Indiana
Literacy overhaul bill — with third grade retention requirement — heads to Indiana governor • Indiana Capital Chronicle
Indiana senators gave final approval Thursday for a literacy overhaul bill that will require reading-deficient third graders to be held back a year in school.
Senate Bill 1, which seeks to remedy Indiana’s literacy “crisis” by requiring schools to administer the statewide IREAD test in second grade — a year earlier than current requirements — and directing new, targeted support to at-risk students and those struggling to pass the exam.
But if, after three tries, a third grader can’t meet the IREAD standard, legislators want school districts to retain them.
That number could reach into the thousands according to recent data.
While much of the rest of the bill has received bipartisan support, the retention language has been passionately debated in both chambers.
Numerous teachers, parents and education experts argued there are various, negative long-term effects for students who are forced to retake third grade. But Republican lawmakers remained firm that Indiana does a disservice to kids who are promoted to the fourth grade without foundational reading skills.
The Senate voted 29-16 on Thursday in favor of the bill. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the measure, in part over the House chamber’s deletion of dyslexia-specific supports for young learners.
Senate Bill 1 now heads to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his review and signature. The governor has not said where stands on the final version of the proposal but included third grade literacy — and mandatory retention — in his 2024 legislative agenda.
Bill author Sen. Linda Rogers, R-Granger, and other Republicans have repeatedly said the proposal is not a “retention bill,” and holding Hoosier kids back in school should “be a last resort.” They maintain, too, that if literacy supports and remediation in Senate Bill 1 are properly implemented, no children will have to be retained.
Exceptions are carved out in Rogers’ bill for students who have been retained in third grade before, special-education students, certain English language learners, and students who pass the math portion of the statewide assessment and receive remedial reading instruction.
Schools will also be required to offer summer school to struggling readers starting this year, although the final version of the bill does not force students to attend.
Attempting to compromise on retention, critics called for that portion of the bill to be put on hold until the 2025-2026 academic year, when all Hoosier teachers are supposed to be trained up on science of reading instruction.
Republican lawmakers rejected the delay, however. Under the latest draft, the retention provision takes effect for the upcoming 2024-2025 school calendar.
Last year, 13,840 third-graders did not pass IREAD, according to test data. Of those students, 5,503 received an exemption and 8,337 did not. But about 95% of students without an exemption moved onto 4th grade and just 412 were retained.
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Indiana
Former Colt Ryan Kelly announces retirement
(WISH) — Former Colts center Ryan Kelly announced his retirement from the NFL.
“10 seasons,” Kelly wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “What an incredible ride it was. I was blessed to be around some of the greatest people this sport has to offer. I always wanted to leave each place better than how I found it and with that I can hang my hat. Forever grateful for my family and brothers!”
Kelly was with the Colts for nine seasons, from 2016-2024. He was a four-time Pro Bowler with the Colts, and made the All-Pro Second Team in 2020. Kelly was a captain for his last two seasons with the Colts in 2023 and 2024.
Kelly was drafted by the Colts in the first round in 2016. He played all but one of his 10 seasons in the NFL in Indianapolis, playing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2025.
Indiana
Valparaiso 63-62 Indiana State (Mar 5, 2026) Game Recap – ESPN
ST. LOUIS — — Rakim Chaney had 18 points in Valparaiso’s 63-62 win over Indiana State on Thursday in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Chaney added five rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Beacons (18-14). JT Pettigrew added 14 points while going 5 of 8 and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line while they also had seven rebounds. Brody Whitaker finished with 10 points.
Camp Wagner led the Sycamores (11-21) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Indiana State also got 12 points and three blocks from Ian Scott. Enel St. Bernard finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals. The loss was the Sycamores’ seventh in a row.
Chaney scored nine points in the first half and Valparaiso went into halftime trailing 37-28. After trailing by nine points in the second half, Valparaiso went on a 7-0 run to narrow the score to 37-35 with 17:11 remaining in the half before finishing off the victory. Pettigrew scored 12 second-half points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Indiana
Heavy rain soaks central Indiana, but drought relief uneven across the state
Central Indiana has seen a very wet start to March, with several rounds of rain and storms moving through the region over the past few days. In fact, the city of Indianapolis has already received more rain in the first four days of the month than it typically gets during the entire month of March.
So far this month, Indianapolis has recorded 3.90 inches of rainfall, which already exceeds the normal March monthly average of 3.79 inches. Much of that rain came during a widespread soaking on Tuesday, when a strong system pushed steady showers and thunderstorms across the state.
Some of the highest totals over the past three days have been recorded across central Indiana. Rain gauges show 5.86 inches in Marion County, 5.02 inches in Morgan County, 4.97 inches in Hancock County, 4.95 inches in Shelby County, 4.57 inches in Johnson County, and 4.26 inches in Hendricks County. These totals represent a significant amount of rainfall in a short period of time and have left many areas with saturated ground and standing water in low spots.
Despite the widespread rainfall, the impact on drought conditions has been somewhat uneven across the state. According to the latest drought monitor, the areas that received the heaviest rain over the past few days are largely the same areas that were already in relatively good shape in terms of moisture levels. Meanwhile, parts of northern Indiana that have been dealing with more persistent dryness have seen much lighter totals.
Cities such as Kokomo, Lafayette, and Muncie have generally picked up less rain compared to areas farther south. Forecast models suggest that pattern may continue over the next several days.
Additional rainfall is expected through Thursday, with another round possible around midday Saturday. Current projections show the best chance for another inch or more of rain focusing once again across the southern half of the state, while northern Indiana may see lower totals.
That means while the recent rain has certainly helped improve soil moisture in many areas, it may not fully address the lingering dryness farther north. For now, the pattern remains active, and Hoosiers should expect more wet weather before the system finally begins to move out later this weekend.
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