Bill would add oral-language literacy work, permit second iRead administration and ease EARN credential rules

House Bill 1499, presented by Representative Robert Behning to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee, would make several changes to literacy and career‑readiness policy. The proposal would ask the State Board of Education to incorporate oral-language development into literacy endorsement requirements for educators; permit a second administration of the iRead third‑grade reading assessment at the end of the school year; and temporarily exempt third graders in school buildings with 50% or more English-language learners (ELLs) from mandatory retention for two years.

Behning said the second iRead administration could reduce the need for summer school by letting schools retest students on the bubble at the end of the year. He described the ELL exemption as a two‑year, targeted relief for buildings—he said the intent is not permanent policy but a temporary adjustment while districts develop capacity to support ELL students.

The bill would also let schools hold career fairs off campus if the district provides transportation, a change supporters said would let schools host larger employer events in venues better suited to many employers. On the EARN (Employment and Readiness Network) work‑based learning program, the bill would allow multiple credentials to count for participants (rather than limiting eligibility to a single credential) and would reduce the minimum employer‑hours requirement from 12 to 10 to better match diploma requirements and increase student participation, testimony said.

Stakeholders including the Indiana Small & Rural Schools Association, the Indiana Association of School Principals, and the Indiana Chamber testified in support while flagging implementation questions. Several witnesses urged clarifying whether the 50%‑ELL threshold should be measured at the school‑building level or the district (corporation) level; Representative Behning said he and the department would continue conversations and consider amendments to target the provision precisely (for example, K–5 versus K–8 buildings).

Committee members and witnesses also discussed whether literacy endorsement requirements for administrators should be reintroduced and targeted to K–5 principals; Behning and others said the requirement had been removed for fiscal reasons but that targeted policies could be considered as funds become available.

The committee took public testimony and did not immediately vote on the bill at the hearing.