Indiana
Indiana governor appoints Hamilton County judge to state’s Court of Appeals
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gov. Eric Holcomb has appointed Hamilton County Circuit Court Judge Paul Felix to the Indiana Court of Appeals, his office announced Thursday.
Felix will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Margret Robb.
“Judge Felix is passionate about ensuring all Hoosiers have access to the justice system,” Holcomb, a Republican, said in a news release. “Through his work he has become an expert in administration of justice, a team player with his judiciary counterparts and a community leader in juvenile justice reform.”
Since 2014, Felix has chaired the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, where he has worked to reduce the number of juvenile detainees using an assessment tool to determine appropriate sentencing that facilitates rehabilitation, the release said.
Felix also helped develop the Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program, which prevents at-risk youth from entering the justice system, and worked with the General Assembly to implement the program statewide, the release said.
He was a deputy prosecutor in Johnson County and a Carmel City Court judge before being elected to Hamilton Circuit Court, where he has served for 14 years.
The Elkhart native earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Indiana
Indiana men’s basketball vs Purdue: Q&A with Hammer and Rails
With Indiana set to travel up to West Lafayette to take on Purdue in the first of two games in the conference’s greatest hoops rivalry, our friends over at our sister site in the SB Nation network, Hammer and Rails, stopped by to talk Boilermaker basketball.
Here’s what they had to say:
Q. I don’t think anybody expected Purdue to be bad or anything this year with Zach Edey departing. What were the expectations heading into the season and how have they changed now?
The expectations were high. Not as high as last year because losing a two time national player of the year is gonna hurt, but still high. A Big Ten title was an expectation for a lot of people given the return of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and TKR. I think a second weekend trip to the NCAA Tournament, where anything can happen was the feeling amongst the fans and I don’t think either of those thoughts have changed.
Q. How different is Trey Kaufman-Renn this season? Is it the kind of thing where Edey was absorbing most of his possessions and he was always this capable or has he gotten noticeably better since last season?
I think you’ve hit it on the head. It’s hard to play behind an All-American. While TKR and Edey played together last year TKR clearly wasn’t the focus. When you’ve got a guy like Edey you make sure he touches the ball. TKR can now be more of a focus of the offense and with more opportunities comes more experience. He’s had a great season thus far. We’ve seen improvement in his ability to hit both a little floater and a hook shotesque look in the middle of the lane.
Q. Have their been any commonalities to Purdue’s losses this season? Something that comes up in each defeat?
There have been a couple things that I think are commonalities for all teams. Purdue loses when they don’t shoot the three very well and when they turn the ball over. This year the more egregious losses have happened when Purdue didn’t take care of the ball. Painter’s goal each game is to keep TOs under 10. That does not always happen. In the loss to Penn State Purdue turned it over 24 times. You just can’t give opponents that many extra chances.
Q. You can add any non-Edey Purdue center under Painter to this roster. Which one and why?
That’s a tough question because it would have to be someone who could compliment TKR. I don’t want to take away from what he’s doing so well. Purdue could use a rim protector and somehow who can stretch defenses and step out to maybe hit a three every once in awhile. With that in mind I’ll take JaJuan Johnson but you really couldn’t go wrong with Isaac Hass, Matt Haarms, or any other 7-footer Purdue has had in recent years.
Q. Who are the non-Braden Smith and Kaufman-Renn players Indiana should be worried about?
Fletcher Loyer is Purdue’s best three point shooter so you’ve gotta focus on pushing him off the line and not allowing easy looks. Purdue’s also got CJ Cox a true freshman guard who has shown the ability to go off for 20+ on any particular day. He’s a good ball handler and an aggressive defender.
Q. Score prediction?
I’m taking Purdue and I think it won’t be close. When Braden Smith plays mad he’s hard to beat. I think he wants to stick it to IU for this one. He’s the type of player that just needs one thing to feel like a betrayal and you’re dead to him forever. I’m taking Purdue 84 – IU 65.
Indiana
Detroit Pistons left in dust on the road by Indiana Pacers in choppy 133-119 loss
Detroit Pistons trade deadline: Should fans expect a big move?
Bryce and Omari debate the merits and likelihood of the front office making a big spash at the trade deadline.
For the second time this month, the Detroit Pistons were unable to overcome a division rival.
The Pistons fell to the Indiana Pacers on the road, 133-119, to fall below .500 (23-24 overall) and conclude their road trip with a 2-3 record. They’ve dropped three consecutive games, after losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic, and finished their season series against the Pacers 1-3.
After trailing by 20 midway through the second quarter, the Pistons used a 21-7 run to cut it back to single digits, 66-60, with under two minutes to play until halftime. They never got closer than four the rest of the way, though.
A 9-2 Pistons run, led by Tobias Harris, cut it to six with seven minutes to play in the final period. Two quick Pacers buckets, the second a 3-pointer from Ben Sheppard, extended it back to double digits. Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner put the game away late with a trio of 3-pointers that extended Indiana’s lead to 18 with under two minutes to play.
With the game in reach, the Pistons shot just 8-for-23 (34.8%) in the fourth.
Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 32 points and nine assists on 12-for-22 shooting. Malik Beasley (20 points, 6-for-10 from 3), Harris (19 points), Jalen Duren (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Ausar Thompson (10 points) also scored in double figures.
Siakam (37 points, 15-for-21) led all scorers, and Haliburton added 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Isaiah Stewart was ejected early in the second quarter, following an altercation with Pacers big man Thomas Bryant that led to a flagrant-2.
