Can Indiana fend off A-F grades for schools again?
Key Indiana leaders are exploring the possibility of giving schools a second year of reprieve from low ISTEP scores.
Last year, Indiana had relief from federal accountability requirements that allowed them to keep teacher pay and A-F grades from dropping while students got used to the new exam.
This year, the U.S. Department of Education hasn’t provided similar protections.
It’s an issue incoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick and top lawmakers say they’re studying. Passing ISTEP rates dipped statewide, according to data released earlier this month, which could have an adverse effect on A-F school accountability grades. They can also be weighed in teacher evaluations and raises.
McCormick, the Republican who will replace Democrat Glenda Ritz in January, told IndyStar last week she supports not counting last spring’s ISTEP scores against schools “so districts, schools and teachers aren’t unfairly held accountable.”
In recent years, the state has endured turmoil as it tinkers with the accountability system. Education officials have taken a wide range of concerns into consideration: What should students be tested on? How do you reflect growth and progress — not just pass or fail? How do you administer and grade a test for hundreds of thousands of students throughout the state?
As a result, targets have moved and tests have changed. Consider that the most recent scores reflect the second year of this version of ISTEP and the first year of using a new test vendor. And more drastic changes are on the horizon. ISTEP is expected to be discontinued and replaced sometime in the next two years.
Republican lawmakers and officials have generally been supportive of — and even adamant about — measuring and monitoring academic performance. Legislative leaders and Gov. Mike Pence originally were against giving reprieves but changed their minds once they knew the extent scores dropped. Since then, they have been more forgiving as Indiana tries to work out its kinks, wanting to be fair about upholding standards.
What seems unclear is when exactly Indiana will emerge from this period of transition.
McCormick said schools dealt with computer glitches and didn’t have time to adjust to the more rigorous academic standards the exam measures. Those concerns were echoed by a group of superintendents that pushed for the relief at November’s Indiana State Board of Education meeting.
Senate leader David Long said he's taking a wait-and-see approach.
"It's pretty clear the new test won't be coming in for this next school year," said Long, a Fort Wayne Republican. "And so as we look at some of the grades again diminishing, is it 'hold harmless'?"
Long said the state could explore whether to change the pass/fail line, or "drop the curve slightly," to adjust for across the board lower scores.
"We'll determine the outcome based on what we can do other than 'hold harmless.' And if that's the only answer, then we'll have to consider that," Long said as lawmakers met for the ceremonial start to the 2017 legislative session last week. "That's a 'to be continued' answer right now."
House education policy leader Rep. Robert Behning called any discussion premature.
"There is no open invitation from the feds to do so," the Indianapolis Republican said of a second year of relief. "It would be careless for us to move a bill that 'holds harmless.' "
Behning said there could be consequences from the federal government if Indiana schools get a reprieve.
Ritz has suggested not having A-F grades made public. The grades for the 2015-16 school year have not been publicly released. They reflect the first time the state is using a new formula that evenly weighs student performance and student improvement on the ISTEP. An analysis by the Indiana State Board of Education found the number of low-performing schools would remain relatively the same in the new system. But more schools could receive B-ratings than A-ratings — and that was before passing rates dipped once again.
Also complicating the debate is the implementation of a new federal accountability law. The law no longer requires states to evaluate their teachers, though Indiana law mandates reviews and that student test scores play a factor.
Teresa Meredith, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said the group had been hoping for two 'hold harmless' years when discussions began over the 2014-15 school year.
“It’s not the first year for the test, but we know that people are expressing some concerns,” she said. “A 'hold harmless' year gives us an opportunity to step back and wait for that third year of data.”
For many students, the implementation of new assessments, new standards and new accountability calculations over the past few years has affected the ability to track progress, she said.
“I think it’s time for us to step back,” Meredith said, “and look at the test and look at the standards, and figure out where they’re not lining up.”
When asked whether ISTEP is helpful to his district, Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee doesn’t hesitate:
“No.”
Ferebee questioned the validity of the assessment, saying he feels it does not reflect progress in schools or accurately measure success.
He, along with school superintendents across the state, urged Indiana education officials to pause accountability in order to “get it right.”
“Let’s figure out what we’re really trying to measure,” Ferebee said.
Call IndyStar reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.
Call IndyStar reporter Stephanie Wang at (317) 444-6184. Follow her on Twitter: @stephaniewang.
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