased the dreams they’ve shared. I have future brain surgeons, hair stylists, nail techs, a photographer, and more in my classes!

Sometimes, I’ve even purchased things to coincide with those dreams, like a stethoscope or scrubs, a camera, and more. My job is to help students dream big and believe in themselves. And when they do, students lock in and work towards those goals in different ways.

Liberty Grove art teacher Makeba Averitte shows how he explains to students the impact that their mindset has on their lives and how education can help change it for the better.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

My mom shows how she never gave up on my brother and I, despite her struggles in life. One major dilemma was that she was illiterate. Through my mother’s action and sacrifice, she took it upon herself to seek help to better her education with Indy Reads’ adult literacy program. In her journey as a single mother, she proved to my brother and I that you can do anything that you set your mind to, no matter what you’ve been through. My mother received multiple awards from Indy Reads, including awards for leadership, achievement, and student of the year.

When I was a kid, my mom owned a neighborhood candy store, and she told the kids in the neighborhood if they showed her their report card with good grades, she will give them a bag of free candy. My mom showed me what the saying, “It takes a whole village,” looks like, as well as the saying “All hands on deck.”

It was less of what someone said and more of what they did. My mother showed me a lot, and I am grateful for her. She showed me that, no matter what, you got to stick it out when it comes to learning. She did that.

To me, that’s what helps students go far — the resilience, the push through, the knowledge and academics, and the know-how regarding how to apply it as they dream big and reach for their goals. The students are already amazing. I am grateful for the opportunity to help them see that so they can tap in and shine even more.

This story has been updated to clarify which school Averitte’s daughter first attended.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

The science of reading could inspire Indiana to change math instruction. But how?

2025-02-10T12:00:00+00:00

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Two years after Indiana made big changes to reading instruction, state policymakers want to see a similar shift in math.

A bill advancing through the state legislature would place new requirements for math instruction on teacher prep programs, while also requiring schools to screen young students for math proficiency and offer interventions for those who need them.

House Bill 1634 would also require older students who are proficient in math to be auto-enrolled in advanced math courses.

The idea behind the bill is based on Indiana’s reading overhaul, which over two years has changed the way universities train teachers and the way teachers teach reading, aligning both to a set of practices known as the science of reading.

Lawmakers and state education leaders have linked the state’s reading efforts to its performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which this year showed that Indiana students improved their reading scores even as reading scores nationally continued to decline.

“Hopefully we can do something similar to that in regard to math,” said Republican Rep. Jake Teshka, the bill’s author.

But while Indiana followed in the footsteps of states like Mississippi to implement the principles of the science of reading, the template for overhauling math isn’t so clear-cut.

Only a handful of other states have passed laws requiring screeners or extra training for elementary teachers in math. There’s also less research about the best way to teach math, though advocates broadly describe two camps that emphasize either explicit instruction or student-led discovery.

Students in fourth grade improved their math scores on the NAEP slightly, but Indiana’s eighth graders continued to decline, a trend that began in 2019.

And the state may face pushback from teachers and teacher prep programs as it did with the reading changes, which required extra training and monitoring on top of existing requirements.

“There’s not a recipe in our country that we can just take from another state that has scaled the work and do it,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner at a hearing on the bill. “It’s an opportunity to move with urgency but also learn throughout the process.”

House Bill 1634 passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee on Wednesday.

What the bill means for teachers and prep programs

The bill tasks the Department of Education with developing guidelines for teacher preparation programs, in order to ensure that the curriculum they’re using is “aligned with evidence-based instructional strategies to promote: conceptual understanding; procedural fluency; and real world problem solving.”

The department must also review the state’s teacher prep programs to ensure they’re following these rules. Those who aren’t could face losing the “right to use the word ‘accredited.’” The state instituted similar requirements when it changed mandates for reading instruction two years ago.

A lot of the math instruction in schools today combines procedural and conceptual instruction, said Sarah Powell, a professor of special education at the University of Texas at Austin, whose research focuses on math.

But she added that in the last couple of decades, schools heavily emphasized conceptual understanding, or why a problem-solving approach works, rather than procedural understanding, or how to do the steps to solve a problem.

The issue with conceptual understanding is that “people learn through modeling or practice,” she said.

“You watch a YouTube video, pause it, practice, and finally you can tile your bathroom,” Powell said.

Since the push for the science of reading gained national attention, educators have applied a similar lens to math.

“A lot of schools are saying, wait a minute — if we have to explicitly teach reading, do we have to explicitly teach math?” Powell said. “We have a lot of evidence about the best ways to learn math, but not a lot of the best ways to teach math have been in place.”

Still, some researchers are wary of a mandate to teach math in any one specific way, especially when that mandate creates a burden for universities.

Enrique Galindo, an associate professor of mathematics at Indiana University who spoke in a personal capacity, said there’s likely not just one solution. Instead, teachers should be prepared to utilize a number of different strategies for different students who have different strengths.

“I think the problem is when legislation wants to mandate what to teach and how to teach, it basically does not trust higher education institutions that the state funds with taxpayer dollars to do their work,” Galindo said.

The main issue with a procedural-based approach “is that it doesn’t develop the kind of thinkers we need today to be successful in society,” he said.

“We need to prepare students who are problem solvers, who understand what they’re doing,” he said. “In the past we valued just getting to the right answer. But now you need to know how you do it, and how to explain it to others.”

(Powell and Galindo spoke to Chalkbeat before the details of the Indiana bill were available.)

Indiana lawmakers hope to avoid the duel of philosophies that marked the science of reading debate.

Rep. Bob Behning, a Republican and the chair of the House Education Committee, pointed out that teachers who had been trained in one method of teaching literacy — like balanced literacy — had to relearn techniques.

But less formal training in math in many instances for teachers in training may mean that educators are less comfortable tackling the topic.

Jenner said the state is seeking philanthropic contributions to help with the costs of implementing voluntary professional development for teachers aimed at boosting their confidence in teaching math.

In 2022, the Lilly Endowment gave around $85 million to place literacy coaches in Indiana schools and offer teachers stipends for taking professional development in the science of reading, among other literacy initiatives.

“Not every teacher who teaches math is in love with math,” Powell said. “A lot of elementary teachers, they love reading and want students to be readers.”

What the math bill means for students

The bill would require students in grades K-2 to take numeracy screeners, while those in older grades would continue to take the state math test, the ILEARN.

Students who score low on these screeners and tests would qualify for interventions, which must also be aligned to the ideas of conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and real-world application, and happen on top of their regular classroom instruction.

Powell said schools have long recognized the power of reading instruction and intervention, but fewer schools take the same approach with math. Early math intervention could help students build skills for future grades, and eventually, future careers.

“If you have a hard time adding and subtracting, guess what, multiplication and division are hard,” Powell said.

Galindo said another solution for schools could be hiring math coaches who work with teachers to provide feedback and help prepare lessons. If a school provides numeracy screeners to young students, the screeners should narrowly define the skills students need at that age, he said.

In addition, the bill would require that students who demonstrate proficiency in math in middle school on the ILEARN or through their grades be enrolled in an advanced math class in the next grade. This idea drew some concerns from educators who said proficiency does not necessarily mean that a student is ready for advanced math.

When the House committee passed HB 1634, there was a round of applause for Jenner for the state’s recent NAEP reading results.

“I believe our schools will continue to improve, because the better a kid can read, the better they can do math,” said Democratic Rep. Tonya Pfaff, a math teacher.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear local educators share their stories they want lawmakers to know

2025-01-30T21:38:09+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

What do teachers wish Indiana’s lawmakers knew about daily life in schools? We’re asking educators to share stories and experiences from the classroom that they want state lawmakers to know as they craft rules about schools at the Statehouse.

Join us for “Letters to Lawmakers,” a teacher story slam from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Guggman Haus Brewing Co., 1701 Gent Ave. in Indianapolis. The event is hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana, Indy Kids Winning, and Teachers Lounge Indy, and is a continuation of previous story slams. It’s a place for educators to share stories, spend time together, and learn from each other too. The community is also invited to hear their stories.

The event is free, but RSVP is encouraged. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

To RSVP, get your free ticket here.

And if you are an educator and are interested in telling your story, please fill out this form by Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Update, Feb. 4: This story was updated to extend the deadline for educators to sign up to be storytellers.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Minimum teacher salaries: Nearly all Indianapolis school districts offer over $50,000

2025-01-27T18:10:00+00:00

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Indianapolis Public Schools is once again paying teachers the highest starting salaries in Marion County after the latest round of contract negotiations between districts and unions.

The contracts for this school year come as lawmakers push for a higher minimum state teacher salary in a bid to make teaching a more attractive career. Boosting teacher pay is also one of new Gov. Mike Braun’s priorities. But raising the state minimum might not have much impact on teachers in Indianapolis district schools: Nearly all of the 11 Marion County school districts offer a starting salary that’s at least $10,000 above the statewide minimum of $40,000.

IPS offers the highest minimum salary at $53,460, followed by the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township at $53,000. All districts except Franklin Township Community School Corporation offer a starting salary of at least $50,000.

IPS boosted its starting pay to above the $50,000 mark in 2022, creating a competitive threshold for nearby districts to meet. The Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township surpassed the district in starting salary last school year, but IPS returns as the district paying the highest starting salary for 2024-25.

Six of the 11 districts negotiated new contracts this year, while the remainder are in the second year of two-year contracts.

The contracts don’t cover charter schools, which are separate from the districts and are not unionized.

Depending on the school district’s contract, teachers can also receive stipends in addition to base pay. These can include extra money for overseeing extracurricular activities or athletics, or for having specialized teaching certification such as National Board Certification.

(Additional stipends are not included in base pay increases in the table below).

Under state law, teachers who are rated as “ineffective” or “improvement necessary” for the prior school year — the two lowest ratings on the teacher evaluation scale — are not eligible for an increase in base pay.

Statewide, the average annual teacher salary increased to $60,557 in 2024, about $2,000 above the prior year.

While IPS has the highest starting pay, its average salary was the lowest in the city last school year. That could be for a number of reasons, including a higher proportion of less experienced teachers or a salary range where more experienced teachers are not paid as much as in other districts.

Average teacher salaries in Marion County districts for 2023-24 ranged from $55,883 in IPS to $71,659 in the School Town of Speedway. All but two districts — IPS and Franklin Township — pay above the statewide average.

Lawmakers seek to boost minimum teacher pay

Legislators have different ideas for just how much Indiana teachers’ minimum pay should increase.

One bill by Republican Sen. Linda Rogers would raise the minimum salary to $45,000. Another bill by Democratic Sen. Fady Qaddoura would raise it to $65,000.

Those proposals, while supported by some districts, could carry a hefty price tag.

The Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township said in a statement it strongly supports an increase in base teacher pay.

“This type of investment will enhance our ability to attract and retain exceptional teachers who are vital to student success,” the district said.

For Beech Grove City Schools, raising the minimum salary to $65,000 would cost roughly an additional $1.2 million plus benefits, according to the district of roughly 3,000 students.

And in Pike Township, raising minimum teacher pay without additional state funding would likely require another referendum, according to Superintendent Larry Young. In addition, the district has to balance raises for veteran teachers with competitive starting salaries for newer teachers, Young said.

Young said he would like to increase the minimum salary in Pike regardless of whether the state passes legislation forcing districts to do so. But he’s doubtful lawmakers will agree to give the district more money to pay for the increase.

“I hope that’s something we can do with funding that comes to the schools, because our teachers absolutely deserve it,” he said. “But the only way we can do that is if the funding follows it.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

WFYI education reporter Sydney Dauphinais covers Marion County schools. Contact her at sdauphinais@wfyi.org.

Through apprenticeships, Indiana hopes to meet the need for more educators

2024-12-04T12:00:00+00:00

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Two new apprenticeships in Indiana hope to encourage more Hoosiers to become educators at a time when fewer students are completing traditional teaching pathways.

The state’s Early Childhood Educator Registered Teacher Apprenticeship program and a new Registered Apprenticeship Program from Indiana University each give students a way to earn paid work experience alongside a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree.

The state program is aimed at high school students, allowing them to work in an early learning classroom and earn a credential on top of their diplomas. IU’s apprenticeship, meanwhile, is for high school graduates who are either already working in schools or hope to work while earning their bachelor’s degrees in education.

Each is aligned to Indiana’s ongoing push to blur the lines between secondary, postsecondary, and on-the-job education, which has led to the growth of apprenticeships and state funding for career training.

Education officials hope that apprenticeships will encourage more people to consider the teaching profession in order to fill ongoing vacancies in K-12 and early childhood classrooms.

“When we look at school districts across the state, there’s a real shortage,” said Leah Nellis, IU’s interim assistant vice president for school partnerships. “Those districts often have individuals in the communities working in their schools who want to stay in those communities, they have the skills and interest in being educators. But they don’t have a way to get that degree because they’re working and they need to work.”

Fewer students enter teacher prep programs

According to an October Department of Education presentation, the teacher shortage in Indiana can be attributed both to more current teachers moving jobs and fewer aspiring teachers entering into and completing programs.

The state job board shows around 1,400 teaching vacancies in all grades as of early December, with around 450 in early education. There were around 2,200 open teaching positions in June, a number comparable to the 2,300 vacancies in July 2023.

Indiana has around 65,000 teachers working at 2,200 schools.

IU hopes to add to that pool through the new apprenticeship program.

Apprentices will graduate with their bachelor’s degree and be eligible for their initial license to begin teaching. They’ll also be paid while working in the classroom, and have a mentor teacher who also works at the school.

They must work in a K-12 school while taking courses through the apprenticeship, but that work can vary from a paraprofessional position to substitute teaching depending on a candidate’s experience, Nellis said. Their classes will be held in the evenings, over the summer, or virtually to allow for the work.

In a typical teaching pathway, students usually don’t start student teaching until their senior year, Nellis said.

Like traditional pathways, apprentices still must pass the PRAXIS exam to earn their full teaching licenses — a state requirement. But Nellis said apprentices may feel more prepared for the exam with classroom teaching experience under their belts.

“They’ll have a mentor, someone in the school they’re working, who they can ask questions of, bounce ideas off, they can watch and learn from,” Nellis said.

Nellis said offering the pathway was a logical next step for the university, whose campuses already partner with school districts to offer education experience for high school students and paraprofessionals. The program plans to enroll its first apprentices next semester.

Other programs to fill roles in special education, early education

Other similar programs throughout the state focus on helping existing teachers earn their credentials to teach special education or English learner education, in an effort to recruit more teachers for those hard-to-fill roles.

Ball State offers an apprenticeship program that begins in high school and allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a concentration in special education.

In October, the Indiana Department of Education announced that 65 students are participating in the first cohort of the Early Childhood Education Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program. The program is offered at eight districts, including Indianapolis Public Schools and the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township and started this fall.

Apprentices in the program are paid for on-the-job training and can graduate with a credential and a high school diploma to begin working immediately. They can also continue on the pathway to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree at partnering institutions.

“Increasing opportunities to explore and pursue future career interests while in high school provides students a more seamless transition to their future, helping them to achieve their unique goals and dreams,” said Secretary of Education Katie Jenner in a statement about the apprenticeships. “Sometimes these experiences affirm a student’s future plans, and other times, they may decide to go a different direction. Both of these scenarios provide valuable learning opportunities.”

More information about the IU program is available on the university website. Information about the early education apprenticeship is available from IDOE.

This story has been updated with Leah Nellis’ title.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Pay raises for teachers were a key point in the governor race, but will they be a feature in the next state budget?

2024-11-21T12:00:00+00:00

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Campaign promises to raise teacher pay are facing an uncertain future on the floor of the Indiana Statehouse.

Raising base salaries for teachers was a key focus of Gov.-elect Mike Braun’s education platform during the governor’s race. He also supported other professional benefits, such as parental leave, to attract and retain more educators.

But anxiety about the state budget may be a roadblock to raises and other benefits. Lawmakers predict less revenue than in recent years, and priority could be given to funding expansion of school choice programs and programs that relied on federal pandemic funding.

While Braun has not stated a target minimum salary, he said in an October debate that opponent Jennifer McCormick’s $60,000 minimum was “too modest.” Raising base salaries was the second point of his education agenda, after universal school choice.

His transition team said in mid-November that policy details are expected in the next few weeks.

Democratic Rep. Sheila Klinker said she plans to again introduce a bill to raise salary minimums for public school teachers to $60,000.

Otherwise, there’s little indication of organized support for a higher new minimum.

House Speaker Todd Huston and Republican leaders have not indicated whether pay raises are on the agenda.

Instead, Republican statehouse leaders have pointed to this year’s Indiana Teacher Compensation report that shows average teacher salaries in Indiana rose just above $60,000 in 2023-24. The lowest salary reported that year was $40,000, and the highest was $110,000.

“This is welcome news as we’ve worked hard to help local school districts prioritize teacher pay and set spending targets to ensure more dollars reach the classroom,” Huston said in a statement. “We’ll continue to prioritize K-12 education during the upcoming budget session.”

About half of all teachers would see a raise if a $60,000 minimum was enacted.

In a statement, the Indiana State Teachers Association also did not specify a new salary base, but said the state “must address the growing teacher shortage by making meaningful investments in public schools, which will translate to competitive salaries that reflect educators’ vital work.”

The organization plans to release its legislative priorities later this month.

“Our state’s educators are the backbone of our communities, shaping the future for students across Indiana,” the statement said. “Ensuring fair and competitive compensation is not just about valuing their work—it’s essential to recruiting and retaining the qualified teachers and support staff our students need to succeed.”

Raising minimum salaries for teachers

Indiana last set minimum salaries for public school teachers at $40,000 in the 2021-23 budget following recommendations from the state’s 2020 Teacher Compensation Commission report. School districts throughout the state met the minimum salary goal earlier this year, according to the newest data.

Notably, the 2020 report said that once minimum salaries were in place, they should be indexed to inflation “to ensure starting salaries remain competitive in the future.” It said that average salaries of $60,000 would have made Indiana pay competitive in 2018-19.

Some lawmakers already are planning to introduce bills to increase salaries.

In 2024, Klinker sponsored House Bill 1037 to raise teacher salary minimums to $60,000, but the bill was not considered during a non-budget year.

Klinker said what concerns her most are reports of experienced teachers leaving for higher paying jobs outside of education. In one case, a teacher at Jefferson High School in Lafayette left for a supervisor position at the post office paying $80,000 a year, she said. In another, a teacher found her colleague packing her classroom; the other teacher was not planning to return after fall break.

“We’re losing really good people because they don’t see a future in teaching,” Klinker said. “They’re going into healthcare and other areas where they can make a decent living.”

How to fund any potential raises has been a key question for policymakers.

Klinker said lawmakers must earmark more base funding for K-12 education to ensure that smaller and rural school districts can keep up with higher minimum salaries.

In the October debate, McCormick said pay raises could be funded by redirecting the funds that private schools receive from the state through programs like vouchers.

Meanwhile, Braun, who supports expanding vouchers, pointed to an average of $245,000 for classroom maintenance

“If you’re putting that much into buildings and maintenance and upkeep and you’re not getting the most important thing right – which is teacher pay and benefits — to me, 60,000 is way too modest,” Braun said at the October debate.

Improving teacher retention via parental leave, master’s scholarships

Pay raises may not be the only proposal under consideration to improve teacher recruitment and retention.

Braun’s education platform includes a proposal to offer teachers professional benefits like new parent leave.

Paid parental leave has been a legislative priority for ISTA in years past; in 2023, Senate Bill 488 would have provided that for school employees, but the bill did not get a hearing.

Klinker said she’d like to see more funding for programs that allow teachers to earn a master’s degree at no cost to them, as well as funding for guaranteed raises for teachers who complete post-graduate work.

“I want to see them not just stay in the profession but bring young people into the profession,” Klinker said.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

2024 election: Indianapolis-area students cast votes in mock classroom elections

2024-10-30T11:00:00+00:00

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With “The Star Spangled Banner” playing, students in Monica Poncé‘s class cast their vote for U.S. president in a mock election. But this democratic process had its own look and feel.

Each student sat in front of a projector screen showing portraits of the candidates. Poncé held a pair of buttons. She pressed the blue one for students to hear “I’m Kamala Harris” in the candidate’s voice. Next was the red one that said “I’m Donald Trump” in his voice. Then it was the student’s turn.

Some students made their choice by pressing the button. One touched sensory pads that corresponded to the candidates. Another indicated his choice between a plastic toy donkey and elephant. Two picked by fixing their gaze on one of the candidates on the screen.

“Thank you, that’s a good choice,” Poncé said regardless of the student’s choice. Together, they’d mark the paper ballot and put it in the cardboard ballot box.

After making his selection for president in the mock election, student William Weist puts his ballot in the ballot box with the help of teacher Monica Poncé and instructional assistant Elena Sanchez. Weist is in Poncé’s high school class at RISE Learning Center.

Each of the seven students in her high school class at RISE Learning Center has physical, cognitive, and communication disorders, plus a majority of the students also need services for blind or low vision. All are nonverbal and working toward a certificate of completion instead of a diploma through the Mobility Opportunities via Education — or MOVE — program.

They’re among thousands of Indiana students participating in mock elections as their teachers use the contentious 2024 presidential election to teach the importance of voting, civic engagement, and democracy.

Some are voting for their class president, or the choice between an ice cream or pizza party. Others are studying the real-world 2024 presidential candidates, and historical examples of activism and voter suppression.

What they have in common is an emphasis on the power of a vote during a presidential election where youth engagement may play a significant role in the results.

Poncé said that because her students can’t say what they want or like, things are often done for them.

“When I can give them a choice, I want to give them that opportunity to have a say in what they are doing,” she said.

Teacher helps students with disabilities be community participants

RISE, on the southside of Indianapolis, describes itself as “a cooperative special education program.” It serves students from Beech Grove City Schools, MSD of Decatur Township, and Perry Township Schools as well as a few from schools in Johnson County.

“I teach our students to be active members in the community,” Poncé said of her students, who are ages 15 to 22. “They can be dismissed by the community for not having thoughts or opinions because they are nonverbal.”

Monica Poncé shows markers to student Kaliyah Branom to give her a choice to sign her mock voter registration card ahead of the mock election at RISE Learning Center.

One of their electoral decisions was picking between blue and black markers to sign the mock voter registration cards they made earlier in the week.

Voter registration is a formal document, and formal documents are completed in blue or black ink, Poncé told them, as she and the instructional assistants held up markers to each student.

Earlier in the lesson, Poncé reviewed the “w-h words” of the presidential election with the students: what, when and who. She included the colors and symbols of the political parties too.

Poncé told them that they would wait their turns to vote because sometimes the lines at a polling place are long. And the results take time, she said, so they wouldn’t know until later in the day who won the class election.

Two of the students are old enough to actually vote. Poncé said that when her students turn 18, one of several resources she shares with families and caregivers is information about registering to vote and where polling locations are.

“We get to make a choice of who we want to run the country,” she told the class.

A school studies voter participation and activism

At Sankofa School of Success, an Innovation Network school in Indianapolis Public Schools , Treasure Jones’ first graders came up with the qualities they want to see in the next school president.

Someone who uses kind words and actions. Someone who’s hard working, helpful, and happy.

Danita Logwood’s second graders at Sankofa School of Success design Get Out the Vote posters to urge their parents and older siblings to vote.

Then they gathered around Jones as she read aloud from a book called “V is for Voting.” She reminds them of an earlier lesson about voter suppression — they agreed it would not be fair if Ms. Jones stopped someone from voting in the school election just because they have bad grades, for example.

“What’s a campaign?” one student asked in the middle of the book.

“It’s all the things you do to convince people to vote for you,” Jones said.

Jones also reminded them of why voting is important to her: “It’s important to me that potholes are filled. It’s important to me because I love to teach you guys that you have safe schools.”

She also told her class about why she votes and attends school board meetings.

At Sankofa, a K-6 school in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, voting is a school-wide, month-long project, with different lessons at each grade level exploring voter participation, activism, and more. A mock election on Nov. 5 — with fifth graders running for office and sixth graders acting as the electoral college — caps the project.

There are real-world connections, too, as students will also cast a vote for the presidential candidates in a mock election.

“The littles bring a different energy to it,” said Eldridge Chism, the assistant head of school.

In Danita Logwood’s second grade class, students are designing posters specifically to urge their parents and older siblings to vote. Without voting, you lose out on your chance to make change and influence how things are done, Logwood said.

Here’s how she put it to the second graders: If the class has recess out on the playground, but you wanted to go to the courtyard, you might feel upset, but did you put up your hand and vote when you had the chance?

Logwood stressed the importance of voting in another exercise: She described the voting requirements in different periods of U.S. history, then asked students to stand up if they matched the requirements. At the beginning, only white male landowners could vote — so no one in the class could stand.

At Sankofa, Bruce Wooldridge’s sixth grade students study a 2016 ballot as they prepare to create their own, with versions in English and Spanish.

Fifth grade teacher Ashley Helman said the idea for the mock election originated with the students themselves, who would hear about the presidential election at home and then come into class and ask questions. Often, those questions were who the teachers themselves would vote for.

Helman told them that no, they can’t share those opinions as teachers. They should ask their parents.

“What I can do is let you know about the process and how it works,” Helman said.

How will Americans feel after Election Day?

At Enlace Academy, another Innovation Network school within IPS, sixth grader William Ulin took his defeat with grace.

He and a table of his classmates represented the state of Florida in a lesson on the Electoral College just 12 days before Election Day. The choices: an ice cream party versus a pizza party.

As a hypothetical Florida resident, William voted for pizza. But his fellow classmates swung the state in favor of ice cream. Ultimately, the classroom — the entire nation — made ice cream the winner.

The activity was the latest in a series of lessons on the election process that the K-8 school in the International Marketplace neighborhood on the city’s west side planned throughout October for its middle school students.

The lessons — taught during the school’s weekly “community meetings” that help build community and character — align with the school’s core values of citizenship and integrity. Students have learned about political mudslinging and how to spot reliable sources of news.

Enlace Academy sixth grader William Ulin, left, counts the votes of the classmates at his table, which represents the state of Florida in a lesson about the electoral college.

In an open-house event two weeks before Election Day, eighth graders also gave presentations on issues important to them and researched how both presidential candidates would impact the topic.

As sixth grade math teacher Elise Correa counted up the electoral votes for ice cream and pizza, School Leader Stephanie Campos reflected with students.

“How do you think Americans are going to feel after Election Day?” she said. “Someone’s going to be upset, right?”

Campos asked students how they would respond if their chosen candidate lost. Madeline Corado pondered the question.

“Be happy for them?” she asked.

“There’s only so much you can control, right?” Campos said. “But you can just keep on moving.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

An Indiana licensing program is ‘putting a dent’ in the shortage of special educators with 600 licensed so far

2024-10-29T19:11:49+00:00

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After working at a summer camp for children with muscular dystrophy when he was 16, Andrew Bova knew he wanted to teach special education. But getting to the classroom would take some turns.

Bova enrolled at Ball State in 2012 to pursue an education major but did not pass a section of the PRAXIS test necessary to take upper-level courses. A retake led to similar results.

Taking the test a third time would mean delaying his graduation, so Bova chose a new major that led him to a career teaching preschool and then working with young adults and children in the Department of Child Services.

Still, Bova felt drawn to special education. That coincided with an urgent need for special education teachers after Indiana was found to be in violation of federal law for allowing teachers on emergency permits to teach special education.

The solution was I-SEAL, a program from the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis that allows current teachers, including those on emergency permits, to get fully licensed in special education at no cost.

The program is funded by Indiana’s federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II funding and Part B of Indiana’s Individuals with Disabilities Act funding, according to Indiana Department of Education spokesperson Courtney Crown.

And with the federal relief dollars expiring, the department plans to advocate for funding for teacher pipeline programs when the legislative session begins in January, Crown said in a statement.

More than 1,100 teachers have enrolled in the program, and nearly 600 have completed it since its inception in 2021.

That includes Bova, who had started teaching special education at Perry Meridian Middle School on an emergency permit.

The program allowed him to stay in the classroom while completing his licensing requirements — a major boon for school districts already struggling to hire special education teachers, said Dana Vittorio, director of special education at Perry Township schools.

After completing his education through the University of Indianapolis in 2023, Bova expects to be a fully licensed special education teacher beginning next semester.

“I wanted to be a teacher to influence and make an impact. I’m finally here — it took a long roundabout way to get to where I’m at,” Bova said.

‘Putting a dent’ in teacher shortage

The I-SEAL program offers three tracks for individuals who are already in the classroom. They must have a teaching job at a district and agree to teach in Indiana for at least two years to enroll in the program.

Licensed teachers can add a special education endorsement through fully funded tracks at University of Indianapolis, Taylor University, or Indiana Wesleyan University. Individuals with bachelor’s degrees can receive a full scholarship to a Transition to Teaching program, and other scholarships are available for students enrolled in a special education teacher preparation program.

The program is not currently open to people who don’t have bachelor’s degrees. But CELL Executive Director Carey Dahncke said developing a path to teaching for people who earned some college credits may be another way to fill teaching vacancies in the state.

“There’s still a great need in Indiana,” said Dahncke. “We’re putting a dent in it, but we’ve still got a ways to go.”

A recent presentation from the department said there hasn’t been an “alarming” number of individuals leaving the education profession, but there are fewer aspiring teachers entering into and completing teacher prep programs.

At Perry, hiring has been getting incrementally better every year since the pandemic, said Vittorio, the director of special education. This year, the district’s special education teaching roles are 100% fully staffed — a first since before the pandemic, when many teachers chose to retire.

Still, she said it’s a far cry from years that schools would receive 30 applications for every teaching position, she said. Statewide, there are 287 open special education teaching positions as of late October on Indiana’s teaching jobs board.

Vittorio said the I-SEAL program has been critical to staffing; Perry schools has had eight teachers enroll in or complete the program. She encourages teachers to consider the program and earn their special education teaching licenses for free.

“Now we’re a little more creative. We can find really talented people and help them get their licenses,” she said. “It’s not just benefitting the district but benefitting our kids, because those teachers help our kids meet their goals.”

Inside Bova’s class at Perry Meridian Middle School

In Bova’s self-contained classroom, he teaches students with disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome. On some days he helps them use wooden blocks, magnetic tiles, or shaving cream to write letters and words.

On Tuesday, he led them through a lesson on adjectives and inferences using mystery objects in four paper bags. The students reached in and offered descriptive words to help their peers figure out what was inside.

The lesson isn’t just fun — students chanted “Dump it out!” as Bova prepared to reveal pumpkin seeds and paper clips — but serves a practical purpose for when the class starts writing sentences next week.

Bova said that to this day, he applies lessons he learned through the I-SEAL program, like strategies to teach his students phonics and literacy. He also values the support of other educators in his cohort, who still talk and exchange ideas via group chat, he said.

Though it took him longer than expected to land a job teaching special education, he said all his previous experience helped him learn to advocate for his students, beginning with that first camp counselor role.

“It opened my eyes to what the day-to-day looks like for these kids and their parents, how vulnerable they can be, but what opportunities are available to them,” he said. “It’s about what they can do, not what they can’t do.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s Teacher of the Year creates community, diversity, and comfort at Pike High School

2024-10-17T11:00:00+00:00

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This article was originally published by Mirror Indy.

Graciela Miranda’s corner of Pike High School feels more like a cozy coffee shop than it does a classroom.

Blankets are draped across the worn leather chairs that students gravitate to between classes. Reading recommendations fill in the back whiteboard, and boxes of books — new selections to fill the shelves of Miranda’s classroom library — line the back wall.

It’s a space the 23-year educator has purposefully created to appeal to her students. She knows from her time volunteering in schools in South America the value of readily available books and a space that helps students find their joy in learning.

But for Leandra Rodríguez, a senior at Pike High School, it’s more than just the books and bean bag chairs that keep her visiting Room H115. It’s the connections that Mrs. Miranda makes with students.

“She is always helping,” Rodríguez said. “She’s like our mom.”

Earning the trust of teenagers is hard enough. But Miranda, who teaches English language learners, has created a space that’s safe for students whether or not they’re on her class roster. She’s also created an environment where students look out for each other — no matter if they’re new to the country, still learning how to speak English or simply needing another adult to lean on who feels like family.

Miranda uses her own experiences as the daughter of Mexican immigrants to inform her teaching and was recently named Indiana’s Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching, Miranda is also a department chair at Pike and advises the school’s LatinX Student Association.

Her voice stands out among Indiana teachers at a time when the Hispanic and Latino student population in Indiana largely outnumbers the educators in schools available to work with them. One in four Marion County students identify as Hispanic, according to state data provided to the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, compared to just 3% of teachers.

Miranda, who contributes to a Teach Indy group looking to grow diversity in the county’s teacher ranks, understands the importance of representation in schools.

“Diversity brings different ideas, different angles, the background knowledge that maybe we just don’t know,” Miranda said. “It just builds a better community.”

And part of building that community means showing up for students like Rodríguez, who is an English language learner. Though Rodríguez doesn’t have Miranda as a teacher this year, she still finds herself returning to those worn leather seats in the back of Mrs. Miranda’s room.

Miranda helps newcomers navigate school

At Pike High School, Miranda works with newcomers — immigrant or refugee children who come to the school with limited English language skills. Miranda’s classroom is made up of kids from six different countries with first languages ranging from Spanish to Haitian Creole to Gujarati, a language native to western India.

Graciela Miranda receives a hug in the hallway outside of her classroom Oct. 1, 2024 at Pike High School in Indianapolis.

Miranda doesn’t speak all of those languages, but she does know the importance of building support systems for her students. After all, they’re not just learning a new school or new language. They’re also learning how to live in an entirely new country.

In her “sheltered” English classes, students get to know Miranda as well as their fellow classmates.

The sheltered class is one of several English, math, and science courses offered by Pike to expose newcomers to grade-appropriate lessons in a supportive learning environment.

In sheltered English, for example, students study literary works similar to other classes, but Miranda slows down her lessons to ensure students have the time they need to understand the meaning behind what’s being asked of them. She also helps her kids learn technology new to them and navigate the customs of a new school — things students in Pike’s other English classes already know well.

In a recent lesson about Mexican American author Sandra Cisneros’ novel “The House on Mango Street,” Miranda guided students through a discussion of the book’s themes. She asked students to research Cisneros’ motivations for writing her book, but also gave gentle reminders.

“You probably have to go to Google and do your research,” Miranda told her students. “Who is Sandra Cisneros? You have to use your resources.”

She tries to pick books that teach her students how to be better thinkers and that connect with their life goals. Many of her students see themselves opening a small business, so Miranda sought out the book “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear to teach students the characteristics of leadership.

She also encourages reading for fun — allowing students to pick their own books for the first 10 minutes of class, including graphic novels, twisted fairytales and a recent addition to the class library, Trevor Noah’s autobiography, “Born a Crime.”

“A lot of our students haven’t had access to books,” Miranda said. “I want them to become comfortable with books. I want them just to enjoy reading a book. Nothing on the computer, just having something physical and tangible to be like, ‘Here’s a book. I like it. I can get lost in it.’”

Teaching from experience as a first-generation college student

Miranda is well suited to work with these students, because she’s walked a similar path. She was raised in a predominantly Latino community in a northwest Chicago suburb. Though her parents moved to Illinois in their teens, English was Miranda’s second language.

She still remembers riding a bus across town to attend a school that didn’t resemble her in “any way, shape or form.” She said she only encountered one Latino teacher and one Latino counselor in her high school. Miranda learned to code switch, presenting herself differently based on who she was around at school.

Self-doubt crept in. She said she didn’t fully grasp what it meant to be Latina until she reached college, and wonders whether she would’ve experienced the same self-doubt had she encountered more Latino teachers earlier in her education.

“I wonder if my thought process would’ve been different, if I would have felt validated in a different way,” Miranda said.

She now sees the opportunity to be that teacher for her students. She teaches a credit retrieval class, knowing transcripts or class completions from students’ home countries may not directly translate to what’s required of them in an Indiana school. And, she encourages her students to think early about college — something that once felt out of her own reach as a first-generation college student. It’s something she hears from her students, too.

Graciela Miranda engages with students in her classroom on Oct. 1, 2024 at Pike High School in Indianapolis.

“It’s a financial thing. It’s a language thing. It’s a ‘that fate is not for me, I’m not a citizen’ thing,” Miranda said. “There’s just a lot of, ‘I can’t see myself there. It’s such a far away dream.’”

Miranda hopes that she can be an example for those students. She found her way to college and shows students how they can, too.

Teacher shows students ‘mirror image’ of themselves in college

The teacher throws a cookout every year for her seniors to celebrate graduation, and takes students to events like Somos Ivy Tech, which features a diverse panel of students enrolled at the school to help her high schoolers envision themselves on campus.

Living in dorms, for example, is something not all newcomers and their families might be comfortable with. But, talking to students firsthand about their experiences can alleviate some of their worries.

“I want them to go to campus and walk,” Miranda said. “I want them to go and hear from maybe the Latino or Asian or Indian or Haitian groups — whoever they can identify with. I want them to see a mirror image of who they can be.”

And Miranda wants to be that example for her students, using lessons she’s learned through her career of teaching for 10 years in Illinois before spending the last 14 in Pike Township as an elementary teacher, an instructional coach, a reading specialist, and now high school department chair.

Last year, she helped students launch Pike’s own LatinX Student Association, which plans events for Hispanic Heritage Month and organizes a schoolwide futsal tournament so popular the club had to close registration early its first year.

It quickly became one of senior Ayomide Fapese’s favorite activities.

Fapese isn’t a newcomer, but he sought Miranda’s help with his English studies. He’s also on the soccer team and was excited for his recent senior night — a time for families to walk with their students across Pike’s home field during their last season on the team.

But ahead of the celebration, Fapese opened up to Miranda. He wasn’t sure if his family could make it.

“I told her my parents were going to be busy,” Fapese said. “She was just like ‘I got you!’”

Fapese was all smiles as Miranda and a teammate walked with him.

The senior is now applying for scholarships and hopes to study business at Marian University or IU Bloomington. He said he appreciates that Miranda takes time to really listen to students like him.

“She understands,” Fapese said. “Whatever you need, she’s the right person to go to.”

Teach Indy aims to increase diversity

Miranda’s recent accolade, being named Indiana’s Teacher of the Year, speaks to something greater, Teach Indy executive director Sara Marshall said.

“It actually almost makes me cry every time I think about it,” said Marshall, who is Mexican American. “It signals to our students and our families and those that share the Latino identity that we are seen and we are respected.”

As an education nonprofit that seeks to build diversity in Marion County’s teaching ranks, Teach Indy wants to help close the gap between the city’s growing Latino student population and its teachers.

Graciela Miranda gets a hug from a fellow educator on Oct. 1, 2024 at Pike High School.

Teach Indy is partnering with Kansas City-based nonprofit, Latinx Educators Collaborative, to explore how best to support Latino teachers to grow educator retention and recruitment. Marshall says there’s a need for more mentorship opportunities for early career Latino teachers, and a greater willingness for universities and scholarship organizations to support prospective teachers, regardless of documentation status.

More Latino educators in classrooms benefits all students, Marshall said. Studies show that kids with exposure to more diverse voices ultimately feel more respected and perform better academically, which can have a lasting impact on a person’s salary and life expectancy.

Beyond that, Marshall said, it’s just good for kids to see themselves reflected in the people around them.

“What I hope people will see from this story,” Marshall said, “is the power of one educator and the ripple effect that that has across a school, across a community.”

In Pike High School, Miranda’s influence spills out into the hallway. During the passing period, students who stop into Miranda’s room first cross in front of three clipboards, each with advice and affirmations written across pull tabs in three different languages.

Messages like “Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve” were written by students and meant to take and share. Most of the time, Miranda says, students don’t take them for themselves. They give them to friends, spreading positivity through the school.

“Sometimes you forget you’re amazing,” Miranda said. “So, this is their reminder.”

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

Mock elections, real registrations: Indiana students take part in voting

2024-10-03T19:40:41+00:00

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In last year’s elections, just five Shortridge High School students cast a ballot.

This year, Sweet Night and Hazel Lapish, both juniors, want to convince more of their peers to vote.

