From left, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner, Pleasant Grove Elementary Principal Trael Kelly, 3rd Grade teacher Erin Reiss and State Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland, pose for a photo after being honored Thursday at a ceremony for schools that hit the state’s IREAD literacy goal.
Provided photo
Five Johnson County schools were recognized at the Indiana Statehouse for meeting the state’s 95% literacy goal Thursday.
Local proficiency rates surpassed the state average, but five schools surpassed the state’s goal. Franklin’s Union Elementary, Center Grove’s Pleasant Grove Elementary, St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, Greenwood Christian School and SS Francis and Clare Catholic School are among 242 schools in the state where at least 95% of students passed the 2023 IREAD-3 assessment, according to an Indiana Department of Education news release.
Union had the highest proficiency in the county among individual public schools with 96.7% of students passing. Pleasant Grove had 95.6% students passing. As for the private schools, Greenwood Christian School, SS Francis and Clare, and St. Rose of Lima all third-grade students passed the 2023 IREAD assessment, IDOE data shows.
All 242 schools were celebrated at a ceremony at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis on Thursday.
“While we urgently work to overcome our reading crisis in Indiana, we also must take time to celebrate the schools that continue to improve outcomes for students,” Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, said in a statement. “Throughout the year, there are opportunities to highlight schools with visits, individual teacher celebrations, and an annual red carpet gala for educators.”
Thursday’s ceremony also included remarks from House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, and Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray, R-Martinsville. They thanked and celebrated the educators in attendance, according to the news release.
“Indiana has a goal of 95% proficiency, and the schools honored today represent that goal and so much more,” Bray said in the release. “These educators are an inspiration to every other school, demonstrating that achieving our state’s literacy goal is not only attainable but attainable year after year.”
The state can’t continue to grow without great schools like the ones honored and a solid foundation in reading, Huston said in the release.
“By helping more students gain foundation reading skills, Indiana’s educators are truly impacting kids’ lives,” Huston said. “With the most heartfelt and deepest admiration and thankfulness, thank you for the work you put in every single day for the kids of Indiana.”
The state has set a goal to have 95% of students pass IREAD-3 by 2027. To help prepare students, 57% of elementary schools administered IREAD-3 to their second-grade students in 2023, an increase from 38% in 2022, according to IDOE.
Statewide results show 81.9% of third graders demonstrated proficient reading skills on the assessment last school year. Indiana’s third grade literacy rates have been dropping for a decade, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
