Reading skills, wetland, higher education laws going into effect July 1

By MIA HILKOWITZ From reading skills to happy hour, all or parts of nearly 150 laws will take effect July 1 in Indiana. Other key topics include wetlands, higher education oversight and more. Senate Enrolled Acts 1 and 6 address one of the most heavily debated topics of the 2024 legislative session: reading skills and proficiency among Indiana youth. Many legislators promised to tackle the issue after the IREAD results revealed nearly& one in five Indiana third graders& struggle to read, which Education Secretary Katie Jenner labeled a “crisis.”& SEA 1& — authored by Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger — requires schools to hold back third graders who fail the state reading proficiency exam. The law provides exemptions for English language learners, students who have individualized education plans or excel in the math portion of the state’s assessment. The law also requires schools to start administering proficiency testing in second grade and offer additional tutoring, resources and summer courses to students at risk of failing the IREAD exam. A companion law,& SEA 6, also requires the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to identify students in fourth through eighth grade who are not reading proficiently. The IDOE will also need to develop...