Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, said he wants to hire a contractor to re-score the 2015 ISTEP test, which he calls a “disaster.” Meanwhile, the House education committee approved a measure sparing teachers from having their performance pay reduced as a result of the scores.
Following ongoing controversy over tougher Indiana student assessments, the Indiana Department of Education on Wednesday released long-awaited statewide and local 2015 ISTEP scores.
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.
A lack of consensus among Republicans on several issues—including questions about gay rights, transportation funding and ISTEP testing—looms large as lawmakers ready for the 2016 legislative session, which kicks off Tuesday.
Investigators found no evidence that students were given incorrect lower scores on this spring’s high-stakes ISTEP exam, according to state officials.
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.
The Indiana Department of Education asked the company that scores the important standardized test for the number of test items and schools that may have been affected by a computer malfunction that could have caused results to be inadvertently changed.
House Education Committee chairman Robert Behning, an Indianapolis Republican, said he'll have a bill ready during the first weeks of the legislative session in January for a one-year suspension of ISTEP as part of teacher evaluations.
At issue this year is what to do about test-score-based school accountability measures now that the state is expecting much lower scores.
A funding plan under consideration by Indianapolis Public Schools lan could have far-reaching consequences for students and teachers across the city, with some schools coming out ahead—and others facing difficult choices.
A 49-member panel comprised mostly of teachers from across the state on Monday refined its recommendations for how the state should mentor, train, recruit and pay teachers.
While the numbers are just preliminary findings, they paint a dire picture. For example, the number of schools that received an "A'' grade plunged by more than 50 percent when compared to last year.
School leaders around Indiana have been increasing criticism of the state's standardized test as they brace for the release of scores that will show a double-digit drop in passing rates for students.
Indiana’s State Board of Education on Friday said it had received requests for a total of $77M in loans from 33 charter schools, exceeding the funding approved for the $50M program.
Eleven weeks after the Indianapolis Public Schools agreed to give teachers a dramatic raise—the first in five years for many of them—the teachers are still waiting.
A key state lawmaker says he plans to sponsor a bill in the next legislative session that would allow new teachers to choose a retirement program similar to a 401(k) plan instead of the traditional pension system.
Indianapolis philanthropists Al and Kathy Hubbard are extending their Life-Changing Teacher Awards this year to principals.
The school district has seen its enrollment drop by more than 1,000 students in the past year, to about 6,000 this fall. Enrollment stood at about 16,000 students a decade ago.
Todd Bess, executive director of Indiana Association of School Principals, said he's heard from some school leaders that up to 90 percent of their teachers wouldn't meet the new standard.
Indianapolis Public Schools board members voted Thursday to shut down the groundbreaking Key Learning Community while approving a plan that would move IPS schools toward more autonomy.
