Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner recognized educators from 283 schools including three from Jackson County where at least 95% of students demonstrated reading proficiency in 2024 during a ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 27, at the Statehouse.

During the state’s first literacy celebration last February, 241 schools were recognized for reaching the statewide literacy goal, as demonstrated during the 2023 administration of the IREAD assessment. Wednesday’s celebration marked an increase of more than 40 additional schools that are now meeting this important goal.

“Our statewide goal of achieving 95% reading proficiency among Indiana students is ever closer because of the work these schools have done and continue to do every day,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Reading is foundational to all other educational and quality of life goals we set as a state, and I want to commend the educators at each of the schools honored today for their commitment to a brighter future for our students and the state of Indiana.”

Medora Stem Academy was the only public school in Jackson County to be recognized.

“It was an honor to be recognized for leading in literacy by the IDOE,” Medora Principal Kara Hunt said. “For the past few years, administration and staff have made increasing literacy rates in our district a focus. We have seen academic growth across the grade levels. I am so proud of our students and staff. It has definitely been a team effort, and we have the best team.”

Lutheran Central School in Brownstown and Sandy Creek Academy in Seymour, which both had rates of 100% reading proficiency, were also honored.

“We are very proud of our students and their success on the I-READ assessment,” said Jami Stuckwisch, who is principal at Lutheran Central.

“Our staff works hard to provide consistent, effective, and engaging instruction and curriculum,” she said. “We continually work together with teachers to identify areas of concern and evaluate data to ensure that we provide research-based strategies to promote success for all students.”

“When it comes to supporting every child to reach their full potential, one of the most important things we can do is teach them to read,” Jenner said. “The ability to read has an impact on students’ academic achievement, as well as their lifelong opportunities. While we must certainly continue to keep our foot on the gas pedal to ensure all students are reading by the end of third grade, today is about celebrating the impactful work of schools, educators, parents and families and communities across Indiana working together for students. Congratulations to all of the schools that hit our shared 95% goal, and let’s keep this positive momentum going for Indiana students!”

To support schools, educators, parents and families in preparing students with foundational reading skills, Indiana continues to make historic investments in literacy, totaling more than $170 million, according to the news release from the state.

Below are examples of how this investment continues to positively impact students:

• Launched a new data visualization tool that allows educators, parents and families, community leaders and policymakers to view key literacy data.
• Increased school-level science of reading instructional coaching and support for educators through the Indiana Literacy Cadre. Today, nearly 500 schools are participating in cohorts one, two and three of the cadre.
• Provided more than 180,000 hours of learning support and tutoring services to more than 20,000 students through Indiana Learns, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
• Procuring a preferred universal screener provider to best support elementary schools with students in greatest need. A complete list of approved universal screeners, including the preferred universal screener, will be available by February 2025.
• Grew the Indiana Learning Lab from 6,000 users in 2021 to more than 70,000 users, including launching the Parent and Family Support Hub, which provides no cost, 24/7 access to resources for parents and families to support their student’s learning.
• Developed online professional development modules supporting Indiana educators with additional science of reading training. More than 5,500 educators have completed the training.
• Expanded the number of schools opting-in to administer the state’s IREAD assessment for second grade students to 1,076 schools. This allows teachers, parents and families to immediately know if a child is on-track or at-risk when it comes to mastering foundational literacy skills.