INDIANAPOLIS — In response to widespread pushback from Hoosier educators, state officials have issued new guidance — with more “flexibility” — on a new literacy licensure requirement that was adopted by the General Assembly earlier this year.

But questions persist for many teachers, and some remain opposed to the new professional development mandate altogether.

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a letter to teachers on Friday that their input has prompted the state’s education department to adjust and add training options. Some educators have additionally been exempted from the licensure requirements, as long as they aren’t teaching literacy to students past fifth grade.

“I’m grateful for the collective effort to balance the urgent need to overcome Indiana’s literacy crisis with our shared desire to increase flexibility for educators,” Jenner said in her weekly education newsletter.

The Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) applauded Jenner for “acknowledging the extensive requirements of the new literacy endorsement” and said the updated guidance “is a testament to the importance of educator advocacy.”

The state’s largest teachers union — along with dozens of its members — spent more than four hours before the State Board of Education earlier this month, criticizing the “unfair” and “overwhelming” 80-hour training. Many pleaded for more options to be made available for teachers to complete the professional development course — or that it be removed as a requirement altogether.

Jenner and other state education officials have repeatedly maintained that the requirement cannot be nixed altogether, given that it’s a statutory requirement from lawmakers.

“The adjustments to these requirements reflect the voices and concerns of educators across Indiana,” ISTA president Keith Gambill said in a statement, adding that the union “will continue to advocate for further changes and increased flexibility.”

What’s required of teachers

The training requirement requires all Pre-K to Grade 6 and special education teachers to complete 80 hours of professional development on science of reading concepts and pass a written exam. Teachers won’t be able to renew their license without doing so.

State lawmakers approved the literacy training requirement during the 2024 legislative session as part of an effort to reverse lagging literacy scores among Hoosier students.

Indiana’s reading scores have been on the decline for more than a decade. According to data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), in 2023, one in five Hoosier third graders lacked foundational reading skills.

Under the law, teachers renewing their licenses after July 1, 2027 must have earned an “Early Literacy Endorsement.” They can do so through Keys to Literacy, a free third-party professional development program, through 2025. Teachers are eligible for a $1,200 stipend for the 80-hour Keys to Literacy training, and the state is covering the cost of the PRAXIS exam.

New teachers will need the endorsement next summer if they are receiving their license for the first time.

Teachers emphasized to state officials that many of the free training courses are already full, however, leaving only a few other options for which teachers must pay for out of pocket.

Jenner said earlier this month that 12,000 teachers signed up for the Keys to Literacy training in three weeks. Following rounds of earlier concerns, IDOE announced May 8 that the state is adding cohorts.

Additional sessions were added for spring and summer, increasing the total number of cohorts from 12 to 64 — each with approximately 200 educators. More cohorts are also open for both Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 “in response to the early demand,” according to IDOE.

Still, some teachers said they’re concerned funding will run out before they complete the course.

IDOE officials said the Keys to Literacy training — and the adjoining stipend — will be available to any educator who completes the literacy endorsement through June 2025. The $1,200 is part of Indiana’s investment of more than $170 million into literacy, supported in part by grants from the Lilly Endowment.

Jenner said she and other officials will “absolutely continue to advocate for sustained funding for free teacher literacy training” when the General Assembly convenes in January to build the 2025-2027 budget.

Jenner’s Friday update included other changes meant to help teachers access the training, too.

The IDOE will allow the full 80 hours of required professional development to be completed asynchronously starting July 1. Efforts are also underway to expand the list of approved training options, and teachers who have already registered but wish to instead participate in the new option will be able to do so, Jenner said.

Additionally, teachers with a PK-6 “parent license” who do not currently teach PK-5 literacy will no longer be required to earn the early literacy endorsement, which ISTA representatives said will offer “significant relief to educators focused on other content areas.”

An educator who holds a PK-6 parent license but teaches in a content area that does not involve literacy instruction for PK-5 students will not be required to earn the early literacy endorsement, according to IDOE. If the educator teaches PK-5 literacy later on, they would still be required to earn endorsement in order to renew their license, though.

