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Major Legislative Updates Affecting Elementary Schools
This spring the Indiana Legislature passed several pieces of legislation that had a major impact upon elementary schools. A full rundown that was recently published by the IDOE can be found here. Here are four items of particular importance:
1) 3rd Grade Retention Policy & Good Cause Exemptions
To ensure students have a solid foundation in reading before being promoted to fourth grade,SEA 1 requires third grade students to be retained if they do not pass IREAD after multiple test administration opportunities. Exceptions to this, which are the new statutory criteria for Good Cause Exemptions (GCEs), include:
● Special Education: A student with an intellectual disability, whose Individualized
Education Program (IEP) or case conference committee has determined that promotion to the next grade level is appropriate.
● English Learner (EL): A student who is an identified English learner (EL) who has
received services for fewer than two years and has an Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
committee that determines promotion to the next grade level is appropriate.
● Math Exceptionality: A student who passes the ILEARN Mathematics assessment.
● Retained Twice & Received Intensive Intervention: A student who was retained twice in K-2 and has already received intensive intervention for at least two years.
● Previously Retained: A student who was retained once previously in third grade.
This law will apply starting in the 24-25 school year. There are various other requirements regarding dyslexia screening, reporting results to parents, and providing additional supports for students who are still working to master foundational reading skills in K-3.
What Saint Pius X is doing in response to the new law: Saint Pius has had a very high IREAD passage rate over the past several years, due in large part to (a) classroom teachers who are committed to staying up-to-date on current research on best practices in the science of reading, and (b) a skilled resource team (including 2 reading specialists) who offer targeted reading interventions to students who are below grade level in reading. In response to the new law, we have adjusted our screening processes to promote early intervention and we are working to enhance the level of intervention offered to students who are labeled “At Risk” in 2nd grade. We are also introducing summer school and supporting teachers in professional development aligned to the science of reading (see 2 and 3 below).
2) Summer School
SEA 1 requires schools, beginning in 2025, to offer summer school reading programs for second grade students identified as “At Risk” on IREAD, as well as non-passing third grade students. The summer school course must include a curriculum aligned to the science of reading and be taught by a teacher, instructor, or tutor who is trained in these evidence-based instructional practices.
What Saint Pius X is doing in response to the new law: Saint Pius X partnered with Christ the King and St. Joseph Grade School to offer summer school to eligible students from all three schools this summer (a year earlier than required). The summer school took place at Saint Pius X and was led by Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Connors. We were able to apply for and receive funding from the IDOE to cover the costs of running this program this year.
3) Teacher Early Literacy Endorsements
Indiana’s new early literacy endorsement seeks to provide educators with tools focused on evidence-based instruction rooted in the science of reading. SEA 1 revised IC 20-28-5-19.7 to include the early literacy endorsement requirement for current Indiana educators who teach in a content area that involves literacy instruction for PK-5 students and are renewing their license after July 1, 2027. This provides current educators a minimum of three years after the new law’s passage to meet the requirements of the early literacy endorsement. These requirements include 80 hours of professional development from an approved program and passing the Teaching Reading: Elementary (5205) Praxis exam.
What Saint Pius X is doing in response to the new law: Many Saint Pius teachers opted into reading programs this summer in order to complete this requirement. The parish offered free childcare to teachers in an effort to ease the burden placed on them by the new law. While our faculty is very committed to professional development and staying up to date with best practices, spending a large portion of summer on this training was a significant hardship for teachers and their families. If you ask a teacher how they spent their summer, and they tell you that they were pursuing their literacy endorsement, please be sure to express your gratitude to them!
4) ILEARN Changes
HEA 1243 included the redesign of ILEARN from a summative to a through-year assessment beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The through-year model includes three checkpoints and a shortened summative assessment at the end of the school year. This will apply to ILEARN tests in the areas of ELA and Math in grades 3 through 8.
What Saint Pius X is doing in response to the new law: Although schools had the option to opt-in to the new ILEARN format in the 24-25 school year, Saint Pius X decided to delay implementation until it becomes mandatory in 25-26. Concerns about (a) the logistics involved in the switch to the new format, and (b) the quality of data available from results gathered in the first year of implementation were the primary factors in this decision. Christ the King did opt to pilot the new format in 24-25, and they have generously offered to share their experiences with us throughout the year. In order to reduce the significant amount of time that students spend on taking standardized tests each year, we will likely see a movement away from NWEA testing in grades 3 through 8 when the new format is adopted.
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