Beasley rescues Pistons early with 3-point barrage
The NBA hasn’t yet named its competitors in next month’s All-Star weekend 3-point contest in San Francisco. During the first half, Beasley reminded everyone why he deserves a bid.
He provided instant offense off the bench as the Pistons faced an early 16-point deficit, 24-8, midway through the opening quarter. Beasley knocked down four of his six 3s for the night, sparking a 21-11 Pistons run that brought them within six with 46 seconds remaining in the period.
Beasley struck right as the Pacers cooled off. After opening the game shooting 11-for-14 with eight consecutive makes, Haliburton missed an open transition dunk that finally broke Indiana’s momentum.
Beasley knocked down three 3s in a row, sandwiched by a pair of missed free throws by Haliburton, before hitting a fourth 3-pointer with just under two minutes remaining on the clock to cut it to eight, 35-27.
Stewart ejected in second quarter
With 8:45 remaining in the second quarter, Stewart shoved Bryant to the ground with a hard shoulder bump, sending the Pacers center to the floor. Bryant was angry and momentarily had to be held back by teammates as officials reviewed the foul for a flagrant.
The foul was confirmed as a Flagrant-2, making it Stewart’s second technical of the night after he and veteran Pacers forward James Johnson were whistled for techs during the first quarter.
As Stewart exited the game, he energetically pointed two fingers toward the opposite end of the floor, appeared to gesture toward the crowd and popped his jersey to jeering fans sitting near the tunnels. He played just under eight minutes total, finishing with a point and an assist.
It was already a chippy game between the two teams, continuing a rivalry that started last season and heated up this season, particularly during the Pistons’ home loss to the Pacers on Jan. 16, which featured plenty of trash talk from both sides.
Wednesday’s game featured plenty of emotion on both sides as well. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr. were all whistled for techs for the Pistons, as was Turner for Indiana.
Next up: Mavericks
Matchup: Pistons (23-24) vs. Dallas (25-22).
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Friday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.
Indiana
How did Indiana students do on NAEP reading and math tests?
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Indiana students fared slightly better on “the nation’s report card” in 2024 compared to 2022 as the state continues to slowly recover from the effects of the pandemic.
But across the state and nation, scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress — or NAEP — remain below 2019 levels, raising alarm bells about students’ reading and math skills after the pandemic. Nationally, there is also a growing gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students on NAEP.
Scores released Wednesday show Indiana students’ performance in both math and reading ticked up by between 1 and 3 percentage points in 2024.
In reading, around 34% of fourth graders and 33% of eighth graders were proficient or better in reading in 2024, up from 33% and 31%, respectively, in 2022.
In math, around 43% of fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders scored proficient or better in 2024, compared with 40% and 30%, respectively, in 2022.
Indiana’s performance across both subjects is in line with most other states, which saw no statistically significant score improvements compared to 2022. Nationally, reading scores have continued to drop in a trend that began before the pandemic in 2019. In math, some states made notable improvements, but Indiana was not among them.
Still, Indiana’s average scores remain above national averages. And while national averages have declined in reading, Indiana students’ scores rose this year.
Another difference between Indiana and national averages concerns the highest- and lowest-performing students. Indiana fourth graders in the bottom quartile of scores improved their performance over 2022. But nationally, fourth graders in the bottom quartile of reading scores declined the most from 2022.
However, the gap in eighth grade reading scores between Indiana’s lowest- and highest-performing students grew from 2022 to 2024.
Across demographic groups, one of the state’s most significant jumps in scores was for Black fourth grade students, whose reading scores rose from 194 in 2022 to 201 in 2024 — one point higher than their 2019 scores. Hispanic fourth grade students have also matched 2019 scores in reading for the demographic.
No other student group in Indiana matched its 2019 performance in either subject in 2024.
Nationwide, it was rare for any state to exceed its 2019 NAEP scores in either subject — just Alabama scored higher in fourth grade math, and only Louisiana scored higher in fourth grade reading.
“NAEP has reported declines in reading achievement consistently since 2019, and the continued declines since the pandemic suggest we’re facing complex challenges that cannot be fully explained by the impact of COVID-19,” said National Center for Education Statistics Associate Commissioner Daniel McGrath in a press release.
NAEP scores, learning affected by student absenteeism
NAEP scores don’t indicate the efficacy of any single policy or practice. But their release is likely to trigger debates about how states have responded to the academic effects of the pandemic.
Since 2022, Indiana has passed several laws aimed at aligning the state’s early literacy instruction with a set of practices known as the science of reading.
Schools and teacher training programs are now required to use material based on the science of reading. And beginning this year, students who don’t pass the the third grade reading test — the IREAD-3 — will be be required to repeat third grade, with only a few exceptions.
Now Indiana lawmakers may turn their attention to math. A bill under consideration in the 2025 legislative session would change teacher preparation programs in regards to math instruction, as well as require math proficiency screeners and interventions for younger students.
The state has also invested state and federal funds in tutoring and summer school programs, and will likely seek help from lawmakers writing the state budget to keep those initiatives funded after the expiration of federal aid.
Other initiatives from lawmakers include addressing student absenteeism, which has declined nationally since 2022 but remains higher than in 2019. In a media call Tuesday, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics Peggy Carr pointed to absenteeism as a factor in students’ scores.
“If students aren’t in school, they can’t learn,” Carr said.
Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at aappleton@chalkbeat.org.
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