Jenner also acknowledged concerns about the PRAXIS exam and said IDOE is committed to “exploring other potential ways to provide a consistent, quality measure that ensures we are best implementing science of reading practices.”

What comes next?

Despite the updates, numerous Hoosier teachers said it’s unclear whether they must still complete the professional development training.

Lori Weaver, in Evansville, holds Pre-K-3 and K-12 special education licenses but currently teaches in a high school setting. Weaver said she wants to keep her credentials — but because she doesn’t teach literacy to younger students — she doesn’t feel she should have to complete the new endorsement.

“It’s relieving to see they’re listening and trying to make changes … because I don’t think (all teachers) should have to be wrapped up in this if it’s not relevant to what we’re directly responsible for teaching our students,” Weaver said. “But I still don’t have a guarantee that I don’t have to do (the training), so that stress is still there.”

In an example outlined in IDOE’s new guidance, an educator who currently teaches high school math — or another content area that is not literacy — and who does not plan to teach PK-5 literacy in the future, “will not be required to add the early literacy endorsement.”

To be exempt, IDOE officials said a “written assurance form” will be shared prior to July 1, 2027, when the early literacy endorsement requirement begins. The form will require a signature by district and school administrators confirming that the teacher is not currently teaching PK-5 literacy “and does not plan to do so in the future.”

“There are too few details about what that form will look like and what kinds of hoops I might have to jump through to get it approved,” said Haley Singer, a middle school special education teacher in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, a growing number of Indiana teachers who’ve already signed up said they’re dropping the Keys to Literacy course as a protest of the training requirement. Others said they’re set to register and, for now, refuse to do so.

A half-dozen teachers who spoke to the Indiana Capital Chronicle — some of whom were not comfortable speaking publicly out of fear of retribution from school or district administrators — said they viewed the literacy endorsement as an “attack” on the state’s already qualified, but overworked, teachers.

They said, too, that the possibility of a $1,200 stipend does little to compensate educators for their personal time used for the training course.

“It’s the summer. I should be with my kids, my family — not with my nose in my computer being re-taught the science of reading, which is not new to me or many other educators,” said Kyle Peterson, who teaches at an elementary school in northeast Indiana. “We already have so much other professional development we’re required to complete … on top of all the education and coursework we had to pass just to get our license in the first place. … Yes, there is a literacy problem in Indiana. But why are we only pointing the finger at teachers?”

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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s largest teacher’s union is calling for better collective bargaining, increased pay for support staff and more say over curriculum in the upcoming legislative session.

Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA) President Keith Gambill said Tuesday that Hoosier educators are also seeking new social and emotional learning support for students.

“These priorities … reflect what educators need to create better learning environments for their students, and better working environments for all educators,” Gambill said during a news conference, where he released the union’s 2024 legislative priorities.

The General Assembly reconvenes Jan. 8. Although Republican legislative leaders have said they do not plan to reopen the state budget during the short session, ISTA’s latest agenda includes multiple funding requests that total at least $540 million.

More money for traditional public education

ISTA will advocate for a $500 million increase to basic tuition support for traditional public schools in the 2025 fiscal year — the second year covered by Indiana’s current biennial budget. Gambill said that amounts to a boost of 7.98% compared to what schools are currently on track to receive.

Under current law, K-12 public schools are projected to see average per student funding increases of 1.7% next year.

“While we recognize the 2024 legislative session is not a budget year, we are calling on legislators to reopen the budget to fix several inadequacies that require immediate attention,” he said. “If we want Indiana to be a leader in the region or country, we’re going to have to do right by our schools.”

He emphasized, too, that the legislature needs to earmark more money in the second year of the biennium to “fully fund” the cost of textbooks and curricular materials.

State lawmakers dedicated $160 million in the new state budget to eliminate textbook and curriculum fees, starting with the 2023-24 academic year. While the new law was championed by state officials, school districts are still on the hook to pay for those materials.

The ISTA leader said the union is aware of “several” school districts that are “concerned” about their ability to pay for textbooks in the 2024-25 school year. Gambill said more data needs to be collected before ISTA can recommend an exact dollar for curricular fees.

