Gov. Holcomb signs bill to tackle Indiana's reading crisis and retain 3rd graders

UPDATE March 11: Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed Senate Bill 1 into law.

Indiana lawmakers have decided how they want to address the literacy crisis facing third graders in the state. Now their proposal to hold back more third graders who can't read is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

Senate Bill 1 both cracks down on retention and adds additional testing and summer school offerings for kids before they reach the pivotal third grade. Senators voted 29-16 Thursday to accept changes from the House and send the bill to Holcomb.

The bill's proposals divided the General Assembly. Democrats opposed the retention piece for fear that students from disadvantaged backgrounds would be disproportionately impacted and that schools have not had enough time to adjust to legislation they passed last year requiring all schools to adopt a "science of reading" curriculum.

More: Could lawmakers' solution to the reading crisis mean your kid is held back? What to know

The science of reading is a traditional school of thought that teaches reading through phonics, rather than the three-cueing method that some schools across the country have adopted in recent decades.

One in five third graders in Indiana did not pass the IREAD exam last year, the standardized reading proficiency test. But very few of those students who failed ― 3% ― were held back.

The bill would enshrine into law most of the "good cause" exemptions the state Department of Education already has for certain kids with language barriers or disabilities who don't pass the test. Now, schools will be required by law to actually follow the guidelines. It also requires schools to offer summer school to second graders who are falling behind, and for the state to reimburse the cost of those programs.

The House added some additional requirements to the original Senate bill, including requiring a reading screening for all students in kindergarten through second grade and requiring current licensed elementary teachers to have a specific "science of reading" credential.

The bill's author, Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, said the House's changes made the bill better and that the education department is on board with them.

Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana 3rd grade reading retention bill signed into law