As leaders in the new Shortridge Key Club, they started a voter registration drive ahead of Monday’s registration deadline in Indiana, with a tabling event at their school in September, and a focus on helping students who will be 18 by Election Day on Nov. 5 get registered.

Their efforts are one of a growing number across the state dedicated to increasing youth voter participation in Indiana, especially ahead of a presidential election where the demographic could play a pivotal role in the decision.

And with Indiana’s overall voter turnout ranking nearly last, advocates hope that by encouraging young people to register and vote now, it will become a matter of habit.

Lapish and Night know their peers who are eligible to vote are also busy filling out college applications, focusing on tests, and figuring out their next step. But making time to vote plays a key role in that future, Lapish said.

“They think only old people vote,” Lapish said. “But then we’re building a nation only for old people.”

Recent years have renewed efforts to engage more young voters, said Linda Hanson, president of the Indiana chapter of the League of Women Voters.

In addition to the initiatives led by students themselves, organizations have stepped in to engage more young voters — even those too young to officially vote.

Over 7,000 students in 41 schools are participating in this year’s Kids Election, which is led by 120 classroom teachers with curriculum support from the Indiana Bar Foundation.

The goal is for students who are eligible to actually register to vote, said Chuck Dunlap, president and CEO of the Indiana Bar Foundation, which is hosting the event. Those who aren’t eligible will complete a mock registration. All students in the program will learn about the national and state candidates running for office and cast a ballot, with the results announced after Election Day.

The Bar Foundation took over the administration of the program in 2022, but it has run in past presidential election years; in 2016, students chose Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

“If you’re not taught civics and voting at an early age, you don’t carry it with you in adult life,” said Dunlap. “We want to instill the importance of voting and why it matters and build that muscle memory.”

Communicating the importance of voting

It’s not always easy to convince their peers of the importance of voting, Night and Lapish said. Even among those who are interested, the process can be difficult to navigate.

In addition to in-person voter registration, the two juniors also made social media accounts to connect with students.

“They might be intimidated by the voting process,” Night said. “We want to make this easier and more accessible and tell them it’s OK.”

Shortridge High School students Sweet Night and Hazel Lapish at their September voter registration drive on campus.

More information can help students clear some of the hurdles to voting, said Hanson of the League of Women Voters. When a college student expressed that he didn’t know where to register to vote — in his hometown or on his campus — Hanson explained how to choose.

Apathy and cynicism can be a challenge among high school and college-aged voters, Hanson said, but she has a strategy to combat it when she visits classrooms.

She passes out character cards with a set of characteristics, such as age, race, and gender, and has students stand up if their character would be allowed to vote at certain points in U.S. history. At the beginning, only a handful can stand up.

It’s a surprise to many that the Constitution does not guarantee a right to vote, Hanson said.

“It does shock them,” Hanson said.

But what she really wants to communicate is that voter suppression is not just a thing of the past, but also a threat to the present and future. So she also covers the impact of limited voting hours and polling places on the ability to vote.

In recent years, Hanson said, especially since the pandemic, there have been renewed efforts to engage more young voters, as well as efforts by students who have taken it upon themselves to do this.

“The goal is to get young people voting and being civically engaged,” Hanson said, “because this is the world they’re going to inhabit, and this is their voice.”

Teaching the election while staying nonpartisan

While voter registration drives target young people who could cast a ballot in this year’s elections, programs like Kids Election are also geared toward getting younger students excited about voting in the future.

Students can start casting ballots in the Kids Election as soon as early voting opens in the state on Oct. 8.

With the real candidates on the ballot, the Bar Foundation’s Dunlap acknowledged that it’s a contentious year to present elections in classrooms.

But in some ways, incorporating real world issues such as the state’s new ban on cell phones during instructional time can help an abstract process become more personal to students, he said.

“If you like it, or didn’t like it, what is your ability to hold someone accountable for that?” Dunap said. “That’s where voting comes in.”

It’s critical to remain nonpartisan while showing students how to find reliable sources of information, said fifth grade teacher Molly Bowman, whose class is participating in the Kids Election. She said she also takes care to point out to her students that they have more than two choices for each office.

Though it’ll be years before her students can actually vote, Bowman said it’s an ideal time for her students to participate in the Kids Election, as they’ve just started their first year of in-depth U.S. history.

Voting makes the electoral process come into focus, she said.

“I encourage them to read, talk to their parents, see what their parents think. I encourage kids to go to the polls with their parents – it makes more sense when you go. It’s hard to explain a poll,” Bowman said. “For the first time in their lives, the things they see in the news about the election process will make sense.”

To register to vote or check your status, go here. Early voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 8.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Warren Township’s Pleasant Run Elementary takes a broad approach to improving reading

2024-09-23T11:00:00+00:00

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This article was originally published by Mirror Indy.

Every corner of the first grade wing at Pleasant Run Elementary comes alive during small-group reading time.

Teachers and instructional assistants steer colorful carts loaded with workbooks and binders up and down the hall as students break up into small groups for a half hour several times a day. Students are seated in semi-circles around their teachers or on colorful carpets at the front of a classroom or tucked to the side in the hallway.

Breaking up into small groups — into what looks like a sort of organized chaos — allows students to focus on learning reading and writing skills adjusted to their individual needs. For the Warren Township elementary school, the all-hands-on-deck approach to literacy has helped drive a turnaround on the state’s third grade reading exam, called IREAD, at a time when state officials are laser-focused on improving Hoosier students’ reading skills.

“Every kid is seen in a small group every day by an adult in this building,” Pleasant Run instructional coach Megan Reyes said. “That has made a huge impact on student growth.”

Last year, only about 60% of Pleasant Run students passed IREAD. But this year, the scores jumped 21.5 percentage points — one of the greatest improvements across the state, putting the school up to par with the rest of Indiana students who passed the test at a rate of just over 82% this year.

And, Pleasant Run students are defying the odds. About one in three students are English language learners and more than 80% identified as coming from low-income backgrounds last school year. National trends show students in these groups are statistically more likely to struggle with standardized exams. But, at Pleasant Run, all demographics showed growth this year.

“It was great to see that our efforts have paid off,” Principal Travis Koomler said, “and we were able to put the right things in place to better support our kids.”

Pleasant Run’s approaches are practiced in elementary schools across Warren Township. And those schools have seen success, too.

For the first time in the district’s history, students in Warren Township schools collectively surpassed 80% passing in the IREAD exam — making it the only school district in Marion County where test scores were higher than before the pandemic.

Improving student literacy requires comprehensive effort

Students at Pleasant Run participate in a 90-minute literacy block led daily by their classroom teacher plus 30 minutes of writing. Between those regular classroom lessons, students get an additional 30 minutes of small-group instruction tailored to their needs.

Educator teams at Pleasant Run use data collected through assessments and informal checks to pinpoint where students excel and where they need help. Maybe one student needs help with vowel sounds while another is ready to work on short passages.

During small-group instruction time, those students can be paired with peers in their grade to focus on accelerated lessons or to review concepts they need to spend a little more time with.

First grade teacher Ali Summers encourages students to sound out a word at Pleasant Run Elementary School.

On one Monday morning in September, first grade teacher Ali Summers used this time to go over letter sounds with four students — sounding out each consonant and vowel or a word before moving onto the next. Students followed along using a custom-made blending board, a tool that helps kids visualize each word as it’s spoken aloud.

Across the room, another five students worked with a bilingual instructional assistant on reading comprehension prompts. As a dual-language immersion school, Pleasant Run has several of these assistants who can help multilingual students build up background knowledge and oral language skills that may come easier to classmates whose first language is English.

A third group — still in the same classroom — studied separately with a different bilingual instructional assistant, and a handful of students scattered across remaining desks worked on vocabulary exercises on their digital tablets.

Pleasant Run administrators say keeping these groups small is key. The school has about a dozen instructional assistants total. And other teachers for related classes — such as gym, art, and STEM — have also been trained and work with students during small-group time to ensure student-to-instructor ratios stay low.

The district also partners with Circle City Readers, a program of the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation that places paid and trained tutors in Indianapolis schools. For Pleasant Run, the program adds another seven adults to the building during reading intervention time.

All told, students can receive more than two hours of in-school reading and writing time. There’s also after-school tutoring opportunities with provided transportation and worksheets sent home with families.

It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort, administrators say. Ultimately, the goal is to both help kids learn and find joy in reading.

“We’ve seen students really embrace reading because they know how to decode and figure out how to read the words,” Reyes said. “That has increased their desire to read because they can.”

Reading support means involving families too

Pleasant Run first ramped up its support for reading during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.

Teachers attended a series of virtual trainings as a part of a state program called the Indiana Literacy Cadre which helps teach educators about the science of reading — a method of language arts instruction that emphasizes phonics and reading comprehension.

The state now requires schools to use a science of reading-based curriculum. However, as a part of the state literacy cadre, Pleasant Run adopted the teaching style early.

It’s also just as important, Reyes said, to get families involved.

Last year, her team began sending packets home with students every week familiarizing the kids and their parents with the IREAD test. The school has also had parent meetings to answer questions about the state exam.

First grader Nelson Perla uses an iPad to work through a Lexia reading lesson at Pleasant Run Elementary School.

That communication has become especially important this year, administrators say, as Indiana rolls out a retention requirement for third graders who do not pass the test.

Pleasant Run administrators say they want parents to understand the importance of helping their students pass the exam on time. Koomler said the school has already identified about 65 students who are at risk of not passing. Those students have been invited to additional after-school tutoring to get ahead of the new requirement.

“Parents have been very supportive,” Koomler said. “They want the best for their child as well and I think they understand the importance of the IREAD test now, so I haven’t had any problems with getting parents on board.”

With this type of support for families in place, Pleasant Run administrators said they weren’t surprised by their school’s recent success on the IREAD exam.

The team is aiming even higher this year with a new goal: 90% passing. That would surpass the school’s 82% pass rate and set another district record.

“The growth that we saw last year has really motivated teachers to keep going,” Reyes said. “They did put in so much work, and because it paid off, I think that just really keeps the momentum going for us.”

Mirror Indy reporter Carley Lanich covers early childhood and K-12 education. Contact her at carley.lanich@mirrorindy.org or follow her on X @carleylanich.

Cell phone bans: Tell us how it’s going at your school

2024-09-12T13:16:11+00:00

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Students are back in class. But their cell phones are probably not.

Before this school year, some Indiana schools may have had restrictions on students’ cell phone use. But now, all schools are now required to have policies banning “any portable wireless device” during class time due to a new state law.

This includes phones and other devices that provide communication between two parties. Districts, including charter schools, must adopt policies banning several types of devices during class time, although there are some exceptions related to health care and emergencies.

Should students have cell phones in class? Indiana just said no — with a few exceptions.

But lawmakers didn’t pass a one-size-fits-all cell phone ban. Each school district must come up with its own policy for exactly how student cell phone bans work.

And that’s where you come in. We want to know how it’s going at your school. Has the ban made a difference? Were there unexpected results? Have schools struggled to implement or enforce the student cell phone ban? Let us know below:

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MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

New science of reading curriculum for IPS elementary schools will stress background knowledge

2024-07-22T11:00:00+00:00

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Elementary students in Indianapolis Public Schools will learn English language arts with a new curriculum this coming school year that emphasizes background knowledge and foundational skills.

The district is switching to the Amplify Core Knowledge curriculum in time for the state deadline for all schools to adopt reading curriculums based on the science of reading by the 2024-25 school year. The science of reading is a large body of research on how kids learn to read that advocates for direct phonics instruction as well as phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

IPS leaders see the change as positive not just because it aligns with state law, but also because it connects to the district’s goals to promote racial equity and increase access to a rigorous education.

IPS selected Amplify Core Knowledge from a list of curriculum options approved by the state.

“We’re excited to lead that work, because for us this is an equity issue,” IPS Director of Literacy and Humanities Jannine Campbell said. “We want to make sure that our students in IPS have access to the most rigorous curricular resources as possible, so that they have the best opportunities to become proficient readers.”

One reason the district chose Amplify Core Knowledge was because of the multicultural representation in the curriculum and books accessible to students, leaders said. Some of the titles include “Imani’s Moon” by JaNay Brown-Wood, “A Doll for Navidades” by Esmeralda Santiago, and “Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela.

“Our kids can make connections, and they can see this as mirrors of themselves in these books,” Aus said.

The new curriculum also increases the focus on building background knowledge, which is essential for comprehension, said Haley Aus, the district’s English language arts coordinator for grades K-2.

Beyond the new curriculum, IPS will approach literacy development with the Scarborough’s Reading Rope model, she added. This model suggests that different strands of language comprehension and word recognition come together to achieve skilled reading.

By third grade, those strands should start working together. That’s when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn, said Michael McFadden, the district’s English language arts coordinator for grades 3-5.

“We’ve got the foundational skills, but then we have comprehension,” Aus said. “We know that the science of reading says it needs to be explicit, it needs to be systematic, and it needs to be diagnostic in order for it to align with what research tells us on the ways that the brain learns to read.”

IPS Executive Director of Teaching and Learning Michelle Jackson said the district has been preparing for the change by holding open office hours with educators and previewing the material for educators.

Haley Miller is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Haley at hmiller@chalkbeat.org.

Experts promote daily habits and parental help to boost student literacy in the summer and beyond

2024-07-19T11:00:00+00:00

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Summer reading can increase your child’s literacy skills.

But literacy experts say things like the traditional focus on reading books from a lengthy list shouldn’t be students’ sole goal when school is out.

Instead, they say, parents should also be reinforcing other language skills that bolster literacy.

Doing so doesn’t need to be complicated. For example, by simply fostering a daily habit of reading, parents can boost their children’s literacy skills without fretting over whether they should be speeding through dozens of books between school years, according to experts who work on child literacy outside classrooms.

The backdrop is concerning data about Indiana students’ fundamental reading skills. Results from last year’s IREAD-3 test showed that 18.1% of Indiana’s third graders — nearly 15,000 of them — lacked foundational reading skills.

Worries about students’ literacy levels, as well as a philosophical shift in how schools nationwide teach children to read, also led Indiana last year to require schools to use an approach known as the science of reading. This approach focuses on comprehension, phonics, and other elements to ensure children’s literary skills are up to par.

For children who are in the K-12 system, daily reading habits for a set period of time can be important. But for children too young for summer reading lists — or for school itself — there’s something else very simple parents can do: read to them.

“Oral language is at the center of literacy,” said Karen Betz, an assistant professor of literacy and coordinator of reading science programs at Marian University. “Especially from a young age, kids’ brains are wired to pick up words in speech, but they aren’t necessarily wired for picking up words through reading.”

Why boosting literacy during the summer is challenging

Cat Cardwell, the community and family program director at the nonprofit Indy Reads, knows that reading to children might be more straightforward for some parents than others, for various reasons.

For example, the group highlighted data from the National Bureau of Economic Research that children with parents who have low literacy levels are 72% more likely to have low literacy levels themselves. But Indy Reads offers summer programming meant for adults as well as kids.

Some of these programs allow parents and their kids to read together, though not necessarily the same books. And once a week, parents and kids can come and talk to Indy Reads about a book they recently read, why they liked it, and what it was about, said Cardwell.

Cardwell explained that one of the biggest challenges of reading during the summer is that kids (and adult learners) don’t have people or mechanisms handy to enforce their reading comprehension. On summer break, there’s no teacher, no classroom, and therefore no activities meant to encourage reading comprehension and students’ literacy skills.

The kids can also complete worksheets to write a review of their book, but it is not mandatory.

“This is meant to build reading comprehension. But the informal conversations are the larger goal for us,” she said. (Kids can also earn a prize if they participate in this activity every week.)

What to know about Indiana’s new ‘science of reading’ law

And during summer Sunday afternoons, Indy Reads also allows kids to give show-and-tell style presentations about a book they’ve read, sharing why they would recommend it to other students.

Getting access to books beyond libraries can be another challenge over summer, since new books can be expensive, Cardwell noted. So Indy Reads tries to make books available to kids through multiple access points. Outside the organization’s bookstore, there’s a cart with free books. Inside the store, there’s a “pay what you can afford section.”

“You can even pay a penny for a book if that’s all you can afford,” she said.

‘Show them that reading is valuable’

Parents of pre-kindergarten kids, or those who struggle with literacy, should read aloud with their children and point to the words on the page, in order to emphasize the link between letters on the page and sounds.

But for children who are in kindergarten or older, adults should work on creating a daily routine.

“We encourage establishing a daily habit of reading 20 minutes a day,” said Devery North, Program Specialist focusing on kids ages 6-12 at the Indianapolis Public Library, which has an annual summer reading program.

Recognizing that the amount of time spent reading is more important than the number of books read, the library has changed its annual summer reading program to encourage reading 20 minutes a day.

“If the kids read every day over the course of June and July, they’ll reach 20 hours by the end of our program,” said the library’s Devery North, a program specialist who focuses on kids ages 6-12.

Prior to 2020, the library’s summer reading program used to be points-based. If a child read more books, that earned the child more points. But now the aim of the program is to track how many hours participants spend with a book — and it doesn’t have to be difficult books either. Audio books, comic books, magazines, and newspapers now count towards the daily reading goals. And like at Indy Reads, kids can earn prizes for their reading accomplishments.

“The program is meant to encourage kids to read on their level, not reading a bigger, harder book just to earn points,” said North. “If a book is more accessible to them and interesting to them, then kids are more likely to read and develop daily reading habits.”

So if a child likes Minecraft, for example, the parents shouldn’t be afraid to step inside the library and ask for books on Minecraft. And if the parents stick around and model reading for the child, so much the better

“Come to the library and read or read to your kid to show them that reading is valuable,” said North.

Contact Chalkbeat Indiana at in.tips@chalkbeat.org.

What’s next for the proposed new Indiana high school diplomas that focus on workplace readiness

2024-07-17T19:41:49+00:00

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Hoosiers still have time to weigh in on the state’s proposals for new high school diploma requirements as the Indiana State Board of Education will likely vote on changes slightly later than expected.

The diploma proposals by the state board of education in March would take the emphasis off college-going as the pinnacle of education, and instead prioritize students’ workplace readiness. In June, the state board added three readiness seals – enrollment, employment, and enlistment – to the proposal.

Currently, the first round of public feedback is open, with online comments accepted through July 30 and a public hearing the same day. As of this week, the state has received more than 6,300 online feedback submissions.

Per state law, the state must adopt new diploma requirements by December.

The original plan was for the state board to vote on the new diplomas in September. But Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said at a board meeting Wednesday that part of the feedback so far was to slow down.

Jenner said the board will hear a revised draft proposal at the August meeting and follow that with a second round of feedback, including a public hearing. The board will then release a final proposal.

Schools could choose to opt in and start offering the new diplomas early (in addition to the current diplomas) beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The new diplomas will take effect for all students beginning with the Class of 2029 who are starting eighth grade this coming school year.

The proposed diplomas have drawn skepticism from educators and others who are concerned about courses that would no longer be required under the proposed diploma rules. They’re also worried about plans to eliminate the current Academic Honors diploma, which is linked to college-going.

Public comment at Wednesday’s state board of education meeting echoed many of those concerns including those about history and fine arts requirements as well as academic honors.

However, supporters stressed the proposal would give students flexibility in terms of how they earn high school degrees, and that it would give students “a recipe for success” in achieving their dreams, as Jenner put it.

Partner groups help develop enrollment, employment, enlistment seals

In the proposed diplomas, students would earn either the standard Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS) diploma, or the workplace-focused GPS Diploma Plus. A trio of transcript seals would allow students to show they are ready for enrollment, employment, or enlistment to add to their diplomas.

The seals would focus on readiness, not eligibility, and each would have required courses, said Ron Sandlin, the state education department’s senior director of school performance and transformation, at Wednesday’s state board of education meeting. He added that students could earn multiple seals and apply seals to both diploma types.

On Wednesday, state board members heard from leaders of organizations — Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, and Indiana National Guard — that are helping develop the seals.

All three stressed the importance of ensuring students are prepared for life after high school and have the greatest opportunities possible within each path that the seals represent. The next step for each is a draft of required courses and experiences.

How to give feedback on Indiana’s proposed diplomas

To offer online feedback, go here.

To give in-person feedback, there will be a public hearing at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30, in Conference Rooms Four and Five of the Indiana Government Center South.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

2024 ILEARN scores: Indiana students show slight improvement in reading, slight drop in math

2024-07-17T17:31:18+00:00

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The 2024 ILEARN scores released Wednesday showed slight changes from last year’s scores.

Statewide test scores for all Indiana students in grades 3 to 8 show less than a half of a percentage point change in students proficient or better in English language arts, math, and the subjects combined.

Scores went up slightly for the subjects combined and for English, but down slightly for math.

In 2024, 30.8% of students in third through eighth across the state were proficient or better in both the English and math sections of the state assessment. That’s 0.2 percentage points more than 30.6% in 2023.

By subject, 41% of students were proficient or better in English language arts, and 40.7% were proficient or better in math. That’s a small increase — less than half a percentage point — in English from 40.7% in 2023 and a small decrease in math from 40.9% last year.

Despite the slight change from 2023, scores are up since 2021, which the state considers to be the baseline year for the test due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 scores are up 0.5 and 3.8 percentage points in English and math respectively compared to 2021. For the combined proficiency, this year’s rate is up 2.2 percentage points from 28.6% in 2021.

2023 ILEARN scores show Indiana students improving in math, but stagnating in reading

However, results remain below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the first year of the ILEARN assessment, around 37% of students scored proficient or better in both English and math and roughly 48% of students scored proficient in at least one of the sections.

“We have work to do,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said, referring to improving the ILEARN assessment so teachers and families can help struggling students earlier. “We know that. We’re going to continue to roll up our sleeves as educators.”

She noted that in the 2024-25 school year, the Indiana Department of Education is piloting a checkpoint-based ILEARN — an alternative to a single high-stakes exam at the end of the year — to make the data more actionable. More than 70% of schools opted into the pilot program to have ILEARN be three checkpoints throughout the year and a shortened summative assessment at the end of the year, per the Indiana Department of Education.

This approach aims to have more data about student learning available throughout the school year for students, families, and teachers to use instead of waiting for the data at the end of the year, per IDOE. The change will be fully rolled out in the 2025-26 school year.

This year’s results also come amid an ongoing shift in how Indiana teaches reading.

Per a 2023 law, schools must adopt a literacy curriculum aligned to the science of reading by the 2024-25 school year. Many have already adopted these standards, as well as hired literacy coaches whose job is to train existing staff in reading science principles. But more changes are to come, including a requirement that teachers who hold an elementary license earn a new literacy endorsement.

At Indianapolis Public Schools, proficiency rates dropped from 2023 with English proficiency down 1.5 percentage points and math down 1.8 percentage points. Overall, 13.5% of students were proficient in both subjects, a drop from 14.8% in 2023.

Meanwhile, Brownsburg schools in neighboring Hendricks County had the highest percentage of students who tested proficient again this year at 62.6%.

See how students at your school did on the ILEARN test using the table below:

Black students show greatest ELA gains; other student groups’ test scores change very slightly

By demographics, certain groups saw slight score increases, often within or just over a percentage point.

At the State Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, board member Scott Bess commended the modest improvements but said the board can’t be satisfied with one- and two-point increases.

“Kudos to everyone who’s working hard to get those increases,” Bess said. “But it’s not enough. We’ve got to really have a sense of urgency.”

Black students’ proficiency in English language arts and math combined went up from 10.9% in 2023 to 11.7%. Those students also gained in English language arts by 1.2 percentage points, the largest increase by student race.

Both Hispanic students’ and Asian students’ scores changed marginally, the former decreasing by 0.1 and the latter increasing by 0.2 percentage points. English language learners’ proficiency increased by 0.3 percentage points.

2023 IPS ILEARN scores improve some, but remain below independent charters

The overall proficiency of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch improved from 17.6% to 18.1%.

Looking at grade level, seventh graders had the highest year-to-year increase in English language arts with 2.3 percentage points. Fourth graders also had a bump at 1.5 percentage points. Since 2021, English proficiency has increased for grades four to seven.

Although most grades showed less proficiency from 2023 to 2024 in math, math proficiency has increased across all grades since 2021. Seventh graders saw an increase by 1 percentage point from 2023 to 2024.

SAT scores continue to decline

The Indiana Department of Education also released SAT results Wednesday. The number of high school juniors at the benchmark for reading/writing and math was about 24%, a decrease of 4.4 percentage points compared to last year, continuing a two-year downward trend.

IDOE Chief Academic Officer Lynn Schemel said scores also decreased nationally, which she attributed to the challenges of hybrid learning faced by this cohort during the pandemic and the SAT’s switch to an adaptive assessment, meaning questions become more or less difficult depending on how the student is performing.

She added that chronic absenteeism also leads students to dramatically underperform on the exam, based on data from the last two years.

“In the year prior, as a grade 11 student, those students who were chronically absent underperformed their peers by 24.7 and 23.6 percentage points, demonstrating a need to focus on student apathy as we consider our high school redesign efforts,” Schemel said.

Aleksandra Appleton and MJ Slaby contributed to this article.

Haley Miller is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Haley at hmiller@chalkbeat.org.

This Indiana educator created a literary journal for Indiana teens. Here’s why.

2024-07-15T11:00:00+00:00

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Once Ben Boruff decided to try teaching, he never looked back.

Now, he’s been teaching for 11 years, five of those at Munster High School in northwest Indiana.

An English and creative writing teacher who works mostly with juniors and seniors, Boruff also is the sponsor of multiple student clubs, including one focused on poetry and another on Dungeons & Dragons.

Every time a student asks him to help with a club, Boruff sees it as an honor. Plus, it gives him a chance to build rapport with students and create welcoming spaces where teens feel like they belong.

That’s also why he founded and edits Perspicacity Magazine, an online literary journal featuring the work of high schoolers across Indiana.

“If all Perspicacity Magazine manages to accomplish is to help some students feel a deeper appreciation for their talents, it’s worth it,” Boruff said of the year-old magazine, which publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

In a recent interview with Chalkbeat, he shared more about the magazine, told us about his favorite lesson to teach, and explained why you should choose your words intentionally.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher during my senior year of high school. I was initially going to study English in college, but I had some opportunities to work with a few younger students that year. I enjoyed it, and a friend suggested that I try education. I did, and it stuck. I figured that I’d change my major if, at any point, education didn’t feel right. But it just clicked.

Now, I cannot imagine myself doing anything else. Even amid the chaos of the education-focused culture war right now, I still love my job. Sometimes, I wonder what my life would be like if I wasn’t a teacher. It would undoubtedly be less stressful — probably a lot less stressful — but it wouldn’t feel complete.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

My favorite creative writing lesson involves the hero’s journey. I teach my students about the different iterations of the archetypal hero’s journey: from Joseph Campbell to Christopher Vogler to Dan Harmon. We talk about symbolic, situational, and character archetypes.

In other words, we learn all about the patterns that exist in storytelling. Then I tell my students to “flip” an archetype. Their challenge is to write a story in which they somehow change, alter, subvert, or rework an archetype. Intentionally disrupt a pattern. Make something wholly original. It’s a difficult assignment, but students have made some remarkable things.

What is Perspicacity Magazine, and what led you to start it?

Perspicacity Magazine is a new online literary journal that features creative works from high school students in Indiana. Perspicacity was created to nurture authenticity and empower young writers.

I believe every single student has the ability to create great art.

These lines are at the top of Perspicacity Magazine’s Submissions page: “Here at Perspicacity Magazine, we believe that authenticity and depth of thought are the best conduits of great art. We encourage writers to dig deep and explore the relatively untouched niches and jagged edges of experience. Be bold. Dive deep.”

Why a literary journal?

A literary journal provides an opportunity for students to showcase their works beyond the walls of their classroom. It is one thing to write a poem or a short story and share it with your teacher or your classmates. It’s another thing entirely to write a poem or a short story and submit it for publication for all to see.

I believe that all creative writing requires both strength and vulnerability: regardless of the work, you are putting a piece of yourself onto a page. That’s brave. Then to take that work and share it with a wide audience — that’s exceptionally brave. You are essentially saying that you feel that others could benefit from interacting with your experience. In most cases, that is undoubtedly true.

Why open the magazine to students from across the state?

Indiana has a rich literary tradition. We’re the proud home of Kurt Vonnegut, James Whitcomb Riley, Mari Evans, John Green, and more. Roxane Gay taught at Purdue, and the Indiana Writers Center has been helping Hoosier writers for decades. There was even a nationally recognized Golden Age of Indiana Literature [in the late 19th and early 20th centuries].

But like many places in the U.S. right now, that literary tradition is often overshadowed by obsessive escapism and doomscrolling. The issue is not that students today do not want to express themselves. My experience tells me that students desperately want to express themselves, but they sometimes lack the drive, the knowledge, or the opportunity to do so.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

One of my mentors and former high school teachers, Pam Fischer, told me to speak intentionally because you never know what people will remember. She told me that former students have returned 10 years after high school and reminisced about things she said that she had long since forgotten.

My experience has confirmed this: Students — and people in general — remember details of conversations that I don’t. We don’t have control over how our words will impact others. This is both inspiring and sort of terrifying.

I try to speak intentionally as a teacher, and I encourage my students to speak and write intentionally. Even if we can’t see it — and we almost never do — our words and actions have a ripple effect on those around us. No comment exists in a vacuum.

How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

Not as good as I should. I’ve always found it difficult to truly detach from thoughts of teaching while I’m away from my classroom. It’s not a switch I can easily turn off. Teaching’s a tricky thing because there is always something you can do better. You’re never “done.” I believe that being great at something requires at least a bit of obsessiveness, so I’ve accepted my one-sided work-life balance.

But more to the point, I enjoy spending time with friends and family. I review indie comics for a couple of websites, and like to see film and art whenever I can.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana schools embrace AI, but seek to ‘keep humans in the loop’

2024-06-17T19:45:11+00:00

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The Indiana Department of Education’s first formal foray into artificial intelligence led to thousands of students working with AI tutors and learning from lesson plans created by AI.

A total of 112 schools across all grade levels in 36 districts participated in the department’s nearly $2 million AI pilot program grant, which allowed each district to purchase an AI platform that could plan lessons, differentiate content for students depending on their abilities, as well as offer tutoring and feedback to students.

The goal of the grant was to “leverage AI for the good,” said Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, as schools in Indiana and nationwide grapple with how AI can be used ethically in the classroom amid concerns about academic integrity.

“Any policy has to keep humans in the loop,” said Diana Smith, the department’s director of digital learning at the June State Board of Education meeting. “AI is only going to be successful if teachers are the ones making decisions about how to implement it in the classroom.”

The pilot was funded through a one-time $1.8 million allocation in federal pandemic relief, but some districts have elected to continue funding the platforms via the department’s Digital Learning Grant. Each district received on average around $50,000.

The most common use for the AI platforms was time-saving purposes like lesson planning, according to a survey of teachers in the pilot program that drew 625 responses. Teachers also used AI for lesson differentiation, as well as student tutoring and feedback.

Around 53% of teachers in the survey rated the impact of AI on their students as positive.

However, teachers also reported issues with the usability of the platforms, the content across subject areas, and how well they could pick up students speaking.

Student safety was also a concern for the department. To participate in the program, the education-focused platforms had to protect student data and be safe for children to use, Smith said.

Jenner said it was important to draw a distinction between widely available generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, and the education-focused platforms that were part of the pilot program. The latter won’t give political or inappropriate answers, for example, she said.

Khanmigo, Khan Academy’s AI platform, was the most commonly used platform, with 20 of the 36 participating districts using it.

Districts also used Amira, Edia, Schooljoy, and others.

“We have to make sure it’s a safe environment,” Jenner said. “That’s what has given our teachers more comfort in letting the educator AI platform provide some of the tutoring, guidance, and feedback without being right there.”

The presentation highlighted how a handful of schools used their AI platforms:

At Newcastle High School, students learned how to prompt an AI tutor for feedback on their writing, including improving verb choices and sentence structure.
In Monroe Jr./Sr. High School, students received immediate feedback on their math work via the AI tutor.
Hobart schools used an AI platform for chemistry students to provide automatic differentiation.
In Perry schools, a third grade English learner student used assistance from the AI platform to participate in the class lesson.

Hobart schools also participated in Khanmigo’s AI pilot, according to a September newsletter from the Indiana Department of Education. In this program, the AI tool served as a “teacher assistant,” said Superintendent Peggy Buffington, writing exit ticket questions, learning objectives, and rubrics. Students used it to chat with literary characters and navigate the college admissions process.

Teachers with Indiana Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (INTESOL) also expect AI to have an impact on education.

At Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, teacher Manuel Torres uses diffit.me to change the reading level of an advanced text to allow students of all levels to participate. The website can also generate different types of questions and open-ended discussion prompts.

“This is great because it allows you to simplify the English instead of just translating it to the student’s language,” Torres said in an email.

A final report on the pilot program will be presented this summer. A full list of schools that participated in the pilot is available here.

The department is currently inviting alternative education programs to apply for grant funding to provide their students with an AI tutor.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Teacher Prep Academy brings teaching career experience to high schoolers

2024-06-12T20:46:53+00:00

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Elley Kropp wasn’t sure at first if her family would approve of her becoming a teacher.

She knew she might make more money as a nurse or a cosmetologist. And she had faced challenges in school; in the eighth grade she was diagnosed with learning disabilities.

But the possibility of helping students like her drew her to the field of education. The final push came when her father, a plumber, gifted her tool caddies to repurpose for her future students’ supplies.

“Knowing I could be a teacher who helps a kid who’s struggling, I want to be that person for someone,” said Kropp, now an elementary education major at the University of Indianapolis School of Education.

Kropp started her teaching training in high school through the university’s Teacher Prep Academy, a free summer program now in its second year that lets high schoolers live on campus for a week and take a transferable dual credit course in education.

The academy seeks to address a core issue of Indiana’s teacher shortage: More teachers are retiring while fewer students are enrolling in teacher prep programs, resulting in a net decline in the number of teachers.

The need for more new educators comes as the state enacts sweeping changes to curriculum that will require more teachers to be trained in dual credit programs and reading science practices.

By connecting students to the profession in high school, the program hopes to put them on track to study teaching and eventually step into those open roles. The academy allows students who are interested in teaching to meet and bond, creating a supportive environment for would-be educators.

Getting young people to consider teaching

While the Indiana Department of Education doesn’t track teacher vacancies and open positions year over year, there were over 2,200 open teaching positions on the state’s teacher job board as of June 11, as well as over 600 open student support roles — numbers comparable to previous years.

Schools anecdotally report ongoing hiring challenges, especially in hard-to-fill subjects like career and technical education, science, and math.

The most recent state data shows that in 2022-23, there were 61,409 teachers teaching in a content area for which they’re licensed, down from 63,232 the year before.

A number of factors have dissuaded students from pursuing a teaching career, including the negative rhetoric directed at education, and concerns about pay, said Kelley Carnagua, coordinator of the Teacher Prep Academy, which is funded through a state grant.

The university is also using a portion of this grant on a marketing effort to change how students and their families view the teaching profession, Carnagua said, including sharing stories of the impact that educators have.

“Whatever path they choose, they have to get an education first,” Carnagua said.

Inside the Teacher Prep Academy

Some students are there to follow in the footsteps of a teacher who made a positive impact on their lives. MacKenzie McKinney, a rising junior in Clark-Pleasant schools, named her middle school choir director and her chemistry teacher as two of her inspirations.

Others want to change the educational experience for students who come after them, Kropp said. Kropp this year serves as a mentor to the high school students in the Teacher Prep Academy.

This year, the academy has enrolled 24 students from 11 school districts in central Indiana, who spent a week on campus in June.

They took field trips to an elementary school to help with summer school, as well as the Indianapolis Children’s Museum to talk about learning experiences outside the classroom.

Of all the experiences, students are usually most excited about classroom visits, where they can work with students on experiential lessons in science- and technology-related activities and garden clubs.

“That’s what lights their fire,” Carnagua said.

On a recent Thursday on campus, students were split into two classrooms — one discussing the external factors that affect schools, like communities and funding, and the other learning about what goes on inside the classroom.

In the latter, John Somers, director of graduate studies at the School of Education, walked students through the ABCs of behavior — antecedent, behavior, and consequence. One wanted to know: Do real teachers know about this?

“They do if they went through our program,” Somers said.

Students had designed posters about other topics they had covered that week, like multi-tiered systems of support, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and incorporating elements of hip-hop into pedagogy.

Anye’ Watson, a rising senior in Wayne Township schools, said she had seen those concepts put in practice in her own education, even if she didn’t yet know what they were called. What resonated with her was that good classroom relationships were at the heart of each lesson.

“It’s about building bonds,” Watson said.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

The 2025 IPS Teachers of the Year share what inspired them to work in the classroom

2024-06-07T11:00:00+00:00

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Typically, eighth graders aren’t great at keeping secrets.

But when it came to surprising their teacher Ashley Hogan with her Teacher of the Year award, she said they made it happen and it was a complete shock.

Last month, Indianapolis Public Schools made announcements for its 2025 Teachers of the Year: Hogan of Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School and Linda Thomson of Shortridge High School.

The annual award goes to one educator at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. They are nominated by principals and selected by a committee of peers, per IPS.

Below, Hogan and Thomson answered questions from Chalkbeat about their teaching inspirations, using multiple languages in the classroom, and how to spend summer break.

These interviews have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

A family of educators and personal classroom experiences

Hogan teaches eighth grade English language arts at Emma Donnan, which is part of Adelante Schools and an IPS innovation school.

Ashley Hogan from Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School is given one of two 2025 IPS Teacher of the Year awards.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

Honestly, third grade was the year that I knew education was the path I wanted. My father, mother, and grandmother were all educators. I grew up around kids, and felt like it was my calling.

I started in early education because those early years are most important and foundational. I became an eighth grade teacher two years ago because I wanted a challenge. I found that my students didn’t have that early foundation year, so I ended up incorporating those foundation skills from teaching younger students.

How do you use your own experience with an Individualized Education Program to empower your students?

I struggled with math growing up and had an IEP. The toolset I gained from that are the strategies that I use in my classroom now. I tell my scholars that everyone is different and all the strategies aren’t going to work for everyone.

I also tell them that I understand that at times things are going to be difficult, so growth is a win. If I made small progress in my math skills, my family would praise me so I give that same praise to my students.

How do you use being multilingual in the classroom?

I am fluent in Spanish and professionally fluent in French after learning as a student at the International School of Indiana and kept going in college.

For the last two years, I’ve had classes that are a mix of English and Spanish speakers, so I teach in Spanish and English and it helps students who are Spanish speakers to have more confidence. Little by little they have more confidence to answer questions in English too.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

I have two. The first unit of the year allows my scholars to write poetry and read it in the classroom. They gain confidence and the other scholars are in their seats encouraging them. I immediately saw their confidence in public speaking increase.

And second is a Shakespearean unit. You can see them make the effort to read aloud and try out the tone and be confident. They want to be Puck and say the lines and try it out.

What is your advice to students on how to spend the summer?

Enjoy the summer. The school year is when they have to be locked in and focused and engaged. But in the summer, they can go outside, put down the phones, get away from the TV and try something new.

My eighth graders last year who did that felt better and more confident in themselves in the new high school year so I want the same for this group that just ended the year.

From the dance studio to Shortridge Spanish class

Thomson teaches Spanish and is a World Language Department Lead at Shortridge.

Linda Thomson of Shortridge High School learns she is one of two 2025 IPS Teachers of the Year.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I have always known I wanted to be a teacher: I was that kid who had a chalkboard and would sit my dolls around my room and give them spelling tests.

I am so passionate about my heritage and sharing my love of the language with others, so teaching Spanish was an obvious choice for me. More than anything, I love helping others, and being a teacher is a great opportunity to do just that.

What was your experience with school and how does it influence you today?

I had really great teachers, especially in high school. My teachers allowed us to be creative and gave us a space where we would feel comfortable asking questions and expressing our opinions.

Teachers who pushed me to do more than the bare minimum in my classes because they knew I was capable of more. I strive to be that same positive influence on my students as well, pushing them to see what more they can achieve.

