State ed board takes steps to finalize new A-F formula

The Indiana State Board of Education is putting the final touches on a new formula the state will use to determine A-to-F grades for schools.

The state board approved a plan Wednesday to award schools points based on their students' improvement on Indiana's ISTEP test. The formula will be used to calculate school A-F accountability grades beginning this year.

The new formula gives equal weight to improvement that a student shows on the exam and whether he or she passed or failed the test.

In general, schools will receive more points for students whose test results show they grew academically from the previous year's ISTEP. Schools will receive fewer points for students who see a dip in their scores.

Debate among board members centered on how many points to award schools for students who didn't pass the exam but improved an expected amount. Ultimately, the board decided to award partial points for those students, though the decision isn't expected to have a huge impact on the new A-F formula.

Under the formula, the state expects a lower number of schools to earn D and F grades.

The public can now comment on the plan for 30 days, before it's brought back to the state board for a final vote in April.

Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea. 

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