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In his final go, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb wants to double down on K-12 literacy initiatives and bolster workforce training but won鈥檛 seek specific policy related to growing concerns around .

His reading plan could result in holding thousands more third-graders back a year in school.

The Republican governor on Monday unveiled his 2024 agenda, the last in his eight-year term. His policy goals additionally emphasize a need for expanded pre-K and childcare voucher eligibility, as well as increased access to disaster relief at the local level.

Specifically, Holcomb鈥檚 agenda targets earlier access to IREAD-3 testing and ensuring Hoosier students are mastering foundational literacy skills. The latest reading scores showed that .

Currently, the IREAD-3 exam is only required in third grade. The governor鈥檚 administration is hoping to require testing in second grade, too. Doing so could help teachers and parents better identify struggling students and implement additional supports 鈥� such as through summer school or after-school tutoring 鈥� before kids get too far behind.

Students who fail the standardized exam can already be held back, but there are exceptions if a child is disabled or an English-language learner.

State officials 鈥� including Holcomb 鈥� maintain that too many Indiana third graders who can鈥檛 adequately read are advancing to the fourth grade. His agenda seeks to tighten up the state鈥檚 retention policy to require third grade students who fail IREAD-3 to be held back for at least one year, starting in 2025.

None of Holcomb鈥檚 priorities would require lawmakers to reopen the biennial state budget during the short legislative session, however.

鈥淯ltimately, this (agenda) will be very interactive 鈥� looking through a lens of our customers, citizens and local leaders 鈥� how they may access all the programs that the legislature, year after year after year, appropriates dollars to. These are programs that really do make a difference,鈥� he said during an agenda announcement at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually impaired in Indianapolis. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 a local government or philanthropic organizations or local leaders, some don鈥檛 know about some of the programs. And so, how can we better connect chambers, local leaders, etcetera, in a very easy way?鈥�

Indiana鈥檚 General Assembly reconvened Monday for the start of the 2024 session.

Legislative leaders they鈥檙e not taking on new and controversial subjects, promising a 鈥渜uieter鈥� non-budget session.

While Holcomb鈥檚 agenda is closely aligned with goals expressed last month by Republican legislative leaders, his policy recommendations leave out issues like Medicaid reimbursement rates, gambling, and regulation of large water transfers.

Improving literacy

An 鈥� with the force of law 鈥� dictates Indiana鈥檚 existing third grade retention policy.

According to data from the Indiana Department of Education, in 2023, 13,840 third-graders did not pass I-READ-3. Of those, 5,503 received an exemption and 8,337 did not. Of those without an exemption, 95% moved onto 3rd grade while only 412 were retained.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said Monday that adding a legislative piece will make clear what retention means, and include 鈥渢he proactive approaches鈥� schools should implement in kindergarten, first and second grades.

鈥淭his will just really add clarity for the state and also help us stay laser focused on the fact that we have to have students reading by the end of third grade,鈥� Jenner continued, although she said the state board of education could make changes on its own, if it had to. 鈥淏ut I think there is a significant appetite with both the House and the Senate to look at potential legislation options.鈥�

Holcomb鈥檚 goal is that 95% of students in third grade can read proficiently by 2027. State officials said they can still meet that mark 鈥� but only if immediate changes and early-warning systems are put in place.

A pilot program spearheaded by the state education department has already helped hundreds of Indiana schools administer IREAD-3 to second graders as a way to help parents and teachers determine if reading interventions are needed for younger students before they take the exam.

The 2022-23 school year was the second year schools could opt-in. The test 鈥� likely to rebranded as 鈥淚READ鈥� 鈥� was taken by almost 46,000 second graders. That鈥檚 up from about 20,000 second graders who tested the year before.

鈥淚t is a very, very popular option for schools because it provides whether the child can read, whether they鈥檙e on track, or whether they鈥檙e potentially at risk, and it provides that data at a younger age,鈥� Jenner said. 鈥淭hat then can be used by the parent and the teacher to best support that child鈥檚 learning in the future.鈥�

State officials noted that many students are expected to receive additional reading help during the summer.

Funding for summer school 鈥� equal to about $18.4 million per year under the current state budget 鈥� is mostly going toward students taking physical education and health courses in the summer, Jenner said.

鈥淲hat an opportunity we have to better leverage that funding on the students who are not able to read or may not have numeracy skills,鈥� she emphasized, adding that, for now, policymakers want to 鈥渇ocus on the current budget line that we have,鈥� rather than appropriating new funds.

Although Jenner, Holcomb and Republican state legislative leaders have said that high rates of absenteeism are likely contributing to , policy to address student attendance and chronic absenteeism is not included in Holcomb鈥檚 agenda.

that about 40% of students statewide missed 10 or more school days last year, and nearly one in five were 鈥渃hronically absent鈥� for at least 18 days.

Even so, Holcomb said Monday that he will 鈥減articipate in the discussion that the legislators might have鈥� about attendance.

鈥淚 plead with parents to not underestimate the impact that your child not being in school has on them adversely, long-term. 鈥� We鈥檙e past COVID now, and so parents need to understand the adverse impact of keeping their child out of school,鈥� the governor said. 鈥淭here just is a correlation. I don鈥檛 think it takes a rocket scientist to realize that the less time you鈥檙e (in school), the less you鈥檙e going to learn.鈥�

鈥淲e want to make sure that in this discussion of chronic absenteeism, that what we鈥檙e doing is going to make a difference,鈥� Holcomb continued. 鈥淎nd I will continue to use my platform to plead with parents, begging them to make sure if their child can be in school, they need to be.鈥�

The governor鈥檚 priorities also call for a mandatory computer science course to be completed by students before graduating high school. He additionally wants to task Indiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities with offering more three-year bachelor鈥檚 degrees, and make it easier for students to earn two-year associate degrees at the state鈥檚 four-year institutions.

Expanding child care

A multi-part plan to expand early childhood education and child care options is also high on Holcomb鈥檚 agenda.

The governor鈥檚 plan aims to increase the number of child care and early education providers across Indiana by adding credentialing training to state-sponsored grant programs and making more employees of child care entities eligible for On My Way Pre-K and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers.

Holcomb鈥檚 administration further wants to reduce the minimum age of caregivers; from 21 to 18 for infant and toddler caregivers, and from 18 to 16 for supervised caregivers in school-aged classrooms.

鈥淲e know that to accommodate more kiddos in early learning environments, we need to have more workers there,鈥� Holcomb said. 鈥淒ropping age limits down 鈥� that doesn鈥檛 mean dropping standards down. We think with the proper training and standards in place and oversight 鈥� you should qualify and be eligible to work there.鈥�

Accessing disaster relief

Holcomb said Monday he will also work with legislators to help Hoosiers gain easier access to funds in the wake of both man-made and natural disasters.

Broadly, that means increasing the amount of relief dollars individual counties can receive, in addition to making it easier for individual Hoosiers to access aid.

The governor鈥檚 plan includes a proposal to allow some dollars from the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) to help local units implement hazard mitigation plans that assist in protecting against future damages. Mitigation could come in the form of newly-built tornado shelters or participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, for example.

Counties with such plans in place could also qualify for increased reimbursement after a disaster.

Holcomb鈥檚 administration is also seeking to bump the maximum potential award for individual assistance from $10,000 to $25,000. Those funds can help Hoosiers with post-disaster damages and debris removal, among other needs.

Holcomb said he鈥檚 confident the state can afford to increase available aid, noting that Indiana鈥檚 disaster relief fund is financed by firework sales.

There would still be caps on how much could be dispersed, however, which officials said helps ensure the state fund isn鈥檛 depleted.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: [email protected]. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .

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