Bill seeks to stop ‘charter shopping’ by failing schools
Rep. Robert Behning, who is sponsoring the measure, said: "We should not be taking bad schools and passing them off to somebody else."
K-12
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Kenley: Slower-than-expected tax revenue warrants caution
Indiana Senate budget chief Luke Kenley said he might be a bit more restrained with spending in his version of the next two-year budget because the state has not been meeting its revenue projections for the current fiscal year.
Consultants map out steps to avoid repeat of testing uproar
Indiana needs to improve communication between its education leaders, hire more staff and take other steps to prevent a repeat of the “thorny issues” surrounding the length of this year’s ISTEP+ exam, two consultants hired by the state say.
Pence, legislators open to ditching ISTEP for cheaper alternative
Two bills already have passed the Senate that push the state in the direction of a national test.
More suburban students using state’s voucher program
Voucher use is up significantly in Hamilton County districts, but most children using the program still live in the state’s largest, poorest cities with some of the most troubled public schools.
Senate defeats civics test bill, grapples with ISTEP
Indiana students might be off the hook from a proposal asking they pass a civics test to graduate from high school after a bill to require it was defeated in the state Senate on Tuesday.
UPDATE: Pence signs bill trimming ISTEP times
The changes are expected to shave at least three hours off the test for all grades plus an additional hour in 5th and 7th grades.
Educators say cuts to ISTEP test times not enough
Indiana school administrators say they welcome efforts to shorten the standardized test that 450,000 students soon will begin taking, but they say the exam will still take too long.
Ritz addresses speculation on possible gubernatorial bid
State schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who has been at loggerheads with Gov. Mike Pence for most of his first term, isn’t ruling it out.
Department of Education notifies schools of testing changes
Indiana schools are receiving official word about the steps being taken to shorten the state's standardized tests.
Bill that trims funding to shrinking districts advances
The changes, combined with declining enrollments in a number of schools, mean that 91 of the state’s 289 traditional districts would receive less overall funding in 2016 than this year.
Senate OKs bill allowing board to vote for leader
The move most likely would result in Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, a Democrat, being removed from the position.
House panel backs moves to shorten student testing time
The House Education Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a bill permitting some steps that Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz proposed last week.
State budget proposal shifts aid toward wealthy schools
IPS would see a 6-percent reduction in state tuition aid by 2017 despite being one of the state’s poorest districts, with more than 75 percent of children coming from families that are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
House GOP budget plan calls for school spending boost
The planned school spending increase is more than double the $201 million hike that Republican Gov. Mike Pence proposed in January.
Ritz supporters plan Statehouse rally Monday afternoon
Organizers of the rally are targeting bills moving through the Statehouse that would shift some authority from state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz.
Budget proposal to push school funding past Pence’s pitch
The leader of the Indiana House says a state budget proposal set for release Monday will include a larger funding increase for public schools than Gov. Mike Pence sought in his spending plan.
Ritz says ISTEP testing time can be cut by 3 hours
Indiana’s schools superintendent says a plan is in the works to cut about three hours from the maximum time that students will take the state’s standardized tests.
Long, Bosma say they’ll do what’s needed to shorten ISTEP
Indiana legislative leaders said they’re prepared to ram through legislation to make the state’s ISTEP test shorter, but they won’t consider Superintendent Glenda Ritz’s proposal to pause the school grading system for one year.
ISTEP stress test called ‘complete disaster’
“A number of schools” reported freezing issues Thursday during the test run, which was designed to ensure that the system worked smoothly when the online portion of the standardized test is given to 470,000 Indiana students in the coming weeks.