Similarly, how does growing up in a bilingual household impact your work?

On my mom’s side, I was the first person to graduate high school, then college. Everything I do I ask myself: “How can I make my family proud?” In the classroom, I talk about my experiences growing up, and can relate to my students who have also had to grow up being the family’s translator.

It is more than just teaching a second language for me. It is about inspiring my students to explore the world. I just had a former student spend a semester in Spain and another recently switched her major to Spanish education. When students share those experiences with me, it’s pretty special.

Before teaching at Shortridge, you owned a dance studio. What did that experience teach you about inspiring students?

It taught me how hard work can truly pay off. At the end of the season we would put on a big dance recital. Organizing that show for so many students was a lot of work.

The most rewarding time happened when it was all done — when the students could look back and realize that they overcame the fear that comes with performing on a stage. Showing the students everything they can do by working together and positively supporting each other is something that I love to see, even if my teaching environment has changed from a studio to a classroom.

What is your advice to students on how to spend the summer?

Students should spend their summers doing what makes them happy, but also be willing to try new things. This is your opportunity to learn a new skill or explore a new place!

Find a cool book to read, find new music or an interesting podcast to listen to, etc. You can start a new job, which is one of the best ways to meet new people or finish up that craft project you didn’t have time for during the school year.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana softens new reading training requirements after teacher outcry

2024-05-21T18:20:46+00:00

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Fewer teachers will need to take an 80-hour training on teaching reading after the Indiana Department of Education announced changes in response to educators’ concerns.

After Indiana teachers spoke out en masse against a new literacy training requirement, education officials softened the rules on who must take the training to earn a literacy endorsement in order to renew their licenses beginning in 2027.

Teachers who hold an elementary education license, but don’t currently teach in a content area that involves literacy, won’t have to earn the endorsement after all. That means teachers with elementary licenses who teach middle and high school and teachers in subjects like math are now exempt from the requirement — though the training is still “strongly encouraged” by the department.

Before the requirement goes into effect, school and district administrators will sign waivers for these teachers who don’t teach literacy and don’t plan to do so, according to a department FAQ.

But teachers who hold an elementary or special education license and teach in a content area that involves literacy for preschool to fifth grade students still must take the training and take a Praxis content exam to demonstrate their knowledge.

The announcement last week followed extensive public comment from educators at a May 8 meeting of the State Board of Education, where teachers voiced concerns about the new literacy endorsement required by a reading skills law passed this year known as SEA 1.

“The adjustments to these requirements reflect the voices and concerns of educators across Indiana,” said Indiana State Teachers Association President Keith Gambill in a statement Friday.

Officials have not backed down from a controversial requirement that teachers who take the literacy endorsement training must also take an accompanying Praxis content exam.

ISTA Senior Public Affairs Advisor Keith Clock said the Praxis requirement remains a top concern for the organization. He added that the language of SEA 1 allows some flexibility for how educators demonstrate proficiency in the science of reading.

Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in her weekly newsletter sent Friday that the concerns about the Praxis exam were the most common, and “the most tricky to solve.”

The department also announced that new asynchronous courses will be available this fall to meet demand from teachers who need to take the training. All teachers, including those who already signed up for live training, can take the new asynchronous training.

Teachers expressed concerns about taking the training during the summer, when a free option from the state called Keys to Literacy was available, saying they had already planned to take second jobs, teach summer school, or vacation during that time. Others said the free sessions were already full.

Education officials can’t guarantee that free training will be available beyond spring 2025, when lawmakers will write a new state budget. Jenner said in the newsletter that the department will “continue to advocate for sustained funding for free teacher literacy training when the General Assembly convenes in January to build the 2025-2027 budget.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s new diplomas emphasize flexibility for older students, but some requirements are controversial

2024-05-17T11:00:00+00:00

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A proposed redesign of Indiana’s high school graduation requirements to emphasize student choice and work-based learning has drawn concerns from educators who say it’s too much change too soon.

The plan would offer Indiana students beginning with the class of 2029 two diploma options, one of which resembles today’s graduation requirements but with less advanced math and social studies, and another that would require significantly more work experience.

Indiana education officials presented their plan to significantly redesign diplomas to the State Board of Education in March, touting the new emphasis on career training in high school as a first-in-the-nation move.

But some educators say the proposed requirements leave out key academic courses like world history and language in favor of more work experience, which they say may not be the best track for all students.

Preparing graduates to enter the workforce immediately after high school has been a priority for Indiana, especially as college-going rates stagnate. In addition to proposing new diplomas, the state recently rolled out Career Scholarship Accounts that give students some state funding for workforce training in high school, as well as career-focused graduation tracks that often allow students to start work while in school.

The state’s current Core 40 diploma requires students to take a set of foundational classes throughout grades 9-12 in English, math, science, social studies, and other courses. Students can also earn an honors designation for academics or technical skills.

Beginning with the Class of 2023, all students also have to undertake some college or career preparation.

At a State Board of Education meeting this month, many educators said it’s too soon to change the requirements again.

“If there’s any broad advice, it’s please slow down,” said John Hurley, a Career and Technical Education teacher at the South Spencer School Corporation. “While portions of the new diplomas are labeled flex, smaller schools will likely not be able to offer all options, and students will become stuck in only one track for graduation.”

What’s new about Indiana’s proposed diplomas?

Indiana is proposing two diploma tracks.

One is the GPS Diploma, which is a combination of the current Core 40 diploma and the graduation pathways — the additional college or career preparation requirements added starting with the class of 2023.

The other is the GPS Diploma Plus, which requires more work experience and more evidence of college readiness.

Students will make graduation plans in middle school to determine which courses they’ll take throughout high school.

Both diplomas begin with foundational requirements worth a total of 20 points in grades 9 and 10. These require students to demonstrate:

Academic mastery of English, math, and science by taking four credits of each subject.
Civic, financial, and digital literacy by taking U.S. history, government, personal finance, and computer science, as well as demonstrating skills in one of the above by participating in a robotics team, starting a student-led business, or working as a poll worker.
Work ethic by taking P.E., health, and other activities during or after school. Students must also meet three of six other criteria, such as having a 94% attendance rate, a 3.0 GPA at the end of grade 10, or two seasons of an activity.
Communication and collaboration by participating in four school activities like debate, Future Farmers of America, or student council, and one outside activity like volunteering or leading a church youth group.
College and career readiness by taking one readiness course and showing competency in three other ways, for example, taking a career aptitude test or dual credit course, or attending a job fair or a job shadowing opportunity.

Beginning in grade 11, students pursuing the regular GPS Diploma would need to earn 20 more points — similar to the Core 40 requirements — but would be able to choose which courses they take to do so.

Meanwhile, those earning a GPS Diploma Plus will take additional courses they need to complete a work-based learning opportunity and earn a credential.

The GPS Plus diploma has three levels. First is the Level 2 Plus diploma where the student must complete 75 hours of work-based learning. A level 3 diploma requires 650 hours of a state pre-apprenticeship, or modern youth apprenticeship. And a level 4 diploma requires 2,000 hours in a U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship.

Diploma Plus students must also demonstrate postsecondary readiness by earning a professional credential, an International Baccalaureate diploma, or an AP Scholar with Distinction designation.

Some new requirements are controversial

Some educators say the heightened emphasis on work experience comes at the expense of academics and could hurt students aiming to attend out-of-state universities.

But not everyone agrees that the work experience requirements are too much.

At a March State Board of Education meeting announcing the new diplomas, Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the lowest tier of work experience required by the GPS Diploma Plus could be completed in one semester with an internship taken during one period. Some people had pushed for that bar to be higher, she said.

At a marathon public comment session during the May board meeting, teachers said the regular GPS Diploma was not rigorous enough for their brightest students, who would feel compelled to meet the work experience required by the GPS Plus Diploma perhaps at the expense of academic courses.

“What we are missing is a huge middle,” said Aaron Warner, a teacher in Terre Haute. “To get that bottom diploma, your maximum math class is Algebra I. No world history required. That is not the direction we need to be going.”

A junior at Borden Junior-Senior High School, told the board that the choice of the two diplomas requires high school freshmen to make a choice that’s difficult to reverse.

“Between those two options, I would feel far too intimidated by the strenuous workload of the higher level courses and would end up restricting myself to the GPS diploma, which in turn would inhibit my chance of changing my mind once I get into my later years of high school,” the student said.

Educators also told the board that classes like world history and languages are missing from the requirements.

Finally, they took issue with the state changing graduation requirements yet again when the graduation pathways have only been in effect for one graduating class so far.

Hurley, the South Spencer schools teacher, also questioned how students’ hours outside school would be tracked, and how the new requirements would affect students who transfer to Indiana schools late in high school.

What are the next steps?

The department will host two public comment periods this year, as well as accept feedback through its online form, prior to a final adoption of the requirements this fall.

Schools can opt-in to begin offering the new diplomas as soon as the requirements are adopted by the state board of education. They’ll go into effect for all students beginning with the Class of 2029, or today’s seventh graders.

The state will continue to offer the federally mandated alternative diploma for students with severe disabilities.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Civics simulations help this teacher’s students connect to lessons about history and citizenship

2024-05-13T11:00:00+00:00

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In Adam Williamson’s social studies class, students learn American history “in the full light of day.”

That means everything the country has accomplished and its historical significance, along with its mistakes along the way, Williamson said.

As a 16-year veteran teacher and department chair at Mississinewa High School, a school around 70 miles northeast of Indianapolis, Williamson told Chalkbeat that the criticism that teachers face for teaching negative or divisive lessons about history is misdirected.

“Contrary to some prevailing opinions out there, teachers aren’t responsible for this attitude — we are often the first line of defense in trying to convince students that the United States is worth revering despite its past mistakes,” Williamson said. “I savor those moments when I can make a student stop to reflect and consider the perspectives of people who lived in the past and evaluate their decisions accordingly.”

And just as important as helping students understand the past is helping them grow into their roles as future adults, citizens, voters, and leaders. For this goal, Williamson said active learning is the key.

He leads students through mock legal proceedings, as well as simulated congressional hearings as part of the We the People curriculum and competition, and helps them understand how civics will affect their day-to-day lives.

“The fact that many of them are eager to begin adult life can provide leverage for engaging them in these sorts of participatory lessons,” he said. “I often say, “You’re going to be an adult in the eyes of the world soon, so you might want to know how this works.” That reality check tends to be effective for most students.”

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a social studies teacher?

I considered the career when I was in high school and then attempted a career in acting when I got to college. I quickly decided that there was too much drama in the drama department and reverted back to social studies education. Now, I have a difficult time thinking of something else that I would find more rewarding than teaching.

What’s a lesson that you like to teach that helps your students understand how civics is relevant to them?

I often teach civics using simulations. I particularly enjoy my mock trial and legislation simulations — I find that students begin to make direct connections to their own lives when they engage in those processes. Active learning pays dividends!

Mississinewa High School (Indiana) social studies teacher Adam Williamson

What are the biggest questions that your students have and have those changed over time?

In my history courses, I get a lot of questions about why the United States government has historically made a poor choice, or why the nation has made so many mistakes. The “information age” has presented us with new challenges regarding communication. Social media and internet video blogs have created echo chambers for criticism toward the United States government. Contrary to some prevailing opinions out there, teachers aren’t responsible for this attitude — we are often the first line of defense in trying to convince students that the United States is worth revering despite its past mistakes!

I see the teaching of United States history as an opportunity to invite my kids to confront American history in the full light of day, warts and all, and consider all that America has accomplished and all that it represents to humanity despite our missteps along the way. I savor those moments when I can make a student stop to reflect and consider the perspectives of people who lived in the past and evaluate their decisions accordingly.

What are some of the obstacles to engaging young people in voting and other civic duties? What helps?

Disengagement seems to be chronic, but that might be an illusion. It’s easy to focus on the cynicism toward government among Generation Z, but there are actually quite a few students who are engaged and/or want to be engaged in their communities.

Trying to make the rest of them understand that civic and political engagement is worthwhile isn’t an easy task. I find that running students through the processes of civic and political life demystifies things for them. Again, active learning is key. The fact that many of them are eager to begin adult life can provide leverage for engaging them in these sorts of participatory lessons. I often say, “You’re going to be an adult in the eyes of the world soon, so you might want to know how this works.” That reality check tends to be effective for most students.

Tell us about your work with We the People and the impact it has on your students.

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is, without a doubt, the most rewarding and effective curriculum I’ve ever used. I underwent training for the program at the annual summer institute as soon as I finished student teaching and soon after began teaching it at my first job in middle school.

The students thrived under the curriculum. It was so encouraging to see those young people diving into complex topics and engaging in dialogue about them with respected adults! Soon after, I was moved to our high school to pilot the program there and coordinate the program across the district. Since that time, we’ve had very successful We the People teams at all three levels and I’ve been able to enjoy watching students of all ages broaden their minds and consider their role in our body politic.

Nearly every student who has taken the We the People course with me has personally reflected on how thankful they were that they took part. That is very fulfilling for a teacher to hear. A few of those students have moved on to law school and public service, and I find it extremely satisfying to know that I played some part in those students’ journeys.

How do you approach news events or community happenings in your classroom?

I encourage students to stay in touch with current events by following their favorite news source, and I often invite students to ask questions about what’s going on in the country and in the world. There’s usually a connection to something we’re discussing in class, whether I’m teaching history or civics. Topical conversations pop up regularly as a result.

I also begin each semester by establishing norms for discussion and debate, and these often go a long way toward keeping the conversation civil and on-topic. When students make their own norms for discussion, they are not only invested in sticking to those norms, but they keep each other accountable to them.

Perhaps most importantly, I encourage students to be aware of the source of their information, particularly in regard to media bias and information reliability. We talk about how to determine trustworthy information sources and how to determine bias.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I was a fairly conscientious student in high school. I cared about my grades, and I embraced the practicality of being a rule-follower. When I became a public school teacher I struggled to confront students who didn’t share those same values. It took some adjustment to understand the perspectives of students who intentionally deviated from school rules and norms and those who didn’t value academic success. I’m thankful for colleagues who helped me understand those perspectives and build rapport with those students.

In high school, I was very involved in the arts. Since I began teaching I’ve done everything I can to support those programs, from attending performances and donating to their funds to encouraging students to take that leap and express themselves through art, music, and dramatic performance.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

Before you speak, ask yourself: “Does it need to be said? Does it need to be said now? Does it need to be said by me?” Asking myself those three questions has, on more than one occasion, helped me avoid more trouble than I bargained for.

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

It’s a toss-up between “Teaching with Love and Logic” by Jim Fay and David Funk and “Help for Billy” by Heather Forbes.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Teachers confront Indiana education officials over literacy license requirements

2024-05-08T19:28:01+00:00

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A new Indiana law requiring some teachers to learn about teaching literacy in order to renew their licenses drew hours of criticism from educators at Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting.

State lawmakers this year expanded a requirement that new teachers earn a literacy endorsement to include all elementary and special education teachers who are renewing their licenses. It was part of their effort to address declining literacy scores by implementing science of reading practices.

Under the law, teachers renewing their licenses must earn an Early Literacy Endorsement by 2027. They can do so through a third-party professional development program that’s free through 2025. They will also receive a $1,200 stipend for completing this training.

This new requirement wasn’t on the state board’s agenda Wednesday. But in extended public comments, elementary and special education teachers said the new 80-hour Keys to Literacy training and PRAXIS exam were hardships, especially during the summer, when many teachers teach summer school, work second jobs, or take planned vacations. Moreover, the free courses are full, some said.

“I’m teaching summer school so I can afford to live near my place of work,” said Maya Simon, a special education teacher in Indianapolis. “Your free training feels like a slap in the face to someone who has earned an [associate of arts degree], a bachelor’s, a master’s, and a license in special education.”

Teachers also argued that the requirement is too broad. Elementary teachers of subjects like math and music said the training was irrelevant to their work, and that their time could be better spent on professional development related to their subject areas. They pointed out that they were taking away training spots from reading teachers who actually needed them.

Addressing the dozens of gathered teachers prior to the meeting’s public comment period, Secretary of Education Katie Jenner reiterated concerns about reading scores in Indiana, which have been in decline for more than a decade.

In conjunction with the new requirements for teachers, Indiana passed stricter requirements this year on holding back third graders who don’t demonstrate key reading skills.

Representatives from the nonprofit advocacy groups Stand for Children and the Institute for Quality Education, meanwhile, urged the board Wednesday to keep the literacy requirements intact, saying rigorous training is necessary to teach reading.

Jenner said almost 12,000 teachers signed up for the Keys to Literacy training in three weeks, and that the state is adding cohorts.

“I saw some people joking that it’s harder to get signed up for this than to get Taylor Swift tickets,” she said.

She said the state board was willing to hear solutions and ideas.

Teachers said the state should provide flexibility for teachers to meet the literacy requirement, and account for teacher expertise and professional development already offered at schools. They also urged board members to expand early learning opportunities, including lowering the mandated age of school entry from 7 to 5.

Guidance from the state education department says teachers who don’t meet the literacy requirement by 2027 may be eligible for a grace period, though details about that flexibility haven’t been finalized.

“No other profession is going to be okay with being told, not only do you have to do this to keep your license, but you have to do it outside your contracted hours,” said Cory Freihaut, a special education teacher who works three jobs. “I understand we’re getting a stipend, but … that’s like $15 an hour. I make more than that at the pizza shop I do on the weekends.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

New ‘intellectual diversity’ law could have major effects on Indiana teacher training

2024-04-24T11:00:00+00:00

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In a Ball State classroom on a recent Tuesday, Professor Sheron Fraser-Burgess told her class to brace themselves for the “really controversial” argument from their reading:

“There’s no such thing as reverse ‘-ism.’ Women can be just as prejudiced as men, but can’t be as sexist, because they don’t have the power.”

Then she invited the class to weigh in.

Her students were quick to disagree with that argument and with each other, as well as Fraser-Burgess, who leaned back against a desk and listened.

She said it’s critical to her that her students — potential future teachers — learn about prejudice, discrimination, racism, sexism, and other “isms,” before they step into their own classrooms and assume power over others. That power can turn personal prejudice into an “ism” they perpetuate, she told them.

But some fear a new Indiana law that drastically alters universities’ diversity policies could have a chilling effect on teacher prep classes like Fraser-Burgess’ multicultural education course. The result could be that preservice teachers are less prepared to use best practices, challenge their own assumptions, and work with students who come from a variety of backgrounds through practices like culturally responsive teaching, these critics say.

That’s not the intent of the new law, said Sen. Spencer Deery, a Republican and the architect of the statute, which compels universities to stress “intellectual diversity” alongside cultural diversity. It requires professors to present a variety of viewpoints in their curriculum, and imposes consequences for not doing so, including demotion and denial of tenure.

It also creates a complaint procedure for students and staff to report faculty who bring unrelated politics into the classroom to their universities. To a certain extent, that aspect of the law resembles a public web portal set up by state Attorney General Todd Rokita for parents to submit complaints about how schools address race, gender, and political ideology.

Pushing back on concerns that the law could shrink the pool of future educators, Deery said it could instead encourage students who currently don’t feel welcome on college campuses — namely, conservative students — to enroll.

“If we don’t recognize that some Hoosiers are not going into higher ed because they don’t feel like someone from their background is going to be respected, or they’re going to be exposed only to views of some paradigms, that’s a problem,” Deery said.

What does the new ‘intellectual diversity’ law do?

Universities are currently in the process of implementing the law known as SEA 202, which Gov. Eric Holcomb signed into law in March.

During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers heard hours of testimony in opposition to SEA 202 from faculty and students who said it represented an overreach into university classrooms, and could force professors to teach flawed information.

They drew comparisons to similar laws on the books in Florida targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and said it could lead to brain drain in the state as faculty leave or decline jobs in Indiana, accept positions elsewhere, and take their grant funding with them.

This could have an outsize effect on faculty of color, who are often tasked with leading diversity initiatives, and already face more complaints from students about what and how they teach, said Russ Skiba, an IU professor who has led opposition to 202.

In teacher training programs, this could create a snowball effect on preservice teachers and their future students, said Alexander Cuenca, an IU professor who has written about the barriers facing teacher candidates of color.

“If students can’t see themselves in the classroom, if we’re scared to mention Black perspectives in social studies, why would they go into teaching social studies?” he said.

But Deery, who spent a decade working at Purdue University, said he wrote the bill after seeing data that conservatives were losing trust in higher education.

A 2023 survey of free speech on Indiana campuses by the state Commission on Higher Education found that 72% of students believed that politically liberal students were free to express their views on campus, compared to 55% who said conservative students could do the same. Overall, 78% of survey respondents said that generally, students are free to express their opinions at their universities.

Deery has also cited data showing that conservative students feel less welcome on campuses than other students think they might feel. This data was part of the free speech survey, but has not been released publicly, Deery said. The commission was not able to make this data available to Chalkbeat by deadline.

Deery said 202 doesn’t prescribe or prohibit specific curriculum, but instead requires that professors present the full spectrum of viewpoints that exist within their discipline.

It’s up to university boards and departments to decide how to implement that — and that could mean some curriculum is cut while curriculum from underrepresented viewpoints is added, he said. When it comes to teaching diversity, Deery said he believes that should include cultural, racial, and ideological diversity.

“It’s not about making students feel comfortable, but feel respected,” he said. “College should make you uncomfortable. But that doesn’t give you license to ignore some perspectives.”

How the law affects teacher preparation

As the discussion of sexism went on in Fraser-Burgess’ class, one student pointed out the growing number of female band directors as a sign of more equality in the industry. Another countered that someone should ask those directors about the sexism they’ve experienced in their careers.

One recalled that a male kindergarten teacher faced distrust from parents as an example of how sexism can affect men.

The discussion zeroed in on the pressure boys and young men face to be stoic and successful. It continued until the final moments of the class.

Fraser-Burgess said she aims to cultivate an environment where students feel heard and know they won’t face retaliation for disagreeing with her.

The objective of her course is to help preservice teachers understand how bias can emerge in education, and how students’ backgrounds may affect their school experience.

What concerns her most about the new law is the reporting mechanism that would allow students who feel uncomfortable confronting these topics to complain about her class to the university.

Under the law, universities would need to establish a procedure allowing students and staff to complain about faculty who have not fostered free inquiry and intellectual diversity, who don’t expose students to a variety of political and ideological frameworks, or who bring politics unrelated to their discipline into the classroom. These complaints would be referred to supervisors and human resources departments for consideration in tenure promotion decisions.

“I’m an African American teacher telling them they need to disavow racism to be a public school teacher. It can come across with much more intensity, it may seem I’m being political or ideological,” she said.

If these complaints chill classroom discussion, it would mean future teachers have less exposure to teaching practices that are good for all students, she said.

“If we’re not fostering an ability to live with others and appreciate how they contribute to our society, to question our own experience as right or the default, we’re weakening our democracy, which is based on difference,” she said.

Deery said colleges already have a number of ways for students to report complaints about professors, and that the reporting mechanism of 202 only standardizes the process. Deery also said he trusts schools to filter out bogus complaints.

But some say the threat of complaints is enough to chill speech. And preservice teachers are learning as much from observing their professors as they are from the course content, said Cuenca, the IU professor.

“They’re in front of me, watching me teach,” Cuenca said. “If it influences the way I am able to speak, it’s going to impact how they’re going to be able to do it.”

What culturally responsive teaching looks like in practice

In recent years, teachers in Indiana and nationwide have reported a hesitancy to approach topics about race and diversity in class amid attempts to ban such lessons.

But teachers say learning culturally responsive teaching — or connecting students’ backgrounds and experiences to the classroom — is still an important tool.

For one, it helps educators build relationships with students and their families, said Cynthia Diaz, a teacher at Enlace Academy, an Indianapolis charter school where more than 80% of families speak a language other than English at home.

For example, when her students read “When Stars are Scattered,” the story of Somali refugees resonated with many of them, Diaz said. But the book also offered an opportunity to invite families to discuss the book and their own stories of immigrating to the U.S., both with their students at home and at a school event.

Having an awareness of their students’ cultures, backgrounds, and experiences also allows teachers to pause and challenge their own understanding, Diaz said.

“It’s the ability to be reflective. When you’re in a silo, you think ‘this is what I was taught, what school was like for me, so this is what school should be like.’” Diaz said. “In my opinion, it should be about what school should look like for the students in front of you.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

How Indianapolis area educators are preparing for a proposal to retain more third graders

2024-02-28T11:00:00+00:00

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This story was co-published with Mirror Indy and WFYI.

Grace Martin, a tutor at Vision Academy charter school in Indianapolis, teaches the alphabet.

‘A’ makes the sound for ‘apple.’ ‘I’ is for words like ‘important’ and ‘ice.’

It’s a lesson she uses with students in kindergarten — but to her surprise, she has to teach it to third graders as well.

“It’s like they … just paused at kindergarten or first grade, and now they’re in third grade,” Martin said. “I’m helping them pick up on basically two years of learning.”

It’s a challenge that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic but grew much worse after schools switched to remote learning for part of 2020. Third grade reading scores remain near the lowest point in a decade, and that means thousands of kids lack essential skills necessary to learn as they grow older, such as phonics and comprehension.

Now Marion County educators are preparing for the likely rollout of Senate Bill 1, which would require districts to hold back more students who fail the state’s elementary school reading exam. That bill emerged as one solution proposed by the Gov. Eric Holcomb administration and state lawmakers after seeing that nearly one in five Indiana students failed the reading test in each of the last three years.

Schools currently have the option to retain students yet few do. In 2023, of the 13,855 third graders who didn’t pass the state’s spring reading exam, according to state data, only about 400 were held back.

Reporters from Chalkbeat Indiana, Mirror Indy, and WFYI contacted educators across Marion County to learn how school administrators and teachers were preparing for the probable changes coming just a year after the state required schools to adopt new reading curriculum.

Some support the legislation and see benefits in giving students another year to learn how to read. Others, though, worry about what would happen next: a wave of overcrowded classrooms beginning with a “bubble” in the third grade.

“Then we’re going to see that bubble go into our middle schools and into our high schools,” Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts said.

Thousands could retake third grade

If enacted, the legislation could have an outsized impact in Marion County.

That’s because lawmakers are looking at how many third graders are passing the state standardized exam known as the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination, or IREAD-3. That test, given to all third graders, assesses whether the students are proficient in reading.

In Marion County’s public school districts, about 2,700 students were allowed to advance into fourth grade even though they failed IREAD, according to state data. That amounted to 28% of the districts’ third graders. Statewide, that promotion rate was about 17%.

To be clear, not all of those students would necessarily be held back under Senate Bill 1.

Under the legislation, kids would be given three opportunities by the end of third grade to pass IREAD. Students who don’t pass would become eligible for literacy-focused summer school and repeat a year of classroom instruction. But some students — including English language learners with less than two years of learning English, students with disabilities, and those who pass the math portion of state exams — would still move on to fourth grade.

It’s difficult to know how many students would be affected by the legislation. An online portal from the state Department of Education does not outline how many Marion County students would be exempt, and the state did not answer questions about how that number could be estimated.

Statewide, though, as many as 7,050 students would be held back in 2026, according to the Legislative Services Agency, which advises lawmakers on policymaking. That could cost the state an additional $57 million as the students age.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, however, says with multiple opportunities for students to take IREAD, retaining the estimated 7,050 students statewide is “a worst-case scenario.”

“This number, we should never hit,” Jenner said. “It would be unacceptable if we do.”

Marion County schools less likely to hold back

State education officials set a goal in 2022 to ensure 95% of Hoosier students pass IREAD by 2027.

Some officials say meeting that goal will require a shift in how schools decide to hold back students.

At two Marion County public school corporations — Indianapolis Public Schools and Lawrence Township — roughly one in three students were sent to fourth grade without passing IREAD. Both districts declined to comment for this story.

At Pike Township, where 29% of third graders advanced to fourth grade without passing IREAD, Superintendent Larry Young noted the likely effect this legislation would have on urban schools during a January school board meeting. He said he’d like lawmakers to also consider students’ potential for growth.

“I would ask that they look at trajectory,” Young said. “We have children that … in the next year or two, not only will they catch up, they will potentially surpass where their age-same peers may potentially be.”

Butts, the Wayne Township superintendent, said there are valid concerns about holding back students. Studies have found that students who were retained dropped out of school and faced negative social-emotional outcomes. Overall, however, research is mixed on whether retention is ultimately beneficial.

“But we also understand the negative impact of children not being able to read at grade level,” he said. “And that gets exponentially more challenging for them as they get into more difficult content.”

That’s what Rachelle Fisher, a fourth grade teacher in Franklin Township, is seeing. An educator for nearly two decades, Fisher said she loves to teach reading, but by fourth grade, it’s about content.

“It is nearly impossible to teach Indiana history and Indiana state science standards to students that are not reading at grade level,” she said.

Educators say retention isn’t the only answer

Some educators support the legislation but question whether it is happening too quickly.

Indiana lawmakers passed legislation last year requiring schools to adopt curricula aligned with the science of reading, an approach to teaching reading that focuses on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. While some districts have already trained staff and introduced this teaching, others are doing so for the first time this school year.

Indianapolis Public Schools, for example, introduced a new reading curriculum this year and while 96% of kindergarten through second grade classrooms were using it as of December, only about half of teachers so far have mastered teaching the new material.

“We are three months into implementation of something that a year from now will be very well organized and articulated,” Brookside Elementary School 54 Principal Jeremy Baugh told IPS Board Commissioners during a Feb. 20 meeting.

Other educators stressed that a one-size-fits-all approach to retention may not be best for students.

Stephanie Cotter, principal at Beech Grove’s Central Elementary, said her colleagues consider more than test scores when making a decision about retention. A school committee evaluates what interventions have been tried in the past, how many questions were missed on reading exams and whether retention is socially appropriate for a student. They also consider a student’s size and birthday, and bring parents into the conversation.

A third-grader works through an exercise Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, during a reading intervention class at Central Elementary School in Beech Grove.

“What’s being proposed is even more constraining compared to what’s out there,” Cotter said. “We all want our students to be able to read. We want to hit that 95% target. We want them to have those early literacy skills, and we have to look at specific children and decide, ‘Is this what’s best for them at this time?’”

Cotter and others say retention alone only goes so far. Schools continue to grapple with attendance challenges as students settle into classroom learning after 2020′s pandemic-driven disruptions. About one in five Hoosier students were considered chronically absent last year, and additional legislation has been introduced this year in response.

Some educators say they hope the state will invest in greater literacy support for students before they reach third grade. That could mean universal preschool or mandatory kindergarten.

Barbara Wellnitz, a tutor with United Way’s ReadUP program, said she supports efforts to start students in school earlier.

“Fully funding pre-K for all children, paying teachers of those children decent wages, and requiring children to attend school by age five would all go a long way toward helping children up their reading skills,” Wellnitz said. “Fewer students would face the possibility of retention in all grades.”

What’s next

Parents of students who would have been held back have spoken out against the bill, saying they are concerned about the weight put on students taking a test.

Rachel Burke, president of the Indiana Parent Teacher Association, told lawmakers that she knew when her daughter was in first grade that she would struggle to pass the IREAD. But what she didn’t know until December of her third grade year was that her child had been having seizures at the rate of dozens per day, and likely missing instruction as a result.

Even after receiving medication, she didn’t have enough time between December and the March testing window to catch up, Burke said. She failed, and had to take summer school and repeat the test, but those results were lost.

Now that she’s at the top of her class, it’s clear that holding her back would not have been the right course, Burke said.

“She’s not unique. There are kids whose parents die who take the test the next day. There are kids whose houses burned down who have to take this test the next day,” Burke said. “Kids are people. They’re not statistics. There has to be some room.”

But at the Statehouse, the bill continues to advance. It passed out of the House on Tuesday and now returns to the Senate before heading to Holcomb’s desk.

That’s good news to Martin, the tutor, who said she agrees with the proposal. She said no parent wants to hear that their child needs to be held back, but it’s about making sure they have “that extra support that they need to set them up for success.”

“Where do you want your kids to be at? Do you want to pass your kid and then he’s gonna continue failing and then he’s gonna graduate and he actually didn’t retain anything?” Martin said. “No, you can’t do that. You got to put the kid first.”

Aleksandra Appleton, Amelia Pak-Harvey, and MJ Slaby from Chalkbeat Indiana contributed to this article. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education. Contact the bureau at in.tips@chalkbeat.org

Carley Lanich and Emily Hopkins from Mirror Indy contributed to this article. Mirror Indy is a nonprofit news organization covering Indianapolis.

Eric Weddle from WFYI contributed to this article.

Lawrence schools want to find out why educators love their jobs, but why they are leaving

2024-02-20T21:12:21+00:00

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Could more remote work keep teachers from leaving the field?

If a school can’t find a calculus teacher, could it share with another school down the street?

And, most importantly, why are teachers quitting the profession?

These are the kinds of questions that a new project at Lawrence schools hopes to answer in search of solutions to common “pain points” in education that are driving down teacher retention rates.

Fifteen teachers and administrators, representing each of the district’s four middle and high schools, are participating in the Reimagining the Teacher Role Cohort led by Teach Indy, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit. Cohort members are interviewing their colleagues, identifying issues, and finding solutions to pilot at each school next year.

What these will be is still to be determined, said Sara Marshall, executive director of Teach Indy, but could include proposals to give teachers some of the benefits of remote work, or fill vacant positions in creative ways.

The goal is to raise teacher retention rates that dropped in the wake of the pandemic and have yet to recover. Data from the Indiana Department of Education compiled by the Fairbanks Foundation indicates that statewide teacher retention rates dropped from 84% in 2021 to 77% in 2022, before recovering slightly in 2023 to 80%.

In Marion County, that rate dropped from 70% in 2021 to 66% in 2022, also recovering slightly to 68.5% in 2023.

And, in Lawrence schools, teacher retention dropped from a high of 86% in 2021 to around 77% in 2022 and 76% in 2023.

There are a number of reasons why teachers typically leave the profession, Marshall said, including workload, pay, and a lack of respect. Fewer candidates are entering the profession to replace retirees, she added, and some teachers have left to pursue remote positions.

The project allows teachers from the four schools to brainstorm together on how to reverse these trends, but the solutions they’ll put in place might be unique to each building, said Andrew Harsha, the district’s director of secondary learning. The district doesn’t have money committed to the solutions, but may rely on fundraising or grant funding in the future, according to a representative of Teach Indy.

“We are leaning on our teachers to help come up with solutions, leaning into them for innovation and creativity,” Harsha said.

One of the cohort’s possible solutions could be some flexibility in the workweek, giving teachers a four-day teaching schedule, with the fifth day allotted for remote work or professional development, Marshall said.

The fifth day for students might be supervised by substitutes or community organizations, she said. A similar idea was considered at Indianapolis Public Schools in 2022.

Another solution might be to share hard-to-fill positions, like math and science teachers, between schools, Marshall said.

“I think schools are going to have to think creatively,” Marshall said.

The project, which launched in January, began with teacher teams interviewing their colleagues about their experiences — both positive and negative. Their questions seek to find out what teachers like about teaching, as well as whether they’d ever considered leaving the profession, and if they could pinpoint what might alleviate their stress.

One of the common themes so far is that working with students is a source of joy for teachers, said Rachel Anderson, a Lawrence Central High School math teacher who’s part of the project.

“It’s what gives people energy and makes them feel positive. But sometimes that’s the thing making them more tired, too,” Anderson said.

Anderson said her team’s goal is to interview teachers from a wide range of backgrounds — including those who took nontraditional paths to teaching — in order to learn more about what’s important to them.

As a teacher who took an alternate route to licensure through the state’s Transition to Teaching program, Anderson said she values mentorship, which helped her find her footing as she started teaching. But ultimately, any solutions the cohort comes up with will be informed by her colleagues’ thoughts.

“I have some hopes of what I want, but I know that no program that we implement will be successful without that input,” she said. “This is work we’re trying to do with people, not to people.”

The Lawrence project intends to roll out building-level pilot programs next school year. Teach Indy hopes to work with more districts on future projects.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear local educators share their stories of when lessons don’t go to plan

2024-02-14T22:01:49+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Things don’t always go as planned - even when there’s a lesson plan. And now, you can hear directly from educators about the times they adjusted those plans, whether it was in the moment or after another experience changed their perspective.

Join us for the “From Lesson Plan to New Plan” teacher story slam from 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, March 1, at Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center, 2990 W. 71st St., Indianapolis.

The event is hosted by Indy Kids Winning and Chalkbeat Indiana, and supported by Teach Indy.

This story slam is a continuation of story slams hosted by Teachers Lounge Indy that were a place for teachers to share their stories, spend time together, and learn from each other. This time, it’s also the night before the Teach Indy Educators Conference.

Come to hear the stories, meet other educators, and try handcrafted vegan wines from Sip & Share Wines.

To attend, register here for a free ticket on Eventbrite: https://ckbe.at/indystoryslam

Also, if you’re an educator and want to tell your story, please let us know here.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Civics education to come to the earliest grades under Indiana proposal

2024-02-12T17:51:41+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Update: The Indiana legislative session ended on March 8, 2024. Here are the education bills that did and didn’t pass.

In Heather Veatch’s fourth grade class at East Washington Academy in Muncie, students run for office at the beginning of the year.

Despite their nerves, they each give a speech to their peers introducing themselves and their ideas and then vote for president, vice president, senators, and representatives. Veatch’s students bring issues to their elected leaders, who work to address them.

This year, they campaigned for and successfully passed a proposal for a new sensory space, which Veatch then granted.

While those who don’t win the class elections are often disappointed, Veatch tells them that they’re now occupying the most important role of all — citizen.

“Kids at a young age need to know they’re part of a bigger picture,” she said. “They’re not just them alone. But they alone can have a big impact on the bigger picture.”

This is the kind of civics education that Indiana leaders hope to see more of under new bills that would reward students, educators, and schools for engaging the next generation of Hoosier voters.

While Indiana has made progress in civics education through new standards requiring a semester of civics in sixth grade, advocates say there’s still work to be done, especially as the state faces a “concerning” drop in voter participation, according to one report.

House Bill 1137 and Senate Bill 211 would each establish a civics seal to recognize students, teachers, and schools for excellence in civics education — which could look like offering civics-minded lessons and field trips to students.

Students could receive the seal on their diplomas, while schools could earn a certification, similar to existing recognition for STEM education.

The bills also seek to increase access to civics material in the earliest grades as part of the state’s push to provide young students with high-quality reading curriculum. And by introducing basic concepts of citizenship and fairness early, advocates hope to build a foundation for improved civic engagement later in life.

“We don’t want to lose social studies standards in the push for science of reading,” said David Roof, a professor and director of the Center of Economic and Civic Learning at Ball State University. “The focus on literacy and the focus on civics don’t need to compete. They should be intertwined.”

While the civics provisions earned widespread approval, each bill also comes with less popular provisions.

Civics education to improve civic engagement

Civic engagement in Indiana has been persistently low, according to the Indiana Civic Health Index, a report compiled by the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence at Indiana University Northwest.

The center’s 2023 survey found Indiana ranked second to last in voter turnout in the 2022 midterm election, with around 42% of voters voting. While turnout nationally is the highest it’s been since the 1980s, Indiana’s rate has dropped nearly 15 percentage points during that time, the report notes.

Common theories about this drop include the absence of contested elections in the state, according to the report, as well a lack of accessible voting policies common in states with high turnout, like unrestricted absentee voting and same-day voter registration.

A foundation in civics education in K-12 schools will also help address the particularly low voter turnout of young voters, said Roof.

“Improving civic education will improve civic engagement,” said Charles Dunlap, president and CEO of the Indiana Bar Foundation. “It’s a long game.”

The bills would direct the Indiana Department of Education to help provide families and schools with affordable, civics-based reading instruction and materials — with the aim of infusing elementary reading instruction with material about U.S. history and government, Dunlap said.

They would also establish recommendations for a civics seal, which students could earn as an endorsement on their diplomas, Dunlap said. To do this, they might go to school board meetings, or receive certain grades in their government classes.

Many schools in Indiana already offer civics education that could form the basis of a civics seal.

