INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana lawmakers have avowed to reverse the state’s long declining literacy rates with legislation targeting early elementary school years. Almost halfway through the legislative session, state Senators advanced a sweeping bill Thursday that could hold back thousands of third graders who do not pass the state’s reading exam.
Republicans have balked at those who have labeled the measure a “retention bill,” saying students need the intervention now.
“Retention is the absolute last resort if we’ve exhausted all other methods to help struggling readers,” the bill’s author, state Sen. Linda Rogers, told lawmakers.
The bill, which has the support of Gov. Eric Holcomb, Republicans who control the House chamber and the Indiana Department of Education, now advances to the House.
Indiana’s proposal was partially inspired by the “ Mississippi miracle,” a term referring to the success of the Southern state in improving literacy scores over the last decade. The gains have been attributed in part to a third-grade retention policy, early intervention and the science of reading.