Teachers across the state share anger over new literacy licenses requirement

In a packed state school board meeting on Wednesday, teachers from across the state shared their frustration and anger with the Indiana Department of Education's rollout of new requirements for early literacy training, which they say place too many burdens on teachers.

Many teachers said they were concerned about how long it will take to complete the training, the lack of fair compensation for the training and the difficulty of the final test. Teachers who meet all these requirements will earn a credential the state is calling an "early literacy endorsement."

“Colleagues have expressed they would rather let their licenses lapse at the next renewal date than be subjected to more hoops and mandates to prove their worth,” said Diana Reed, a teacher at the Union Township School Corporation near Valparaiso.

The early literacy endorsement was part of the series of laws passed last year that focused on revamping the state’s literacy efforts in an effort to improve early literacy scores, which have declined in Indiana over the past decade.

The state has embraced the science of reading – a vast body of research that focuses on how brains learn to read with an emphasis on phonics. This new credential aims to familiarize teachers with pedagological practices based on the science of reading research.

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The new endorsement requires any current teacher who holds a preK-6 license or a special education license to complete 80 hours of training and pass a final written exam.

The state is offering free training through the Keys to Literacy program and a $1,200 stipend for those who complete the training.

All future teachers who do not currently have a teaching license must apply for the endorsement beginning July 1, 2025.

Current teachers have until July 1, 2027, or their next license renewal to fulfill the endorsement requirement.

However, multiple special education teachers said Wednesday that the new endorsement is unnecessary for them, considering they already undergo numerous licensing requirements in addition to a typical teacher license.

“Your free training feels like a slap in the face to someone who has earned an AA, a bachelor's, a master's and a license in special education,” said Maya Simon, a special education teacher at Arsenal Tech High School.

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Other teachers said that the $1,200 stipend to cover 80 hours of training – which amounts to about $15 per hour pay – was not enough compensation especially considering that most of that training would come out of a teacher’s personal time.

“Keys to Literacy requires significant time commitments outside of school taking even more time from teachers than we already donate on behalf of our craft,” said Sarah Craft, an English and economics teacher at Borden High School in Borden, IN. “No stipend can replace that loss.”

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner addressed some of the teachers’ concerns briefly, saying that the IDOE plans to ask for more funding for the training stipends during next year’s budget session.

Teachers said they were open to the training but wanted to see some changes.

“No one is asking for the science of reading training to go away, we just want to be able to apply it in a realistic way to prove we are effective,” said Aaron Eastom, a third-grade teacher at Fort Wayne Schools.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. 

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Teachers frustrated over new literacy license requirement