Muncie schools, operated by Ball State University, received a $1.3 million federal grant to revitalize its civics curriculum. Students take field trips to the Indiana Statehouse, and Washington D.C. and participate in classroom-level government exercises. Bills include controversial policies about religion, charters

Both bills have passed their chambers of origin.

And while the civics education proposals received unanimous support from lawmakers and members of the public, each bill includes other proposals that raised concerns.

HB 1137, for example, changes existing Indiana policy to require principals to release students for religious instruction during the school day at their parents’ request. Critics said this proposal could cause disruptions to the school day, and open schools up to legal liability.

SB 211, meanwhile, drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers for its definition of “charter school corporations. Critics argued the change removed a layer of financial transparency from reporting requirements.

Tying less popular provisions to a fairly neutral topic like civics education may help those provisions pass with hesitant lawmakers, said Laura Merrifield Wilson, associate professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis.

Roof, Dunlap, and other advocates for civics emphasized that their support is limited to the civics portions of the bills. It’s not uncommon for lawmakers to consolidate topics, Dunlap noted.

“In moving out of the Committee, perhaps we will see a more focused consideration of the topics on their own,” Roof said.

You can track House Bill 1137 and Senate Bill 211 on the General Assembly’s website.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Here’s what the Indiana AG said about making changes to the ‘Eyes on Education’ tip line

2024-02-09T22:20:17+00:00

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Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office said Friday it will not remove materials from a website it launched earlier this week publicizing complaints about schools’ materials on race, gender and politics.

The office said it would, however, post responses from school districts challenging the validity of those complaints. But in order to dispute the materials, Rokita’s office told districts they had to prove the materials were not used by or made available in their schools.

Rokita’s “Eyes on Education” portal aims to compile and display complaints about “potentially inappropriate” material in schools that are “real examples of socialist indoctrination from classrooms across the state,” along with the purported material.

Districts responded by challenging the veracity of the materials labeled as theirs, saying the site’s characterizations of the content were inaccurate or misleading. Some of the posted material dates back to 2018.

The website’s launch triggered the latest confrontation between the state attorney general and schools over how educators handle controversial social and political topics, a fight also taken up by state lawmakers.

A spokesperson for Rokita’s office said the materials on the portal support the premise that there has been “indoctrination” in Indiana’s schools, even if policies have changed. Others, however, say it could have a chilling effect on teachers and schools.

The portal, which launched Tuesday, names 13 school districts and one university, and includes complaints with links to photos, screenshots, or presentation materials.

Rokita’s office said what’s posted are “exact documents provided to our office” and many were “from teachers directly and were easily verified.” A spokesperson said the office will reach out to those who submitted to the portal as well as schools if necessary. However, a vast majority of the districts on the portal previously told Chalkbeat that they were not asked in advance about the portal materials.

Rokita’s office also said it will conduct investigations to see if schools are breaking any state laws by using those materials. A spokesperson added that the portal is a tool for parents to “stop indoctrination more quickly and can ensure bad history doesn’t repeat itself in districts where such policies are claimed to be retired.”

Districts ask for updates to ‘Eyes on Education’

Multiple districts have asked Rokita for updates or changes. Four districts each shared with Chalkbeat the same email response to their concerns from the Rokita’s office that set a high bar to dispute the posted materials.

“Please provide documentation that the contents are not, or were not, provided to a student, communicated to a student or parent, or part of any curriculum, program, or activity made available to the school community by a teacher, school district, or school corporation,” the email from Corrine L. Youngs, policy director and legislative counsel in Rokita’s office, reads.

It also says that if the materials contain something that is outdated, the district needs to provide documentation that it was repealed or no longer used, as well as the new policy.

But the office will not remove materials in the portal, a spokesperson for Rokita’s office said Friday, adding that the complaints from schools indicated that the material had once been taught, even if it had subsequently been removed or updated.

Having the complaints and the districts’ responses on the portal “will actually help teachers and school administrators because it will expose misinformation that can naturally exist amongst the public,” the spokesperson argued.

As of Friday evening, the portal had been updated for two districts. It now labels a “gender policy” from Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation as “retired” in 2023 and says a gender support plan from New Prairie United School Corporation was revised in November 2022.

Power of Rokita’s office may leave schools stranded

The spokesperson for Rokita’s office pointed to the previous outcry over critical race theory in schools and said the portal supported Rokita’s position.

“The types of people complaining now are the same ones who said there was no indoctrination going on in Indiana schools at all,” the spokesperson said. “Now these same types are saying – ‘well, the items on the Portal are no LONGER being taught, or we fired that teacher, or we fired that vendor, or we retired that policy.’ They just proved our point and elevated even further the value of the office in education matters.”

A legal theory, critical race theory has become an umbrella term for discussions of race and identity.

And there’s likely little recourse for schools unhappy with what Rokita’s done, one expert said.

The power of the attorney general’s office has increased over the years. Many attorneys general have gone on to run for higher office, which can incentivize partisan actions, said Michael Wolf, acting director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University.

Wolf added that as elected officials, attorneys general have wide latitude to act and little oversight. A governor does not oversee an elected attorney general’s office, for example (Rokita was elected to his office in 2020). And the Indiana Department of Education, which also has no authority over Rokita, said it is not involved with the portal.

Plus, Wolf said the portal could fall under the scope of the attorney general’s responsibility to advise other government officials, like those at the state education department or local prosecutors, who could then take action.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s AG launched a tip line for controversial classroom material. It’s already raising concerns about accuracy and privacy.

2024-02-06T22:40:27+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

The Indiana Attorney General has unveiled an online portal for complaints about the teaching of race, gender, and political ideology in schools — an aggressive move that raises concerns about privacy and the veracity of the material made public.

The new website, which was announced Tuesday by state Attorney General Todd Rokita, is called “Eyes on Education” and includes complaints dating back to 2018. The website launched with material already posted, but the included school districts and state department of education didn’t know about it.

It lists 13 school districts around Indiana and the Indiana University School of Medicine with links to photos, screenshots, or presentation materials that the office describes as “potentially inappropriate.” In some cases, the portal also includes the addresses, phone numbers, and emails of people identified in the materials. Schools have characterized these materials as incomplete, outdated, or inaccurate.

Molly Williams, a representative for the Indiana Department of Education, said the agency was not made aware of the portal when it was under construction or when it launched.

The portal represents an escalation of a longstanding fight between Rokita and Indiana school districts over how lessons on race and gender are taught in schools. In establishing and promoting the website, Rokita has taken a similar approach to a controversial tip line started by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin for parents to report “divisive” teaching at their schools.

There appeared to be problems right off the bat.

A majority of the districts listed on the portal told Chalkbeat that they were not contacted by Rokita’s office and were unaware of the portal until Tuesday. A press release from the AG’s office was sent early Tuesday morning, but not publicly posted on the website until hours later.

Rokita’s office did not respond to Chalkbeat’s questions about how and when submitted complaints are posted publicly; what an investigation and verification by his office into the complaints will entail; whether the office would pursue legal action; and whether the persons identified in the material gave permission for his office to post their contact information online.

After at least one district complained about the portal, Rokita’s office told that district that it would remove inaccurate material.

The ACLU of Indiana said in a Tuesday post on the site formerly known as Twitter that the website is “an effort to intimidate teachers” from discussing issues of racial equity and LGBTQ topics.

“Classroom inclusivity benefits everyone. Classroom censorship does nothing but harm,” the group said.

What the website for ‘potentially inappropriate’ materials shows

The materials posted on the Indiana portal take the form of photos of online quizzes and presentations, flags and lessons in the classroom, and overviews of complaints about districts’ materials.

They cover a range of topics, from copies of school districts’ policies on supporting transgender students, to an email announcing a college presentation for Black students, to a list of sexually sensitive content identified in a school’s required reading.

Most of the materials posted online are undated and many others are from 2020 to 2021, when fury over the teaching of race in K-12 schools peaked in Indiana and nationwide and culminated in a bill that attempted to ban “divisive concepts” from K-12 classrooms.

Metadata for the website indicates the link for the portal, which ends in “education-liberty” was started in 2022.

Rokita, a Republican, has waded into this fight before. In 2021, he released his “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” which took aim at social-emotional learning and critical race theory, terms commonly used as shorthand for broader lessons on gender, sexuality, and race. (A former member of Congress, Rokita served on the U.S. House education committee.)

In a press release, Rokita said his office would investigate complaints submitted to the portal.

“Our kids need to focus on fundamental educational building blocks, NOT ideology that divides kids from their parents and normal society,” Rokita said in the release, which describes the website as a transparency portal for parents and educators.

The portal does not include responses from the 13 school districts and one university. It’s not clear how or if Rokita’s office verified that the submissions are from the school districts that are named.

And while names are redacted in some of the materials, the portal makes other names public.

One entry reviewed by Chalkbeat appears to be a screenshot of an online form submitted to Rokita’s office with concerns about a school’s bathroom policy, with the complainant’s name, address, email address, and phone number visible.

Rokita’s office did not say whether this person or others gave permission for their information to be posted publicly.

What school districts listed on Rokita’s portal say

Chalkbeat contacted all 13 districts and one university listed on the portal — all 11 that responded objected to the information on the portal in some way.

Those 11 districts — Brownsburg, Carmel Clay, Center Grove, Clark-Pleasant, Franklin Community, Hamilton Southeastern, New Prairie, Noblesville, Penn-Harris-Madison, Mooresville, and Martinsville — also said they were not notified in advance about the portal or that they would be included. Several districts also stressed that families can bring their concerns and questions to school leaders, and at least two reached out to Rokita’s office to correct the information.

Some of the strongest words came from the superintendent of The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville, which said the documents on the portal do not reflect what the district teaches students.

“The posting suggests that the District endorses radical gender identity curriculum, which is reckless and inaccurate. Furthermore, the posting lacks context and clarity,” Superintendent Eric Bowlen said in a statement. “We invite Attorney General Rokita and any of our legislators to visit our schools to observe as our students learn from the standards required by the Indiana Department of Education.”

Carmel Clay Schools spokesperson Emily Bauer said that the district “was not previously notified regarding the website or asked to confirm the validity of submitted screenshots.”

Bauer also said several documents “originated from a now-defunct outside special interest group, and others appear to be online quizzes with no additional context provided.” Bauer added that it is “irresponsible to portray these screenshots as curriculum.”

Clark-Pleasant Schools said a hyperlink to a board policy document about transgender students “is outdated, retired, and no longer exists here at CPCSC!”

“We are disappointed in the release of this incorrect information and the fact that no one from the Attorney General’s office reached out to verify this information,” the district said.

The New Prairie United School Corporation said a plan listed on the portal is not in active use by the district, said Superintendent Paul White.

“The support plan was changed after community meetings in which we received input from parents, the community, and our school attorney,” White said in an email. “Parents are informed in ALL instances when a student comes forward to declare transgender status.”

The portal’s materials listed for Noblesville Schools are all old and not in use, said spokesperson Marnie Cooke. The site listed a screenshot of a presentation that the document claims was on white privilege, featuring a link that does not work.

The portal also listed screenshots of assignment details for an English course detailing the meaning of privilege, and a screenshot of an assignment on dominant and subordinated groups of people that the office labeled “CRT” (which is shorthand for critical race theory).

“For example, one document shows someone who was a volunteer community speaker in 2018. He presented content that was not appropriately vetted by us and we apologized to families at the time,” Cooke said in an email. “Another item is from an employee who is no longer with Noblesville Schools and the third example is also not in use.”

The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation said the “minority scholarship” document listed for the district in the portal is from a one-day conference that the district did not sponsor, host, or plan, and was not a district minority scholarship as implied, according to the district.

Another document portraying an email sent to students about a representative from Goshen College available to speak to Black students was not a “Black Only College Fair” as it was labeled on the portal, Penn-Harris-Madison also countered.

And a third document labeled “diversity activities” was used in 2021 with students who were enrolled in a Preparing for College and Careers course and an Ivy Tech course, the district said. The Penn High School teacher obtained the diversity activities from the course framework provided by Ivy Tech faculty and made adaptations using professional judgment.

“After teaching this lesson and receiving parental/guardian feedback, Penn High School made changes to the courses while also maintaining state standards,” the district said. “The diversity activities shared have not been used at Penn High School since 2021.”

Indiana teachers ‘feeling under surveillance’

Analysts say the website could potentially have a chilling effect on classroom lessons and educators.

John Rogers, director of UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access, said it’s important for teachers to feel comfortable enough to lead their students through historical lessons and discussions about different experiences within a multiracial democracy. But they’re less likely to do so under the threat of being reported to the state.

“It’s very hard to lean into those conversations when you are feeling like you might be attacked, publicly and in bad faith,” Rogers said.

Existing democratic processes allow parents and educators to share concerns with governing bodies that can then make decisions about what should be allowed in schools — building mutual respect and trust, he said.

But the website takes a “name and shame” approach, Rogers said, that ultimately foments conflict for the sake of conflict and heightens a sense of ill-will and mistrust in education.

Christopher Lubienski, director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy at Indiana University, said it’s not clear how the investigations will work and whether they’ll be fair, whether complaints reflect real concerns, and what kind due process is available for individuals accused in the materials, he said.

Posting personal information also creates concerns about doxxing, a term that refers to publishing people’s personally identifiable information without their consent.

Many Republican-led states have adopted measures like the tip line or a parents’ bill of rights, he said, though parents already have the right to view and challenge curriculum, as well as attend school board meetings and run for office.

He said anecdotal evidence suggests the measures have likely negatively impacted teacher recruiting and retention.

“They don’t have the autonomy they expected. They’re feeling under surveillance,” he said. “They’ve likened it to McCarthyism.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana bill would make schools disclose details about sex ed classes

2024-01-31T21:45:32+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Update: The Indiana legislative session ended on March 8, 2024. Here are the education bills that did and didn’t pass.

Indiana lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill requiring schools to seek school board approval for their sex education materials, as well as publicize information about who teaches the courses and when.

Sex ed is not required in Indiana schools, despite evidence linking such courses to improved behavioral outcomes among teens. Schools are required only to teach lessons about HIV and AIDS, and if they do choose to offer additional sex ed, they must emphasize abstinence.

Still, many schools do offer sex ed, sometimes contracting with outside organizations that offer lessons on consent and healthy relationships alongside reproduction and contraception.

The legislation from two GOP lawmakers marks the latest attempt by the Indiana legislators to shape how schools should approach sex, sexuality, and gender. Last year, they restricted the teaching of human sexuality in the earliest grades. And a state law that took effect last school year requires schools to disclose students’ requests to use different names or pronouns, prompting criticism from the LGBTQ community and mixed reactions from districts.

Supporters of the bill say it’s appropriate for schools to be especially sensitive about sex ed in particular, and that the proposal could defuse political tensions. Critics say it could shut down conversations related to sexuality and run afoul of federal law. Observers pointed out that some of the bill’s provisions are already part of state law.

Under Senate Bill 128, schools would need to seek approval from their school boards before using curriculum materials related to sex ed. They would also have to share details like which grade levels will receive sex ed lessons and when, whether male and female students will be taught together, and whether the class is led by a male or female instructor.

The bill would also require schools to post all this information on their websites.

The bill passed the Senate Education and Career Development Committee on Wednesday on an 8-5 vote, with GOP Sen. Dan Dernulc joining the four Democrats on the committee in voting no.

The bill was authored by Sen. Gary Byrne and Sen. Jeff Raatz, chairman of the Senate education committee.

Byrne said publishing the information would help parents decide whether they want to allow their children to take the lessons. Indiana already allows parents to opt their students out of sex education.

Byrne said the bill targeted sex ed — and not other subjects — because of the sensitive nature of the subject and families’ differing views on when it should be taught.

“I think putting the local school boards in the driver’s seat is an issue that makes good sense,” Byrne said.

The bill received support from the Indiana School Boards Association for strengthening local control and parental engagement. But Terry Spradlin, the association’s executive director, said its provisions requiring school board approval and public posting of curriculum were already part of Indiana law.

Other supporters said the bill could prevent turmoil at school board meetings by making board members aware of what’s being taught.

But critics of the bill, including advocates for gender diversity and sex education, said school boards already have the ability to review and approve curriculum. They also say a state mandate could create an additional burden on teachers and school administrators and ultimately serve as a deterrent to offering sex ed at all.

“This is a bill requiring every school district in the state to now hold hearings on very volatile issues in which a small number of folks can come and take over those meetings, that also allows a small number of school board members to inject their own political beliefs into sex education,” said Chris Daley, executive director of the ACLU of Indiana.

Daley also called the proposal an unfunded mandate.

Emma Vosicky of Gender Nexus, a group that advocates for gender diverse people in Indiana, said the ambiguous language of the bill could create a chilling effect on broader discussions of gender, including on children’s books about LGBTQ families.

Furthermore, the requirement to approve things like the gender of the person teaching a sex ed course leaves districts at risk of violating federal mandates prohibiting sex discrimination, she said.

Sen. Shelli Yoder, a Bloomington Democrat, said that requirement could also be discriminatory toward teachers who identify as a gender other than male or female.

Tammy Carter, CEO of Lifesmart Youth, a nonprofit organization that provides sex ed to 26,000 students in 122 Indiana schools, said the bill’s requirements are redundant, as the organization already meets with school boards and parents and posts its full curriculum material on its own portal.

Additionally, the bill would force her organization to release proprietary information to schools to post online under the bill, Carter said.

Other efforts have sought to expand access to medically accurate sex education, especially in the wake of Indiana’s near-total abortion ban.

Both GOP and Democratic lawmakers have previously authored bills to require schools to provide information about conception and contraception if they choose to teach sex ed. These bills have not been taken up, and similar bills have not been filed this year.

You can track SB 128 on the General Assembly’s website.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Don’t make me use my teacher voice: An Indy teacher shares a poem on talking to students, parents

2023-12-20T12:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

“Sit down. No milling around.”

“Stop touching her, leave him alone.”

Those are some of the things you might hear Harshman Middle School English teacher Nicole Cooper say in her “teacher voice.”

But it’s not just students who might be on the receiving end of the voice.

Cooper will use it with administrators, parents, and everyone in between, as she shared in a poem during the Teachers Lounge Story Slam on Nov. 16, co-hosted by Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning. After all, what else would you expect from an English teacher?

Read an excerpt from Cooper’s poem below:

“Clear the halls and get to class. No, baby, I don’t know what we did in class yesterday — that was yesterday. Okay? Did you even check Schoology? I mean, you ask three times a week.

You know what? Don’t make me use my teacher voice.

You all should have your materials. No, I don’t have any pencils for you. Is my name Wal-Mart? Do I look like Target?

You know what? Please, please y’all. Don’t make me use my teacher voice.”

Watch the full video below:

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Minimum teacher salaries reach $50,000 for majority of Marion County districts

2023-12-14T10:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Teachers’ starting salaries for a majority of Marion County’s 11 school districts reached at least $50,000 for this school year, following the latest round of contract negotiations completed last month.

Notably, Indianapolis Public Schools no longer touts the highest starting salary for teachers in Marion County. That designation belongs to the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, which offers a minimum salary of $52,500. After the latest round of talks, an additional five of the 11 Marion County districts now offer a starting teacher salary of at least $50,000, a threshold that leaders hope will keep them competitive in the local labor market.

The salary adjustments come on the heels of increased funding for traditional school districts in the two-year state budget adopted earlier this year. They also reflect ongoing efforts to make teaching a more attractive career, as schools grapple with hiring challenges that intensified during the pandemic.

The average teacher salary in Indiana for the 2022-23 school year, the latest year available, fell about $1,500 short of the $60,000 figure supported by Gov. Eric Holcomb earlier this year. However, most Marion County districts reported average salaries above $60,000, and districts in the county have used different approaches to boost base teacher pay.

“We are absolutely thrilled to realize the $50,000 entry salary benchmark,” said Beech Grove Schools Superintendent Laura Hammack, adding that the figure is a significant milestone.

Wayne Township’s new starting teaching salary, meanwhile, isn’t just the highest in Marion County — it’s one of the highest starting salaries in Indiana.

“There’s a couple of schools of thought that we need to consider,” Wayne Township Superintendent Jeff Butts said about teacher compensation. “One is for brand new teachers coming into the profession. They’re going to look at that starting salary — they don’t necessarily look at the average salary or the top end salary. We want to be competitive.”

Raises vary based on education, experience, other factors

State law dictates that increases to base salary depend on five factors, including years of experience, performance rating, and the academic needs of students. Teachers who received a rating of “needs improvement” or “ineffective” in the prior year are ineligible for a raise.

For example, a highly-rated teacher in the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township with six years of experience would be eligible for a $2,000 increase for performance and another $2,000 for experience. The same teacher could earn an additional $2,000 base salary increase if they earn a master’s degree in their content area for a total pay bump of $6,000, according to the contract.

Some districts, including Lawrence Township, also provide additional stipends on top of base pay increases for remaining with the district, earning National Board Certification, and several other factors.

In its new teacher contract, Perry Township schools, for example, offered a $500 stipend for those who worked in the district last year and returned this year.

Superintendent Patrick Spray said Perry Township’s new starting salary of $50,000 represents a significant acceleration over the last five years, and is more in line with the local cost of living.

“I think that the difficulty right now is just the available number of new teachers or teachers entering the field,” Spray said. “So we do have to be responsive to that.”

Districts have also tried to maintain adequate pay raises for mid-career teachers.

For 2023-24, eligible Wayne Township teachers will receive a $3,500 increase to their base pay, and those with four to 16 years of experience will receive an additional $2,000.

Wayne district leaders also want its teacher salaries to be competitive with those in districts outside of Marion County. Hendricks County is where the highest percentage of Wayne teachers live, Butts said.

“So those are also districts that we look at when we’re thinking about our negotiations,” Butts said.

While the state’s average teacher salary still sits below Holcomb’s $60,000 target, eight of Marion County’s 11 districts report an average salary above $60,000 for 2022-23. For full-time teachers in Wayne Township and Speedway schools, the average salary is more than $70,000.

Franklin Township Community Schools, which has Marion County’s lowest starting salary in 2023-24, still had an average salary last school year of $62,873 in 2022-23— higher than five other Marion County districts.

There are 305 bargaining units in the state, including those for school corporations and special education centers that provide services to multiple districts.

But not all public school educators are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. No charter schools in the state had a teacher bargaining unit for the 2022-23 school year. And the state legislature ended collective bargaining for Muncie Community Schools in 2018, when Ball State University took control of the district.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Eric Weddle is the education editor at WFYI. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org.

Don’t use pushpins in the classroom and other lessons from teaching middle school

2023-11-29T21:46:55+00:00

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In her very first year of teaching eighth grade, Kali Burks learned three invaluable lessons.

First, if you tell a student who’s trying to evade work that they’re not leaving the classroom unless they’re bleeding, they may call your bluff.

Second, if you use pushpins in your classroom, that same student may use one to pierce their ears and draw blood.

And third — and most importantly — it’s OK to cut students a little slack before it comes to that.

Burks, a teacher in Wayne schools, shared her “teaching fails” at the “Don’t Make Me Use My Teacher Voice” story slam on Nov. 16. The event was presented by Teachers Lounge Indy, in collaboration with Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning.

Those weren’t the only hard-won lessons from her first year. Below is an excerpt from the “series of unfortunate events” that earned Burks the nickname “Firestarter.”

Here’s an excerpt of her story, lightly edited for clarity and length:

“He [the student] had gone through two Chromebooks, two loaner Chromebooks, and after he was forbidden from using any type of technology in our classroom, he would often try to find something else to destroy.

I did not know this fateful day that in the class period before, he had gotten a brand new phone and wanted to see what was inside of it. So he decided to take the back off it, try to get the battery out. Apparently when you pick at a battery long enough, it will start to smoke.

All of a sudden I hear, ‘Ms. Burks? There’s a fire.’

I turn around and this backpack is billowing smoke. I have never been in a fire situation in my life. So when I saw the smoke, I had no idea what to do. I leapt across my room, jumped over the backpack, ran out of my room looking for the fire alarm.”

Watch the full video below.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As Indiana’s immigrant population grows, one school offers English lessons to families

2023-11-02T19:56:38+00:00

A book, a pencil, and an English dictionary.

For years, those are the tools Carmen Nolasco used to study English on her own after immigrating to the United States from Mexico.

Occasionally, she said, she offered to teach Spanish in exchange for English lessons.

But she had never formally learned English from a teacher in a classroom until her son’s school invited her to do just that in June.

The program at Enlace Academy — a westside Indianapolis charter school where more than 80% of families speak a language other than English at home — serves students’ parents and family members, teaching them English using the same phonics-focused methods found in the school’s elementary classrooms.

Funded through federal emergency monies and a new $3.3 million state grant, the program is one of only a few in Indiana open to adult English learners at all levels of literacy — including those who don’t have a background in reading and writing in a first language.

The goal for the school is twofold: To help parents learn English, as well as give them the tools to work on literacy skills with their students at home. Parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins are drawn to the classes not just to learn English for themselves, but to connect with their students, teacher Megan Singh said.

Schools can be ideal starting places for engagement programs for immigrant parents, said Katie Brooks, a professor at Butler University’s College of Education, and the best ones will include two-way learning with families as well. While other Indiana schools offered English classes for adults in the past, many of those have been cut back, she added.

A program such as Enlace’s, which is ongoing rather than a one-off event, and involves the school’s teachers, allows for strong relationship-building with families, she said.

“In the cultures we’re serving, collectivism is so important,” Carlota Dall-Holder, Director of Academic Language at the Neighborhood Charter Network, Enlace’s charter operator. “We want to empower families and adults to support this literacy practice, because it’s really going to take a village.”

In the school library on a recent Saturday, alongside a dozen other Enlace family members, Nolasco said the classes have allowed her to better help her third grader with his reading and math, as well as communicate with his teachers and his speech therapist.

For an exercise using an artificial intelligence image generator, Nolasco described her happiness about being in class and learning a new language. The image she chose showed a student cheerfully raising her hand.

“It’s an excellent program for starting a new life,” she said.

Carmen Nolasco works on an assignment during Family English at Enlace Academy.

Teaching parents to teach their children

Family English, as it’s known to participants, is the brainchild of teacher Megan Singh, who came to Enlace in 2022 with a professional background in adult English education. Classes began last fall at the school, which is in its 11th year.

While working with adults is her passion, Singh said working in an elementary classroom put her in the midst of Indiana’s push to improve literacy through the science of reading. She teaches first and second graders throughout the week, and leads their families through similar literacy lessons on Saturday mornings.

Children are welcome and child care is provided, though many choose to stay with their parents. It’s one of the ways the school tries to remove barriers to attending weekly classes, Singh said, though others like work schedules and transportation remain. Between 25 and 40 people attend each week.

“With adult education, it’s not required,” she said. “Adults are choosing to come every week.”

The families that braved the cold and rainy weather on Oct. 28 began class by filling out letter prompts to their teachers in a nod to the school’s recent parent-teacher conferences: What are you doing well in English class? What do you need help with?

Singh and her co-teacher Ally Hall then turned the focus to phonics in a way that would feel familiar to an elementary student. First the class listened to and wrote down letter sounds — noting the differences in English and Spanish — before moving on to syllables, words, and sentences.

They worked on the endings -am and -an, using their fingers to write out words like fan, can, and yam in the air – a teaching strategy called skywriting.

In one exercise, Family English Class students worked in pairs, with one student reading descriptions and another writing and illustrating them.

Some adults can be reluctant to participate in skywriting or other hallmarks of elementary education such as coloring, Singh said. But most come around, especially after the teachers explain the science behind multisensory learning found in methods like Orton-Gillingham.

Singh primarily taught in English, while the students contributed translations in Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole to the words that the class was working on. Hall and two classroom assistants also moved throughout the rows, helping students write out the words they heard: Ham, can, man, van.

“Easy,” said Carmen Nolasco’s third grader, Emmanuel, from the back of the library, where he followed along with the assignment. He was ready for sentences.

Teacher Megan Singh leads students through a multisensory exercise on words ending with -an and -am.

School officials hope classes will improve student performance

By teaching their parents, the school hopes to better support students at home, and in turn, improve their academic performance.

Indiana expects 95% of all third grade students to pass the state reading test by 2027. But the statewide rate has stalled at around 82% for the past three years, after dropping 5 percentage points after the pandemic.

Proficiency rates among English learner students statewide dropped 8.5 percentage points from 2021 to 2022, and remained virtually unchanged this year at 64%, prompting alarm from education officials. Around 39% of Enlace students tested proficient in 2023, up one percentage point from the previous year, but down 33 points from before the pandemic.

“We’re not going to get an exemption because our school is 80% multilingual,” said Dall-Holder, the academic language director.

Like all Indiana schools, Enlace must teach reading through methods based in the science of reading under a new state law. But some lessons need to be modified to teach the school’s unique student population, Dall-Holder said.

For example, during a phonics lesson, a teacher might cover the picture of the word on a flashcard in order to help the student focus on sounding out the word, she said. But after the student reads the word, the teacher might reveal the picture to help reinforce the meaning.

“We have to evaluate: If this is what the science of reading is, but language acquisition says this, how do we provide the two so we’re giving students access to both?” she said. “It’s a national problem. It’s not being taken into consideration and it needs to be.”

Immigration creates greater literacy needs

More literacy classes for adults are needed in Indiana as the state sees a growing and changing immigrant population.

Districts like Perry Township have said they expect record numbers of new immigrant students this year, many of whom experienced disruption in their formal education due to political turmoil, natural disasters, or the pandemic. Perry started a program this year focused on helping students with limited English proficiency prepare for the workforce.

Adults, too, need more English language development than before as workforce needs shift from labor to customer service, Singh said.

Though there’s plenty of demand to expand the Saturday English program and open it to the broader community, Enlace officials said they intend to keep it open only to students’ families. One reason is that the school doesn’t have the funding and space to run a whole adult education program, Singh said.

While adult English language classes are available, there’s less support for programs that serve students who aren’t literate in their native language.

The school used federal emergency funding to start the program, and will now turn to a $3.3 million NextGen School Improvement Grant from the Indiana Department of Education to continue and expand it. That expansion would likely be through partnerships with other schools and organizations that could offer their own similar programs.

But funding aside, limiting the program to family members keeps it tightly focused.

“It’s cool to get to know parents and children,” Singh said. “Integrating learning for the student and their family has been very enjoyable.”

As the adult students worked through the listening exercise on the last Saturday of October, Singh demonstrated some of the movements she uses to teach letter sounds to her elementary students.

For V: Teeth over your lips, and then vibrate. For E: Put your thumb and forefinger below the chin to frame the smile that comes with saying the letter. “I” is scratching your nose, like an itch.

“Vowels are difficult in English,” she said to the class.

One student wanted to know: For English speakers too?

“Yes,” she said. “They’re always changing.”

Family English takes place in the Enlace Academy library on Saturdays.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

A career switch led this teacher to helping students build businesses of their own

2023-10-18T11:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

Meredith Bryant wanted a change.

It was 2020, and she was working from home due to the pandemic. Bryant had been in marketing for eight years but felt like she was missing her sense of purpose.

So she decided to become a teacher.

For the past three years, she’s worked as a business teacher at Walker Career Center at Warren Central High School. This year, she’s teaching and leading a new program centered on entrepreneurship.

Interest in entrepreneurship was growing among high schoolers at Warren Central, so the school created a new pathway where students can launch their own businesses. Plus, they earn up to 16 college credits — roughly a full semester of classes.

Indiana education leaders are pushing to improve access to postsecondary education as the state’s college-going rate for high school seniors hovered at roughly 53% for the class of 2021, the latest data available, after years of decline. That includes efforts to reduce the cost and time it takes to earn a degree. Dual enrollment programs, where students can earn high school and college credits at the same time, are among those efforts.

For Bryant, leaving marketing for teaching proved to be an exciting decision. Her days now are filled with hands-on activities and helping students apply business lessons as they create their own companies and start to build their futures.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How and when did you decide to become a teacher?

I decided to become a teacher during 2020, during the pandemic, when I was working in marketing for a local credit union in the investment department. I wanted some way I could be helpful and decided to go back to school, which turned into me doing a transition-to-teaching program.

I needed more of a challenge and something that was going to give a better-served outcome. Now that I’m three years in, I absolutely love what I do and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I just wish I would have done it sooner.

Why start the new entrepreneurship program at Warren Central High School? How will it impact students?

Entrepreneurship used to be an elective, but when students started showing more of interest in the topic, they wanted to try it as its own pathway. This program will help students launch a potential business so they can graduate owning something of their own. I have four seniors who will hopefully be ready to launch their business ideas into the community by May. The other students, juniors, will have me for another year to finalize and work on their budgets, investments, and financial planning.

A “pathway” is essentially an area of expertise, like declaring a major in college. We have over 30-plus pathways that the students can choose from, and entrepreneurship is the most recent one.

As of right now, the classes are all taught by me and students have to pass with a C or better to pass the class. If they pass the Principles of Entrepreneurship, they will move on to the next class, Small Business Operations, and then the capstone.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

Every Wednesday, we do “workshop stations,” where the students go around to different areas of the room and complete an activity.

Recently, we did “Adult Day” where the students learned how to tie a tie, sew on a button, read paychecks, and write professional emails. These are not only fun for the students but for me as well because I get to engage with them on a different level than just a teacher-student relationship.

Overall, my favorite lessons to teach are hands-on activities. I learn better when I see it visually so doing hands-on projects is where I really shine as a teacher.

What’s something happening in the community that affects what goes on inside your classroom?

Job loss has hit some of my students and even their families. It has been hard to keep their motivation when they see their community laying people off.

When circumstances like this happen, there are a lot of resources we can offer students, but I think with having this class, they have come to realize they can break that barrier. They can use this class to change their environment and better their situation.

What has been surprising about the program so far?

The ideas that the students have come up with so far has really shocked me. I’ve had students that have already launched their apparel business, and they’ve started gaining that experience.

This year as part of the new pathway, students are still in the brainstorming phase of the process but have come up with amazing ideas so far.

One student didn’t want to wait around and jumped into his business and is already making sales. He wants to start his own apparel line but, for now, is working with a manufacturer to design and distribute zip-up hoodies. He’s done very well so far.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I was a three-sport athlete and a good student academically. I think having that discipline at an early age has carried over to me as an adult and how I run my classroom.

For example, every week we do a Mindful Monday exercise where students watch a motivational YouTube clip and reflect on it in their journals. After they are done, we talk about it and allow some to share their experiences.

I had a high school teacher do this and being the student I was, it helped pick me up and remind me why I was there, and what I’m working towards. I hope to do the same for my students with these reflection days.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

The struggles and challenges that are given to you are put in your way to see how you will react to them. Will you overcome them or let them tear you down? It’s always your choice!

I tell my students every day that their attitude when they walk through the door will determine how class will go.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

A teachers union wanted to bargain over pay. Its president ended up barred from the classroom.

2023-10-16T11:00:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

What started as an Indiana district’s proposal to retain teachers has led to allegations of unfair labor practices, public anger at school board members, and officials’ decision to bar the teachers union president from the classroom.

In May, Richmond schools announced one-time bonuses for teachers in an effort to staunch turnover rates of more than 25% in some buildings. All teachers in good standing would receive supplemental payments of $525. The district targeted additional money at mid-career teachers whose compensation hadn’t increased in line with their experience.

But the Richmond Education Association argued that the plan affected compensation, and thus would need to be discussed during the fall bargaining season that began Sept. 15, per Indiana law. It filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the district.

In the months that followed, the union said the district retaliated by disinviting its representatives from a back-to-school event before eventually placing president and longtime educator Kelley McDermott on leave and threatening to cancel her teaching contract. Union representatives also say teachers have been instructed to inform the superintendent if they want to speak to school board members.

The situation in Richmond is unfolding against a long history of the winnowing of teachers’ collective bargaining rights in Indiana, in addition to an ongoing shortage of educators in certain fields and classroom subjects. Over roughly the past decade, the number of people entering the teaching profession has dipped in Indiana, while the number of people leaving it has risen, the state reported last year; enrollment also fell over the same period. And across the nation, more teachers than usual left the profession after the 2021-22 school year, a Chalkbeat analysis showed.

A state law enacted this year and sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Raatz, a Richmond Republican, nixed a requirement for school districts to discuss changes to working conditions with union representatives at monthly meetings. Advocates said the change would reduce red tape — observers say it has hurt teacher morale. (Raatz did not respond to a request for comment.)

Representatives of Richmond schools did not respond to Chalkbeat’s requests for comment on the situation. Both the district and the union have said they want to keep classrooms staffed by experienced teachers — but they remain at an impasse on the best way to do so as bargaining officially begins.

What must school districts negotiate with teachers unions?

Lawmakers stripped Indiana teachers of the right to collectively bargain over working conditions like class sizes and schedules under a 2011 law. The topics that teachers can bargain over during the fall bargaining window are salaries, wages, and benefits, including pay increases.

That put Richmond’s compensation plan squarely in the union’s territory, representatives said.

The district’s plan delineated the amount teachers would receive in one-time supplemental pay on top of the $525 bonus based on their current salary, their years of experience, and their education. For example, a teacher with eight years of teaching experience and a bachelor’s degree whose base salary is $44,000 would receive a supplemental payment of $4,750.

But the union said that passing this plan to boost the pay of around 60% of teachers left less district funding to negotiate raises for the remaining teachers when bargaining began in the fall. Moreover, the board approved the plan without talking to the union, representatives said.

“We’re not opposed to fixing this problem,” McDermott said to the board. “What we are opposed to is stripping the association of its collective bargaining rights, which are legally protected.”

Board members argued that Indiana law also gave them the flexibility to offer supplemental pay in order to retain teachers, or to reduce the difference between minimum and average salaries in the district, without input from the Richmond Education Association.

“It has been a problem without a solution for a very long time,” board President Nicole Stults said at the May board meeting. “This does provide us with a solution that addresses the immediate bleed, so to speak, the immediate retention issue that we have.”

District representatives said offering supplemental pay was critical in order to stop losing teachers to neighboring districts. Data indicated that Richmond teachers have to work for 13 years in order to make the starting salary of a neighboring district.

“The consistency that students see is important, those relationships that students build with their teachers is critical to academic success, so the retention of teachers is critical to their academic success,” board member Pete Zaleski said in May.

‘This will lead to educators leaving the profession’

A September board meeting drew a large crowd of union members and supporters outraged over how the district has handled the pay issue and McDermott’s teaching contract.

By keeping McDermott out of the classroom, the district has left her students without a consistent teacher, speakers said — the opposite of its stated goal.

“Look at how many teachers are leaving and how many teaching openings there are each year. Please think this through and return the teacher to her teaching position, where she is needed to teach the youth of Richmond,” one speaker said. “Make this again a place to be proud to teach, not a temporary step along the way.”

McDermott could not be reached for comment. She remains on administrative leave after the district announced it would consider canceling her teaching contract, according to union Vice President Jay Lee.

Lee said that talks with the district have never been so contentious in the past.

The union opted to wait to begin bargaining until after Oct. 2, when schools will tally up how many students they’re educating in the fall semester — an event known as Count Day — in order to understand how much funding would be available.

“This is a Band-Aid,” Lee said of the district’s pay plan.

In a video posted to the district’s YouTube channel after the September board meeting, Richmond board president Stults said neither the district nor the board could comment on the personnel situation regarding McDermott. She said that apart from that issue, “relationships among the board, administration, and teachers are quite positive and stronger than they have been in recent years.”

She cited positive feedback from teachers regarding the supplemental pay, as well as a series of meetings throughout the year between district employees and upper administration.

Finally, she said the district has tried to implement the new law ending monthly discussions between administrators and union members positively, “allowing for a more focused approach to building level issues.”

Jennifer Smith-Margraf, vice president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said it’s not clear why Richmond schools did not do what it did in previous years and wait for the bargaining season to discuss compensation this year.

But the cumulative effect of the unilateral changes to pay and the new law that lets districts avoid discussing working conditions with unions have made the situation worse, she said.

“The two main reasons people leave education are low pay and benefits, and not having their voices heard,” she said. “In the long run, this will lead to educators leaving the profession.”

