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Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana unveils draft of A-F school grades model valuing tests and student skills
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) released its first draft of its new grading model for schools that, for the first time in the state's history, takes into account not just test scores, but also a student's unique educational experience. The department was tasked with creating a new A-F school grading model after lawmakers passed House Bill 1498 this legislative session. Now, the state must create a new methodology for grading how schools perform and hand out letter grades for each campus by the end of 2026. On June 4, 2025, state leaders presented the first draft of the grading model to the Indiana State Board of Education and Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner says it elevates academic mastery and skill development to be successful after high school. 'While the specifics will iterate along the way, our primary goal will remain the same: to ensure that our future accountability model values all of the key characteristics essential to student success, as well as every student's unique pathway,' Jenner said in a statement. The board must approve the grading criteria by the end of 2025, but it will have a series of public hearings and likely publish a second draft before the model reaches its final vote. This first draft of the grading model was made with the foundation of considering the five characteristics already used in the state's 'Graduates Prepared to Succeed' platform, which gathers data points to evaluate schools on: To evaluate academic mastery, the state will look at standardized test scores from ILEARN, IREAD and the SAT. To grade career and postsecondary readiness, they will see how many diploma seals are earned. To grade work ethic, the state will look at attendance rates. Evaluating the civic, financial and digital literacy will come from the required coursework mandatory for all students in those fields. Grading the communication and collaboration characteristics is being formulated. This draft of how schools will be graded looks at specific points in a student's K-12 journey, with an emphasis on grades 3-8, 10th grade and 12th grade. The letter grades for schools in this first draft are based on the 0-100 scale with an 'F' grade meaning schools only got 0-59 points, a 'D' grade 60-69 points, a 'C' grade 70-79 points, a 'B' grade 80-89 points and an 'A' grade is 90-100 points. At the elementary level, schools will be graded on how well students perform on ELA and math standardized testing, as well as reading proficiency, specifically among third graders. Attendance will also be a factor in how schools are graded. Schools teaching students in grades 4-6 will be graded on how well students perform on math, science and social studies tests, as well as whether students are progressing academically compared to the prior year. More background on this move: Indiana schools will again receive A-F grades, but how they will be measured undecided High schools will be judged, in part, on students' SAT performance, graduation rates, work-based learning, and certain credentials or college-level credits earned. The draft also includes a possibility of grading schools on how many English language learning students meet their language proficiency goals that year. While the formal 30-day public feedback window isn't technically open yet, parents can submit feedback to the IDOE on this first draft starting now. Anyone who wishes to submit feedback can do so through an online Jotform. Once the 30-day public comment period opens later this summer, the IDOE will also hold a public hearing where anyone can provide comments in person. A second draft is expected to be shared late summer or early fall, in which another 30-day window of public comment will happen. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter.
Indianapolis Star
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana brings back A-F grades, but exactly how schools will be measured undecided
Schools across Indiana will start seeing A-F letter grades again in 2026, thanks to a law signed by Gov. Mike Braun after the practice was suspended for seven years. House Bill 1498 requires the state board of education to approve a new methodology for school performance by the end of this year and then assign schools A-F grades based on that new methodology. The final vote on the bill in the House fell mostly along party lines with a 65-25 vote. The bill also includes some specifics that the methodology must be based upon metrics listed in the Indiana Department of Education's Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS) dashboard, including proficiency rates for IREAD and ILEARN and the attainment of diploma seals. However, the bill also allows the state board of education to include whatever other factors they deem necessary in the methodology. The state must hand out letter grades for all schools across the state, including private schools, no later than Dec. 31, 2026. Schools would not get a letter grade for the 2024-25 year. Indiana stopped handing out letter grades in 2018 as the state was attempting to revamp the grading methodology to accommodate the new ILEARN test. Then, grades were delayed even further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said during the House Education committee hearing on HB 1498 that previously she had advocated moving away from a single letter grade for schools, but admitted parents had come to her asking for an easier way to understand how schools are doing. More School news: ACLU sues Gov. Mike Braun after law eliminates Indiana University trustee elections She said parents found the many metrics listed on the Indiana GPS dashboard to be confusing and wanted an easier way to gauge a school's success. The bill also allows the IDOE to consider eliminating high school diploma waivers altogether, which allow qualifying students to be exempt from certain graduation requirements under the state's 'graduation pathways.' Jenner said that since the state's overall waiver usage has been going down steadily in recent years, she doesn't see the need to make drastic changes to that right now. 