By State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper)
Literacy is, without question, a crucial skill necessary to succeed in life. That’s why I’m so pleased to report that 92% of students in Senate District 48 are proficient in reading by third grade – outpacing the state average of 89%.
In recent years, the legislature has approved a number of measures to help ensure Hoosier students are improving their reading skills, like increasing education funding by $2.4 billion, implementing the Science of Reading curriculum, and partnering with the Lilly Endowment to invest $170 million in efforts to improve reading instruction and reward schools that are making progress with their students’ reading skills.
It is so satisfying to see our efforts are working, and I will continue to support policies that ensure our students are leaving school prepared for the real world. These scores are a testament to the renewed focus our state has placed upon reading instruction, and I am very grateful for the hard work and resiliency of our students, teachers and parents who contributed so much to achieve these results.
I have no doubt their continued hard work will increase literacy rates for students not only in the counties I serve, but throughout this state we’re all so proud to call home.
As always, constituents can reach out to me with any questions or concerns by email at s48@iga.in.gov or by phone at 1-800-382-9467.
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State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48,
which includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
