Proposals on teacher pay, scholarships back from dead
The state legislature on Wednesday brought back to life all or part of two education bills that had pretty much been given up for dead.
The state legislature on Wednesday brought back to life all or part of two education bills that had pretty much been given up for dead.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz made it clear Tuesday that she won’t support legislative efforts to expand taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools.
This year’s exam, created for the first time by the British testing company Pearson, will be largely administered on computers instead of on paper. That has educators—stung by a string of recent testing problems—on edge.
Teachers in high-demand jobs—like science, math or foreign language—would be free to try to negotiate better pay even beyond what their school’s union scales allow under a bill the Indiana House will consider next week.
When the state released grades for the 2014-15 school year on Tuesday, it seemed clear that many schools benefited from a “hold harmless” bill that Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Thursday.
Statewide, 88.9 percent of students graduated from high school, compared to 89.8 a year earlier. But graduation rates have only fluctuated by about one percentage point up or down since 2011.
A bill speeding through the Legislature that would give schools relief from last year’s drop in ISTEP scores won’t offer much protection for the state’s most struggling schools.
Democrats and Republicans are backing a proposal expected to be considered by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill proposes schools may not receive a lower grade for 2015 than they received in 2014.
An idea to scrap Indiana’s state standardized test in favor of an “off-the-shelf” test could make a comeback during this year’s legislative session.
Sen. Mark Stoops, D-Bloomington, on Wednesday called for the Indiana legislature to take the dramatic step of passing a bill next week to protect schools and teachers from possible consequences of an expected steep drop in ISTEP scores.
The governor does an about-face and says accountability measures “should reflect fairness to our students, our teachers and our schools.”
The State Board of Education is poised to vote on a recommendation from educator panels that would reduce ISTEP passing rates about 16 percentage points in English and 24 percentage points in math, compared with 2014.
The rule changes are meant to bolster the quality of teaching in “dual-credit” courses, which can count for both high school and college credit. But they could have unintended consequences.
An email from the U.S. Department of Education to the Indiana Department of Education says the state incorrectly applied provisions of federal law when determining this year’s Title I poverty aid for charter schools.
Parents and educators pleaded with the Indiana State Board of Education to change a state law that they argue could rob students of equal access to the high school diplomas that fit them best.
In Indiana, as in many other places, the problem isn’t the number of certified teachers, but a mismatch between candidates and available jobs. And the situation isn’t as bad or out of the ordinary as recent media coverage has suggested, educators say.
Wayne Township, Perry Township and Beech Grove schools all passed referendums, but voters in Brownsburg rejected two proposals.
Wayne Township, Perry Township and Beech Grove school officials say they need tax increases to provide relief from property tax caps the Legislature passed in 2010.
The Senate Education Committee is considering numerous pieces of education-related legislation, including a bill aimed at removing the state superintendent of public instruction as chair of the Indiana State Board of Education.
Leaders from some of Indiana's poorest school districts said Tuesday they fear proposed funding cuts they're facing, while those from growing districts are worried proposed increases for them won't be enough.