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Police hunt for gunman after UnitedHealthcare CEO is killed in Midtown Manhattan; Record number of women to serve in state legislatures nationwide; Onions caused McDonald's E. coli outbreak, but beef production still a concern; Detroit suburb revitalized by federal funds.

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Trump reportedly is considering replacing Pete Hegseth as defense nominee, the French PM is ousted, South Korea rejects martial law, Montana blocks a trans bathroom ban, and women's representation in state legislatures hits new highs.

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Limited access to community resources negatively impacts rural Americans' health, a successful solar company is the result of a Georgia woman's determination to stay close to her ailing grandfather, and Connecticut looks for more ways to cut methane emissions.

Online reading tool boosts IN students' reading abilities

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Wednesday, November 6, 2024   

Reading scores for Indiana's grade school students have reflected below average readiness levels on the state's recent achievement tests.

Educators said a software program in some schools is making a difference. The Indiana Department of Education supports a digital reading tool called "Readable English," which makes the English language phonetic with an embedded pronunciation guide, while keeping the spelling intact.

Tammy Miller, chief academic officer of Readable English, said schools have used the program during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years.

"The Department of Education in Indiana funded 27 schools to use Readable English at the middle school level in grades five through eight, and to take a look at that longitudinal data on the ILEARN scores in order to determine if this could be a way to help our students actually catch up," Miller explained.

Several Indiana school districts received the Readable English grant of nearly $350,000, including the Bloomfield School District, Eastern Greene Schools, Mitchell Community Schools, and North Lawrence Community Schools. Schools are also using the program in Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, Georgia and Florida.

Miller noted students using the Readable English program increased their reading performance by nearly 10 times compared to their baseline ILEARN scores. Education site Chalkbeat reports ILEARN's 2024 results show 41 % of students were proficient or better in English language arts, up from 40.7% in 2023.

Miller views reading as more than just a required school subject and stressed it prepares a person for life beyond the classroom.

"Being literate is really the great equalizer in our society," Miller asserted. "Our children deserve to be able to read proficiently, and many would say that it is a civil right. It's absolutely critical that we pay attention to the reading issue in our state in order to provide a prepared workforce to our business and corporate community."

The Indiana Department of Workforce Development focuses on increasing the number of skilled workers to fill current job positions, while attracting new domestic and international business to the state.



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