By Don Steen
Staff Writer n [email protected]
Literacy skills are the foundation of education, and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner has worked to develop new means to help teachers as well as students master the science of reading across the state. South Spencer elementary schools recently concluded a new pilot program, the Indiana Literacy Cadre, which aimed to see all Hoosier students pass the IREAD test by 2027. Rockport and Luce Elementary schools are well and truly ahead of the curve as of the 2023-24 School year, with a passing rate of 95.5%. In fact, both schools had at least one class with a 100% passing rate, with some students marking exceptional scores. Dr. Jenner decided to pay Spencer County a visit Monday morning to see what was going right in Abe Lincoln’s old stomping grounds.
Rockport Elementary Principal Rick Hunt welcomed Jenner and her team to his school’s library for quick introductions. Jenner said she was glad to be back in the southern part of the state, and to see Rockport again. She remarked that when she was training to become a teacher one of her big challenges was keeping tabs on her accent, and the use of the word “y’all”.
“You are my people,” she joked.
While she was pleased that last year represented the largest-ever single-year increase in state literacy rates, the story of South Spencer stood out. Indiana schools not participating in the Literacy Cadre program tended to mark increases in IREAD passing rates of less than a percentage point. South Spencer saw its passing rate rise from 93.8% to 95.5% from the 2022-23 to 2023-24 School Year. The standout examples of local classes reaching 100% passing rates certainly helped add some shine to that data.
With that in mind, Jenner was taken on a quick tour of the school. The first stop was at Janet Schipp’s second-grade class, one of the standout examples of a classroom with 100% passing rate and several students with exemplary scores and signs of improvement. One Rockport student even logged a perfect score.
Jenner told the students, “ I came to your school because I heard you were all doing so well.”
She then joined students in some of their activities to learn about how the Literacy Cadre’s lessons and resources have been put into action in Spencer County.
The Literacy Cadre provides schools with literacy coaches, data and other resources to tailor the curriculum to the unique needs of different students. Teachers are trained to identify various aspects of the science of literacy, especially how children develop those skills. The program is focused on the earliest years of education beginning with kindergarten, to ensure students enter higher grades with the requisite skills to excel in their academic careers.
Some students take to some aspects of reading and communication more easily than others. One student might excel at recognizing words and sounding them out, but might have difficulty internalizing how words work together. Others may find specific words or concepts trickier in a traditional educational format.
The Literacy Cadre provides a multitude of evidence-based approaches to help students overcome these hurdles, and literacy coaches have helped teachers recognize kids that might benefit from a specific approach. This includes Haggerty Training, an oral and auditory program that helps children sound out words and better understand why specific words work the way they do.
Jenner talked with teachers about how they’ve incorporated these approaches into their curriculum and was pleased to hear many examples. Teachers and faculty noted that the program has made it much easier to identify why a specific student might be struggling, even when they had progressed well before.
One thing Jenner took away from her conversations is that South Spencer teachers are recognizing issues and intervening quickly. She emphasized that students will often see an unfamiliar word and internalize a flawed pronunciation or meaning to it. This can cause confusion and frustration if it is not addressed before the curriculum moves on to more complex subjects.
While the Literacy Cadre has seen similar successes in other schools, Jenner was particularly pleased to see two rural schools mark such dramatic improvements. She sees South Spencer as an example that the program shows long-term promise regardless how well-resourced a school district might be.
On the topic of potential funding constraints, Jenner remains optimistic. She pointed out that U.S. Department of Education only accounts for about 4% of the national budget, leaving relatively little to cut. Jenner expects Congress to maintain similar levels of federal support to the states, as budgeting is still their realm of responsibility.
On the other hand, Jenner noted that education represents 60% of Indiana’s budget, and she fully intends to keep building on the successes of the last few years.
“We’re hard at work,” she said.
South Spencer Superintendent Brad Schneider said that while the pilot program may have concluded, the lessons of the Literacy Cadre will remain come what may. He intends to see teachers continue to receive training and support in the science of literacy, as well as maintaining at least one literacy coach within the school corporation.
“We’ve seen the results,” he said. “ We want to continue a good thing.”
Featured Image: Dr. Katie Jenner sits in on a reading lesson with Rockport Elementary Teacher Janet Schipp
Pictured from left: Dr. Katie Jenner meets with some of Janet Schipp’s second-grade students, who managed a 100% passing rate in the IREAD test. Rockport Principal Rick Hunt, at left, guides Dr. Katie Jenner through the school and shares local experiences with the Literacy Cadre program.
Photos by Don Steen
