Joining the IPS innovation network would give Herron access to additional funding, but it would retain most of its independence. Herron’s head of school said the move "will not impact students in any way."
In every school district in Marion County, students are taking the opportunity to sign up for high school Advanced Placement courses that can earn them college credit.
Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said he believes the district will “absolutely” need to have a referendum for more funding to pay teachers at the current rate and potentially increase pay in the future.
Indiana, already a state with one of the most robust taxpayer-funded voucher programs in the country, has made small steps toward broadening the program.
Suburban schools, English-learners and virtual schools would fare well under the Indiana House’s 2017 budget plan, while Indianapolis Public Schools and other urban districts would see drops in state support.
Citing concern about a state statute governing debt repayment, Standard & Poor’s said that it has placed a 90-day watch on the rating for loans to all Indiana school districts.
A proposal to replace ISTEP won approval from Indiana’s House Education Committee on Thursday, putting what is likely another nail in the deeply unpopular exam’s coffin.
Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, filed House Bill 1003 in the Indiana General Assembly on Wednesday, setting out details for a new state testing system, whose name stands for “Indiana’s Learning Evaluation Assessment Readiness Network.”
Democrats say it’s not enough, particularly in its failure to expand state-funded preschool to more counties.
Mary Ann Sullivan will lead the Indianapolis Public Schools board for the second year in a row, bringing a dose of consistency to a board that begins the term with three new members.
Gov.-Elect Eric Holcomb on Thursday announced he wants to make Indiana’s elected superintendent of public instruction a governor-appointed position. House Speaker Brian Bosma is set to author the bill.
Since their start in 2009, Indiana’s online schools have grown tremendously, and enrollment now tops 11,000. But every online school in the state that tested students in 2016—including four charter schools—received an F grade.
Rep. Bob Behning, who championed the so-called “kill ISTEP” bill last spring, said the state might extend its contract with the company that made this year’s ISTEP by another one or two years.
Although Indiana’s House leadership has already come out strongly in support of expanding the state’s preschool program, key players in the Senate said Wednesday that they remain skeptical about added costs.
The number of Indiana schools that received failing marks roughly doubled, to 130, this year, while the number receiving A grades fell by half.
The three schools were all named Monday by the district as candidates for conversion to “innovation” status following years of low test scores.
House Speaker Brian Bosma said he’s advocated for reducing the superintendent’s power “for 30 years” but that he didn’t think he’ll make that a priority for the next legislative session beginning in January.
The same day the public learned that test scores fell at the vast majority of Indianapolis Public Schools, Superintendent Lewis Ferebee got a $26,999 bonus.
Scores fell across the state, but the situation was worse in IPS, where the passing rate went down by 4 percentage points to 25.3 percent in 2016.
Across the state, 51.6 percent of students in grades 3-8 passed both the math and reading test, down from 53.5 percent in 2015.