It’s not clear if lawmakers will make further changes next session — but Smith-Margraf said the union supports the right to bargaining and discussion.

“Places that do both bargaining and discussion are doing a much better job of retaining educators,” Smith-Margraf said. “Where there is a clear indication that my voice doesn’t matter causes people to leave and go other places.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

You’re invited: Hear true stories told by local teachers at this storytelling event

2023-10-12T11:30:00+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free daily newsletter to keep up with Indianapolis Public Schools, Marion County’s township districts, and statewide education news.

The infamous “teacher voice” — we all know it, and now you can hear directly from local educators about the times they may have needed to use it.

Join us for the “Don’t Make Me Use My Teacher Voice” teacher story slam from 6 to 8 p.m Thursday, Nov. 16, at Ash & Elm Cider Company, 1301 E Washington Street in Indianapolis. The event will be hosted by Teachers Lounge Indy along with Chalkbeat Indiana and Indy Kids Winning.

Teachers Lounge Indy was formed to help early-career teachers build community, said organizer Ronak Shah. The group last hosted a story slam in 2019. Since then, many in the group have moved on and are no longer early in their careers.

However, Shah said a current teacher encouraged him to bring the event back, so he revived it.

To attend, register here for a free ticket on Eventbrite: https://ckbe.at/3FSCr6z.

Also, if you’re an educator and want to tell your story, contact: teachersloungeindy@gmail.com.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. She also covers access to higher education and Warren Township Schools. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Indianapolis education students share career goals, doubts, and advice

2023-08-21T11:00:00+00:00

Miles Clements’ life took a turn after his parents divorced and his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

He was a student at Fishers High School at the time. His studies began to suffer and his behavior changed, he said, so much that he was issued a detention once.

Things could have turned out worse, if one teacher hadn’t checked up on him, he recalled. He said they didn’t even talk about school. She just wanted to know what was going on in his life. But it was enough for Clements to start taking his learning seriously again — and make a decision about his future.

Clements said experiencing firsthand the impact that a teacher can have on someone’s life made the difference for him. He’s now a junior at the University of Indianapolis, preparing to become a teacher himself.

“If that teacher could do that for me, I can do that for other students,” Clements said. “I just wanted to be that person that can be there to care for them and give them the education that they need.”

Like school systems across the country, Indianapolis districts have struggled to fill their teaching vacancies, especially after the pandemic. Many experienced teachers are leaving the profession, citing inadequate pay or high stress.

But in Indianapolis, a new generation of aspiring teachers are launching or preparing for careers in the classroom, motivated by the opportunities to shape young people’s lives and undaunted by the challenges. In conversations with Chalkbeat, they talked about their decisions to pursue teaching careers, their experiences so far, and how they believe they can make a difference.

At the University of Indianapolis, Clements said he’s had opportunities since his first semester to gain classroom experience. His interactions with students at Central Elementary School in Beech Grove solidified his decision to pursue education.

Clements said he was immediately drawn to teaching skills like literacy, where students can get creative. He knows that classroom instruction relies on knowledge of material and methods, but he said he’s learned there’s a balance to teaching.

“I’ve even said in the past that you could be Albert Einstein and not know how to teach something,” Clements said. “You could be super, super smart, but not have the social skills or the empathy for the students.”

Alexis Britt discovered how critical those social skills are during a combined English and history class at Decatur Central High School, where she worked with students last semester.

The UIndy senior organized a mural project related to Elie Wiesel’s memoir “Night,” where students had to work in groups to pull quotes and draw imagery from the text.

“It was the best moment in my entire life, because I was like, I love that they love it,” Britt said. “Just seeing those students have all this fun doing it really made me happy.”

The prospective teachers said they feel secure in the choice to pursue teaching, either because of positive relationships with teachers in the past or classroom experiences during college. Even so, there are moments of doubt.

Aracely Guerrero-Alonso, a sophomore at UIndy, hopes to teach elementary schoolers, specifically first and second grade. She said when she tells people that she plans to become a teacher, the reactions aren’t usually positive.

She said she knows what she’s signing up for. Guerrero-Alonso said hearing accounts from teachers via social media, like TikTok and Instagram, about their daily life and any struggles they face has prepared her for the realities of education. Still, she said it’s hard having other people in her life tell her to choose another career.

“I feel alone at times,” Guerrero-Alonso said. “No one really supports what I’m doing. They say not to go into it. But if you tell people not to go into it, we’re not going to have any teachers.”

Despite public skepticism, many people are pursuing degrees in education in Indiana. According to data from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, in 2021, over 1,700 of the over 33,000 bachelor’s degrees earned at Indiana’s public institutions were in education.

First-year teacher Bianca Winston, who graduated from Martin University in December 2022 wants students majoring in education to know that more than anything, work-life balance is key to success.

There’s a world beyond the classroom and the job, said Winston, who teaches first grade in Indianapolis. “You have a life outside of that. You create your own peace. Don’t let anybody take your peace away.”

Gregory Golden is heading into his senior year at Butler University, during which he’ll do his student teaching at Center for Inquiry School 84. As graduation nears, he’s aware that teaching can feel like a “thankless job.” Golden urged people considering careers in teaching to step into a classroom for themselves to see if education is really for them.

“I see my friends that are going into business and going into health care and doing all sorts of odds and ends that are going to be, you know, to be frank, making a lot more money,” Golden said.

“We are, as teachers, very much so unsung heroes of the workforce,” he said. “Just know what you’re getting into, because it’s something that you should not take lightly. It impacts people’s lives more than a lot of other careers.”

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact the Indiana bureau at in.tips@chalkbeat.org

Indiana teacher helps her school implement the science of reading ‘one bite at a time’

2023-08-15T19:52:35+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

Indiana is in the midst of an enormous undertaking to improve literacy rates. The approach: Align state standards, curriculum, and teacher training programs with practices rooted in the science of reading, which emphasizes phonics to help students decode words.

Literacy coach Mika Frame has a memorable mantra for accomplishing big goals.

“My current principal always tells me, ‘Eat an elephant one bite at a time,’” she said. “Through this saying, he always encourages me to seek change in our staff by taking small steps, as opposed to expecting my teachers to change all at once or in drastic measures.”

A K-2 literacy coach at Rose Hamilton Elementary School in Centerville, Frame is part of the first cohort of educators that trained in reading science practices as part of the Indiana Literacy Cadre. Now she co-teaches, analyzes student data to see who needs more help, and leads her colleagues through the state’s new requirements.

Frame told Chalkbeat about her work as Indiana looks to bring more literacy coaches like her to its schools.

What drew you to a career in education?

My favorite part of high school was when I was a cadet teacher and worked with elementary students. I still love working with children today. I enjoy the energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity of young learners. Witnessing the progress and achievements of students, seeing them overcome challenges, and helping them reach their potential brings me a deep sense of satisfaction.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day at Rose Hamilton includes working alongside teachers in their classrooms. Co-teaching is my favorite aspect of working with my colleagues. An additional responsibility I have most days involves disaggregating learning data. This data often presents patterns and helps teachers identify subgroups of students who need additional interventions. Each month, I also lead professional learning community meetings and offer new ideas and strategies to our teachers. Finally, coordinating testing is an important part of my position; I help ensure testing protocols are executed with fidelity and testing deadlines are met.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

My favorite lessons to teach are phonics lessons. Phonics plays a vital role in children’s literacy development by providing them with the tools to decode words, read fluently, and comprehend written materials effectively. It sets the stage for their future academic success. Phonics empowers children to read independently and with confidence. When children can decode words accurately, they can read books and other written materials on their own. This opens up a world of knowledge and imagination. I love seeing children’s eyes light up when they start sounding out words.

When did you first learn about the ideas of reading science? How have you been able to apply those recently with fellow educators or students?

I first learned in depth about the science of reading when I was accepted into the Literacy Cadre program. In the Summer of 2022, I attended a weeklong training that dove into the science of reading. I have been able to apply these strategies by leading professional learning community meetings. During this time, I’ve encouraged teachers in the building to present to one another about the science of reading instructional practices they are doing in their classrooms.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I grew up in Modoc, Indiana. My community was rural and consisted of approximately 160 people. I graduated with only 18 students in my class, and that included a few foreign exchange students. It was a close-knit community in which everyone knew each other. This background helps me understand that every single child matters, and no matter the size of the district, helping all students succeed academically and helping them reach their full potential is the ultimate goal in education.

Literacy coach Mika Frame helps her colleagues with the state’s new requirements on the science of reading.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

My current principal always tells me, “Eat an elephant one bite at a time.” Through this saying, he always encourages me to seek change in our staff by taking small steps, as opposed to expecting my teachers to change all at once or in drastic measures. I have used this advice frequently as our school has been going through new initiatives in the last year. Our next step this coming school year is to look into a new phonics program. We are slowly looking into the programs we are using and making small changes, if needed. Again, small steps that lead to changes are important!

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

This past year I read “Shifting the Balance” by Jan Miller Burkins and Kari Yates with my colleagues in the literacy cohort. It really helped me understand the aspects of science of reading. After reading the book, my superintendent was kind enough to buy a set for my teachers, and I led a book study at Rose Hamilton. It was great to meet after school with the teachers and reflect on each chapter, as well as what we do or possibly could do better.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

National group revises grade for Indiana’s largest teacher prep program on reading instruction

2023-08-03T21:52:24+00:00

A group that produced a report on the quality of reading instruction programs at teachers colleges nationwide has revised its score for Ball State University from a failing grade to an A.

The university’s Teachers College, the largest teacher preparation program in Indiana, is one of 45 programs that asked the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) for a revised score after the council issued a report showing that thousands of teachers attended preparation programs that taught poor reading methods.

The report caused a stir in Indiana and other states that have pushed to apply instruction strategies backed by the science of reading in elementary schools in order to improve students’ literacy rates. It gave around 260 of the 710 programs reviewed failing grades.

A spokesperson for the council said that so far, NCTQ has decided to give 24 schools across the country new, higher grades to reflect that they do teach the principles of the science of reading. While most were revised by a single letter grade, nine programs (including Ball State) jumped from F to A grades. Another five are still awaiting review.

The council anticipates that it will publish the new scores by mid-August.

The additional material Ball State submitted to NCTQ included descriptions of its course time, the spokesperson said, which contributed to its higher score. The review gave programs scores for how well they taught the five pillars of literacy: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It gauged whether they taught methods that aren’t backed by research.

The council had based its previous grade on incomplete material obtained through a public records request, said Jackie Sydnor, an associate professor and chair of Ball State’s Department of Elementary Education. NCTQ has previously received criticism for using incomplete data in its analysis of teacher training programs.

What NCTQ received was primarily course outlines, which included objectives, grading scales, and university policies, but not calendars, reading materials, and assignments, Sydnor said, all of which better illustrated the principles of the science of reading. The council was also missing syllabi from two elementary education courses, she added.

“We knew that we taught all of these things, but it was disheartening to hear it reported that we weren’t,” Sydnor said.

The council said that it offered schools opportunities to correct their scores before they were public, but it’s not clear if these requests reached the Teachers College.

Two other universities in Indiana also requested new scores from the council.

Anderson University’s score will remain an A, according to a council spokesperson, while Huntington University’s D grade is still under review.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Over 90% of teaching staff directly affected by IPS school closures will stay in the district

2023-07-28T20:59:10+00:00

At least 90% of the teaching staff directly impacted by Indianapolis Public Schools’ sweeping reorganization enacted last year will continue working in the district for the 2023-24 school year, the district said Thursday.

The staffing update from IPS showed that 300 staff affected by the school closures and mergers initiated by Rebuilding Stronger were placed elsewhere in the district. Most of the affected staff who got offers from the district to be placed in jobs for next year earlier than normal accepted those “Advanced Placement” offers, IPS said.

In addition, 109 teachers who were at Francis Parker Montessori School 56 and Paul Miller School 114, both of which closed at the end of the last school year, decided to make the switch to new schools with students. School 56 students are switching to James Russell Lowell Elementary, while School 114 students are now attending Frederick Douglass Elementary School 19.

As part of Rebuilding Stronger — which is the district’s effort to address dropping enrollment and address long-term fiscal challenges — IPS decided to close six schools, in addition to changing grade configurations at other schools and revamping academic offerings to make things like world languages and music more widely available. But these changes involve significant disruptions for staff.

The district decided to offer $10,000 stipends to teachers directly impacted by the changes, as well as $2,000 stipends to teachers indirectly impacted, like those who remain at the schools some of their colleagues must leave.

Sandy Bombick, the director of employment and operations for IPS, said at Thursday’s school board meeting that those bonuses were paid to impacted staff who met eligibility requirements. She also clarified that those retention bonuses were given for staff to remain at their schools through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

The district also accelerated its typical timeline for identifying vacancies and working on staff placements, which allowed the district to be competitive with other potential employers.

IPS relied heavily on making sure it communicated well with staff through the process. The district’s strategies for communicating clearly included the formation of a Principal Advisory Board, which offered input on what they believed to be helpful in moving forward. In addition, impacted staff were met in person at their schools, and could share any questions or concerns that they had.

There is also a “Let’s Talk” option in the staff portal where teachers can research issues or submit inquiries.

“I think what’s key here is the cadence of communication, knowing that it was critical to keep open lines of communication through this,” Bombick said during her presentation to the school board.

Bombick also said the district plans to replicate this hiring and placement timeline going into the new school year and continue these communication strategies. She said despite the amount of change IPS is going through, she was “proud” of how the district had handled it.

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said professional development has been and will continue to be offered to staff working with new instructional models or in new roles.

Of the more than 190 staff members who received Advanced Placement offers between December 5 and January 4 during the last school year, 114 accepted them. Seventy-seven chose to apply for new positions and go through the interview process all over again.

Roughly a week before the start of the school year on Monday, IPS reported there were 152 teaching vacancies, or a 12% classroom teaching vacancy rate. Bombick said staff leave the district for various reasons throughout the year, and cannot necessarily be linked to Rebuilding Stronger.

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Jade at jthomas@chalkbeat.org.

Township schools in Marion County: Tell us what you want to read about them

2023-07-26T11:00:00+00:00

Roughly 100, 000 students attend township school districts across Marion County, and we want to tell their stories.

What challenges do they face? What successes are they celebrating? How are schools providing for them?

This year, Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI are partnering to expand coverage of the township school districts in Marion County.

As small newsrooms, it can be challenging to cover all of the school districts and charter schools in Marion County. But we know there are important stories going uncovered, and we know you want to read those stories — you’ve told us.

So Chalkbeat Indiana and WFYI will be co-publishing coverage of Marion County township school districts, as a way to increase the number and quality of stories we can tell about the students and educators in those districts. We plan to start by focusing on these townships: Lawrence, Perry, Pike, Warren, Washington, and Wayne.

That means we want to know your thoughts on our plans and your story ideas. Let us know what you think in the form below. And if you can’t see the form, click here.

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief and covers higher education. Contact MJ at mslaby@chalkbeat.org.

Eric Weddle is editor of the WFYI education desk. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or text at 317-426-7386.

After a slow start, some Indiana schools begin to hire adjunct teachers

2023-07-24T11:00:00+00:00

Indiana lawmakers cleared the way last year for school districts to issue their own permits and hire adjunct teachers for hard-to-fill teaching positions.

After some hesitation, school districts have now begun to turn to adjunct teachers, who aren’t licensed by the state and instead need to have four years of relevant experience and pass a background check before stepping into the classroom.

While the Indiana Department of Education did not provide data on how many adjunct teachers are working in Indiana schools, a statewide job board for teachers recently showed four districts and one charter school seeking adjuncts.

There are 1,720 job listings for teachers statewide, down slightly from around 1,800 before the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Earlier this month, the Perry Township school board approved a proposal to hire an adjunct teacher for the district’s Insurance Careers Pathway – a career and technical education course of study for high schoolers that allows students to enter the insurance field upon graduation.

The first of three classes in the insurance careers pathway was taught by the district’s business teachers, said Jane Pollard, the district’s assistant superintendent for career preparation.

But because Perry doesn’t have anyone on staff with the credentials to teach the next course and only one section will be offered at each high school, “it made sense to consider a licensed industry professional” for the role, Pollard said.

The teacher will be authorized directly by the school board upon hire, and then teach one period at each of Perry’s two high schools, according to the district. Perry does not have any other adjunct teachers.

The neighboring Center Grove school district is also hiring an adjunct teacher for a Chinese language teaching position. But the district already has a candidate in mind — the current Chinese language teacher, who holds a Canadian teaching license and needed additional time to take the state teaching exam, said Stacy Conrad, the district’s executive director of communications.

“The high school is using the adjunct option to give her time to get licensed and still be able to continue to offer Chinese to students,” Conrad said in an email.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

2023 ILEARN scores: See test results from your school

2023-07-12T13:05:44+00:00

ILEARN scores for 2023 were released Wednesday, with Indiana students doing slightly better than last year on their overall scores.

In 2023, about 30.6% of students in grades 3-8 statewide scored proficient or better in both the English and math sections of the ILEARN state test — only a fraction of a percentage point above the 30.2% last year.

By subject, 40.7% of students were proficient in English, and 40.9% were proficient in math. That’s a drop of half a percentage point in English and a 1.5 percentage point increase over last year in math.

See how students at your school did on the ILEARN test using the table below:

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

‘Master teachers’ develop strong English language instruction at Perry Township school

2023-06-30T11:00:00+00:00

When Sun Par arrived at Perry Township’s William Henry Burkhart Elementary from Myanmar as a fourth grader in 2007, she said “it was overwhelming” as a student who didn’t know English.

Even though her first few days at William Henry Burkhart were difficult, Par said as she and her peers “adapted to the culture and our environment” the teachers gave them “a loving welcome.”

Now, she’s back at her old elementary school as a tutor and translator. She attributes her passion for education to her former school and the teachers who worked with her.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” Par said. “Growing up, I always tell myself, ‘Maybe I should go back to my former elementary school, so that I could give back what they gave me.’”

When Sun Par, left, arrived in Indianapolis from Myanmar in 2007, she got a warm reception at William Henry Burkhart Elementary School in Perry Township. She now works as a tutor and translator at the school.

Sun Par’s story isn’t an accident. William Henry Burkhart has been committed to improving English language instruction for refugees from Myanmar — which was previously known as Burma — since the first students from the country began arriving in the community nearly two decades ago, said Principal Darlene Hardesty, who used to be Par’s teacher at the school.

By implementing strategies like integrating language instruction into different activities and a support structure for teachers, Perry has tried to achieve this goal.

The school’s hard work has led to recognition. In June, William Henry Burkhart was shortlisted for a World’s Best School prize awarded by T4 Education, which was founded to establish and support a network of teachers and schools and “highlight innovation.” Burkhart is one of just ten schools worldwide that’s up for the group’s Community Collaboration award, which focuses on schools that use “a whole child approach based on equity and inclusivity.”

Hardesty said that welcoming students, regardless of background, into the school community is what Burkhart does best, and its “goal is to help them grow to the next level.”

T4 Education will announce the three finalists in September, and the winners in October. Each winning school will receive $50,000.

Indiana has had a relatively large population from Myanmar for some time. According to the Burmese American Community Institute, there are over 40,000 living in Indiana, almost 27,000 of whom live in Indianapolis. (The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 estimate for the population in Indiana is lower, at about 23,500.) There are over 4,000 students with family roots in Myanmar in Perry Township.

There has been an increase in English language learners in Indiana for several years. In 2005, the number of English learners was over 56,000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By 2022, that figure was over 77,000, the Indiana Department of Education reported.

In Perry Township, 28.3% of its over 16,000 students were English learners in the 2020-2021 school year.

Hardesty said she realized that she had to change her teaching style as more English learning students arrived beginning in 2005.

“As a fifth grade teacher, I was not used to instructing students who had no reading skills,” she said. “So that was very different. We needed to learn very quickly how to differentiate our instruction.”

Using master teachers to improve English language instruction

In response, Perry adopted the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) in 2007, which has eight parts such as interaction and practice and application. This method targets the needs of English learners by integrating language instruction into each classroom activity.

In addition, Perry Township began a partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching in 2012 for each school, after an initial collaboration with two Perry schools beginning in 2010.

The structure includes the leadership of master teachers who guide professional development and demonstrate classroom strategies. Patrick Mapes, Perry’s superintendent, said that it’s important for teachers to have “this contact point to get better.”

Jenny Taylor has been a master teacher at Homecroft Elementary since 2014. Besides guiding professional development, master teachers analyze data from state assessments. Perry gathers this data by conducting monthly district-wide testing for language arts and math, according to Mapes. Master teachers also organize and oversee field testing in classrooms to better understand the effectiveness of different strategies.

Taylor said the most powerful shift in English language instruction for Perry was consciously thinking about how the four domains of reading, writing, speaking, and listening apply to each aspect of teaching using SIOP. She said with these methods, teachers constantly ask themselves how English learning students might absorb content.

“What reading are they going to struggle with?” she said. “When they’re listening to me talk, am I talking too fast? Do I need to change my vocabulary up to something that they understand?”

By building a strong foundation of development with teachers, Taylor said, she can focus on “the support to teachers that I can give” which ultimately helps students.

Helping a new generation of Burmese students

Par graduated from Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis in May 2022. Shortly after, she reached out to her former school looking for a position. Hardesty said she was a perfect fit.

“There was a moment this school year where she was teaching some first graders,” Hardesty said. “And she had out some of the phonics tiles, the letter tiles, and they were pushing and making words, doing sounds, and I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the moment right here. She’s doing what we taught her to do so long ago.’”

As a tutor and translator, Par works with several small groups of students who are at different levels of English learning. She said it’s wonderful to be able to relate to students.

“I remember within fourth and fifth grade, learning how to write basic things, even like writing my own name,” she said. “Just seeing them, I could feel they try so hard. But at the same time, as a teacher, we can see and push them harder. And that’s what I did, just like my teachers did with me.”

Jade Thomas is a summer reporting intern covering education in the Indianapolis area. Contact Jade at jthomas@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana has new requirements for teaching reading. Will teachers be prepared to meet them?

2023-06-21T16:54:47+00:00

Update, Aug. 15: Since this article published, the National Council on Teacher Quality revised Ball State University’s grade from an F to an A. Read more here.

Before Indiana students can learn how to read, their teachers have to learn how to teach reading.

But how that’s done may soon change at teacher preparation programs across the state, as Indiana joins a national push to adopt reading practices shown to improve literacy

By 2025, new teachers will be required to demonstrate their proficiency in the science of reading — a term for a wide body of research that emphasizes phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and phonemic awareness in reading instruction. And programs risk losing their right to call themselves “accredited” if their curriculums aren’t based in reading science by 2024.

Helping Indiana colleges make that mandatory transition is a $25 million fund from the Lilly Endowment Inc. earmarked to help incorporate the science of reading into teacher preparation programs. Several programs said they’re already using planning grants from the endowment to make sure their courses adhere to the new standards.

Just how far they have to go is uncertain.

A new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality — known as NCTQ — found an uneven landscape of reading instruction at Indiana colleges.

Yet at least two of the eight teacher preparation programs at Indiana universities that received failing grades from NCTQ, Indiana University Bloomington and Ball State, dispute the group’s conclusion that they aren’t sufficiently preparing teachers to use the science of reading.

When did Indiana adopt the science of reading?

Though science of reading has become the norm at some schools, a statewide push began last August, with an $85 million donation from the Lilly Endowment to train more teachers and literacy coaches.

A law passed during the most recent legislative session also requires districts, teachers, and teacher prep programs to get on board with science of reading research.

All of these changes are meant to help more Indiana students learn to read: Only around one-third of Hoosier fourth graders were proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress last year, a result that’s similar to the national average.

Karen Betz is the assistant professor of literacy at Marian University, which received top marks for its reading instruction program from the NCTQ this year after aligning its curriculum with the science of reading in 2017.

She said it’s long been clear to psychologists and neuroscientists that reading science helps more children learn to read. But some teacher preparation programs must still figure out how to translate that research into pedagogy.

Furthermore, some teachers have told her they’re familiar with the principles of reading science, but aren’t allowed by their school districts to implement such strategies in their classrooms.

“Institutions are holding onto theories of how kids learn to read instead of putting into practice how kids actually learn to read,” said Betz.

During the so-called “Reading Wars,” detractors cast the science of reading as boring and sterile compared to an emphasis on letting children choose and read books on their own, said Jeanette Mancilla-Martinez of Vanderbilt University, who’s conducting a review of the reading curriculum at Indiana University Bloomington’s teacher preparation program through a Lilly grant.

But learning to read is a cognitively demanding skill that requires explicit instruction, Mancilla-Martinez said, and some children need more support than others.

“The idea that you have books around the house, you don’t need these boring phonics skills, you’ll learn naturally — that may happen for a small percentage of children, but that’s not good enough,” Mancilla-Martinez said.

Do Indiana teachers learn the science of reading?

For its report released last week, NCTQ evaluated whether aspiring teachers learned the five principles championed by reading science, as well as whether the schools’ curriculum included outdated or disproven practices, like the three-cueing model.

Of the 18 programs evaluated in Indiana, just four earned an A or better, and eight earned an F. The report found at least five programs teach disproven practices, and only seven offered instruction on teaching reading to English language learners.

The results are “troubling,” said Justin Ohlemiller of advocacy Stand for Children Indiana, an education advocacy group, especially when combined with the state’s low national reading scores.

“If we’re going to address the literacy crisis in our state, it’s going to take a significant change in approach from those who are responsible for training our educators of the future,” Ohlemiller said in a statement.

On a positive note, 12 programs offered some instruction on teaching reading to struggling readers, like students who have dyslexia, according to the report.

Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College was the only program in Indiana — and one of just 48 in the country — to earn an A+ rating in the report.

Meanwhile, the teacher prep programs at Indiana University Bloomington and Ball State University — one of the largest teacher prep programs in the country — pushed back on their F grades in NCTQ’s report.

Representatives of Ball State’s Teachers College said the report relied on incomplete course materials obtained through public records requests, a complaint that echoes critiques of previous NCTQ reports. The council countered that it provided an opportunity for colleges to provide additional material in January.

“We have always included the components and prepared our candidates in what is now termed the science of reading,” said Jackie Sydnor, associate professor and assistant chair for Ball State’s Department of Elementary Education.

Sydnor pointed to other indicators of the quality of Ball State’s program, such as its accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, as well as students’ higher-than-average pass rates on the state teaching exam.

Still, the college is using a $100,000 planning grant from the Lilly Endowment to conduct an analysis of its reading instruction programs, she said.

Indiana University Bloomington also received a $100,000 grant from Lilly to evaluate its existing programs for science of reading alignment, said Jeff Anderson, associate dean for undergraduate education. He said the school’s faculty believes they are teaching the science of reading, as evidenced by candidates’ performance on licensing exams.

“Our goal as a teacher prep program is to ensure our candidates graduate with the skill and expertise to be effective teachers,” Anderson said. “Clearly, the ability to learn to read is core to being successful in P-12.”

Under new state laws, the Indiana Department of Education is required to conduct a review of accredited teacher preparation programs beginning in 2024. Those who don’t have a curriculum based on the science of reading by then may be put on an improvement plan by the state, or face losing their accredited status.

How do teachers use the science of reading?

Even with a seal of approval from the NCTQ, Marian University’s Klipsch Educators College is looking to do more work with the science of reading. The college has received both a $75,000 planning grant and a $750,000 implementation grant from the Lilly Endowment to align their alternative teacher licensure and graduate programs to reading science.

The college intends to roll out Indiana’s first ever master’s program in reading science in May 2024.

Betz, the literacy professor, said a core part of the Klipsch program is the work that preservice teachers do in schools alongside their professors, who evaluate their lesson plans and step in to demonstrate effective teaching.

Higher education institutions have a responsibility to graduate teachers who are ready, rather than graduating those who will need to backtrack once they’re on the job, she said.

“That’s time lost,” Betz said.

In the same way that learning to read helps a child overcome future academic challenges, learning to teach reading effectively gives a new teacher the tools to shepherd students through their struggles, said Sally Busby, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Evansville’s School of Education. The school received an A rating from the NCTQ.

It’s using a $75,000 planning grant from the Lilly Endowment in part to create a council of literacy coaches from southern Indiana who can provide input on what’s needed in schools.

Of the competing approaches to reading instruction, Busby said teachers can find opportunities for students to enjoy books, while still devoting instructional time to decoding the language of the books they love.

“We were so desperate to make sure kids loved books, and thought the love of books would get them through the struggle of reading,” Busby said. “But you can’t enjoy reading until you can read.”

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the organization providing grants for science of reading. It is the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

This IPS teacher infuses her English lessons with virtual travel and Shakespearean playlists

2023-05-16T13:50:58+00:00

Sign up for Chalkbeat’s free monthly newsletter How I Teach to get inspiration, news, and advice for — and from — educators.

Nikia Garland takes her students all over the world.

An English and AP Language and Composition teacher at Arsenal Tech High School, she uses Google Lit Trips to take students virtually to Sweden and Norway while reading “Beowulf.” And during her lessons on George Orwell’s “1984,” Garland tasks her classes with color-coding countries according to the level of government surveillance.

“I strive to teach students how to think critically using real-world examples. I want students to take responsibility for their learning,” she said. “I like to provide intriguing lessons that cause my students to want to know more about what I am teaching.”

That means she adapts Shakespeare to a teenager’s palate by occasionally assigning students to create a playlist of 15 songs, each accompanied by a paragraph that explains how the song connects to “Macbeth’s” plot and themes.

“I layer my teaching, sort of like a blooming onion,” she said.

Always looking to enhance teaching and learning, Garland has applied for a number of grants. One funded a field trip earlier this year to the Candles Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Terre Haute, an experience that paired with “The Book Thief,” a novel set during the Holocaust. Another grant allowed Garland to study oral traditions in Africa with a visit to Kenya and Ghana — an experience that she later reflected on as “returning home to the Motherland.”

Now, she’s one of 50 educators to be selected as a Grosvenor Teaching Fellow, which will bring her to the fjords and Arctic Svalbard of Norway aboard the National Geographic Endurance expedition ship. She’s hoping the trip will inform her curriculum in a way that inspires her students to become environmental stewards.

Garland previously taught ballet at the former Nicholson Performing Arts Academy at School 70, and she studied at the Jordan College Academy of Dance at Butler University. She’s also a proud Broad Ripple High School alumna. (“Rockets for life!” she said.)

She spoke recently with Chalkbeat about her latest fellowship, the value of teaching environmental and community stewardship, and the most memorable class of her 24-year teaching career.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

How do you plan to use the experience from the Norway fellowship in your everyday English teachings?

I believe the fellowship will give me more tools to continue building geographic awareness.

I would like to start locally within their own communities. I haven’t yet decided what this will look like, but I have reached out to a few agencies — The Nature Conservancy and Indy Parks — to partner with me on this initiative.

I also want to do something community-based as well, possibly about the impact of gentrification and redlining in their neighborhoods. I want to center whatever I do around them. I want to know what they are curious about and start there.

Why is it important for you to teach your students to become environmental stewards?

The city of Indianapolis is only a small piece in the global puzzle, but everything we do or don’t do to take care of the planet has a deep impact worldwide. Continuing to disregard issues such as global warming and pollution is dangerous to humanity. It reminds me of a book I’ve taught by Octavia Butler, “The Parable of the Sower.” I also teach “The Space Traders,” a short story by Derrick Bell.

I believe we can do small things that, if done consistently, turn into great acts. I hope to inspire them to become more engaged with their immediate communities. Texts such as the ones I mentioned help kids understand why caring for the environment is important. I also want to provide them with the tools and knowledge necessary to live eco-friendly and sustainable lives.

What is one interaction with a student that has changed how you view the profession of teaching?

It would be impossible to name just one student. I have a collective — the Arlington High School class of 2007.

I must begin by saying that most of them did not like me initially. I have always been a strict teacher with high expectations and rigorous content. However, I was able to loop with that particular class of students for three years.

The three years I spent with them allowed me to get to know my students on a deeper level and vice versa. I became invested and grew to truly love them. And the love, loyalty, and respect they showed me was unmatched.

For example, my husband and mother both died in the same year. This was after they had graduated. But so many of them came back to give me flowers and comfort me. So many that my principal had to tell the secretary to waive the no-visitor policy during the day and allow them all in. One of my students from that class had lost contact with me, so she Googled me one day and saw that I was now a breast cancer survivor. She found me on Twitter and sent me $100 so I could buy myself some flowers. I could really go on and on.

There’s an urban saying about such relationships, “locked in.” We are bonded — through celebrations such as weddings, births, and college graduations and even in trials such as death and incarceration. I consider them family, and my life has been infinitely blessed simply because I was allowed to be their teacher. I am the lucky one. They are the loves of my teaching life.

What’s your favorite lesson to teach and why?

That’s a tough question because I have so many. But I really enjoy teaching poetry. I love the complexity of some poems, the critical thinking and reading required to comprehend the content, the way it engages students, and the ability to use it as a springboard for longer writing assignments. It also brings out student creativity. We have a lot of rich, provocative discussions and assignments when I teach poetry.

Tell me about your own experience with school as a child and how it affects your work today.

I loved school. I am a product of IPS, K-12, and I had some stellar educators. As a result, it has motivated me to give my students the same kind of education I received. It was rich, diverse, interesting, rigorous, and relevant.

What is one piece of advice you’d give to college students pursuing an education career?

Understand that teaching is both an art and a science, and you cannot have one without the other. Science is the pedagogy. Art is the creativity used to engage students. Be fluent in both.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

How literacy and the ‘science of reading’ get a big lift from bus drivers at an Indiana school

2023-03-27T11:00:00+00:00

Indiana’s 2023 legislative session is under way, and state legislators have introduced more than 100 new education bills and bills impacting schools and students. For the latest Indiana education news, sign up for Chalkbeat Indiana’s free newsletter here.

On a recent Thursday morning at KIPP Indy Unite Elementary in Indianapolis, a bus driver doubling as a tutor held up a flashcard to two elementary school students.

“What is this?” she asked.

The flashcard featured an illustration of a table. The students, a boy and a girl, piped up with answers.

“A door,” the girl said.

“No, that’s a table,” said the boy, earning a nod of approval. The tutor asked the pair another question: What letter does the word “table” start with, and what sound does it make?

The students quickly identified the letter. But taking its sound out of context proved more challenging. The tutor gave the students a few moments to guess before articulating the word herself.

“T-t-table,” she said, emphasizing the phoneme. The students repeated after her, connecting the letter “T’ with its sound.

At KIPP Indy Public Schools in Indianapolis, using bus drivers as tutors was an unusual idea spurred by the pandemic. In October 2022, when struggles with reading among K-3 students prompted the school to find solutions, KIPP started the program. Each morning, students are pulled out of class into the hallway for 10 to 20 minutes to practice literacy skills such as sight words and phonics.

It’s one approach to teaching using the science of reading, a body of research about how children learn to read. While some reading programs teach students to read by guessing a word based on a picture or using context clues, schools in Indiana and across the country are increasingly adopting curriculum that directly teaches the relationship between sounds, letters, and words.

In 2022, national reading and math exams showed only 33% of Indiana fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders were proficient in reading. These scores are similar to nationwide scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which revealed 37% of students performed below NAEP’s basic standard. The results underscore students’ struggles in reading that educators and lawmakers say is partially due to inadequate, outdated methods of teaching.

The consequences of flawed reading instruction go beyond test scores. Third graders who are not proficient in reading are four times more likely to not graduate high school on time or drop out completely, according to the Indiana State Board of Education’s Indiana Student Achievement Report.

Educators and lawmakers alike want to counter such trends. A major financial investment and a series of bills in the Indiana statehouse look to provide science of reading instruction to teachers, and some support mandating the science of reading within the state.

Science of reading emphasis grows in Indiana

Since 2011, Indiana has largely allowed school districts to decide which core reading program to use.

But one teaching method has been the target of significant criticism recently. The “three-cueing model,” which encourages students to make educated guesses at words using context clues, has been largely disproven by cognitive scientists but is still widely used by schools around the country.

Andrea Setmeyer, national chapter coordinator for The Reading League Indiana, said schools have traditionally failed to separate word recognition and reading comprehension.

“We’ve relied on strategies like guessing or looking at the first letter and thinking ‘what would make sense here?’ and those strategies are not what skilled readers do,” Setmeyer said. “What we need to do is look at those as two separate components that we’re building simultaneously.”

Karrianne Polk-Meek, director of the Literacy Center at the Indiana Department of Education, said the science of reading focuses on five key elements: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

“Over time, some curriculum that has been used or different structures that have been used really reinforced some of the elements, but not necessarily all five,” she said.

Several states have already implemented or are looking to implement the science of reading in schools, many of which have shown significant improvements in reading rates.

Nearly a decade ago, Mississippi fourth graders ranked 49th in the nation for reading proficiency. But after the state hired literacy coaches and focused instruction around the science of reading, it was ranked first in the nation for reading gains by 2019.

While the research behind the science of reading has been around for decades, Setmeyer said such knowledge has often been confined to fields like cognitive psychology and linguistics, rather than education, where teachers could benefit from it.

But following encouraging results from states like Mississippi — and American Public Media’s “Sold a Story” podcast, which investigated authors who push disproven teaching methods — the science of reading is gaining traction.

Last August, Indiana announced a $111 million investment in literacy through a partnership with the Lilly Endowment. The investment — the state’s largest-ever commitment to literacy development — supports training educators in science of reading instruction, and incorporating science of reading methods into undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

The Indiana Department of Education also launched a partnership to place reading coaches in 54 schools across the state to support K-2 teachers as they lead instruction rooted in the science of reading. Currently, 43 schools are participating in the pilot program, and more are being recruited for the 2023-24 cohort, Polk-Meek said. (KIPP is not part of the program.)

Indiana mulls changes to teacher prep and licensing

Lawmakers are considering whether to go a step further.

Senate Bill 402, authored by GOP Sen. Aaron Freeman, would prohibit schools from using the three-cueing model and require them to adopt curriculum based on the science of reading. The bill would also require people to pass foundational reading exams to get a teaching license.

Freeman, who has two children under 13, said he was inspired to write the bill after seeing the struggles students like his own faced when it comes to reading.

“These kids are not going to learn by guessing,” he said. “They’re only going to learn if they have phonemic awareness, if they’re able to sound words out, break words down.”

If Freeman’s legislation, which has passed the Senate, becomes law, it would go into effect for the 2024-25 school year.

Other proposed bills also address the science of reading: House Bill 1558 creates a science of reading grant fund, while House Bill 1590 includes teacher preparation and licensing requirements for the approach.

The second bill underscores that putting the science of reading into practice across the state would mean not only a shift in how students learn, but how teachers learn, too.

Kelly Williams, an assistant professor of special education at Indiana University-Bloomington, said she was taught outdated research during her training in the mid-2000s.

“There was kind of this general consensus of, if you expose kids to enough books and find what they’re interested in, you’ll be able to get them reading,” Williams said. “That’s really problematic — we’ve got teachers coming out who are not being trained in what best practices are or what research actually supports.”

Williams said there should be an emphasis on language comprehension, not just knowing what a word is. Reading is not fully natural, she said — students must be taught to read.

KIPP began using the science of reading in 2021 after assessing pandemic-related academic gaps.

Ruth Wells, foundational literacy manager at KIPP, said the science of reading makes education cohesive by tying together how language is developed in the brain and how students learn words and sounds.

“That gives teachers the ability to, one, pinpoint where their students may have gaps, but also a spoken sequence to follow to make sure they are teaching what they know their students need,” Wells said.

To truly comprehend text, Wells said, students must be able to decode words, not just identify which word might fit using only context clues.

Data from KIPP showed 74% of kindergartners have met mid-year goals after being taught using science of reading-based practices — an 8% increase from before the program. Among first graders who received that instruction, 70% met the goals, a 21% increase, and 46% of second graders met them, marking an 11% increase.

Teachers and drivers join forces to teach science of reading

Each summer, teachers at KIPP participate in training where they learn why the science of reading is important. During the training sessions, they can practice portions of their lessons to receive real-time feedback from other educators.

