"Alarming Number of Indiana Third-Graders Struggle with Reading Skills"

Indiana's statewide reading test scores reveal that nearly one in five third graders struggle to read, highlighting a "crisis" in education, according to the state's secretary of education. While there was a slight improvement in proficiency, with 81.9% of students demonstrating reading proficiency, scores remain 9.5 percentage points below the state's highest-ever rate. The Department of Education noted that reading proficiency improved for some student groups but declined for Hispanic students. The department aims to have 95% of students pass the reading assessment by 2027, with 242 elementary schools achieving that goal so far.