Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner and Superintendents from all four Clinton County public schools and The Crossing gathered at Arborwood last week. The event was sponsored by Clinton County Republican Women and the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. About 70 community members attended the event.
The entire program was broadcast LIVE on Hoosierland TV and can be watched in the link below.
The morning focused on the state of education in Indiana and how Clinton County can deliver the best possible education to all 5,685 Clinton County Students.
———————
Clinton County Student population breaks down APPROXIMATELY:
Community Schools of Frankfort: 2350
Clinton Central School Corporation: 1210
Clinton Prairie School Corporation: 1100
Rossville Consolidated Schools: 960
The Crossing Christian High School: 65
Approximate Number of Clinton County Students: 5,685 (plus home school students and Frankfort Covenant Academy)
——————-
Jenner pinpointed the five key goals of a student who graduates in Indiana:
- Academic Mastery
- Career and Post Secondary Readiness: Credentials and Experience
- Communication and Collaboration Skills
- Work Ethic
- Civic, Financial and Digital Literacy
Throughout the program, the critical importance of Reading by end of the Third Grade was underscored. Achieving the 5 “Pillars” of education above relies heavily on proficient reading.
- “Students Learn to Read and Read to Learn”
- “Illiteracy is One of the Most Solvable Issues of Our Time.”
All four county schools achieved over 90% pass rate in the IREAD test. Dr. Jenner said is is highly unusual to have all schools in a county perform at such a high level.
Jenner said the Biennial Budget for Indiana Education was 21 Billion (47%) for K-12 and 4.2 Billion (9%) for Higher education. This means about 56% of the entire Indiana Budget funds education in the State of Indiana.
Indiana, since covid, has rebounded in its ability to teach students to read. While reading scores are not what they were a few years ago, the trend is now in the right direction and if the trend continues, Indiana will match or surpass reading levels scored a decade ago. Indiana is now 6th in the Nation for 4th and 8th grade reading levels according to 2024 NAEP rankings.
Clinton County Schools and the State of Indiana are becoming very “Intentional” in teaching critical skills and increasingly that teaching experience is becoming more personalized for each student, thanks to increased data available, train the trainer programs and proper allocation of AI tools.
Lilly, in partnership with Indiana Educators, has recently invested an unprecedented $111,000,000 in initiatives and resources aimed at increasing Indiana Student reading proficiency throughout the state.
If a child is not reading well by the end of the third grade, according to Dr. Jenner, several things become fairly predictable.
- High School Graduation rates 10 years after that third grade test improve with higher scores. Higher reading skill levels by the end of third grade ensure higher graduation rates.
- Higher reading skill levels by the end of third grade can help predict career success, income levels and economic mobility.
In Indiana, according to Dr. Jenner, 48% of 2nd graders can read. 20% are “on track” to reading and yet 32% are AT RISK by the end of 2nd grade. Statewide, progress in being made steadily since 2022 but Jenner said as a state, there is still work to do.
One of the key success elements intertwined in helping Hoosier students read better, is instructional coaching through Indiana Literacy Cadre in elementary schools throughout the state. Currently 564 Indiana Schools have this reading coaching program, up from only 41 schools in 2022. There is a direct correlation between schools that have individualized coaching and better reading test scores. Locally, The Farmers Bank, Frankfort Rotary Club, Coach Kids, United Way and Boy’s Girl’s Club were recognized for their partnerships on moving the needle in local education, including reading skill levels.
The challenge of Middle School English and Language Arts remain for the state of Indiana. Jenner pointed out this is a failing area that needs work. Fortunately, most all other metrics in Indiana are on the rise, but this area needs to “do better,” according to Jenner. Again, it is hard to teach and learn when students cannot read proficiently.
Each Superintendent addressed three questions from Dr. Jenner. Readers can hear, first hand, their responses in the video below. This video was broadcast LIVE on HoosierlandTV and is available on demand for you. Coverage on HoosierlandTV was made possible by the Republican Women of Clinton County and Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. Krista Stillwell, President of Clinton County Republican Women said she was pleased with the turnout and opportunity to gather together the participants to focus on Education in the area.
Dr. Jenner asked Clinton County Superintendents to answer three questions. You can hear the answers to all three questions in the video archive of the event.
Kaspar media encourages you to see and hear each response starting at the -30:15 time marker in video:
- What has helped you move the needle on reading scores, since all schools were above 90% on the IRead testing scores?
- What Partnerships are you using in your schools to help students learn?
- What gives you hope for the future to create better learning experience and success for your students?
CLICK HERE for Hoosierland TV Broadcast of the State of Education in Indiana and Clinton County.