“Our teachers are learning to be experts and we do a lot of development with our teachers, but again, there are different levels to kiddos,” she said. “Our tier–1 instruction can be as strong as anything, but if a kiddo comes to us and needs that extra support, we need to be able to supply it.”

Bus driver Tracie Johnson has been with the tutoring program since its start. In addition to tutoring Monday through Thursday, Johnson gives her students a test each Friday to gauge their growth and identify areas of progress or struggle earlier than formal state tests can provide results.

This also gives teachers more time to teach the actual curriculum rather than worry about testing, which can take hours.

Using data from state literacy tests such as IREAD along with weekly classroom tests, teachers identify students who could benefit from extra review. From there, bus drivers build activities with the help of teachers based on the specific skills each student needs to practice. These activities often include using flashcards, coloring sight words, and trying to beat the clock in fluency races.

Each grade level is given a benchmark per year — 100 sight words for kindergarteners, 200-300 for first graders and 500 for second graders.

“If a student is a kindergartener and he’s still struggling with letter names or letter sounds, our bus drivers would be working with those particular students who didn’t get it the first round and maybe the classroom instruction has moved forward,” Wells said.

At a time when hiring bus drivers and other school staff has been difficult, the tutoring program has also helped the school retain drivers, thanks to the increased connection they feel with students, Wells said. Plus, they clock in for the role, earning more money in addition to what they get for their regular routes.

KIPP’s strategy would not be guaranteed to work for every school for a variety of reasons. Union rules that could affect such instruction differ among districts and states, for example. And participation could depend upon whether drivers receive pay increases.

Eight drivers are currently participating in the KIPP program, with many more undergoing training. There has been over 300 hours of tutoring in the program so far.

Johnson enjoys working with the students, and it’s particularly rewarding when they finally get a word or concept correct, she said. Before the program, many of her students could not even spell basic words like “the,” she said.

Now, those students speak up to offer correct answers to her questions.

The best part of the job, Johnson said, is connecting with her students for longer than a bus ride. When they run to her each morning to give her a hug, she’s reminded of the difference she’s making in their education.

“That’s the highlight of my day,” she said.

Contact Chalkbeat Indiana at in.tips@chalkbeat.org.

Perry Township teacher wins $25,000 Milken Award for leadership and innovative practices

2023-02-08T19:11:43+00:00

Brittany Tinkler showed up to work at Rosa Parks Elementary on Wednesday thinking she would take her second grade students to a regular school assembly.

She ended the school-wide celebration shaking as she clutched a $25,000 check.

The Perry Township teacher is one of 35 educators nationwide to receive the latest round of the prestigious Milken Awards, created by businessman and philanthropist Lowell Milken in 1987 to spotlight the importance of teaching.

The award has provided over $73 million to educators to date in $25,000 amounts, and 67 Indiana teachers have received one so far. In November, Angela Fowler, a fourth grade teacher in Johnson County, also received the prize.

Tinkler, herself a graduate of Perry Township schools, received the honor for showing leadership among her colleagues and students. She dedicated time to train fellow educators on innovative education practices, exposing her students to different careers, and even starting an after-school running club, according to an Indiana Department of Education press release.

“Money aside, to get this award fills my soul,” Tinkler said. “It’s like winning the lottery for my soul.”

Tinkler is a homegrown teacher who graduated from Perry-Meridian High School, where she also met her husband. She has taught in Perry Township for 11 years.

She has brought community organizations to the school — including the local zoo, a radio station, and a fire station — so that students can widen their future career possibilities, the education department said.

She has also embraced project-based learning and shared the practice with fellow educators through presentations, articles, and podcasts, the department said. And her students have shown more growth in English and math, as measured by state exams, than district students on average.

The selection process for the award is secretive and does not accept applications. “You don’t find us, we find you,” said Jane Foley, senior vice president of the Milken Awards.

The Milken Family Foundation, which funds the award, partners with state departments of education to find teachers that best meet certain criteria: Educators must be early- to mid-career, find innovative ways to teach students, and be a leader and role model for students and colleagues, Foley said.

Recipients must also be an “unsung hero,” Foley said.

“We’re looking for people who haven’t sought accolades that are doing this amazing work with these great results, that haven’t sought out awards,” Foley said.

Tinkler could barely stand when Foley announced her name at the assembly — but one of her second graders lent a hand to help her up to accept the award.

“This is still not real,” Tinkler said after the assembly. “Because I just come to work and I’m me. I’m me everywhere I go. So to think that I should get an award for that isn’t anything that ever crosses my mind.”

Tinkler’s academic struggles as a child led her to pursue education, she said.

“When I got into high school after all of this struggling I officially decided I was going to become an educator so that I can help students feel successful and find what it is they’re good at, so I can bring that out of them at a young age,” she said.

She will funnel a large part of her award right back into her classroom to make more “rich learning experiences” for her students, Tinkler said. She also hopes to use the funding to better the lives of her own two children.

But to Tinkler, the award was worth much more than $25,000.

“It’s affirmation that who I am and my why and my story is a great reason to be doing what I’m doing,” she said. “That I’m living out my purpose, and that I’m living it out well.”

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Marion County schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at apak-harvey@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana hopes tutoring can help struggling students. Here’s what it should look like.

2023-01-04T18:08:06+00:00

When tutor Natalie Koenig answered a recent call, the student on the line was facing a familiar problem: Her algebra homework wasn’t clicking.

She was calling in to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s free tutoring hotline for help from university students like Koenig, who take math and science questions from sixth to 12th grade students every evening.

After Koenig helped her through some simpler algebraic concepts, the middle schooler nailed her first problem — and was eager to do more.

Koenig then told her to pick the hardest question on the page. Working through it, Koenig said, the student’s confidence grew.

“She asked if she could call again to get help from me,” Koenig said. And the student did call Koenig later that week for more help.

Since its start with a handful of phone lines more than 30 years ago, the university’s AskRose tutoring program has expanded into video calls, emails, and chat support. The Lilly Endowment-funded program recently added earlier hours to reach more students after finding that between 20 and 40 students were calling every day before the hotline even opened.

Over the past year, free tutoring programs have grown in Indiana as the state leans on intensive, one-on-one help as a solution to academic declines and drops in test scores following COVID. Nationwide interest in such tutoring efforts has grown as well.

Established tutors say working with trained tutors or teachers can go a long way to help students rebuild academic foundations and foster the skills and self-confidence they need to succeed. Indiana education officials have also touted the early successes of tutoring.

“Slowing down and rebuilding the foundation that fell apart is where we’re finding the most success,” said Teresa Lubovich, owner of Poulsbo Tutoring, which works with students in 10 states. For example, she’s turned mastering the times tables into a competition for her students in order to rebuild a basic skill that’s critical to other math lessons.

But there are challenges ahead for tutoring programs, too. Students report feeling more lost and frustrated than before COVID, meaning tutors must cover more content in their sessions while also creating a safe and supportive environment.

“Tutoring is a lot about the content, but it’s also about the relationship you build with the child,” said Ishmael Brown Jr., a tutor, teacher, and president emeritus of the National Tutoring Association. “They don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”

Tutoring helps students practice skills

Compared to before the pandemic, more students are calling in to AskRose not knowing where to start on their homework, said Kim Lund, the service’s assistant director for operations and education. This is especially noticeable in math, where new concepts build on past ones that students may have missed during the years of virtual learning.

“What I missed in fourth and fifth grade is impacting sixth grade,” Lund said. “You are finding school districts everywhere are looking for solutions to help kids catch up on what they lost over the years.”

Therefore, it’s important for tutors to engage students by helping them connect the work in front of them to a concept that’s familiar from past classroom lessons, she said.

AskRose tutors, who are all students at the engineering and technology school, have textbooks handy to help them tackle questions, and rely on each other for subject-matter expertise. Around 19 tutors work during the center’s peak hours from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and they’re paid for their time.

Lund said tutoring is well-suited to reinforcing skills through accurate practice, but that it’s not a replacement for learning the skill for the first time in a classroom setting.

Good tutoring helps students work through their questions without providing the answers instantly — something she said some students have gotten used to while learning on devices.

“They say practice makes perfect, but practice makes permanent,” Lund said. “Perfect practice makes perfect.”

Other hallmarks of a quality tutoring program include consistency, availability, and accountability, said Amanda Case, assistant professor of counseling psychology at Purdue University.

Education leaders have increasingly touted “high-dosage” tutoring, which relies on pairing students with one teacher over the course of several sessions for the best results.

But Case said that high-dosage tutoring ideally takes place more than three times a week. Tutoring should also be accessible to all students who need it, rather than available only to families who can afford it and have a way to attend. And it should come with a method of evaluation, she said.

It’s likely too soon to tell if the new state programs are effective and accessible, she said. They take many different forms, including free virtual tutoring for all students in Indianapolis Public Schools, as well as state grants of $500 to $1,000 for families to choose their own tutoring providers.

“You can give students a ton of ineffective tutoring and it won’t help students do anything,” Case said of the state’s hopes for tutoring. “High-dosage tutoring performed by professionals — it does hold quite a bit of promise.”

More students are feeling lost

Tutors say students need help beyond academics, too.

They’re not only more frustrated than before, said Lund, but facing pressure to return to “normal” after COVID.

Lubovich, owner of Poulsbo Tutoring, said many families also opt for organizational coaching for their students. This covers executive functioning, planning, and meeting deadlines, in addition to content tutoring.

Students may need this kind of help with motivation and organization after several years of receiving passing grades for far less effort, she said. But families may also turn to tutoring to help their struggling students when therapy would be a more appropriate intervention, she said.

Tutoring should ultimately be attuned to the student’s needs and experiences, Lubovich said.

“We say connection before content,” Lubovich said.

A positive experience can start with a tutor’s tone of voice, said Koenig, the AskRose tutor. When she trains other tutors, she encourages them to remain patient and understanding even when a student is struggling to grasp their explanations.

“We want them to know it’s okay to ask for help and that we’re happy to help you,” Koenig said. “I’m honest with them. I tell them, ‘I used to struggle at your age, too.’”

Case, the Purdue professor, said tutoring can help students overcome the effects of negative stereotypes about how groups of students like Black students or female students perform on tests, or in academic subjects like math. Having a tutor who believes in their abilities gives students greater self-confidence, she said.

Beyond academic tutoring, Case said there’s a need for the state to fund more holistic programs for youth that focus on enrichment and mental health. Like tutoring, those programs have typically only been available to families that could afford them.

“We can think about Band-Aid approaches and just think about learning loss, but that’s not what school and youth development are totally for,” Case said. “It’s an opportunity to think about what is the ecosystem we’re creating to surround youth so they’re safe and enriched, and how we’re doing that for all youth.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

New program will pay for Indiana teachers to earn license to teach English language learners

2022-12-05T13:00:00+00:00

A new program wants to help Indiana teachers get licensed to teach the state’s growing population of English language learners.

The Indiana Teacher of English Language Learners (I-TELL) program will pay for tuition and fees for current educators to earn the additional licensure they need to become teachers of record for students who are learning English. It’s a partnership between the Indiana Department of Education and University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning

These teachers, who oversee students’ language development, are critically needed in Indiana, according to state data. A recent Chalkbeat analysis found that one-third of all districts and two-thirds of charter schools don’t have licensed teachers of record for their English learners. That’s despite state and federal staffing guidelines requiring such a teacher at each education agency.

English learner teachers may also travel between schools. But that approach can lead to high caseloads and less individual attention for English learners — a population that has grown 52% in Indiana over the past five years.

“Our COVID-19 academic impact data shows that Indiana’s English learner students experienced substantial academic impacts and have still not returned to pre-pandemic year-over-year academic growth,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner in a statement about I-TELL. “The best way to ensure our students accelerate their learning is to ensure they have quality, well-trained teachers supporting them.

Current teachers can take classes from one of 11 universities throughout Indiana participating in the program. Another pathway through Marian University also allows individuals who hold bachelor’s degrees to earn a Transition to Teaching license with a focus on English as a new language.

The new I-TELL program is funded by $2 million in state emergency federal funding.

Helping teachers afford licensure costs

Carey Dahncke, executive director of the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, said the new program was modeled after an initiative last year to help teachers get their full licensure to teach special education.

Around 650 individuals have signed up for the special education program, Dahncke said, and some have already completed it and started working in schools.

Similarly, Dahncke said the new program aims to add hundreds of new English language teachers to the workforce by removing hurdles like cost without lowering educator quality.

“We recognize that the problem didn’t develop overnight and won’t be solved quickly,” he said.

“We want to facilitate the process so it seems accessible, so you’re not facing financial barriers or a confusing process.”

The financial burden of pursuing additional licensure is a major barrier for teachers who would like to learn how to better support their English learner students, said Laura Hammack, superintendent of Beech Grove Schools.

The district of around 2,800 students has seen a sizable increase in its population of English learners, particularly in the youngest grades, she said. As a result, the number of educators serving that population has grown from one to five — and the district hopes to double that number with the help of the I-TELL program.

Hammock said the district is also looking to alternative pathways that make it easier for paraprofessionals to earn their teaching licenses, which might be difficult for these staffers to obtain otherwise.

These pathways are critical, she said, as the state faces a declining number of students going to college and graduating from traditional teacher preparation programs.

“We’re worried about the decreasing population of individuals to pull from,” Hammack said.

District leans on grow-your-own program

In 2017, Logansport Community Schools had just two educators serving a steadily growing population of English learner students, many of whom were first enrolling as teenagers with limited proficiency in their first languages.

“It was just constantly running around putting out fires,” said Superintendent Michele Starkey, who has worked in the district for 31 years.

But a Purdue University program, funded through a U.S. Department of Education grant, allowed Logansport teachers to earn the license they needed to serve English learners for free. The district picks up any costs the grant doesn’t cover, Starkey said.

As a result, Logansport has around 40 licensed English learner teachers, with 13 more in the process of completing the program. Those who earn the license move up on the district’s pay scale and sign an agreement to stay with Logansport schools for at least five years, Starkey said.

The new assistance program from the state may give teachers more options to earn their licensure, and help the district with its share of the costs, she added.

The district’s grow-your-own efforts have made it more agile in addressing student needs, said Tami McMahan, director of English language learners — especially in the midst of a spike in the enrollment of newcomer students, or students who have never attended U.S. schools before.

This August, the district saw as many newcomer students enroll as it had the entire last school year, Starkey said. Around 46% of the district’s 4,266 students are English learners, and of that population, 69% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch.

English learner teachers meet regularly to discuss how best to serve these students, McMahan said. They analyze test results in depth and provide both formal and informal professional development to their colleagues.

Their expertise has also led to a greater awareness of students’ personal needs — the district started a food pantry and a clothing closet for those who need it.

After learning that some English learner students were working overnight shifts, the district offered a semi-independent study program that would allow them to earn credits, take language development, and access health and support services in fewer school hours a day. That gives them more time to sleep.

“For students, it comes down to their needs being met,” McMahan said. “We can’t do better till we know better.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Study: Teacher licensing exams shrink Indiana’s pool of Black, Hispanic teachers

2022-09-26T20:34:27+00:00

Indiana’s ubiquitous teacher licensing exam could be one reason behind the state’s shortage of teachers — especially Black and Hispanic teachers, according to a new report from Indiana University.

The study found that Black and Hispanic prospective teachers scored up to 52 percentage points lower than their white peers on portions of the test, known as Praxis, further shrinking the pool of nonwhite educators that enter the profession even as the K-12 student population grows more diverse.

The traditional road to becoming a teacher has long held stumbling blocks for candidates of color. But recent staffing shortages have made it critical to recruit more candidates into the teacher pipeline, with states and schools dropping requirements like a license or degree in order to fill open positions.

The solution isn’t necessarily to get rid of Praxis and other tests like it, said Alexander Cuenca, author of the study and an associate professor at Indiana University, but to diversify the expert panels that determine passing scores for prospective educators, as well as offer more support for would-be test-takers.

“We know that more teachers of color in the classroom will improve outcomes for students of color and all students,” he said. “Licensure exams as a barrier to that are an under-examined issue.”

Why score disparities persist

Praxis is divided into three sections — Praxis I, which tests basic skills; Praxis II, which tests teachers’ subject matter expertise; and a pedagogy component that tests classroom knowledge and management.

Due to a law passed in 2019, Indiana teacher candidates are no longer required to take the basic skills portion of the exam. Teachers still take the pedagogy exam and the subject matter test that correlates to the subject they want to teach.

Across all sections of the licensing exam over five years from 2016 to 2021, white candidates scored higher than Black and Hispanic candidates, the study found.

The disparity was especially significant in the content area sections of the exam. In one of the starkest examples, 52% of white candidates passed the mathematics subject area exam in the 2016-17 academic year, but no Black candidates did.

In some cases, the score gaps have gotten worse over time. In the English language arts content area exam, for example, Black candidates outperformed white candidates in 2016-17, with pass rates of 67% and 65%, respectively.

But in 2020-21, Black candidates had a pass rate of 22%, compared to a 65% pass rate for white candidates.

It’s not completely clear what led to that kind of score drop over the years, though Cuenca noted that Indiana switched testing vendors between 2016 and 2021, which can impact teacher prep programs and their students.

Scores tend to be higher overall and less disparate in the pedagogy section of the Praxis than the subject matter test — for the latter, teachers’ different educational backgrounds might contribute to gaps.

But there’s more to the differing scores than prospective teachers’ knowledge, according to the study, which points to how passing scores are determined.

Tests are scored on a scale, with each state setting its passing score. To determine those scores, the state and the testing company assemble panels of subject matter experts from schools and universities to determine which questions a new “just qualified” teacher should answer correctly.

The panelists participate on a voluntary basis, Cuenca said, and there’s little effort to ensure a demographic balance on each panel.

When Indiana undertook this process in 2020, 92% of the certified educators that participated in the panels identified as white, compared to 2% who identified as Black, according to the study.

As it happens, around 92% of Indiana’s 79,000 teachers are white, according to the Indiana Department of Education, compared to 66% of the state’s 1.1 million students. Hiring more underrepresented teachers has long been a policy priority for groups like the NAACP of Indianapolis, which highlighted the issue in its recent Black Academic Excellence plan.

Cuenca said the problem arises when panelists are asked to make subjective decisions about what new teachers should know — a judgment that varies depending on the panelists’ personal experiences.

A more diverse panel would have a richer discussion of this question than more homogenous panels, he said.

An acknowledged issue

Cuenca’s study links modern-day teacher licensing exams to historical exams used to justify paying Black educators less.

Educational Testing Service (ETS), the company behind the Praxis exam, has previously studied the effect of licensure examinations on the Black educator pipeline, according to the study. It reported in 2011 the existence of “very large score gaps between African American and White teacher candidates on selected Praxis I and selected Praxis II tests.”

In a statement, ETS said it is “committed to making our tests fair for all test takers to advance our mission of furthering quality and equity in education for every learner.”

“We work closely with our state clients to ensure that the panels of educators who contribute to the development of the Praxis tests, and the setting of its recommended passing scores, are representative of the test-taking population of the state with respect to race, gender, geography, and school setting,” the statement said. “We also encourage state decision-makers to solicit the diverse perspectives and opinions of all stakeholders when they set the state’s passing scores.”

The IU report said that while the issue has been long-acknowledged, few policy changes have come about as a result.

Cuenca does credit Indiana for removing the basic skills component of the test for would-be educators, alleviating some of the financial burden associated with the tests, especially for candidates who have to retake the tests.

Proposed solutions include scholarships

His report says the most important solution to the issue is to require test vendors to diversify the score-setting panels associated with teacher licensing exams.

The current system creates a “closed loop,” which leads to fewer Black and Hispanic teachers in the classroom and eventually, on future score-setting panels which set the scores for the next generation of teachers.

However, Cuenca said he would strongly caution against getting rid of licensing tests altogether, especially as states deal with teacher shortages by removing other requirements for classroom teaching.

“Tests provide some public trust. There is a value from a public good perspective in having assurance on the knowledge, skills, and competencies of our professionals,” he said. “But we should think about how we can engage in that process better and in a more equitable way.”

Other states allow teacher candidates to demonstrate their subject matter expertise with their GPA from their content area, Cuenca noted.

Recruiting and retention efforts should have an eye toward creating support systems for Black and Hispanic candidates within their teacher prep programs, he said.

And the state could offer scholarships to teacher candidates who need to retake their exams. This would acknowledge that the repeated out-of-pocket financial costs and discouragement could lead them to choose another career path entirely.

“A century after this flawed system of teacher licensure was first implemented, policymakers should consider these recommendations, not only for the sake of individual teacher candidates, but to grow a more representative and effective teacher corps,” the study says.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana districts announce big pay raises for substitutes amid shortage

2022-09-09T14:10:58+00:00

Facing a shrinking pool of substitute teachers, a few school districts in Indiana have announced major pay raises to entice subs with teaching experience back to the classroom.

Last month, Elkhart Community Schools announced a $350 full day rate for teachers who have retired from the district, as well as $300 for all other retired teachers, up from $145 last year.

And Muncie Community Schools announced it will double the daily rate for substitute teachers who have teaching licenses, experience in the classroom, or at least a master’s in education from $105 per day to $210 per day.

They hope to attract qualified teachers at a time when many schools are struggling to cover open staff positions — a complicated problem with roots in the declining number of new teachers in the state.

But the strategy could also pit districts against each other in the race to hire subs, while potentially reducing money available for staff raises.

“You can go through rural areas and on the same highway see three different school districts in 30 minutes. If you’re getting calls on Tuesday night to substitute on Wednesday, it’ll affect your choice of where you’ll go,” said Keith Gambill, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association.

Roots of the substitute shortage

Gambill said that when he started teaching in 1987, there were often more new teaching graduates than open positions. But recent statistics indicate that the labor environment for teachers has changed dramatically.

Indiana Department of Education data from June shows a downward trend in the number of teachers entering the profession over the last decade — from around 6,000 in 2014 to just over 4,000 in 2020 — as well as an uptick in teachers leaving the job.

The same report showed that from 2012 to 2021, the public school teaching force grew by 654 teachers overall.

There are currently over 1,500 open teaching positions on the department’s job bank, plus 35 open substitute positions. But there is no comparable data for past years, making quantifying a shortage difficult, especially since some schools may cancel or merge classes if they can’t find a teacher, Gambill noted.

“With fewer candidates in the profession, everyone who graduates is getting jobs,” Gambill said. And with respect to substitutes, he added, “We’re also relying on retired folks who aren’t prepared to go back into an atmosphere where COVID still exists.”

Some retirees may also be reluctant to return as subs due to their unfamiliarity with classroom technology’s growing footprint in schools, especially during the COVID years, Gambill said.

In Muncie, schools saw the number of substitutes shrink by 10% from last year, and 30% from before COVID, according to the district.

District CEO Lee Ann Kwiatkowski said the declines are partly due to fears of the virus, and partly due to trends in the larger labor market. Overall, the situation left schools to ask instructional aides, library aides, and school counselors to cover for absent teachers.

“We had building principals covering classrooms,” she said.

Targeting raises to former and retired teachers allows Muncie schools to hire the best possible candidates for the classroom, said Kwiatkowski, and thus avoid learning disruptions when a staff teacher is unavailable.

In the week after the raises were approved by the Muncie school board, 13 candidates applied to substitute, citing the raise as a factor in their interest, Kwiatkowski said. The district employs around 350 staff teachers.

“It’s worth their time to give up a day and come back to the classroom,” Kwiatkowski said.

Pay raises for staff teachers?

At an Aug. 9 school board meeting, Elkhart schools’ Counsel and Chief of Staff Doug Thorne said the district’s increased rate was based on the average salary a district teacher had when they retired.

In addition to ensuring a pool of qualified subs, Thorne cast the pay raise as a competitive advantage. “I hope it encourages retired teachers from other districts to determine that Elkhart is the place they should be working at,” Thorne said.

At a time when the district has a critical need for qualified and dependable substitutes, retired teachers are a big part of the solution, said Elkhart Teachers Association President Kerry Mullet.

“The previous rate which retirees were offered was not enough compensation to entice most of these licensed professionals to resume their work in the classroom,” Mullet said. “There has already been an increase in the number of substitutes available. Hopefully this trend will continue.”

But that approach can lead to new concerns. At the Aug. 9 meeting, Elkhart school board member Kellie Mullins raised the issue of whether pay hikes should be prioritized for full-time teachers.

“If we can do all of these other things to get substitutes in, why are we not just paying our teachers more?” Mullins said.

The problems money can’t solve

In response to Mullins’ question, Thorne and Mullet put the onus on the state legislature.

Per state law, districts can only negotiate teacher compensation during a 60-day window that begins on Sept. 15, which often isn’t enough time to develop a proposal, discuss it, and reach a mutual agreement, Mullet said in an interview.

The legislature should consider spending a historic surplus on public education, Mullet said.

But even if it did, Mullet said it would take time to reverse the teacher shortage, which has been exacerbated by legislative changes that stripped teachers of the ability to bargain over working conditions.

And both Mullett and Gambill said cutting back on negative rhetoric directed at teachers and teaching would make the profession more attractive, lead more people to enter teaching, and, in turn, reduce the shortage of substitutes.

“Without an influx of new folks to the profession, a critical shortage of teachers will continue,” Mullet said. “No one wants to be in a profession where there is no guarantee of adequate pay and where there is a lack of respect for the hard work being done.”

This story has been updated to reflect the qualifications needed for Muncie’s new pay rate.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana announces $111 million for phonics-focused reading instruction

2022-08-18T17:31:19+00:00

Indiana will spend $111 million to revamp its method of teaching reading to young students by prioritizing phonics, state leaders announced Thursday.

The lion’s share of the funds will go to training teachers in the “science of reading” — a vast body of research on optimal early literacy techniques.

The fund represents the state’s largest-ever investment in literacy, according to the Indiana Department of Education. It comes just a week after the state announced its most recent reading scores for third graders, which remained mostly unchanged from last year, except for drops among English-language learners. Concerns about the pandemic’s impact on literacy in general motivated the state to act.

“This couldn’t be a more timely response to the last couple of years,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb in a press conference about the fund.

The bulk of the total money — $85 million — comes from the Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation, and will go toward training current and future teachers on phonics-focused literacy instruction.

Another $26 million in federal COVID relief funds for Indiana will support literacy instruction through the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) and the Hunt Institute.

“Although we understand that many factors affect reading achievement, we are compelled by the research showing that Science of Reading strategies can help all students learn to read better and address equity gaps in reading,” said Lilly Chairman and CEO N. Clay Robbins in a statement. “Knowing the important contributions teachers make every day in their classrooms, we want to make sure they are fully supported in this important work to help students learn to read well.”

Money for coaching, teacher prep, and oversight

Up to $60 million from Lilly is for the state education department to increase the number of instructional coaches who specialize in phonics-based literacy in elementary schools.

This school year, 54 elementary schools across the state opted into the instructional coach model, a number that will now grow to around 600 — or 60 percent of elementary schools — by the end of the 2025-26 school year.

This money will also help pay for stipends of up to $1,200 for teachers who participate in professional development focused on the “science of reading.”

Another $25 million from Lilly is earmarked for colleges and universities to incorporate phonics-based reading instruction into their undergraduate elementary teacher preparation programs.

Similar instructional approaches relying on phonics have been rolled out in New York City and states like Colorado, which is in the midst of revamping reading instruction in its at the state’s teacher preparation programs.

In Indiana, no student groups have recovered to their pre-pandemic literacy rates, according to recent state data, which showed just under 82% of all students passed the statewide third grade reading test, the IREAD.

The goal of the new initiative is to have 95% of students pass the IREAD by 2027.

On the other statewide assessment given in grades 3-8 — the ILEARN — around 41% of all students scored proficient or better on the English/language arts section, with wide disparities among student groups.

The new reading initiative will further provide “targeted support for students who need the most help improving their reading skills,” according to the education department, as well as fund an oversight center.

Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said reading instruction currently varies not just from school to school but classroom to classroom, where some teachers may already be using components of phonics instruction, while others aren’t.

Schools nationwide have used other approaches to reading instruction — like “balanced literacy” — which has recently drawn criticism for practices like separating reading and writing, and asking students to look for context clues to understand a word.

Jenner said the shift in reading instruction statewide will continue to be on an opt-in basis for the time being. If there is overwhelming interest in the program, Jenner said the department could earmark more federal funding to expand it to more schools or upper grades, or bring a funding request to the state legislature.

Jenner told an assembly of elementary schoolers and teachers at Eastside Elementary School in Anderson that reading would allow them not only to learn other subjects, but to realize their dreams.

She flipped through her favorite book from school — a book about oceans — to show students an image of the anglerfish, which fascinated her as a child.

Eastside Elementary is one of the schools participating in the state’s instructional coaching pilot this year.

Karen Griner, a literacy instructional coach at Eastside, said coaching helps teachers who may not have had the opportunity to study phonics-based instruction during their teacher preparation programs.

In the earliest grades, it begins with a focus on phonics, and later turns to fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, Griner said.

She said she hopes the investment from the state will expand the practice to more students affected by COVID.

“The last few years have been a struggle,” Griner said. “The masking has been a real delay for some of our students because they haven’t been watching the mouth and the articulation of sounds and words. So we’re hoping now we can really move to that piece and help students learn to articulate.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Indiana’s teacher shortage has some schools scrambling

2022-07-11T20:55:44+00:00

Matt Shockley needs two math teachers and has zero applicants.

Shockley is principal of Avon High School, located 14 miles west of downtown Indianapolis. Avon students return to school at the end of this month. If Shockley can’t fill those positions, class sizes could increase, or students might be left with a long-term substitute who may not be qualified to teach the subject.

“This is the most challenging hiring climate I have had in my 18 years of being a principal,” Shockley said. “It has been very difficult.”

There are more than 2,300 teaching positions posted on the Indiana Department of Education’s new online job board, as of July 7. Additionally, there are nearly 900 open student support positions, like school counselors, classroom aides and cafeteria employees.

Summer is typically a busy hiring season for schools. And it’s unclear if these vacancies represent a worsening teacher shortage, because the IDOE does not maintain comparable data for prior years, according to Holly Lawson, a spokesperson for the agency. Lawson wrote in an email that IDOE switched from its old job bank to a new platform in March of this year. Lawson wrote that nearly every school corporation in the state – and many charter and nonpublic schools – are using the new job board to post positions in real time, which wasn’t possible with their previous system.

That means “comparing postings on the new supply and demand marketplace to postings on the previous job board is like comparing apples to oranges,” Lawson wrote.

Moving forward, she wrote that the state plans to use this new system to glean insights into the educator pipeline, including the geographic and subject areas with the highest need for teachers.

Coping with a lack of qualified candidates

But principals like Shockley have an urgent need for teachers and support staff. Shockley said he’s hired 24 teachers so far this year — a greater number than previous years due to the loss of employees through retirement, stress of the job or other reasons. He said the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on students and teachers has driven some educators to leave the field.

“I had relatively new teachers that have been in the teaching field for two to three years, and just said, ‘You know what, I can’t do this. It’s just been way too challenging over the last couple of years with the stresses of COVID,’” Shockley said.

Shockley said the combination of retirements and teachers leaving, along with a shallow candidate pool, means districts are competing with one another for the teachers that are already in the field.

“It’s been really about kind of stealing from each other and hiring from each other. That’s what we’ve been doing this season,” Shockley said.

Indiana also lags behind its neighboring states in average teacher salary, according to data from the National Education Association, an education labor union. The average teacher salary for Indiana teachers was about $53,000 during the 2020-21 school year, compared to nearly $71,000 for Illinois teachers, roughly $64,000 for Michigan teachers and $54,000 for Kentucky teachers.

Additionally, Shockley said a growing distrust of teachers and the education system, as evidenced in the proposal of curriculum bills and other legislation that seeks to control what can and cannot be said in the classroom, has caused some to look for careers outside education.

To help cope with the shortage of candidates, Shockley said the district has relied more heavily on emergency permits; those are temporary credentials that allow people who aren’t licensed to teach a certain subject. They’re used when schools can’t find a qualified teacher for the job. Emergency permit holders must have a bachelor’s degree and be working toward a license in that subject area.

Statewide, the use of emergency permits has risen by about 58 percent between 2016 and 2021.

During the 2020-21 school year, nearly a quarter of all emergency permits issued were for mild intervention — a special education teacher position. The state banned the use of emergency permits for special education teachers beginning this summer, because the practice violates federal law. The second highest category for emergency permits during that school year was elementary generalist, followed by mathematics and language arts.

“I’m very concerned about our ability to attract and hire the best and the brightest into the field of education,” Shockley said. “We’re just not finding those candidates right now. And I’m concerned about our ability to continue programs in areas where we may not be able to find qualified individuals to fill those positions.”

A shortage of support staff

Lisa Soto Kile, director of human resources for the Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, sees fewer students enrolled in teacher prep programs, and fewer applicants for teaching jobs compared to a decade ago.

Soto Kile said the district, located between South Bend and Elkhart in northern Indiana, has been fortunate; they were able to replace the 65 staff members who retired after the 2020-21 school year and add additional positions to help students recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, they had 55 teachers retire.

Soto Kile said the shortage in her district is more acute for hourly employees, like teachers aides for students with disabilities, food service workers, custodians and bus drivers. In total, she said they have 35 openings across all categories of support staff roles.

She said the shortage has gotten worse in recent years, and the district has put more resources into recruitment.

“You can drive by our schools and in our community, and you can see buses with banners and such. We have signs that are recruiting, and we utilize social media to attract potential employees,” Soto Kile said. “We are working collaboratively with two organizations that assist us in our recruiting efforts.”

Shockley, the principal of Avon High School, said he is also struggling to find enough support staff, including secretaries, instructional assistants, special education teachers aides, study hall aides and other non-certified positions that support the operations of the school.

“If we’re not able to fill those positions, then we’re going to have to find other ways using the people that we have to take care of those just day-to-day operations and needs,” Shockley said. “And that’s just going to be more challenging without people in these very important support roles. If we do not have them, our schools are not going to function very well on a daily basis and be as welcoming to kids and families”

A long-term and immediate problem

Tim McRoberts, associate executive director of the Indiana Association of School Principals, said he’s heard from administrators that the shortages of both support and certified staff are particularly dire in rural areas of the state.

“I think it’s something we need to be very concerned about,” he said.

McRoberts said the narrative around teaching needs to change to make it a more attractive career.

“We’ve got to get creative in what we’re doing to get young people into the field of education,” he said.

That could include recruiting students in high school and offering benefits like free tuition in exchange for several years of teaching service.

McRoberts said the field also needs to look at immediate solutions, like offering financial incentives to get teachers who have left to come back to the field. While there are concerns about the pervasiveness of emergency permits and a new law that allows for adjunct teacher permits, he said administrators need licensing flexibility to staff schools.

“They got to find some people, you know, to get into these classrooms,” McRoberts said. “So it is an immediate concern and problem. [And] it’s a long-term problem that we’ve got to get figured out.”

Contact WFYI education reporter Lee V. Gaines at lgaines@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @LeeVGaines.

‘Women in welding’: This Indiana high school teacher is on a mission to inspire girls to take her shop class

2022-05-18T19:38:14+00:00

One of Kim Rosenbaum’s former welding students called, asking to speak to her class. He was a pipefitter now, and he wanted to report back that everything she had taught him about what it was like to work a job had been spot on.

Rosenbaum, an award-winning teacher at Twin Lakes High School in Monticello, Indiana, had started her career in welding as a single parent who needed to support her family. Before becoming a teacher, she worked for 14 years in machine shops — experiences that she thinks make her a better teacher.

“I could bring that to the weld shop here and express to them what the real world is like,” she said.

Rosenbaum recently spoke to Chalkbeat about how she prepares her students for careers and what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated field.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

One of Kim Rosenbaum’s welding student works on a project for a local church.

How does having a prior career in welding affect the way you teach?

Being in the welding industry was the best thing for me. I am able to share my experience as a welder with my students and the obstacles they might go through.

When I first got here, we gutted the weld shop. I wanted a full production: a CNC plasma cutter, a layout table. All the things that these kids are going to see when they go out into the real world, I wanted them to have here.

What’s it like being a woman in welding?

It was harder when I started school and I had to prove myself. A woman has to work twice as hard and do twice as much work. When I applied for my first welding job, it was a struggle. They weren’t sure if they wanted a female welder there. I convinced them that I can do this.

When I first came here, there was another teacher who said, “Well, you’re not a real teacher.” One student didn’t think that I could teach him anything. So after he graduated, I said, “How did I do? Did I teach you something?” He said, “Yup, you sure did.” He still calls me or stops by the shop every so often.

In the beginning, I didn’t have any female students. Then I’d get one or two. Now I have three. I’m getting more girls, especially because they know I’m a female welding instructor, too.

Tell us about the Women in Welding program.

I started this six years ago. My director asked how we could encourage more girls to pursue non-traditional roles. I suggested a “women in welding” class. I got 10 women: a Spanish teacher, a culinary teacher, an English teacher, and a couple of counselors. I asked them to take my class, but they had to do two things: Promote my class to girls and make a piece of artwork to display. Letting female students see their teachers taking a welding class and what they made might encourage them to take my class.

I have my students teach the class. I’ve had teachers come in and say, “Oh my gosh, this student is a totally different person here than they are with me.” Well, it’s because they’re in their comfort zone. This is where they thrive. Sure, we do some math, and I teach them how to read a rule, but it’s hands-on and they don’t feel dumb. They’re a different kind of smart.

What kinds of conversations do you have with students about how they can use their welding skills in their future careers?

I have guest speakers, like someone from the Ironworkers, come in and talk about a career in welding. We also go on field trips, probably at least four a year. We’re going on a field trip to Terra Drive Systems; they make chassis for John Deere. The one time we went two years ago, they actually let one of my students weld. We bring our welding jackets and hoods so we can watch. They get excited about that. One of my students wants to work there.

Some kids are farmers and want to know how they can use welding to fix farm equipment, or kids are interested in fixing their cars. I have other kids who really want to do this for a living. We just had certification day, where students earned an American Welding Society certification. We had a Certified Welding Inspector come in and check their welds. To see them, the look in their eyes when they pass that test — you did it! It’s a great accomplishment because now all their hard work has paid off.

At a recent advisory meeting, I had employers here, and I want to partner with them so the work-based learning kids in their third year can go on a job and get paid for it during my class. I am going to make this happen!

I have kids who say, “I love your class, that’s the only reason I’m coming to school.” Let me be the reason! Because I want to see you graduate.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I was an average student in school. I did enjoy being on the girls basketball team. I was in band, and I was also on the track team. I guess you would call me a competitive person. I have a good work ethic, and I try to teach my students that this is something that they need to have.

What’s one thing you’ve read that has made you a better educator?

“Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. It’s about taking pictures of things and then making it your own. Like talking to other instructors on how they do things and then making it my own.

What should middle schoolers learn about history? Indiana debates civics standards

2022-05-12T21:48:12+00:00

What Indiana does and does not teach about government – such as constitutional amendments beyond the Bill of Rights – is back in the spotlight this week as the state moves forward with a new middle school civics course.

In civics across all grade levels, the state standards stop at the Bill of Rights, with no specific requirements for students to learn about subsequent amendments that abolished slavery and established equal protection under the law, as well as Indiana’s own history of legal discrimination.

In that vein, education advocates say the proposed middle school civics standards need more specificity, especially regarding the history of Black Americans and other people of color.

“How do we have time to talk about the Magna Carta and Rome, but we fully miss the contributions of other cultures to Indiana and to the nation?” said Marshawn Wolley, director of policy for the African American Coalition of Indianapolis. “If you’re not talking about slavery and the Civil War and Black men’s contributions to saving the union, you’re missing something.”

The standards are heading for a vote in June after nearly a year in development. But recent statewide debate about how schools should talk about race has sharpened the focus on what they’re missing.

Indiana quashed a bill earlier this year that took aim at classroom discussions of race and the legacy of slavery, amid ongoing national discourse about the teaching of hard history that has led states like Tennessee to pass several laws shaping and restricting curriculum.

