The Indiana Department of Education announced Tuesday the recipients of the 2023-24 Competitive Science of Reading Grant.

Nearly $15 million was awarded to 72 school corporations, including Brownstown Central Community School Corp., serving more 65,000 students in kindergarten through third grade to support the implementation of evidence-based practices aligned with science of reading.

Brownstown Central, which serves 412 students in kindergarten through third grade, received $149,990.

During a recent board of school trustees meeting, Brownstown Central Superintendent Tim Taylor thanked Brownstown Elementary School Principal Marty Young, Assistant Principal Blakli Hukill and their staff for the work they put into applying for the grant.

“That is huge,” Taylor said. “It’s a competitive grant, and that’s a lot of money.”

Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said the state has set an aggressive goal that 95% of third-graders are able to read by 2027.

“This is not only urgent for individual students because of the longitudinal impact of being able to read by the end of third grade but can also have a long-term impact on Indiana’s economy and throughout our society,” she said. “To help achieve this goal, we encourage every community to act with urgency to implement evidence-based practices aligned with science of reading. Congratulations to the recipients of this grant, and thank you for being a part of the solution.”

Successful applications incorporated one or more of the following elements in their proposals:

-Placing one full-time literacy instructional coach in each school serving kindergarten through third grade for the purposes of training and supporting teachers and administrators to align instruction to science of reading

-Providing support to teachers and administrators pursuing professional development in science of reading

-Increasing instructional time for students in kindergarten through third grade identified as struggling readers

-Purchasing core and supplemental curricular materials aligned to science of reading.

The Competitive Science of Reading Grant is one of numerous tactical solutions made possible through Indiana’s $170 million investment — in partnership with Lilly Endowment — toward literacy and particularly science of reading.

Science of reading is a body of scientifically based research that integrates instructional practices with efforts focused around phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In addition to research about reading and reading development, science of reading includes numerous scientific studies about effective reading instruction and intervention, including what to teach and how to teach it.

Below are additional ways schools and educators are using Indiana’s historic literacy investment to positively impact students:

-Joining the Indiana Literacy Cadre where educators at participating schools can receive free instructional coaching in science of reading.

-Administering IREAD-3 at Grade 2 to gain access to an early On Track indicator to determine if students will master foundational reading skills by the end of Grade 3.

-Completing IDOE’s science of reading modules, developed in partnership with Marian University, through the Indiana Learning Lab. Eligible teachers also can earn a $1,200 stipend by completing the modules.

-Receiving targeted support through a Literacy Support Plan, specifically designed for Indiana schools falling below 70% IREAD-3 passage.

-Earning incentives for improving IREAD-3 scores through IDOE’s Literacy Achievement Grants (awards to be announced in December).

Funding for the 2023-24 Competitive Science of Reading Grant is allocated through the state’s biennial budget.