'Our data is going in the right direction there, and I think we have to ensure we're working with schools, parents and families so we're never pulling the rug out too early,' Jenner said during the House Education Committee meeting in January. Some Democratic lawmakers said during committee hearings on the bill that they think using a single letter grade is too simplistic for something as complex as how a school is working for its students. Rep. Ed Delaney, D-Indianapolis, suggested that rather than a letter grade, schools instead be shown as either needing state intervention or not. His amendment to include that failed to pass. Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, said during the Senate committee hearing on the bill that he hopes the metrics for grading include more than just testing scores, which could unfairly punish predominantly low-income schools compared to wealthier schools. Erin Geddes, who sends her three kids to Warren Township schools, told IndyStar she's worried the letter grades will just further divide wealthy districts from the lower-income ones. More changes coming: Once a school board member, Gov. Braun signs law making school board elections partisan 'These grades do nothing to highlight excellent teachers and administrative staff who are doing everything they can with what resources, support, or home life their students come from,' Geddes said. Instead, Geddes thinks the state should be asking families how they would grade their schools. 'Ask us parents because we're the experts on our own kids, and that way it isn't a collective punishment on our own schools, which we chose for our kids,' Geddes said. Other parents like Jennifer Goetz, who has three children at Avon Community schools and was a former teacher at a Chicago public school, believe the letter grades will reinforce the wrong things. She's worried the grades will further pressure schools to only teach students how to pass tests, instead of making sure they learn the skills they need to be strong in reading and math in the future. 'That's what I saw when I was teaching in Chicago, just the pressure to meet the grades and not necessarily ensure authentic learning was happening,' Goetz told IndyStar. However, getting back to delivering a letter grade for every public and private school in Indiana is something that lawmakers and the state department have been wanting since the state's newest standardized test, ILEARN, was implemented. Republican lawmakers supporting the bill said letter grades are an important aspect of holding schools responsible for student success. "School accountability is really important and this is a giant step in that direction," said Sen. Spencer Deery, R-West Lafayette, during floor discussion on the bill. During the January state board of education meeting, Jenner gave a presentation on a tentative framework of what the state's accountability model for grade schools could be based on. During that meeting, she explained that the current grading model for grades 3-8 is primarily focused on state assessments and academic growth. For high school grades, it was based on state assessments and other indicators like college and career readiness and graduation rates. Keep up with school news: Sign up for Study Hall, IndyStar's free weekly education newsletter. Some of the changes Jenner then proposed for grading third grade included literacy rates, something already required under HB 1498, but also student attendance improvements. For grades 4-8, Jenner proposed attendance metrics as well as growth in ILEARN math and ELA, as well as advanced coursework. For the high school grades, Jenner suggested that attendance metrics, advanced coursework, attainment of diploma seals, work-based learning and earning credentials of value be included in the grading metrics.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Funding requests for high ability students, public schools dominate subcommittee budget talks
A Senate school funding subcommittee heard multiple hours of testimony Monday amid ongoing lawmaker discussions around the next two-year state budget. (Getty Images) Advocates for Indiana's high ability students descended on the Indiana Statehouse Monday to make their case for continued funding in the next state budget. Since 2007, Indiana public school corporations — including charter schools — are required to identify high ability K-12 students and provide 'appropriately differentiated' curriculum and instruction in core language arts and math courses. Oftentimes, that means students compete coursework typically intended for higher grade levels. Julie Klusas Gasper, executive director of the Indiana Association for the Gifted and Talented, told a Senate school funding subcommittee Monday that there are 130,000 'gifted and talented' students across the state. She urged lawmakers to retain — not reduce — budget dollars for high ability grants, emphasizing that Indiana is one of only 15 states to fund high ability programming. 'We are the gold standard among state gifted programs,' Gasper said. 'Other states look to us as the example of how to do this.' In 2007, lawmakers earmarked $12.7 million to the gifted and talented line item in the state budget. Gasper said that's equal to nearly $20 million in 2025. IDOE uses a formula to decide how many high ability grants go to each school. Flash forward to 2023, the Indiana General Assembly allocated $15 million to the program. Gov. Mike Braun proposed a reduction down to $13 million for the high ability line item in the next biennial budget, however. House Republicans upped the allocation back to $15 million, but it remains unclear what the opposing chamber will do. Gasper called on Senate budget writers to keep funding at $15 million. She said those dollars are necessary for schools to carry out universal testing of students — all students are required by law to be evaluated for high ability performance — as well as for teachers' professional development and evaluations to ensure local high ability programs are effective. Indiana college students who are studying to be teachers are not required to be trained for high ability instruction. Gasper said that increases the importance of grant dollars for 'both new and experienced teachers … to learn how to best instruct these students.' 'What we're doing in Indiana, it works — it's really working,' Gasper continued. 