While advocates are pushing for Indiana to require students to learn key moments in Black history, the state is reluctant to add specific examples to the new civics standards. State officials prefer to leave some decisions about content — such as that about the history of LGBTQ groups — in the hands of communities.

Whether that could create bias, or uneven learning, is a question that social studies teachers routinely grapple with, said Karrianne Polk-Meek, the department’s director of teaching and learning.

“Managing or thinking about the complexity of the students that they serve and the community they serve is inherently one of those things that teachers have to do every day,” Polk-Meek said.

Charity Flores, chief academic officer for the Indiana Department of Education, said including specific examples in the standards sometimes means those are the only examples that are taught.

For the middle school standards, the commission is considering offering additional resources for teachers that would give examples of how to connect historical events to the standards.

Asked whether those resources would include examples involving Americans of color and LGBTQ groups, Flores also deferred to school districts.

“The standards have always been defined to provide access to quality content for students and really should serve as a minimum threshold for ensuring that access,” Flores said. “There are opportunities where a local corporation may go above and beyond to describe other aspects.”

Creating new standards for middle school

The new middle school civics course is a product of a 2021 law authored by Rep. Tony Cook (R-Cicero), who this year wrote an unsuccessful bill to restrict the teaching of race and racism.

That bill, HB 1134, briefly crossed into civics with a requirement that students learn the importance of the U.S. Constitution compared to other systems of government, as well as about “individual rights, freedoms, and political suffrage.”

Under the middle school civics law, students will take the course in the second semester of their sixth grade year, beginning in 2023-24.

Department of Education staff presented the proposed standards for the course Tuesday to the Civics Commission — a 15-member body created by the law. The commission received 200 written public comments on the standards, according to Polk-Meek. The State Board of Education will vote on them in June.

The standards cover three areas: the foundations and function of government, as well as the role of citizens. Some specify texts that students should examine — such as the Magna Carta — while others ask students to broadly “examine ways that state and national government affects the everyday lives of people.”

On Tuesday, Cook, a former social studies teacher, recommended adding more specificity to the standards, citing examples such as the pivotal Supreme Court rulings Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legalized school segregation; Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion; and Miranda v. Arizona, which upheld Fifth amendment rights.

He said that in his observations, the most successful social studies teachers built their courses around important historical documents and discussed the events that led to their creation.

Cook cited a 2021 analysis from the Fordham Institute, a nonprofit conservative think tank, that gave the state comparatively high marks for the quality of its civics and history courses, but knocked the standards for making no reference to the amendments after the Bill of Rights, and giving “little attention to Indiana’s past legal discrimination.”

The report notes that until high school, Indiana students primarily learn civics from their history classes. While Indiana history is discussed in fourth grade, the standards leave out the legalized discrimination of the early 20th century.

“By skipping the history of government in Indiana, the civics standards largely avoid important lessons about race and segregation, though one lonely history standard does address ‘the Civil Rights movement and school integration in Indiana,’” the report said.

Report stresses importance of specifics

The report recommends broadly that Indiana include more specifics in its standards, while ensuring that the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 24th amendments – which abolished slavery and established equal protection and voting rights – are covered at least once.

It also recommends additional content on Indiana’s past legal racism and the impact of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

Indiana is not alone in neglecting the amendments that came after the Bill of Rights, according to Fordham Institute researcher Alison Brody. Ideally, states would include all the Reconstruction and voting rights amendments.

Amber Northern of the Fordham Institute said writing standards are a balance between being too specific — and bordering on curriculum — and not being specific enough — and bordering on uselessness.

For the most part, Northern said, Indiana has gotten the balance right, including with the new middle school standards. However, the standards would be stronger if they included specific examples, she said, and made it clear whether the examples were required.

Standard C.6.17, for example, asks students only to “use information from a variety of resources to demonstrate an understanding of local, state, regional leaders, as well as civic issues.”

A more complete standard such as C.6.5, she said, details the essential ideas students are expected to know:

“Identify and explain essential ideas of constitutional government, which include limited government; rule of law; due process of law; separated and shared powers; checks and balances; federalism; popular sovereignty; republicanism; representative government; and individual rights to life, liberty and property; and freedom of conscience and religion.”

Northern said including some examples is better than not including any at all, and that teachers appreciate the additional guidance.

Furthermore, she said there is a risk of inequitable learning outcomes when teachers have free rein to choose all their own examples, or none at all.

“The consequence of not teaching specific examples is that all students are not exposed to the same level of instruction and rigor in classrooms,” Northern said. “There should be an expectation that all students learn a core set of content.”

Department of Education spokesperson Holly Lawson said Indiana’s standards writing process involves input from parents, educators, and others. The current social studies standards were reviewed in 2020.

The state may take another look at its social studies standards by 2024 under a new state law that requires the department to evaluate the standards for value to employers and higher education institutions. It will consider feedback from stakeholders and third-party reviewers such as the Fordham Institute, Lawson said.

Some want Indiana to require Black history

Advocates have long pushed the state to require students to learn key moments in Black history.

In February, as the state inched forward on HB 1134, Sen. Eddie Melton (D-Gary) proposed an amendment that would have required high school history classes to teach an enhanced study of Black history, as they do the Holocaust. The amendment was voted down.

The new middle school standards represent another opportunity to require that history, advocates said.

The proposed standards don’t reference the 1851 Indiana Constitution, which included an article banning Black people from settling in the state, said Mark Russell, director of Advocacy & Family Services Indianapolis Urban League.

They leave out influential Hoosiers such as Sen. Birch Bayh, who authored the 25th and 26th amendments, as well as lessons about the presence of the Ku Klux Klan in state government, said Marshawn Wolley of the AACI, adding that he was concerned the civics commission lacked racial diversity.

Avoiding the lessons is detrimental to all children who are learning about the challenges and responsibilities of citizenship, Wolley said, but especially to Black children, who don’t see their history represented.

“These are clear examples of why you have to talk about all aspects of history,” Wolley said. “So you learn from the past and recognize that even when the country has made mistakes, this is still an amazing country, because we try to perfect the union.”

Correction: May 13, 2022: A previous version of this story misspelled Karrianne Polk-Meek’s name.

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Why some Indiana second graders took IREAD early

2022-03-23T20:58:29+00:00

Several hundred Indiana elementary schools tested their second graders on a state reading assessment last week in an effort to gauge their literacy skills after two years of pandemic disruptions.

This was the first year the Indiana Department of Education offered schools the option to test second graders on the IREAD-3 — which is intended for third graders — in order to offer identify and help struggling readers earlier.

Around 400 schools tested about one-quarter of the state’s second grade students, with results expected in mid-April, according to the department.

The voluntary pilot didn’t require legislative approval, unlike a bill proposed in 2015 that would have moved the test to second grade for all students. That proposal died after criticism that second grade was too early to test.

Two major incentives motivated schools to participate. First, students who pass the test in second grade won’t have to take it again in third grade, thereby reducing their testing burden during the year they take the ILEARN for the first time.

The results will also provide more information about students whose schooling has been disrupted by COVID since kindergarten.

“With this particular cohort, we’ve seen the most significant impact in terms of reading,” said Troy Knoderer, chief academic officer for Lawrence Township schools. “We need to give them all the support we can.”

In 2021, 81.2% of Indiana third graders passed the IREAD-3. Students who don’t pass in third grade must retake the test and may be held back.

The multiple choice test consists of three segments and takes approximately two hours to complete. The Department of Education recommends that schools spread this time out over at least two days.

Administering the test this year to all students in second and third grade cost $380,000.

All of Lawrence Township’s elementary schools tested their second grade students last week.

The Indianapolis district opted in after overwhelming support from elementary school principals, said Tierney Anderson, director of elementary education. Second graders and their teachers then worked on IREAD topics on a weekly basis.

“It’s making sure we are able to implement interventions on day one of their third grade year… so they do pass in third grade,” Anderson said.

She said parents supported the decision after the district explained it as something that could only help students, not hinder them.

Knoderer said he hopes the results will lead more families to participate in the district’s summer tutoring program.

During the week of the test, students took walks around the school to get their energy out, Knoderer said.

“It’s as low stress as possible, no stakes,” Knoderer said. “We’re trying to do this in a way that’s developmentally appropriate.”

While the IREAD is the first state test for young students, most have already taken diagnostic exams like i-Ready throughout the year.

At Gary schools, students take those exams three times a year, said Esther Goode, the district’s director of elementary curriculum. Through those tests, schools have seen evidence of a “COVID slide.”

“Students are, on average, anywhere from two to maybe three years behind and we’re needing to make up the loss,” she said.

Goode said the district plans to use second graders’ test scores to offer differentiated instruction in small groups next year, allowing teachers to focus on specific skills. Schools told parents that taking the test early will give them insight into what specific skills to work on with their children, she said.

The district is also offering a K-12 summer school, and will invite second graders to work on literacy skills based on their IREAD results, said Chief Academic Officer Kimberley Bradley.

Bradley said the pandemic had an outsize impact on Gary students, 99% of whom come from low-income families, and may have experienced upheavals at home.

But the district has also seen academic gains since the fall, Bradley said, as schools navigate a mostly normal school year.

“We’re seeing the impact of the students now in classrooms with their teachers,” she said. “They’re beginning to catch up.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As COVID protocols end, young students and new teachers adjust

2022-03-21T16:08:48+00:00

The last lesson that Alexis Kashman taught before COVID closed her classroom was fractions, with her students making diagrams out of tape on the floor.

A recent college graduate, she had started her teaching career at Chapel Glen Elementary School in Wayne Township just three months earlier, and found herself going back to her textbooks to translate the fraction lesson for remote learning.

“We were taught the most important thing is to gather your kids at the carpet and read to them,” she said. “And then as soon as I started, the pandemic hit and everything I had learned up until that point, we had to throw it out the window.”

After two years of disrupted lessons, Kashman has come full circle as Indiana schools return to a pre-pandemic state, with no masking, distancing, quarantining, or — teachers hope — major upheavals midway through the year.

For veteran teachers and older students, this is a return to normalcy. But for some young students and new teachers like Kashman, this is among the first times they’ve experienced in-person learning without restrictions or interruptions. And schools like Chapel Glen are tasked with helping both groups adjust.

The solutions range from a mentorship program for new teachers, to incorporating new and old-school learning strategies, to practicing patience and experimenting with new ideas.

“We all have learned that we really can do hard things,” said Principal Shatara Smith. “When we think outside the box, and we come together and problem solve, it’s not as bad as you think.”

Schools like Chapel Glen Elementary have adopted new programs and strategies to help teachers and students adjust to in-person learning.

Learning classroom expectations

Like schools across the country, Chapel Glen closed and reopened several times over two years as it weathered COVID cases and shifting health guidelines.

During building closures, the Indianapolis district offered an online program where teachers taught alone from their classrooms while students followed along at home.

Alexandra Offutt, who started at Chapel Glen teaching virtual students, described her first few months as a little lonely.

When teachers and students were able to return to their classrooms, they found changes. Gone were the staples of elementary education, like circle time and morning high-fives, replaced by spaced-out desks and elbow bumps.

Offutt’s students had to remain in pods, spending their day doing activities with the same four or five peers in order to aid in contact tracing. Masking and distancing made critical early literacy lessons a challenge, especially for students who were learning English as a second language.

“For kindergarten, it’s hard because you’re learning how to form your mouth when you’re learning these letters,” Offutt said.

“We’d have to be like, alright, back up and pull your mask down and tell me what you’re saying,” Kashman said.

Alexandra Offutt started out teaching students virtually at Chapel Glen, and found that masking and social distancing created challenges with early literacy lessons.

Simultaneously, students also had to learn stamina, focus, and interpersonal skills that had fallen by the wayside during at-home learning. And once the school went mask-optional, Offutt also had to teach students to respect their friends’ choices to wear a mask or not.

“How you speak at home is not necessarily how you can speak at school,” Offutt said. “And you can’t just bump and push and grab something, because you’re going to hurt another kid if you do that.”

Now, with restrictions lifted, Offutt’s kindergartners took advantage of their freedom to move around the room with their friends on Thursday, while dancing to a St. Patrick’s Day song.

Then Offutt gathered them on the rug to sound out words. On “cove,” some students made the leap to a more familiar word.

“No, not COVID,” Offutt said.

“Ewww,” the students said.

Teachers learn from each other

Chapel Glen’s newest teachers are also learning the ropes.

The school’s mentorship program, dubbed the New Teacher Academy, matched new teachers to veteran ones in an effort to ease them into the school and the expectations of teaching in-person, said Smith, the principal.

“Many of our new teachers not only started remotely, but had their student teaching practicum remotely,” Smith said. “Looking at classroom management, procedures, a lot of the necessary foundational things that are needed for starting, we thought, ‘How can we help address some of these areas of concern?’”

But mentees noted the pandemic has also led to a two-way street with mentors, whom they may not have met otherwise.

“I’m helping a veteran teacher create an assignment online, but the veteran teacher is helping me figure out what’s going to work for one of my specific learners,” Kashman said.

Chapel Glen has a mentorship program called the New Teacher Academy, which pairs early career teachers like Kashman with veteran educators.

The way forward likely combines the experiences of both new and veteran teachers, as they all work to address the skills that lapsed during the pandemic.

Teachers of all types are grappling with helping fourth graders who may read at a first-grade level, said Megan Graybosch, a reading interventionist and mentor.

“There’s probably some hesitancy to want to pick up a book that they know they can be successful with,” Graybosch said. “Those books may not look like what their peers are reading.”

Graybosch said she helps new teachers consider how to incorporate “old-school” activities into 21st-century classrooms.

Time-tested strategies like small group reading and rotating centers can supplement the online curriculum and personalized lesson plans that have come to define pandemic learning, she said.

There are other pandemic-inspired changes that the school would like to keep as it steadily returns to normal.

Virtual parent-teacher conferences and drive-thru awards ceremonies are here to stay by popular demand, Smith said.

All Chapel Glen students now have a tablet or laptop, and spend some time each week refreshing the skills they had to learn during virtual schooling.

“I joked that they have trouble holding a pencil, but man, they can cut and paste, they can upload documents,” Smith said. “The skills that we may have introduced them to probably a little later, they were introduced to and did really well.”

Preparing for the future of the pandemic

Chapel Glen students watch a movie during indoor recess. Their principal, Shatara Smith, feels like her staff is more prepared to deal with unforeseen challenges after two years of a pandemic.

As Kashman prepared to send her first graders to recess on Thursday, an unexpected announcement came over the school’s public address system: Recess would be held indoors due to lingering smoke from a nearby fire.

Kashman pivoted, offering Play-Doh, coloring pages, and time to watch “The Secret Life of Pets,” conscious that her students would be spending their whole day indoors.

“They’ll get antsy by the end of the day,” she said.

Her students said they didn’t mind staying inside.

“Because you get sweaty outside, and I don’t want to get sweaty,” one student, Aaliyah, said.

It’s difficult to predict how COVID will affect schools in the future, but it will likely involve a series of adjustments.

Principal Smith said Chapel Glen has plans in place for future school closures, whether due to COVID, snowstorms, or other unforeseen circumstances. After two years, her staff feels more prepared to weather uncertainty, she said.

With case counts low, and pandemic protocols over, teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year, said Graybosch, the reading interventionist.

“I’m no virologist,” she said, to laughs from her peers. “But I think next year is looking pretty good.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

As cases remain low and schools relax their COVID protocols, many teachers feel cautiously optimistic about the next school year.

‘Nearing a collapse,’ Indiana needs more special educators

2022-03-03T22:42:53+00:00

When her colleague resigned unexpectedly over Christmas break, special education teacher Lisa Whitlow-Hill took 20 more students under her wing.

In addition to coordinating a college and career program for young adults with disabilities, Whitlow-Hill now had to identify goals and create service plans for preschoolers to eighth graders, too.

As schools throughout the state struggle to fill special education jobs, their task will likely grow ahead of a July expiration date for about 1,200 emergency teaching permits.

“Education is so important, but we’re struggling,” Whitlow-Hill said. “We’ve lost so many people.”

Indiana doesn’t keep track of how many special education teachers its schools lack or will need. But many districts face vacancies, which squeeze their budgets and leave them vulnerable to lawsuits for failing to provide services guaranteed by federal law.

To help fill the gap, the state and school districts have earmarked millions in federal dollars to train more special education teachers. One pathway will offer a bridge for teachers whose emergency permits are expiring, while another focuses on working paraprofessionals.

But the programs will take one to four years to yield classroom-ready teachers, leaving concerns that at the moment, schools simply can’t find enough people to hire.

What’s driving special education shortages

The number of working special education teachers in Indiana declined around 4% from 2014 to 2021, while the number of students in special education grew 12%, according to the Indiana Department of Education.

A state job bank lists over 150 open special education teaching positions, but more openings likely exist. Not all schools list vacancies in the bank, department spokesperson Holly Lawson said.

At the same time, fewer students enter and stay in traditional teaching programs, while the educator workforce is aging, said Carey Dahncke, who leads a University of Indianapolis education center. Only about 16% of undergraduate education majors go on to earn their teaching licenses, according to one study. And candidates who want to teach special education must also obtain an addition to their teaching license.

Previously, schools could fill vacancies with substitutes, said Angie Balsley, president of the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education.

But finding substitutes has been more challenging during the pandemic, as schools need to fill in for educators out because of COVID, Balsley said. She said the general demand for workers, low wages, and a negative public perception of teaching also discourage people from pursuing a career in education.

“We’re nearing a collapse on the current trajectory because of personnel shortages,” Balsley said.

What the shortage means

Balsley, who also serves as executive director of Earlywood, a special education services co-op in Franklin, said four of its 85 certified staff members resigned in December alone, placing a heavy burden on those who remain.

For students who qualify for special education, services are a right, she said.

“In a classroom, unlike a fast food chain, we don’t get to just close for the day,” Balsley said.

That’s what left teacher Whitlow-Hill to take over the documentation duties for special education at a small private school, while a paraprofessional leads the classroom under Whitlow-Hill’s direction.

COVID considerations like exposures, masking rules, and contact tracing weigh heavily on educators’ minds, Whitlow-Hill said. But those worries may be even more acute for special education aides who risk exposure to COVID in the classroom and may not receive a paycheck if they have to quarantine, she added.

This in turn makes it harder to hire aides.

“You’re kind of taking on hazardous circumstances,” she said. “It’s a different level of stress.”

Pandemic restrictions and risks also have eaten into the ranks of the cadre of specialists — speech and occupational therapists, as well as psychologists — vital to special education. They face heightened risks traveling from school to school and being in close contact with multiple students.

After Earlywood lost one of its school psychologists in a tragic accident, Ashley Landrum stepped in to cover two districts with the help of an intern, which leaves her responsible for dozens of special education evaluations and a growing number of behavior assessments of children struggling with the stresses of the pandemic.

Because federal rules set a strict timetable for evaluations, Landrum said she’s working longer days to get them done. She said schools struggle to hire contractors to do that work, because they’re in short supply, too.

“Timelines haven’t changed. Deadlines haven’t changed,” she said. “Two years into the pandemic, none of our expectations have changed.”

State tries to fill gaps

With about 1,200 educators set to lose emergency permits after this school year, the state will grant provisional teacher status to those who are seeking full licensure.

Those permits will allow them to remain in the classroom for three years while working toward their license, said Lawson of the state Department of Education. The state is underwriting the tuition and fees for their studies by tapping about $4 million in federal relief funds through 2024.

“We’re seeing strong engagement so far,” Lawson said. “This is a really great program that covers costs and streamlines the process.”

About 170 teacher candidates have enrolled in the state’s alternative permit program, known by its acronym I-SEAL.

Most will earn a special education certification in one to two years, depending on whether they have completed prior coursework, said Dahncke, executive director of the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning, which coordinates the programs.

“The idea is to try to inject 300 new special education teachers in the field,” he said. “But we’re only scratching the surface.”

Among the I-SEAL candidates is Drue Yates, a special education resource teacher working on an emergency permit at Greater Clark County Schools.

After graduating with an education degree in May, Yates started as a permanent substitute at Parkwood Elementary then quickly became a resource teacher. Instead of running a large classroom, Yates works all day with small groups of students on academic and behavior skills.

“Given the opportunity and how much I’ve fallen in love with the job I do, I decided it would be best if I tried it,” Yates said.

“Within the first month, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” he said.

Teaching is a challenging field, Dahncke said, and special education comes with amplified challenges, including the pressure to meet each child’s individual needs.

Districts want more people like Yates.

“We’re looking for someone who, this is the type of work they want to do,” Dahncke said. “It’s not helpful if a teacher gets into the field and turns around and leaves. We need people who are equipped to do this, who want to do this.”

Dahncke said the state may consider expanding licensing programs to those who don’t have bachelor’s degrees, through apprenticeships or pathways that offer both a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license.

Grow-your-own teachers

Bartholomew County Schools, partnering with St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, is doing just that.

It runs a pilot program with nine paraprofessionals who work in schools during the day, and take online classes in the evening in either secondary special education or elementary education with an add-on certification for special education.

The district is paying for tuition, books, and fees for students who commit to working for the district for two years after graduation, said Gina Pleak, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources.

Pleak said the district started the program as a way to encourage more diversity in its teaching ranks — but the focus on special education is an added bonus. It costs around $12,000 per candidate per year, paid by COVID relief funds.

The aides take about four years to graduate, making the program a long-term investment.

“In education there is not a quick fix. If there is a quick fix, we’re probably sacrificing something,” Pleak said.

About 15% of the district’s special educators, or 17 people, are working on the emergency permits that are set to expire, Pleak said. Nearly all are on track to continue working in the classroom after the deadline.

Pleak said she hopes the state someday will allow greater flexibility for obtaining teaching licenses, by waiving some testing requirements if candidates have work experience, or offering tuition reimbursement if they enroll in an education program.

“They already see the day-to-day work, they feel connected, they have purpose,” Pleak said.

Alternative pathways to licensure are becoming more popular as school leaders recognize there are many barriers in traditional teacher prep programs.

“You have to quit your day job to student teach for 12 weeks. That’s unaffordable,” said Lucy Fischman, an independent education consultant who designed the Bartholomew program.

Teachers on emergency permits also may not be able to afford to complete their full license, Fischman said. And until the federal government said it would cease recognizing their licenses, they assumed they could simply renew their permits annually.

Fischman wants the state to commit to funding the programs after emergency federal dollars expire in 2024.

“There’s nothing more joyful than working with kids. … The variety you get each day is something you can’t find anywhere else,” Fischman said. “The camaraderie you see among special education teachers is unmatched.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

‘Divisive concepts’ bill moves forward in the Indiana Senate

2022-02-23T22:07:36+00:00

A bill to restrict teaching about race and racism has taken another step forward in the Indiana legislature, with an 8-5 vote of approval Wednesday from the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.

House Bill 1134 now heads to the full Senate over the objections of Democrats, whose amendments to strip most of the bill’s provisions failed.

“The premise of the bill starts with a point that citizens are treated equally in the state of Indiana, and that is absolutely not correct,” said Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis). “This bill has further divided our state, pushed teachers from the profession, and it has sent the wrong message to our kids.”

Senators added new language that allows proposed curriculum review committees to review material used by guest speakers in schools, and tweaks the bill’s definition of what constitutes “good citizenship” instruction.

The amendment requires schools to try to obtain parental consent for providing students mental health services, but allows them to proceed to offer services if a parent doesn’t reply within a given timeline. The original bill required parental consent; now a summer legislative committee will study the issue instead.

The bill retains the restrictions on teaching three ideas that lawmakers describe as “divisive.” The limits have drawn overwhelming public criticism.

One failed amendment would have changed the definition of the concepts to align with federal law on nondiscrimination of protected classes, including those of sexual orientation and gender identity, which are not covered in HB 1134.

Sen. Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) joined the four Democrats on the committee to vote against the bill, saying that the Indiana Department of Education was not fully on board, and that she had heard from many school leaders, teachers, and others who opposed the bill.

The committee rejected an amendment by Sen. Eddie Melton (D-Gary) that would have required high school U.S. history classes to include an “enhanced study” of the Holocaust and Black history, listing events from slavery and abolition to the election of President Barack Obama that should be used as lessons.

Committee Chair Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) and bill sponsor Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger) both said that Black history already was included in Indiana’s academic standards.

Two Republicans voted for Melton’s amendment. They were Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville), who came under fire in January for suggesting that teachers should teach Nazism neutrally, and Sen. Kyle Walker (R-Fishers).

Melton expressed disappointment, characterizing opponents’ reasons as “excuses.”

Melton urged senators to “do their homework” on the bill before a full Senate vote.

“Just because something makes us uncomfortable, it should not be prevented from discussion,” he said. “No one in here is accusing any white person of being a slave owner. But I still feel the impact of it.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

Proposed change to ‘divisive concepts’ bill would ban fewer ideas

2022-02-15T23:39:07+00:00

A proposed amendment to Indiana’s so-called “divisive concepts” legislation would drop some of the most controversial parts of the bill, but stop short of completely removing a list of concepts that would be banned from the classroom.

The changes are an attempt to strike a compromise, according to a statement by Sen. Linda Rogers (R-Granger), who’s sponsoring House Bill 1134 as it makes its first appearance Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Education and Career Development.

Among its changes, Rogers’ amendment would narrow a list of concepts that lawmakers want banned from the classroom from eight to three, removing one that would forbid teachers from teaching that students should feel guilt or discomfort based on their personal characteristics like race or national origin.

Teachers had singled out this point in particular as potentially generating frivolous lawsuits and stifling classroom conversations.

The bill, passed out of the House last month, has faced an uncertain future in the Senate, which killed its own version of the bill early into the session after national outcry.

“The changes I am introducing may not be where we end up on all of these issues, but I am offering them as a good-faith attempt at a compromise that respects the valid concerns of both parents and educators,” Rogers said in a statement. “I appreciate the thoughtful discussions I’ve had with hundreds of interested parties on this bill, and I will remain open to input as the legislative process continues.”

Rogers’ amendment still includes three concepts that teachers couldn’t promote:

That any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior to another.
That any individual should be treated adversely or preferentially because of the above.
That any individual is responsible for actions committed in the past by people who share their personal traits.

Notably, the amendment would strike “political affiliation” from the list of characteristics that the bill protects from discrimination. Opponents had pointed out that such language could stop teachers from condemning Nazism.

Rogers’ amendment would strike the ability of parents who believe schools have taught a banned concept to file suit. Final authority to determine whether a violation has occurred would rest with the Indiana Department of Education.

The amendment would strike the original bill’s mandate for outside curriculum review.

Instead of mandating curriculum review committees composed primarily of parents, the amendment would give districts the option to form such committees. Parents could request that a committee review certain materials.

Finally, the amendment would not require schools and teachers to post most of their learning materials online for public review at the beginning of the year. Instead it would mandate that they use an online learning management system and allow parents to inspect materials upon request.

The Senate is scheduled to hear testimony, consider amendments, and vote on HB 1134 at Wednesday’s committee meeting, at the end of a packed schedule that also includes a hearing on House Bill 1041, which would ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ sports.

Proponents of the curriculum-control bill have said parents need a window into their children’s education. But opponents, including many teachers, say it discounts their professional experience and inserts politics into teaching.

In a statement, Indiana Democrats said the amendment “still falls far short of the mark for teachers, parents, and students.”

“The latest version of HB 1134 remains a slippery slope allowing bad actors to demand neutrality on issues, divide communities, and diminish Hoosier values,” said Lauren Ganapini, executive director of the Indiana Democratic Party. “The Indiana GOP’s original intentions were to put politics in the classroom, not to create a better future for our children.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.

IPS offers teacher apprenticeship, principal residency to attract educators of color

2022-01-25T22:51:34+00:00

Indianapolis Public Schools is starting a teacher apprenticeship and a principal residency, two programs aimed at attracting more educators of color.

“There are just too many barriers to the pathways to teaching — specifically, teaching in urban schools,” said Alex Moseman, IPS’ director of talent acquisition.

The district plans to train 10 teachers at three elementary schools next year through a partnership with a local charter network. IPS will join Christel House’s IndyTeach program, a free, one-year alternative path to licensure. Prospective teachers will be paid a salary, embedded in IPS classrooms, and partnered with a mentor while preparing for the licensing exam.

The new principal residency will offer a year of paid on-the-job training and mentoring for aspiring leaders, assistant principals, and out-of-district principals who want to work at IPS. Four spots will be available in that program.

IPS has not finalized the salaries for the two training programs, but Moseman noted the pay will be competitive and comparable to similar roles in the district. Next year, IPS’ starting salary for teachers will be $50,400, and for assistant principals, around $105,000.

That would add up to roughly a $1 million investment for the district, though the total cost has not yet been determined. IPS plans to use federal relief dollars, known as ESSER funding, to cover the initial cost. The goal is to eventually expand the programs and include the cost within school budgets, Moseman said.

IPS currently has about 70 teaching vacancies, Moseman said.

Like many other districts, IPS wants to diversify its teaching staff to be more representative of the students they serve. About a quarter of IPS teachers are Black or Hispanic, according to state data, in a district where nearly three-quarters of students are Black or Hispanic.

Research shows that having teachers of color improves outcomes for students of color.

“I want students to see that people that look like them can be teachers,” said Andrea Rodriguez, a sixth-grade teacher at Meredith Nicholson School 96 who is Latina and an IPS graduate.

Education programs at universities tend to produce very few educators of color. IndyTeach, a five-year-old program at Christel House, aims to give college graduates the chance to become teachers without having to go through a traditional teacher prep program, and get teaching experience in urban schools.

“We’re breaking down the barriers of getting into the teaching profession, which opens up the doors to many more potential applicants,” said program director Tracy Westerman.

IndyTeach tends to attract recent graduates who didn’t pursue education degrees, people looking to switch careers, and support staff who want to work toward full licensure, she added.

The training program has become “a huge pipeline,” with more than 80% of participants staying to work at Christel House, Westerman said.

Still, the training program has sometimes struggled to attract diverse candidates. Roughly 30% of applicants are people of color, Westerman estimated. The program has become more diverse over the years, but she didn’t have numbers available on the racial makeup of participants.

“We’re working on it,” she said. “It’s still an area of growth for us.”

Indiana Teacher of the Year sparks creativity with after-school robotics

2022-01-24T21:24:36+00:00

Indiana’s 2022 Teacher of the Year has a simple strategy for getting students excited about science, technology, engineering, and math:

“I get excited,” said East Tipp Middle School teacher Sharita Ware. “I enjoy everything about STEM because if you can dream it up, you can design and make it.”

Ware teaches seventh- and eighth-grade engineering and technology education in Lafayette, Indiana. In addition to her regular classes, she hosts after-school activities that challenge students to solve real-life problems through hands-on projects, like developing an app or building a robot.

“When they come to the after-school programs, they learn very quickly that they can do whatever they want without worrying about a grade,” Ware said. “They are more willing to take risks.”

Ware, who has 10 years of teaching experience, spoke to Chalkbeat about fostering imagination, connecting lessons to the world around us, and growing up with teachers who believed in her.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you decide to switch careers to become a teacher?

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after staying home with my children for nine years. I received an email asking for people with degrees or careers in STEM fields to transition to teaching through the Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellowship. Purdue’s program was called STEM Goes Rural. I decided to apply, and the rest is history.

Tell us about a favorite lesson to teach. Where did the idea come from?

I really enjoy teaching engineering design sketching. I learned from the same lessons when I was in school, a long time ago. It was relatively easy for me so I tried teaching it to my students the same way I learned. Some got it, many did not. I had to get very creative, bringing in example 3D shapes, color coding the 3D isometric view so the kids could see the three orthographic views (top, front, and right-side). It is kind of like solving a puzzle. I really enjoy watching my students when they finally get it and are able to help and teach their fellow classmates.

How do you get students excited about STEM?

Some of the kids already have that innovative spirit on them, but some need a little convincing. As a teacher, you have to believe in what you are teaching. How can I expect the kids to get excited about something I don’t care about? I also try to help them see the real-world applications for the content we are learning. That way even if they don’t care about the project, they may be able to use what they have learned for something they do care about.

How did you get involved with after-school programs? How does what you see from students in the after-school programs compare to what you see during classroom lessons?

I want to get as many kids involved in being creative and innovative as possible. Since I only teach seventh- and eighth-grade students, I wanted to introduce the sixth graders to all of the wonderful tools and equipment. I also feel like kids lose a lot of their child-like imagination and creativity once they get to middle school. All of the testing and making the grade overwhelms so many kids that they feel like they don’t have time to be creative.

What are you doing to meet your students’ needs following two disrupted school years and the trauma COVID brought with it?

I am having to be more patient with the students and with myself. The shutdown in March 2020 is still having repercussions to this day. Back then we were just trying to survive and did not know what the future held. We lowered our expectations and made our due dates very flexible — too flexible. We have students who just will not turn things in on time. We have some who barely meet the expectations of an assignment, but still expect a high grade just for turning it in.

I have had to strengthen my resolve to push past the lack of desire of many students to perform or want to learn. I still am trying to hold a high standard while helping them climb up the ladder with words of encouragement, more detailed instructions, and video examples. I don’t always get favorable responses, but I know it is the right thing to do.

What’s something happening in the community that affects what goes on inside your class or your school?

The economic conditions. Some families are struggling. Some are not. The gap between haves and have-nots is widening. Many more middle schoolers have jobs than I remember a few years ago. The uncertainties with COVID and racial tensions weigh on the kids. I have to find productive ways to help them process it all. I try to keep my responses void of my opinions and feelings about things.

Tell us about your own experience with school and how it affects your work today.

I really enjoyed school growing up. I was a pretty quiet and shy child. I didn’t always advocate for myself, and it left some holes in my learning. To this day, I don’t have the best relationship with math because I didn’t have the best teachers. I think they did the best they could in most cases but did not go out of their way for every student. I did have some really great teachers that saw the potential of that quiet little girl. They gently pushed me and helped me discover some of my strengths as a student.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and how have you put it into practice?

Stay true to yourself. Be intentional and purposeful. The world seems to want everyone to have the same identity. There is no respect for differences unless your difference agrees with my difference. It is possible to respect other people even when you don’t agree with them. I try to treat everyone with respect and kindness. I also try to make sure the things I ask my students to do have value and purpose. I like for there to be somewhat of a flow between all of the things we learn in class. My hope is when my students look back at the time they spent in my class, they can see value in most of what they learned.

You have a busy job, and this is a stressful time. How do you take care of yourself when you’re not at work?

I really enjoy gardening and working outside with my hands. It is so relaxing to nurture flowers and watch them grow and make our home look so pretty. I also love to build with Lego. Spending time with my family, my husband and children, brings me joy. I like hearing about their days and laughing at their antics. We also go to church together, and that is where my cup gets refilled so I can continue to bless others. When I stay focused on what really matters, I am at peace.

Indiana educators: How would proposed restrictions on teaching about race and identity affect your classroom?

2022-01-07T14:45:00+00:00

Indiana lawmakers have introduced a bill that would restrict what teachers can teach about race and racism, as well as what schools can mandate as part of diversity and equity training.

It would also require schools to post curriculum materials online, involve parents in the curriculum selection process, and obtain parent permission for mental health services for their children.

The proposal would create a process for parents to file a complaint, beginning with speaking to the school principal and allowing for potential civil litigation.

The bill would ban teaching concepts that suggest students of one race bear responsibility for past actions against those of another race; or that cause feelings of guilt or anguish among students.

Chalkbeat wants to hear from Indiana educators: How would this proposed legislation affect you? What are your most pressing questions and concerns? Let us know in the survey below.

If you are having trouble viewing this form, go here.

Indiana graduation rate dips slightly, unevenly for Class of 2021

2022-01-05T00:22:19+00:00

Graduation rates for Indiana students dipped slightly to about 87% last year, according to state data released last week, falling most steeply among student groups with the lowest graduation rates.

Graduation rates fell 3 percentage points among Black students, 2.6 points among Hispanic students, and 6 points among Native American students. They also fell by 4 points among English learners and students from low-income families.

Indiana had about 67,500 graduates in the Class of 2021, which experienced COVID-related disruptions throughout senior year.

Those students represent 86.7% of their class, one point lower than that of the Class of 2020.

The 2021 rate includes some students who received a waiver from the state’s graduation exam. Students qualify for a waiver if they meet certain other requirements, like showing workforce readiness.

In 2020, the state granted a blanket waiver to seniors — thus complicating any comparison between the past two years’ high school classes.

A higher percentage of students passed the exam to graduate last year than did in 2019. In that year, which required a graduation exam, 87.3% graduated.

This year’s rates offer a look at the circumstances that students faced over a year of pandemic learning, said Jill Shedd, assistant dean for teacher education at the Indiana University College of Education.

While they can help gauge how the year went, they shouldn’t be taken as characteristic of the graduating class, she added, many of whom experienced challenges in accessing education.

“I am not convinced that they are an accurate measure of our seniors’ potential, what they’re able to know,” Shedd said. “The fact that so many did graduate, and were extremely resilient doing as well as they did, speaks a lot about their capabilities and who they are as persons, which are important elements that are never going to be captured on pencil and paper.”

Graduation rates for 2021 varied among schools and student groups. One prevalent pattern was a jump in rates from 2019 to 2020, followed by a drop in 2021.

