INDIANAPOLIS -- Dozens of teachers from across Indiana spoke for nearly three-and-a-half hours during the latest State Board of Education meeting this week urging Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner to reconsider new literacy training requirements many argued make little sense.
"Your free training feels like a slap in the face," said Maya Simon, a three-year special education teacher.
"I cannot see how extensive training in the science of reading will make me a better music teacher," said Allison Thompson, an elementary music teacher with the Vigo County School Corporation.
Under new requirements signed into law this year, all teachers with a K-6 or special education license will have until 2027 to complete 80 additional hours of literacy training and a written assessment — an assessment several teachers said completely misses the mark.
"The praxis exam is a licensing exam that measures content knowledge but completely ignores the relational side and what it takes to be an effective classroom teacher," said Aaron Easton, a 3rd-grade teacher from Fort Wayne.
According to the IDOE, roughly 12,000 teachers across the state have signed up for training sessions so far. Although the IDOE has expanded the number of sessions available, some teachers told Dr. Jenner they can't find a time slot that works for them.
"If I register for the only open class, I lose my summer and time to focus on my mental health and prepare for the upcoming school year," said Simon.
But not everyone objected to the new requirements such as parent Swantella Nelson, who said they've seen the benefits of the training firsthand.
"In order to get to a place where our reading scores are better, our teachers will need training," Nelson said.
Jessica Cortwright, the associate director of government affairs for the nonprofit "Rise Indy," told Dr. Jenner the training is needed to combat racial disparities when it comes to IREAD English and Math Proficiency Test scores.
"These disparities are not new, but they are escalating, but we cannot afford to stand idly by," said Cortwright.