State Superintendent Asks Ind. Lawmakers To Hold Schools Harmless For Exam Results

Indiana State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick and others are warning soon-to-be-released ILEARN test scores will show a significant decline in pass rates.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana’s top education administrator is backing Governor Eric Holcomb’s proposal to not punish schools for a drop in test scores.

Last spring, Indiana’s 3rd through 8th graders took the new ILEARN exam. The exam replacing the ISTEP exam is based on updated academic standards focusing on college and career readiness.

Due to the adjustment to a new test, State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick said pass rates on the English/language arts and mathematics portions of the test are down dramatically. At a press conference Wednesday, she said the ILEARN results do not provide a true reflection of the performance of Indiana schools, but do again show the importance of developing a modernized state legislated accountability system that is fair, accurate, and transparent.

“With this in mind, the Department will propose the following legislative actions: place a ‘hold harmless’ year on 2018-2019 letter grades, pause intervention timelines for all schools, and provide the State Board of Education with emergency rulemaking authority to review and reestablish the state accountability system. The success and wellbeing of our students, educators, and schools are dependent upon these actions,” said McCormick.

Earlier this week, Governor Eric Holcomb also asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would hold schools harmless on their state report cards.

The 2019 ILEARN test results are expected to be released Wednesday, September 4 following that day’s meeting of the Indiana State Board of Education.

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