District	School	2020	2021	Change
Adams Central Community Schools	Adams Central High School	100.00%	94.55%	-5.45
North Adams Community Schools	Bellmont Senior High School	94.12%	96.15%	2.03
South Adams Schools	South Adams High School	92.13%	89.11%	-3.02
MSD Southwest Allen County Schls	Homestead Senior High School	96.28%	93.85%	-2.43
Northwest Allen County Schools	Carroll High School	97.91%	95.70%	-2.21
Fort Wayne Community Schools	North Side High School	88.27%	86.31%	-1.96
Fort Wayne Community Schools	R Nelson Snider High School	95.52%	94.57%	-0.95
Fort Wayne Community Schools	South Side High School	88.95%	81.68%	-7.27
Fort Wayne Community Schools	Wayne High School	95.74%	90.46%	-5.28
Fort Wayne Community Schools	Northrop High School	92.64%	88.42%	-4.22
East Allen County Schools	Leo Junior/Senior High School	92.21%	92.67%	0.46
East Allen County Schools	Heritage Jr/Sr High School	86.18%	81.88%	-4.3
East Allen County Schools	Woodlan Jr/Sr High School	89.36%	89.26%	-0.1
East Allen County Schools	New Haven Jr/Sr High School	89.51%	85.60%	-3.91
East Allen County Schools	East Allen University	96.88%	100.00%	3.12
Bartholomew Con School Corp	Columbus North High School	87.90%	84.09%	-3.81
Bartholomew Con School Corp	Columbus East High School	85.01%	85.86%	0.85
Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp	Hauser Jr-Sr High School	91.23%	93.42%	2.19
Benton Community School Corp	Benton Central Jr-Sr High School	84.85%	90.51%	5.66
Blackford County Schools	Blackford Jr-Sr High School	92.31%	86.21%	-6.1
Western Boone Co Com Sch Dist	Western Boone Jr-Sr High School	95.20%	96.32%	1.12
Zionsville Community Schools	Zionsville Community High School	96.91%	97.20%	0.29
Lebanon Community School Corp	Lebanon Senior High School	93.78%	86.67%	-7.11
Brown County School Corporation	Brown County High School	82.29%	87.34%	5.05
Carroll Consolidated School Corp	Carroll Senior High School	94.37%	94.81%	0.44
Delphi Community School Corp	Delphi Community High School	84.54%	89.83%	5.29
Pioneer Regional School Corp	Pioneer Jr-Sr High School	96.30%	100.00%	3.7
Lewis Cass Schools	Lewis Cass High School	92.92%	96.26%	3.34
Logansport Community Sch Corp	Logansport Community High School	81.59%	84.59%	3
Borden-Henryville School Corporation	Henryville Jr & Sr High School	89.53%	87.78%	-1.75
Borden-Henryville School Corporation	William W Borden High School	88.68%	95.83%	7.15
Silver Creek School Corporation	Silver Creek High School	96.12%	93.39%	-2.73
Clarksville Community School Corp	Clarksville Senior High School	90.91%	84.09%	-6.82
Greater Clark County Schools	New Washington Middle/High School	96.08%	97.73%	1.65
Greater Clark County Schools	Charlestown Senior High School	97.55%	96.70%	-0.85
Greater Clark County Schools	Jeffersonville High School	97.08%	94.62%	-2.46
Clay Community Schools	Clay City Jr-Sr High School	90.48%	91.23%	0.75
Clay Community Schools	Northview High School	72.69%	85.71%	13.02
Clinton Central School Corporation	Clinton Central Junior-Senior HS	92.65%	90.00%	-2.65
Clinton Prairie School Corporation	Clinton Prairie Jr-Sr High School	91.57%	94.05%	2.48
Community Schools of Frankfort	Frankfort High School	87.95%	86.86%	-1.09
Rossville Con School District	Rossville Middle/Senior High Sch	91.55%	92.86%	1.31
Crawford County Community Sch Corp	Crawford County High School	84.44%	82.83%	-1.61
Barr-Reeve Community Schools Inc	Barr Reeve Middle/High School	100.00%	100.00%	0
North Daviess Com Schools	North Daviess Jr-Sr High School	93.75%	98.61%	4.86
Washington Community Schools	Washington High School	95.81%	89.07%	-6.74
Sunman-Dearborn Com Sch Corp	East Central High School	97.07%	96.50%	-0.57
South Dearborn Community Sch Corp	South Dearborn High School	89.95%	90.95%	1
Lawrenceburg Community School Corp	Lawrenceburg High School	92.57%	94.08%	1.51
Decatur County Community Schools	South Decatur Jr-Sr High School	97.50%	100.00%	2.5
Decatur County Community Schools	North Decatur Jr-Sr High School	97.65%	95.65%	-2
Greensburg Community Schools	Greensburg Community High School	84.78%	92.57%	7.79
DeKalb Co Eastern Com Sch Dist	Eastside Junior-Senior High School	88.35%	95.05%	6.7
Garrett-Keyser-Butler Com Sch Corp	Garrett High School	95.15%	94.59%	-0.56
DeKalb Co Ctl United Sch Dist	DeKalb High School	90.75%	91.67%	0.92
Delaware Community School Corp	Delta High School	94.71%	89.77%	-4.94
Wes-Del Community Schools	Wes-Del Middle/Senior High School	98.48%	100.00%	1.52
Liberty-Perry Community Sch Corp	Wapahani High School	86.59%	93.98%	7.39
Cowan Community School Corp	Cowan High School	90.57%	98.28%	7.71
Yorktown Community Schools	Yorktown High School	97.16%	97.35%	0.19
Daleville Community Schools	Daleville Jr-Sr High School	87.69%	96.97%	9.28
Muncie Community Schools	Muncie Central High School	83.33%	81.97%	-1.36
Muncie Community Schools	Youth Opportunity Center	3.33%	4.76%	1.43
Northeast Dubois Co Sch Corp	Northeast Dubois Jr/Sr High School	89.86%	88.57%	-1.29
Southeast Dubois Co Sch Corp	Forest Park Jr-Sr High School	95.88%	93.98%	-1.9
Southwest Dubois Co Sch Corp	Southridge High School	95.73%	84.30%	-11.43
Greater Jasper Consolidated Schs	Jasper High School	95.08%	92.50%	-2.58
Fairfield Community Schools	Fairfield Jr-Sr High School	97.50%	94.17%	-3.33
Baugo Community Schools	Jimtown High School	92.07%	84.46%	-7.61
Concord Community Schools	Concord Community High School	87.64%	87.01%	-0.63
Middlebury Community Schools	Northridge High School	92.94%	93.37%	0.43
Wa-Nee Community Schools	North Wood High School	91.67%	92.12%	0.45
Elkhart Community Schools	Elkhart Memorial High School	94.87%	73.33%	-21.54
Elkhart Community Schools	Elkhart High School		88.27%	88.27
Goshen Community Schools	Goshen High School	90.74%	87.28%	-3.46
Fayette County School Corporation	Connersville Sr High School	88.76%	90.18%	1.42
New Albany-Floyd Co Con Sch	New Albany Senior High School	88.64%	90.31%	1.67
New Albany-Floyd Co Con Sch	Floyd Central High School	95.25%	94.85%	-0.4
Attica Consolidated School Corp	Attica High School	100.00%	97.50%	-2.5
Covington Community School Corp	Covington Community High School	96.92%	98.28%	1.36
Southeast Fountain School Corp	Fountain Central High School	81.82%	93.62%	11.8
Franklin County Community Sch Corp	Franklin County High	88.59%	88.59%	0
Rochester Community School Corp	Rochester Community High School	92.96%	93.28%	0.32
Caston School Corporation	Caston Jr-Sr High School	91.07%	93.48%	2.41
East Gibson School Corporation	Waldo J Wood Memorial High	85.71%	86.30%	0.59
North Gibson School Corporation	Princeton Community High School	76.92%	84.00%	7.08
South Gibson School Corporation	Gibson Southern High School	93.88%	90.91%	-2.97
Eastbrook Community Sch Corp	Eastbrook High School	97.48%	96.04%	-1.44
Madison-Grant United School Corp	Madison-Grant Jr./Sr. High School	98.82%	97.89%	-0.93
Mississinewa Community School Corp	Mississinewa High School	95.05%	94.76%	-0.29
Marion Community Schools	Marion High School	87.72%	83.56%	-4.16
Bloomfield School District	Bloomfield High School	92.45%	93.10%	0.65
Eastern Greene Schools	Eastern Greene High School	83.54%	75.00%	-8.54
Linton-Stockton School Corporation	Linton-Stockton High School	89.77%	84.91%	-4.86
MSD Shakamak Schools	Shakamak Jr-Sr High School	84.85%	96.83%	11.98
White River Valley School District	White River Valley High School	91.55%	84.75%	-6.8
Hamilton Southeastern Schools	Fishers High School	98.24%	97.81%	-0.43
Hamilton Southeastern Schools	Hamilton Southeastern HS	97.04%	96.94%	-0.1
Hamilton Heights School Corp	Hamilton Heights High School	91.62%	96.24%	4.62
Westfield-Washington Schools	Westfield High School	98.23%	96.28%	-1.95
Sheridan Community Schools	Sheridan High School	95.45%	89.74%	-5.71
Carmel Clay Schools	Carmel High School	95.17%	96.98%	1.81
Noblesville Schools	Noblesville High School	96.89%	98.31%	1.42
Southern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp	New Palestine High School	94.44%	95.85%	1.41
Greenfield-Central Com Schools	Greenfield-Central High School	94.56%	91.67%	-2.89
Mt Vernon Community School Corp	Mt Vernon High School	97.78%	95.44%	-2.34
Eastern Hancock Co Com Sch Corp	Eastern Hancock High School	99.07%	91.58%	-7.49
Lanesville Community School Corp	Lanesville Jr-Sr HS	93.15%	98.15%	5
North Harrison Com School Corp	North Harrison High School	99.24%	97.02%	-2.22
South Harrison Com Schools	Corydon Central High School	94.54%	92.12%	-2.42
South Harrison Com Schools	South Central Jr & Sr High School	96.77%	95.74%	-1.03
North West Hendricks Schools	Tri-West Senior High School	97.10%	90.34%	-6.76
Brownsburg Community School Corp	Brownsburg High School	98.79%	97.91%	-0.88
Avon Community School Corp	Avon High School	97.84%	97.32%	-0.52
Danville Community School Corp	Danville Community High School	93.15%	90.00%	-3.15
Plainfield Community School Corp	Plainfield High School	93.66%	93.38%	-0.28
Mill Creek Community Sch Corp	Cascade Senior High School	94.17%	99.11%	4.94
Blue River Valley Schools	Blue River Valley Jr-Sr High Sch	97.30%	87.50%	-9.8
South Henry School Corp	Tri Junior-Senior High School	90.63%	89.55%	-1.08
Shenandoah School Corporation	Shenandoah High School	94.68%	93.48%	-1.2
New Castle Community School Corp	New Castle High School	87.97%	92.02%	4.05
C A Beard Memorial School Corp	Knightstown High School	91.86%	87.76%	-4.1
Taylor Community School Corp	Taylor High School	86.41%	81.82%	-4.59
Northwestern School Corp	Northwestern Senior High School	97.99%	99.21%	1.22
Eastern Howard School Corporation	Eastern High School	95.65%	95.45%	-0.2
Western School Corporation	Western High School	95.31%	90.00%	-5.31
Kokomo School Corporation	Kokomo High School	95.45%	95.38%	-0.07
Huntington Co Com Sch Corp	Huntington North High School	90.55%	86.94%	-3.61
Medora Community School Corp	Medora Jr & Sr High School		90.91%
Seymour Community Schools	Seymour Senior High School	91.56%	74.62%	-16.94
Brownstown Cnt Com Sch Corp	Brownstown Central High School	88.31%	89.74%	1.43
Crothersville Community Schools	Crothersville Jr-Sr High School	92.86%	87.88%	-4.98
Kankakee Valley School Corp	Kankakee Valley High School	94.92%	92.34%	-2.58
Rensselaer Central School Corp	Rensselaer Central High School	92.37%	88.60%	-3.77
Jay School Corporation	Jay County Jr/Sr High School	83.33%	84.29%	0.96
Madison Consolidated Schools	Madison Consolidated High School	88.50%	88.40%	-0.1
Madison Consolidated Schools	E.O. Muncie Jr/Sr High School		31.82%	31.82
Southwestern-Jefferson Co Con	Southwestern High School	94.94%	93.02%	-1.92
Jennings County School Corporation	Jennings County High School	90.44%	80.32%	-10.12
Clark-Pleasant Community Sch Corp	Whiteland Community High School	91.72%	92.11%	0.39
Center Grove Community School Corp	Center Grove High School	96.42%	95.63%	-0.79
Edinburgh Community School Corp	Edinburgh Community High School	93.55%	90.38%	-3.17
Franklin Community School Corp	Franklin Community High School	91.29%	90.62%	-0.67
Greenwood Community Sch Corp	Greenwood Community High Sch	92.39%	88.62%	-3.77
Nineveh-Hensley-Jackson United	Indian Creek Sr High School	92.16%	96.40%	4.24
North Knox School Corp	North Knox Jr-Sr High School	93.10%	93.10%	0
South Knox School Corp	South Knox Middle-High School	100.00%	94.12%	-5.88
Vincennes Community School Corp	Lincoln High School	84.91%	83.33%	-1.58
Vincennes Community School Corp	Washington Learning Academy		70.97%	70.97
Wawasee Community School Corp	Wawasee High School	89.95%	91.62%	1.67
Warsaw Community Schools	Warsaw Community High School	91.94%	90.40%	-1.54
Tippecanoe Valley School Corp	Tippecanoe Valley High School	95.69%	91.79%	-3.9
Whitko Community School Corp	Whitko Jr/Sr High School	87.50%	90.82%	3.32
Prairie Heights Community Sch Corp	Prairie Heights Sr High School	90.83%	93.62%	2.79
Westview School Corporation	Westview Jr-Sr High School	91.67%	95.51%	3.84
Lakeland School Corporation	Lakeland Jr/Sr High School	88.73%	82.03%	-6.7
Hanover Community School Corp	Hanover Central High School	97.50%	95.48%	-2.02
River Forest Community Sch Corp	River Forest High School	89.81%	76.19%	-13.62
Merrillville Community School Corp	Merrillville High School	91.78%	89.66%	-2.12
Lake Central School Corporation	Lake Central High School	92.91%	95.94%	3.03
Tri-Creek School Corporation	Lowell Senior High School	96.55%	93.43%	-3.12
Lake Ridge New Tech Schools	Calumet New Tech High School	98.10%	98.64%	0.54
Crown Point Community School Corp	Crown Point High School	98.56%	98.58%	0.02
School City of East Chicago	East Chicago Central High School	72.82%	64.10%	-8.72
Lake Station Community Schools	Thomas A Edison Jr-Sr HS	87.00%	82.47%	-4.53
Gary Community School Corp	West Side Leadership Academy	64.71%	66.67%	1.96
Griffith Public Schools	Griffth Jr/Sr High School	76.92%	71.59%	-5.33
School City of Hammond	George Rogers Clark Md/HS	84.95%	74.75%	-10.2
School City of Hammond	Donald E Gavit Middle/High School	87.39%	76.85%	-10.54
School City of Hammond	Hammond Central High School	75.00%	63.76%	-11.24
School City of Hammond	Morton Senior High School	81.40%	70.48%	-10.92
School Town of Highland	Highland High School	93.48%	92.03%	-1.45
School City of Hobart	Hobart High School	92.45%	91.35%	-1.1
School Town of Munster	Munster High School	94.34%	95.49%	1.15
School City of Whiting	Whiting High School	94.50%	94.29%	-0.21
New Prairie United School Corp	New Prairie High School	97.55%	97.74%	0.19
MSD of New Durham Township	Westville High School	91.67%	91.18%	-0.49
Tri-Township Cons School Corp	LaCrosse School	95.12%	91.30%	-3.82
Michigan City Area Schools	Michigan City High School	91.18%	81.01%	-10.17
South Central Com School Corp	South Central Jr-Sr High School	97.30%	92.50%	-4.8
LaPorte Community School Corp	LaPorte High School	89.21%	80.84%	-8.37
North Lawrence Com Schools	Bedford-North Lawrence High School	89.57%	86.42%	-3.15
Mitchell Community Schools	Mitchell High School	75.76%	90.91%	15.15
Frankton-Lapel Community Schools	Frankton Jr-Sr High School	93.33%	97.32%	3.99
Frankton-Lapel Community Schools	Lapel Sr High School	100.00%	93.46%	-6.54
South Madison Com Sch Corp	Pendleton Heights High School	96.32%	93.48%	-2.84
Alexandria Community School Corp	Alexandria-Monroe High School	89.92%	76.09%	-13.83
Anderson Community School Corp	Anderson High School	87.39%	78.23%	-9.16
Elwood Community School Corp	Elwood Jr-Sr High School	97.06%	85.26%	-11.8
MSD Decatur Township	Decatur Central High School	88.21%	89.79%	1.58
Franklin Township Com Sch Corp	Franklin Central High School	95.17%	95.66%	0.49
MSD Lawrence Township	Lawrence Central High School	92.11%	92.83%	0.72
MSD Lawrence Township	Lawrence North High School	93.42%	94.09%	0.67
Perry Township Schools	Perry Meridian High School	89.98%	94.94%	4.96
Perry Township Schools	Southport High School	84.99%	85.28%	0.29
MSD Pike Township	Pike High School	90.58%	89.67%	-0.91
MSD Warren Township	Warren Central High School	86.54%	81.71%	-4.83
MSD Washington Township	North Central High School	90.54%	91.70%	1.16
MSD Wayne Township	Ben Davis High School	86.97%	87.15%	0.18
MSD Wayne Township	Achieve Virtual Education Academy	36.92%	42.50%	5.58
MSD Wayne Township	Ben Davis University High School	100.00%	100.00%	0
Beech Grove City Schools	Beech Grove Sr High School	88.63%	78.46%	-10.17
Indianapolis Public Schools	Impact Academy 1	2.63%	0.00%	-2.63
Indianapolis Public Schools	Arsenal Technical High School	69.31%	69.97%	0.66
Indianapolis Public Schools	Crispus Attucks High School	85.58%	85.20%	-0.38
Indianapolis Public Schools	Emmerich Manual High School		76.00%	76
Indianapolis Public Schools	Shortridge High School	87.37%	82.82%	-4.55
Indianapolis Public Schools	George Washington High School	63.28%	72.41%	9.13
School Town of Speedway	Speedway Senior High School	96.72%	99.18%	2.46
Culver Community Schools Corp	Culver Community Middle/High Sch	91.38%	81.63%	-9.75
Argos Community Schools	Argos Comm Jr-Sr High School	87.50%	89.80%	2.3
Bremen Public Schools	Bremen Senior High School	94.12%	92.17%	-1.95
Plymouth Community School Corp	Plymouth High School	88.08%	91.45%	3.37
Triton School Corporation	Triton Jr-Sr High School	86.27%	86.89%	0.62
Shoals Community School Corp	Shoals Community High School	93.88%	88.68%	-5.2
Loogootee Community Sch Corp	Loogootee High School	89.86%	88.41%	-1.45
Maconaquah School Corp	Maconaquah High School	92.14%	87.50%	-4.64
North Miami Community Schools	North Miami Middle/High School	96.05%	86.89%	-9.16
Oak Hill United School Corp	Oak Hill High School	96.92%	98.40%	1.48
Peru Community Schools	Peru High School	89.93%	91.10%	1.17
Richland-Bean Blossom C S C	Edgewood High School	90.91%	88.89%	-2.02
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington High School South	97.21%	92.06%	-5.15
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington High School North	90.10%	95.21%	5.11
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	The Acad of Sci & Entrepreneurship	100.00%	88.89%	-11.11
Monroe County Community Sch Corp	Bloomington Graduation School	56.76%	58.82%	2.06
North Montgomery Com Sch Corp	North Montgomery High School	92.36%	93.10%	0.74
South Montgomery Com Sch Corp	Southmont Sr High School	88.36%	95.80%	7.44
Crawfordsville Community Schools	Crawfordsville Sr High School	85.96%	82.66%	-3.3
Monroe-Gregg School District	Monrovia High School	90.54%	86.76%	-3.78
Eminence Community School Corp	Eminence Jr-Sr High School	87.10%	97.06%	9.96
MSD Martinsville Schools	Martinsville High School	84.86%	87.90%	3.04
Mooresville Con School Corp	Mooresville High School	95.77%	95.99%	0.22
North Newton School Corp	North Newton Jr-Sr High School	83.72%	89.53%	5.81
South Newton School Corp	South Newton Senior High School	91.07%	90.16%	-0.91
Central Noble Com School Corp	Central Noble Junior Senior HS	88.50%	90.48%	1.98
East Noble School Corporation	East Noble High School	92.54%	92.00%	-0.54
West Noble School Corporation	West Noble High School	89.63%	86.18%	-3.45
Rising Sun-Ohio Co Com	Rising Sun High School	88.89%	95.89%	7
Orleans Community Schools	Orleans Jr-Sr High School	96.23%	94.64%	-1.59
Paoli Community School Corp	Paoli Jr & Sr High School	89.60%	80.46%	-9.14
Springs Valley Com School Corp	Springs Valley Comm High School	97.10%	98.33%	1.23
Spencer-Owen Community Schools	Owen Valley Community High School	87.57%	79.17%	-8.4
Southwest Parke Com Sch Corp	Riverton Parke Jr-Sr High School	83.10%	79.22%	-3.88
Perry Central Com Schools Corp	Perry Central Jr-Sr High School	93.90%	92.39%	-1.51
Cannelton City Schools	Cannelton Elementary & High School	83.33%	86.11%	2.78
Tell City-Troy Twp School Corp	Tell City Jr-Sr High School	92.05%	92.05%	0
North Central Parke Comm Schl Corp	Parke Heritage High School	88.57%	90.11%	1.54
Pike County School Corp	Pike Central High School	90.32%	87.50%	-2.82
MSD Boone Township	Hebron High School	100.00%	97.62%	-2.38
Duneland School Corporation	Chesterton Senior High School	92.73%	93.51%	0.78
East Porter County School Corp	Morgan Township Middle/High School	100.00%	96.49%	-3.51
East Porter County School Corp	Kouts Middle/High School	98.46%	96.55%	-1.91
East Porter County School Corp	Washington Twp Middle/High School	96.61%	95.65%	-0.96
Porter Township School Corp	Boone Grove High School	94.16%	95.90%	1.74
Union Township School Corp	Wheeler High School	96.12%	97.58%	1.46
Portage Township Schools	Portage High School	93.29%	92.95%	-0.34
Valparaiso Community Schools	Valparaiso High School	92.88%	95.26%	2.38
MSD Mount Vernon	Mount Vernon High School	88.82%	88.64%	-0.18
MSD North Posey Co Schools	North Posey High School	90.83%	97.70%	6.87
Eastern Pulaski Community Sch Corp	Winamac Community High School	89.80%	98.48%	8.68
West Central School Corp	West Central Senior High School	88.33%	96.92%	8.59
South Putnam Community Schools	South Putnam High School	97.96%	97.89%	-0.07
North Putnam Community Schools	North Putnam Sr High School	93.75%	97.83%	4.08
Cloverdale Community Schools	Cloverdale High School	96.67%	90.24%	-6.43
Greencastle Community School Corp	Greencastle High School	92.97%	90.65%	-2.32
Union School Corporation	Union Junior & High School	77.27%	100.00%	22.73
Union School Corporation	Indiana Digital JR and High School	90.91%	94.57%	3.66
Union School Corporation	Indiana Digital Alternative School	31.96%	52.63%	20.67
Randolph Southern School Corp	Randolph Southern Jr-Sr High Sch	97.56%	100.00%	2.44
Monroe Central School Corp	Monroe Central Jr-Sr High School	98.82%	90.54%	-8.28
Randolph Central School Corp	Winchester Community High School	94.59%	83.33%	-11.26
Randolph Eastern School Corp	Union City Community Jr/Sr High	90.32%	95.59%	5.27
South Ripley Com Sch Corp	South Ripley High School	94.68%	92.31%	-2.37
Batesville Community School Corp	Batesville High School	97.56%	96.45%	-1.11
Jac-Cen-Del Community Sch Corp	Jac-Cen-Del MS/HS	97.33%	100.00%	2.67
Milan Community Schools	Milan High School	94.95%	94.51%	-0.44
Rush County Schools	Rushville Consolidated High School	92.94%	92.74%	-0.2
John Glenn School Corporation	John Glenn High School	95.80%	95.03%	-0.77
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corp	Penn High School	97.10%	97.32%	0.22
School City of Mishawaka	Mishawaka High School	93.77%	81.74%	-12.03
South Bend Community School Corp	South Bend Virtual School		56.25%	56.25
South Bend Community School Corp	Clay High School	78.06%	69.78%	-8.28
South Bend Community School Corp	Adams High School	91.12%	90.18%	-0.94
South Bend Community School Corp	Riley High School	82.01%	83.62%	1.61
South Bend Community School Corp	Washington High School	82.02%	61.25%	-20.77
South Bend Community School Corp	Rise Up Academy at Eggleston	30.69%	20.26%	-10.43
Union-North United School Corp	LaVille Jr-Sr High School	86.79%	77.38%	-9.41
Scott County School District 1	Austin High School	84.69%	90.22%	5.53
Scott County School District 2	Scottsburg Senior High School	85.56%	84.98%	-0.58
Shelby Eastern Schools	Morristown Jr-Sr High School	93.18%	94.44%	1.26
Shelby Eastern Schools	Waldron Jr-Sr High School	80.00%	93.88%	13.88
Northwestern Con School Corp	Triton Central High School	93.46%	90.98%	-2.48
Southwestern Con Sch Shelby Co	Southwestern High School	96.15%	95.56%	-0.59
Shelbyville Central Schools	Shelbyville Sr High School	92.19%	95.20%	3.01
North Spencer County Sch Corp	Heritage Hills High School	94.37%	92.86%	-1.51
South Spencer County Sch Corp	South Spencer High School	93.62%	94.95%	1.33
Oregon-Davis School Corp	Oregon-Davis Jr-Sr High School	79.49%	82.35%	2.86
North Judson-San Pierre Sch Corp	N Judson-San Pierre Jr Sr High Sch	88.42%	85.90%	-2.52
Knox Community School Corp	Knox Community High School	92.65%	92.47%	-0.18
Fremont Community Schools	Fremont High School	90.28%	95.38%	5.1
Hamilton Community Schools	Hamilton Community High School	84.62%	92.31%	7.69
MSD Steuben County	Angola High School	85.90%	83.25%	-2.65
Northeast School Corp	North Central Jr/Sr High School	85.71%	96.10%	10.39
Southwest School Corporation	Sullivan High School	97.06%	92.86%	-4.2
Switzerland County School Corp	Switzerland Co Senior High School	91.40%	92.22%	0.82
Lafayette School Corporation	Oakland High School	56.25%	0.00%	-56.25
Lafayette School Corporation	Jefferson High School	79.28%	53.00%	-26.28
Tippecanoe School Corp	McCutcheon High School	92.50%	93.30%	0.8
Tippecanoe School Corp	William Henry Harrison High School	95.44%	90.66%	-4.78
West Lafayette Com School Corp	West Lafayette Jr/Sr High School	93.96%	92.13%	-1.83
Tri-Central Community Schools	Tri Central Middle-High School	92.00%	98.21%	6.21
Tipton Community School Corp	Tipton High School	88.98%	89.55%	0.57
Union Co/Clg Corner Joint Sch Dist	Union County High School	95.65%	94.64%	-1.01
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Benjamin Bosse High School	91.77%	90.58%	-1.19
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Central High School	94.86%	95.65%	0.79
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Francis Joseph Reitz High School	95.95%	97.88%	1.93
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	North High School	95.13%	95.40%	0.27
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Academy for Innovative Studies	21.43%	18.75%	-2.68
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	Harwood Career Prep High School	60.34%	25.11%	-35.23
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	William Henry Harrison High School	93.36%	94.47%	1.11
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp	New Tech Institute	97.01%	98.39%	1.38
North Vermillion Com Sch Corp	North Vermillion High School	96.88%	88.06%	-8.82
South Vermillion Com Sch Corp	South Vermillion High School	86.33%	90.97%	4.64
Vigo County School Corp	Terre Haute North Vigo High School	84.65%	75.62%	-9.03
Vigo County School Corp	West Vigo High School	96.32%	90.13%	-6.19
Vigo County School Corp	Terre Haute South Vigo High School	87.27%	81.44%	-5.83
Vigo County School Corp	Vigo Virtual School Academy	54.55%	19.35%	-35.2
Vigo County School Corp	Booker T Washington Alt Sch	59.09%	41.94%	-17.15
Manchester Community Schools	Manchester Jr-Sr High School	94.35%	93.69%	-0.66
MSD Wabash County Schools	Northfield Jr-Sr High School	94.55%	95.65%	1.1
MSD Wabash County Schools	Southwood Jr-Sr High School	98.63%	94.44%	-4.19
MSD Wabash County Schools	White's Jr-Sr High School	55.76%	52.56%	-3.2
Wabash City Schools	Wabash High School	91.75%	91.53%	-0.22
MSD Warren County	Seeger Memorial Jr-Sr High School	97.75%	100.00%	2.25
Warrick County School Corp	Tecumseh High School	100.00%	96.15%	-3.85
Warrick County School Corp	Boonville High School	87.71%	88.62%	0.91
Warrick County School Corp	Castle High School	92.79%	91.07%	-1.72
Salem Community Schools	Salem High School	96.99%	85.00%	-11.99
East Washington School Corp	Eastern High School	81.08%	83.00%	1.92
West Washington School Corp	West Washington Jr-Sr High School	94.29%	93.02%	-1.27
Nettle Creek School Corporation	Hagerstown Jr-Sr High School	95.45%	98.72%	3.27
Western Wayne Schools	Lincoln Sr High School	94.12%	85.94%	-8.18
Centerville-Abington Com Schs	Centerville Sr High School	91.67%	90.00%	-1.67
Northeastern Wayne Schools	Northeastern High School	97.56%	98.91%	1.35
Richmond Community Schools	Richmond High School	94.49%	93.70%	-0.79
Richmond Community Schools	Community Youth Services		25.00%	25
Southern Wells Com Schools	Southern Wells Jr-Sr High School	96.15%	95.71%	-0.44
Northern Wells Community Schools	Norwell High School	94.20%	94.01%	-0.19
MSD Bluffton-Harrison	Bluffton High School	98.10%	99.14%	1.04
North White School Corp	North White High School	90.00%	96.08%	6.08
Frontier School Corporation	Frontier Jr-Sr High School	89.09%	87.76%	-1.33
Tri-County School Corporation	Tri-County Jr/Sr High School	98.08%	96.08%	-2
Twin Lakes School Corp	Twin Lakes Senior High School	89.05%	89.56%	0.51
Smith-Green Community Schools	Churubusco Jr-Sr High School	97.83%	91.40%	-6.43
Whitley County Con Schools	Columbia City High School	94.16%	87.36%	-6.8
Dynamic Minds Academy	Dynamic Minds Academy		0.00%
Purdue Polytechnic High School Ind	Purdue Polytechnic High School Ind		72.66%
Indiana Connections Career Academy	Indiana Connections Career Academy	63.39%	72.09%	8.7
Excel Center - Clarksville	Excel Center - Clarksville	21.35%	12.50%	-8.85
Excel Center - Hammond	Excel Center - Hammond	5.77%	3.57%	-2.2
Gary Middle College West	Gary Middle College West	25.58%	11.63%	-13.95
Insight School of Indiana	Insight School of Indiana	37.17%	28.31%	-8.86
Riverside High School	Riverside High School		81.67%
Excel Center - Muncie	Excel Center - Muncie	10.00%	3.45%	-6.55
Excel Center - Gary	Excel Center - Gary	4.35%	21.21%	16.86
Excel Center - Richmond	Excel Center - Richmond	17.39%	6.56%	-10.83
Signature School Inc	Signature School Inc	100.00%	100.00%	0
Community Montessori Inc	Community Montessori	93.75%	90.00%	-3.75
Options Charter Schools	Options Westfield	43.02%	68.18%	25.16
Options Charter Schools	Options Noblesville	45.45%	49.09%	3.64
Options Charter Schools	Options Indiana		9.26%	9.26
Irvington Community School	Irvington Community School	72.00%	62.50%	-9.5
Excel Center - Lafayette Square	Excel Center - Lafayette Square	17.19%	5.13%	-12.06
Excel Center - Lafayette	Excel Center - Lafayette	34.39%	33.78%	-0.61
Excel Center - Kokomo	Excel Center - Kokomo	23.71%	26.79%	3.08
Christel House Academy South	Christel House Academy South	87.88%	88.24%	0.36
Christel House DORS	Christel House DORS	32.93%	19.51%	-13.42
Charles A Tindley Accelerated Sch	Charles A Tindley Accelerated Sch	97.50%	79.59%	-17.91
Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	Thea Bowman Leadership Academy	79.82%	65.79%	-14.03
Indiana Agriculture and Technology	Indiana Agriculture and Technology	53.66%	47.06%	-6.6
Gary Lighthouse Charter School	Gary Lighthouse Charter School	85.22%	65.89%	-19.33
21st Century Charter Sch of Gary	21st Century Charter Sch of Gary	94.44%	90.00%	-4.44
Victory College Prep Academy	Victory College Prep Academy	95.45%	92.16%	-3.29
Burris Laboratory School	Burris Laboratory School	96.30%	88.52%	-7.78
Indiana Academy for Sci Math Hmn	Indiana Academy for Sci Math Hmn	98.48%	98.80%	0.32
Herron Charter	Herron High School	98.10%	94.02%	-4.08
Indianapolis Metropolitan High Sch	Indianapolis Metropolitan High Sch	60.53%	41.67%	-18.86
Hammond Academy of Science & Tech	Hammond Academy of Science & Tech	97.18%	93.65%	-3.53
Neighbors' New Vistas High School	Neighbors' New Vistas High School	33.78%	37.68%	3.9
Excel Center - Anderson	Excel Center - Anderson	24.73%	20.93%	-3.8
Anderson Preparatory Academy	Anderson Preparatory Academy	90.16%	82.76%	-7.4
Excel Center - University Heights	Excel Center - University Heights	6.45%	0.00%	-6.45
Excel Center - Noblesville	Excel Center - Noblesville	45.16%	27.42%	-17.74
Rock Creek Community Academy	Rock Creek Community Academy	100.00%	88.57%	-11.43
Career Academy High School	Career Academy High School	95.83%	88.68%	-7.15
Gary Middle College	Gary Middle College	13.21%	9.38%	-3.83
IN Math & Science Academy - North	IN Math & Science Academy - North	76.09%	62.79%	-13.3
Excel Center - South Bend	Excel Center - South Bend	3.57%	8.57%	5
Indiana Connections Academy	Indiana Connections Academy	63.93%	65.93%	2
Excel Center for Adult Learners	Excel Center For Adult Learners	11.85%	8.97%	-2.88
Damar Charter Academy	Damar Charter Academy	6.45%	7.32%	0.87
Dugger Union Community School Corp	Dugger Union Community School Corp	88.10%	89.74%	1.64
Steel City Academy	Steel City Academy	80.00%	54.05%	-25.95
Seven Oaks Classical School	Seven Oaks Classical School		66.67%
Excel Center - Shelbyville	Excel Center - Shelbyville	29.09%	26.79%	-2.3

2021 Graduation Rates

* Schools with fewer than 10 students are suppressed.

Graduation rates for Indiana’s Black students dropped by nearly three percentage points to 77%, one point below its pre-pandemic rate of 78% in 2019.

Rates for American Indian students were also 77%.

For multiracial students, graduation rates were 82.5%, and for Hispanic students, 82.7%. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students had a graduation rate of 86.3%. White students graduated at a rate of 89% and Asian students 93.7%.

Students classified as English language learners as well as those who receive subsidized meals graduated at a rate of 82.8%.

Students in special education had a graduation rate of 74.5%.

The charter school graduation rate — which includes charter high schools, charter schools for adults, alternative high schools, and online high schools — has risen 4 points each year since 2019. But at 48.2%, it remains behind the traditional public corporation graduation rate of 89%.

The percentage of students earning an honors diploma — a designation for students who have completed college or career readiness courses — has held steady for the last three years at around 40%.

Shedd said that while the return to in-person learning appears to have resolved some pandemic-related issues like a lack of internet access at home, it has made clear that others remain, and likely will have an impact on graduation rates going forward.

Some families have yet to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, and some students are struggling to adjust to physical classrooms, or have fallen behind academically.

While they’re likely to make progress through in-person learning, they may not grow doubly to account for the last year, she said.

“Our expectations were high – that getting students back will be better,” Shedd said. “It’s clear that face-to-face instruction is important for academics and social emotional learning, but there are still issues that are before us.”

This Indianapolis counselor shows students how to tame stress and mediate conflicts

2021-12-09T00:33:01+00:00

What are the triggers that make you feel stressed, frustrated, anxious, or angry?

Indianapolis Public Schools counselor Aaron Munson tells his students: “If you can name it, you can tame it!”

He helps elementary and middle school students at IPS Butler Lab School 55 identify what’s bothering them and use healthy coping strategies to calm down.

Munson, recently named Indiana Elementary School Counselor of the Year, said he has seen students’ social-emotional needs grow significantly as they work through the third school year disrupted by COVID.

He keeps a busy schedule trying to give students the same love and encouragement that he felt from his teachers growing up: “I hope that when they leave this building, my students will know that Mr. Munson cared about them.”

Munson spoke to Chalkbeat about what he learned while making home visits early in the pandemic, how he trains students to de-escalate conflicts, and why he’s going back to the basics this year.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What led you to become a school counselor?

Within 18 months of graduating from Butler University in 2005 with a degree in music education, I knew I needed a master’s degree so that I could increase my pay. Starting a family on my original salary — around $34,000 — felt impossible.

I knew that I didn’t want to be a principal, so I began researching other options. The 21st-century school counselor is focused on college, career, future success, and social-emotional learning. Helping children be the best version of themselves is the reason that I became an educator in the first place, and the school counseling path seemed to fit that vision more for me than being a teacher.

What does a typical day look like for you now?

Busy! The counselor’s office should really be the busiest room in the building. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I run small-group counseling during the lunch periods. These have affectionately become known as “Mr. Munson’s Lunch Bunches.” Currently, nearly one-third of our student population participates in lunch bunch at least once a year.

I visit every classroom at least once monthly to do social-emotional learning lessons, so I have at least one of those to do almost every day. I also have daily hall duties in the morning during arrival and car rider duty every afternoon.

When I’m not responding to a crisis situation, I meet with students individually, investigate bullying reports and Title IX incident reports, work on 504 plans and meetings, make parent phone calls, address attendance issues, and coordinate programming like holiday assistance, Operation School Bell, and mobile dentist.

I also have weekly meetings for the school’s leadership team, team meetings for students who aren’t on grade level, student support team meetings, middle school advisory, and more. So much more.

What issues do you see emerging amid months of remote learning, social distancing, and social isolation?

This year, we have to go back to the basics with social skills. As is the case in almost every school, our youngest students are missing two years of appropriate social interaction, including sharing, inclusion, and taking turns.

For our middle grade students, there are signs of anxiety and depression at an alarming rate. In the past calendar year, I’ve seen a record number of middle school students express suicidal ideation or engage in self-harm. Honestly, it is overwhelming. I have to keep telling myself that I will do all I can, and my best will have to be enough. But the need is so great, it feels like trying to put out a burning building with a cup of water.

When schools switched to remote learning at the start of the pandemic, you made a lot of home visits. What did you learn from those visits?

I did 96 home visits. Home visits during the shutdown started with attendance issues. For many students, I needed to do a lot of education about the various platforms to access learning and connect with the teacher. After the first two weeks, I made home visits for many reasons: food delivery, emotional regulation, connecting families to other resources, supporting the families with structures to try at home for everyone to be able to thrive while cooped up, and more.

I have done many home visits before because that’s just part of the job, but what I learned most is that making connections face-to-face with families is the single best way to address systemic issues. My relationship with students, which I think was already good, became stronger because my students saw me in their element. They recognized that I was there to help and support their entire being, not just their academic abilities. The connections I made with parents helped, too, because when we can support the entire family unit, we are strengthening children’s resilience and ability to overcome challenging situations.

Tell us about your peer mediation program and how students have responded to it.

The belief behind the peer mediation program is that I believe students are absolutely capable — of success, of solving problems, of supporting others. The peer mediators sign a peaceful commitment at the training, saying that they are committed to helping others solve problems in a peaceful way and will also be examples of what that looks like.

We currently have 65 trained peer mediators in our building of 405 students. Peer mediators can be trained starting in third grade and continuing through eighth grade. When two students are in conflict, their homeroom teachers can choose two of their classroom peer mediators to work with the students in conflict to solve the problem.

Peer mediators have a script they follow, and the script includes showing students how to use “I” statements to express how they felt about the situation (I feel__ when __ because __. I need __.) and how to listen to the other person. Each student in conflict has to agree on the peer mediation ground rules and commit to listening when it’s not their turn to speak.

We’ve seen an 86% reduction in office referrals since we instituted this peer mediation program.

You started a Gay-Straight Alliance Club, or GSA, and provided LGBT resources to fellow counselors. What does it mean to be a good ally today?

I asked my students this question. Here is what they said:

“It doesn’t matter [your orientation]. Every voice deserves to be heard — whether you’re LGBTQ+ or an ally.”
“People in AND out of GSA need to be supportive of others and whether or not they are out.”
“Everybody should be recognized no matter their orientation.”
“If you’re in the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, all people deserve respect.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

You spend your days trying to help students and staff. How do you wind down after a stressful day — especially now?

Complete transparency: This has always been the biggest struggle for me. This job is stressful because there is so much to it! I have a hard time completely disengaging because if I don’t get it done, who will? No one!

Having said that, there are things that I have started doing because I need to grow in this area. I started running this past March — something I swore I’d never do — and have really enjoyed the benefits. On the days I don’t run, I’ve started to do strength training on the Peloton app. Connecting with my body is important because of all the stress and anxiety I carry around.

I also have two children and a spouse, so we are intentional about time together. We have a “Funson To-Do List” every season with things that we want to do around the city, food we want to eat, and movies we want to see.

I get together weekly with some of my best friends, which I’ve been doing for years, and that is such a sacred time. It’s really good for my soul to be with my family and friends who provide such a safe space. I also love to read, especially fiction books. And I have some special beverages I enjoy to wind down on occasion.

What’s the best advice you ever received — and how have you put it into action?

It isn’t exactly advice, but my best friend once said that I “push others to be the best version of themselves.” That statement felt like a mantra for my life, and that is what I try to do in my role as a counselor. Every human longs to be fully known and fully loved. I want my students to feel that my office is a place where they can be fully known, fully accepted, and fully loved.