THE RAATZ ROUNDUP
Submitted for use on Aug. 19, 2025
Word Count: 345
Reading is an essential skill that all children need at a young age. A study by the Education Resources Information Center shows one in six children who are not reading proficiently by third grade will not graduate from high school on time. In Indiana, we work hard to ensure all Hoosier students learn to read properly, and we recently made a big stride toward accomplishing that goal.
Last week, the State Board of Education announced that Indiana's IREAD scores for third graders had the largest increase in reading proficiency our state has seen since the launch of the IREAD program in 2013. According to the 2024-2025 IREAD assessment scores, third grade literacy rates saw a nearly 5% increase.
Not only that, but 87.3% of third graders demonstrated proficiency in foundational reading skills, that's 6,000 more students compared to last year.
The substantial growth of our IREAD scores is the result of our classrooms adopting the Science of Reading curriculum in House Enrolled Act 1558, which I sponsored. The Science of Reading creates a structured learning approach for students that has proven to be the most effective way to teach students to read.
I also supported House Enrolled Act 1001 in 2023, which adds increased funding to literacy initiatives in the classroom to better support our students.
Though the General Assembly passed the legislation to help improve student reading skills, the teachers are the ones who implemented it and worked with Hoosier students day in and day out to ensure our students can read and are prepared to continue to learn in school. I want to publicly thank them for their hard work, as this impressive improvement would not have happened without their dedication.
As we approach the start of the legislative session, I will continue to work with those in education to create legislation that will allow our students to continue to flourish.
Constituents can reach out to me with any questions or concerns they may have by filling out a "Contact Me" form on the IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/Raatz website or by calling my office at 800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Jeff Raatz (R-Richmond) represents Senate District 27, which includes
Henry, Union and Wayne counties, and portions of Franklin County.
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