Teachers to receive $30 million in performance-based grants

The State of Indiana announced $30 million in grants Thursday to 1,317 schools around Indiana to reward their performance on state standardized tests and graduation rates.

The grants, required by the 2013 state budget, will be used to pay bonuses to teachers who were rated effective or highly effective on their annual performance evaluations in the 2013-14 school year.

Earlier this year, data released by the state showed that 88 percent of teachers received such ratings in the 2012-13 school year.

“Indiana teachers and schools work each and every day to make a difference in the lives of our children,” Gov. Mike Pence said in a written statement.

The 1,317 schools receiving grants, which include both charter schools and traditional public schools, represent about 72 percent of all schools statewide, according to data from the Indiana Department of Education.

Of the schools receiving grants, about 125 of them were in Marion County.

The Pence administration did not detail how much money each school would receive.

The formula for the grants gives $176 per student for schools with graduation rates of 90 percent or higher and for schools whose graduation rates improved by at least 5 percent from the previous year. Schools with graduation rates between 75 percent and 90 percent receive half as much per student.

Schools also receive $47 per student for having pass rates of 90 percent or higher on the state standardized ISTEP and End of Course Assessment tests. Schools could also receive $47 per student if their standardized test pass rates improved by 5 percent over the previous year. The grants are cut in half for schools with pass rates between 72.5 percent and 90 percent.