Car Line Chat: Veterans Day, Reading Wins, and What Parents Should Watch

Scene: Crisp morning. Sarah’s got a paper poppy on her coat. Maria’s youngest is waving a tiny flag out the window while a teacher directs traffic.

 

Sarah: Did you see Dr. Jenner’s note? Tons of schools are doing Veterans Day events. I love that.

 

Maria: Same. And she announced new and renewed Purple Star Schools, basically schools that go the extra mile for military-connected families. If your kiddo’s school is on that list, you’ll probably see year-round support, not just on Veterans Day.

 

Sarah: Big parent headline for me: the new IREAD Good Cause Exemption dashboard. Third-grade reading climbed about five points statewide last year. It breaks down pass rates, exemptions, and promotion status by school. That’s real transparency.

 

Maria: That’s huge. If my school’s number is low, I want to know what extra support is offered…tutoring, small-group time, at-home practice...anything.

(A teacher taps Sarah’s window, grinning.)

 

Teacher (whisper): Quick PSA, PSAT/SAT office hours on Nov. 12, and winter workshops in December. If you’ve got a 10th or 11th grader, nudge your school to register so staff can actually use the data with kids.

 

Sarah: Noted. Also saw a new math support webinar; starting 2026-27, schools must give interventions if K-8 students aren’t at grade level in math. Good to see a clear Tier 1/2/3 plan.

 

Maria: Two more “good to know” things: (1) ASL standards are open for public comment, parents of Deaf/HoH students should peek. (2) Science of Reading lunchtime series for teachers; handwriting, spelling, and keyboarding are getting some love.

 

Teacher: And if you’re an EL family or teacher: WIDA speaking workshop in December and IDOE Special Programs office hours next week about the new ILP platform.

 

(Car line starts moving. Tiny flag waves. Everybody smiles.)

 

Sarah: Veterans, thank you. Schools, keep those literacy and math supports coming.

 

Maria: And parents, bookmark the dashboard. Data + questions = better help for our kids.

 

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Quick links for parents

• IDOE News & Weekly Updates: in.gov/doe/news/

• IREAD / Good Cause Exemptions overview (dashboard linked from IDOE): in.gov/doe/students/assessment/

• College Board (PSAT/SAT School Day info): collegeboard.org

• Indiana Learning Lab (parent/teacher resources hub): learninglab.doe.in.gov

Educator & PTA corner (items parents may want to share with schools)

• PSAT/SAT November Office Hours & December Workshops (via College Board): collegeboard.org

• Tiered Math Supports (K-8 interventions webinar via IDOE): in.gov/doe/educators/curriculum/

• ASL Standards – Public Comment (via IDOE Standards): in.gov/doe/educators/standards/

• Science of Reading “Experts Explain” series (via Indiana Learning Lab): learninglab.doe.in.gov

• EL/ML Supports—WIDA workshops + Special Programs office hours (calendar link in Learning Lab): learninglab.doe.in.gov