“If schools are forced to either make changes in staffing or other programming in order to fully fund the textbooks, then we’re not getting the best for our students,” he said. “It shouldn’t be upon them — and not born on the backs of school employees — to make that happen.”

Gambill said while charter and voucher schools benefited from significant funding boosts in the 2023 session, traditional public schools still lack “appropriate” appropriations.

“We have over 90% of all Hoosier families send their children to a traditional public school, and if you look at the way that that funding was distributed this past year, that was not equal, especially when you look at the amount that was increased for voucher schools,” he said.

ISTA is also continuing to lobby for professional pay benefits and support for parent educators, bus drivers, food service workers and other “vital support staff.” Gambill said Indiana also “must recognize the commitment of our retired teachers and public employees” by giving a 2% cost of living adjustment for Indiana’s retired educators.

“We certainly know that the state has the surplus available,” he continued. But he said ISTA has not outlined a specific location in the budget for lawmakers to draw on the requested dollars.

Better support systems for students

To address ongoing gaps in social and emotional learning support for students, Gambill said the union is proposing a three-year pilot program focusing on student wellbeing. The ask comes with a $20 million annual price tag.

The pilot seeks to reduce student-to-staff ratios by hiring additional guidance counselors, social workers and school psychologists. The initiative would span from elementary to high school and involve 30 school districts. Gambill said the goal is to address physical and mental health issues — and if successful — could later be applied statewide.

ISTA is further seeking to restore discipline as a mandatory discussion item, or under restored collective bargaining rights. Gambill said doing so would help teachers better address student disciplinary issues that have become more common since the pandemic.

In recent years, the Republican legislature has rolled back collective bargaining rights.

To improve student discipline, the union also called for statewide class size data to be gathered, and for a grant program to be created to hire additional teachers. Gambill said ISTA is also seeking to establish a task force to improve student behavior.

After a slew of so-called “culture war” issues in the 2023 session precipitated into new laws — like those concerning the use of pronouns in classrooms and the ability for Hoosiers to challenge books in school libraries — Gambill said it’s not fully clear how teachers have been affected.

“It’s a little bit different from school district to school district as to how they’re interpreting the law and in which ways they’re moving forward. We’re still learning from that,” he said. “But we also know that we have to continue to address the social-emotional welfare of our students, and we believe that in doing so, that will have an impact in other areas such as absenteeism and behavior within the classrooms.”

Gambill said educators are hoping “those types” of hot-button bills don’t return in 2024.

“The challenge really has not been with our parents at large. The challenge has been those who have preconceived notions of what is actually occurring in the classrooms, oftentimes without having a student attending the class,” Gambill noted. “When you look at the school communities, and the engagement with parents in the classrooms, and when we’re speaking directly about the parents who have students attending the classes, those connections have been and remain very strong.”

Bargaining and teacher recruitment

More broadly, the teachers union is continuing to press for restored and expand collective bargaining rights, in addition to mandatory discussion.

Lawmakers stripped Hoosier educators of the right to collectively bargain over working conditions like class sizes and schedules under a 2011 law. The topics that teachers can currently bargain over during the fall bargaining window are salaries, wages and benefits, including pay increases.

Gambill said ISTA’s membership is calling on policymakers to allow teachers to negotiate working hours, influence and determine class size and caseloads, and provide input on textbooks, teaching methods and student support.

Educators should also “have the freedom to teach accurate, age-appropriate lessons about America, from our greatest triumphs to our darkest moments,” according to ISTA’s legislative agenda.

Recruitment and retainment of educators of color will additionally require more state funding, Gambill said.

“Students should not have to look much further than their own classes to find mentors or materials with roots in their own community. Our public schools should reflect the cultural diversity and identity of the communities they serve,” he said.

As part of that effort, ISTA wants to see more paraprofessionals become licensed teachers. Enhanced mentoring programs for educators of color and increasing funding for professional development “with a focus on Black, Indigenous and all educators of color” will also help, Gambill said.

The union also hopes lawmakers will establish a statewide commission to address diversity in staffing and support pipelines to teach.

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The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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