Here are all the new school mandates passed by the Indiana legislature
Every year, the Indiana General Assembly passes a bevy of new education laws that add to, subtract from and change the things asked of districts, schools and teachers.
Here are all the new mandates and considerations for schools, passed in the 2018 legislative session.
1. Computer science curriculum
One of Gov. Eric Holcomb's legislative priorities this year was requiring every school to start offering computer science. By 2021, it shall be so. Senate Bill 172 gives every school three years to start offering computer science as an elective. It also establishes a grant program to help cover the cost of training teachers, though that grant won't be funded until next year's budget session.
2. Employability skills
The impetus behind a new requirement for schools to teach "employability skills" came from David Freitas, member of the State Board of Education. Freitas speaks frequently about the need for such skills, stemming from conversations with employers about the inability to find recent graduates who understand certain aspects of workplace etiquette. What will be included in this curriculum remains to be seen, as it will be up to the Indiana Department of Education to draft it and the state board to adopt it.
Schools will have to start weaving the new curriculum into their instruction by the 2019-20 school year.
3. Career coaching
A new career coaching program will be created over the coming months, soon to be implemented by all high schools.
The program is supposed to help alert high school students to potential careers with a focus on current employer needs and foreseeable talent needs and trends. It will look at what jobs are in-demand across a particular region, as well as the state, and explain the educational requirements for those jobs.
Part of a larger workforce development bill, the new career coaching program aligns with a state focus on matching students with careers before they graduate — especially "high-wage," "high-demand" jobs that require some sort of credential or post-secondary training but not necessarily a four-year college degree.
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4. New reporting requirements
In addition to major curricular and programmatic changes, schools will be required to do new screenings, reporting, training and more. A bill aimed at better identifying students with dyslexia requires schools to screen for dyslexia risk factors, report prevalence of dyslexia and gives schools until the 2019-20 school year to employ an authorized reading specialist trained in dyslexia.
Another bill directed the State Board of Education to choose an alternate math class for students working toward the Core 40 designation on their diploma. Should a student choose that alternative course, schools will need to notify the student and their parents that doing so may preclude them from entering certain STEM programs in college.
Schools will also be required to notify parents about any sexual education that will be provided to students and provide a summary of the instruction. If a parent does not respond to the first notice, either opting their child in or out of sex ed, schools will need to send home a second notice.
5. New teacher training
Legislation passed this year requires several new types of training for teachers, including training on dyslexia, suicide prevention and heat preparedness training for coaches.
The state is also in the midst of changing its diploma system, high school graduation requirements, standardized testing and accountability systems. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick said during a legislative review last week that while educators are used to dealing with a lot of changes, the next couple of years could be especially challenging.
"I have faith in our educators. I have faith in our local districts and school boards that we'll get there," she said. "There's a lot of anxiety right now because there are a lot of, not just moving parts, big moving parts."
There could be more coming. Gov. Eric Holcomb called for a special session this week, asking lawmakers to come back and finish business left on the table after the clock ran out on the regular session last week. Holcomb has set five priorities for the special session, three of which are education-related, but there's nothing to stop lawmakers from attempting to push through additional legislation.
Call IndyStar education reporter Arika Herron at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @ArikaHerron.