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Chicago Tribune
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Indiana weighs new academic accountability rules; test results less important
Indiana education officials are laying the groundwork for a new A-F accountability system they said is aligned with what Hoosiers agree are the characteristics important to lifelong success. The State Board of Education welcomed the first draft Wednesday on the K-12 measure that will go into effect next year to better prepare students for the future, they said. It dovetails with the state's newly revised diploma that becomes effective with the Class of 2029. It focuses on three areas – students preparing for college, the military or direct employment after high school. 'To best prepare students for the future – whether their next steps include college, a career or military service – we know that both knowledge and real-world skills are essential to their success,' said Gov. Mike Braun in a release. The new characteristics that indicators will measure are academic mastery, career and postsecondary readiness, credentials, experiences and work ethic. The process, built upon multiple rounds of public comment and feedback, is likely to consume most of the year. Its main change, however, is testing assessment scores will no longer be the sole letter grade criteria for school evaluations. A state law, authored by House Education Chairman Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, calls for two drafts, each with a 30-day public comment period. The first public comment period opens later this summer, but officials said the public can provide immediate feedback via Jotform, an online feedback/survey tool. The state also requires the State Board of Education to adopt a final draft of the A-F grading scale by Dec. 31. Democrats argued its results could still be punitive on schools with lower poverty rates. Schools have not received letter grades since 2018 when the DOE moved from the ISTEP exam to a new accountability test called ILEARN. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted testing, and no grades were assigned. Presently, the state's assessment system rates students in grades 3-8 based on academic performance and growth on ILEARN. High school grades are based on SAT scores, graduation rates and college and career readiness. The new grading system is expected to focus on math, English and literacy mastery in the lower grades and a shift toward skill development and work-based opportunities and credentials in high school. To offer feedback, see
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Indiana bill to exempt some English language learners from reading retention heads to governor
Indianapolis Republican Rep. Robert Behning talks about his reading bill on April 22, 2025. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Exceptions to the state's new third grade retention law and tweaks to high school career fair requirements were baked into the final draft of a bill that's now en route to the governor's desk. House Bill 1499, a follow-up to last year's literacy overhaul law that requires reading-deficient third graders to be held back a year in school, earned unanimous approval from the House chamber on Tuesday. Current statute requires that — if after three attempts — a third grade student is unable to pass the IREAD assessment, they must be held back a year in school. This year's bill, once signed into law, will give students at least two chances to retake the exam over the summer to avoid retention. In 2024, roughly 10,500 Hoosier third graders were still unable to pass the IREAD after retaking the exam once over the summer, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. It also allows schools whose third grade student population is comprised of at least 50% English language learners to register those students with the Indiana Department of Education for an exemption from the retention requirement until until the beginning of the 2027-2028 academic year if they are unable to pass the IREAD. The exemption would apply to an estimated 797 third grade English language learner students annually across 38 Indiana public schools. The proposal, authored by Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, additionally permits career fairs to be held off of school property — as long as the school provides transportation. Current state law requires high schools to hold an annual career fair for 11th and 12th grade students. Another piece of the bill reduces minimum work requirements for Indiana's work-study program from 12 to 10 hours per week. The state currently matches 50% of the hourly wage for high school and college students who participate in Employment Aid Readiness Network (EARN) Indiana. A fiscal analysis expects the change to increase the number of participating employers and students. Although earlier versions of the legislation sought to add new literacy endorsement mandates for school administrators, those provisions were ultimately deleted. A state law passed last year still requires Hoosier teachers to complete the 80-hour training. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Chicago Tribune
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Lawmakers eye restoring A-F grades with expanded criteria
Indiana's dormant A-F school grading assessment program is on track for an overhaul with a new methodology to rate school performance. House Bill 1498 cleared the full House by a 62-28 vote Tuesday and is headed to the Senate for consideration. Indianapolis Republican state Rep. Robert Behning, who chairs the Education Committee, authored the bill that tasks the Department of Education and State Board of Education to develop a framework for the new accountability system. The bill repeals the previous methodology. Education officials would be charged with developing the new grading benchmarks by the end of 2025 with grades assigned to public and state-accredited private schools in 2026. No grades will be given this year. After Behning introduced the bill, State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, cautioned the fallout letter grades create. In Gary, it led to an unsuccessful state takeover of Roosevelt High School, which has since been shuttered. 'There's a danger in labeling schools and it has an impact on the community,' he said. Schools have not received letter grades since 2018 when the DOE moved from the ISTEP exam to a new accountability test called ILEARN. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted testing, and no grades were assigned. Presently, the state's assessment system rates students in grades 3-8 based on academic performance and growth on ILEARN. High school grades are based on SAT scores, graduation rates and college and career readiness. State Secretary of Education Katie Jenner told the House Education Committee last week the state board would likely add IREAD literacy scores, student attendance and chronic absenteeism to the third grade assessment. Schools in grades 4-8 would be evaluated on ILEARN proficiency in math and English, attendance data and advanced courses. High schools in grades 9-12 would be graded on measures that dovetail with the state's new diploma standards just approved by the state board in December. Local educators generally supported the bill. 'Personally, I do not have a problem with being held accountable for the job we're responsible for in educating our children,' said East Porter Superintendent Aaron Case. Students in East Porter's small district have long been strong performers in past accountability measures. 'My concern, though, is the consistency of the grading system,' Case said. 'Often, these systems lack clear, stable metrics, making them a moving target. It's difficult to aim for a specific grade when the criteria can shift.' Case said unfunded mandates often accompany accountability measures while the goalposts keep moving. 'Essentially, we're being asked to run a race with hurdles, but the hurdles keep changing height and we're not given the resources to clear them effectively,' he said. River Forest Superintendent Kevin Trezak said students in wealthier communities typically always receive better grades than those in poor communities. He said the A-F grading system has become less punitive over the years but results remain the same. 'Because of this, I have deep-rooted convictions that this, and similar systems across the country, are flawed,' he said. Nonetheless, Trezak said schools aim for improvement and self-reflection to do what's best for students. 'We welcome accountability and want to gauge how we are doing and where we can make adjustments.'