'This money is essential for these kids. It is critical. It is literally a lifeline for them, and this is the only money that's allocated (in the budget).' Gasper further pointed to IDOE's Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS) dashboard, which shows that 99.7% of Hoosier high ability students passed the I-READ as third grade students in 2018. The same year, 86.1% of non-high ability students passed the standardized test. Strong results among the student group remained high in subsequent academic years; as of 2024, 99.3% of high ability students passed the I-READ, according to IDOE. High ability high schoolers are also high performers. Per the GPS dashboard, 99.1% of high ability students successfully completed the Graduation Pathways. High ability teachers, parents and students — many from the Perry Township district on the south side of Indianapolis — gave examples of specialized coursework and training that 'wouldn't be possible' if their schools didn't have access to extra state funding. 'Earlier in my career, about 20 years ago … I had no idea what I was doing. I thought they were the easy kids that just needed more work to be challenged. With my zero training, that was a complete disaster at the beginning of my high ability teaching,' said Nina Bowman, a language arts teacher for a high ability eighth graders at Perry Meridian Middle School. I can now effectively support their need to organize this vast amount of thought swirling in their heads. – Nina Bowman, a language arts teacher for a high ability eighth graders at Perry Meridian Middle School 'I quickly and desperately needed opportunities to grow, to figure out how to handle their incredibly complex needs. … The professional development that I've had through our high ability funding over the last 20 years has made me a much better teacher. And now that I have been able to do that, I can design curriculum that is not harder, but it's deeper and more complex and it is engaging,' she added. 'I can now effectively support their need to organize this vast amount of thought swirling in their heads.' Adelynn Davis, a junior at Southport High School in Indianapolis who has participated in high ability programming since kindergarten, said the more rigorous workload 'has instilled time management, study skills and perseverance.' She now spends half of her school days at Central Night Career Center for pilot training. 'Taking advanced placement classes has given me confidence and made my career goal of becoming a pilot more attainable,' Davis said. 'In regards to time management, I've learned to balance my extracurriculars like sports, clubs and jobs with my studies. Since elementary school, with individualized assignments, I've been able to break assignments down into manageable steps — which keeps me focused and less likely to be overwhelmed.' Although senators additionally set aside time for committee discussion on summer school funding, no one signed up to testify on the topic. A mix of testimony from dozens of others largely centered around proposed budget splits between traditional public, charter and private voucher schools. As the Senate takes its turn at the next two-year state budget, investment in K-12 public education is a focal point. House Republicans opted to increase K-12 funding by 2% each year, but that boost includes dollars for fully funded virtual school students and additional money for 'school choice' vouchers. Public school advocates say that the increase for traditional schools alone will be closer to just 1.3%. Indiana bill to shift more dollars from traditional publics to charter schools earns Senate approval 'If you increase the foundation amount, that helps every school district … and can be used for all sorts of purposes,' said Denny Costerison, with the Indiana Association of School Business Officials. 'The foundation amount, for me, is the key. It is the funding base that will have for the next two years … and we hope that we can find some additional dollars to continue to put into there.' DaLynn Jones, of Mishawaka, said 'public education wasn't the best choice' for her children. Without access to Indiana's robust private school voucher program — Choice Scholarships — 'affording private schooling seemed impossible.' 'Our children are our future. In my household, raising four young ladies while staying deeply rooted in our faith and confident in their identities is a top priority. Thanks to the voucher program, we can now make that a reality. My children are thriving in an environment that suits them best,' Jones said. 'I echo the concerns of hundreds of moms when I say they are struggling. They are struggling with their educational choices on how to best to provide for their children.' As an 'Indiana Hoosier mama bear,' Jones asked lawmakers to green light the governor's proposal to make the near-universal voucher program available statewide. Charter school representatives also continued their call for additional state dollars. Separate from the budget, a hotly-debated bill moving through the legislature would require all Indiana public school districts to share property tax dollars with charters in their attendance boundaries if 100 or more students leave the traditional district for brick-and-mortar charters. Although virtual charters would not qualify under the latest draft of the bill, Indiana Connections Academy Executive Director Kelly Simone requested for the Senate's version of the budget to retain House-passed language providing 'funding parity' for online schools. Indiana virtual school students receive the least amount of funding of all school options in Indiana, Simone said; for every dollar spent in support of traditional public schools, a student choosing a virtual school receives about 85 cents. 'The funding we receive through the state budget is critical to our survival. It is our only source of revenue. We do not receive, nor are we asking for local property tax — which in 2024, averaged to around $4,500 per student,' she continued. 'I can assure you that we use every dollar that we receive to provide necessary services to our students. Without adequate and equitable funding, how are we to implement the new graduation requirements? How are we to accommodate new legislation?' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
