The state has delayed the release of this year’s ISTEP+ scores to the public.
The Indiana Department of Education had said the scores could be released by the end of October. But agency officials have since backed away from that, saying the scores likely will not be available until at least next week.
In an email sent last week to leaders of Indiana schools, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said she is working to “address the impact” of recent changes to the test that might have affected students’ scores.
Last year, the state hired a new test vendor and also moved to a new accountability system. Also, high school sophomores started taking the test, moving away from end-of-course assessments.
“I am working with the State Board of Education to address the impact of these changes for grades 3-8 and 10,” Ritz said in the email. “Due to this ongoing work, it is anticipated that schools will receive their preliminary accountability grades after the state board meeting Nov. 16.”
Samantha Hart, an IDOE spokeswoman, said the state is still combing through data provided by Pearson, the test vendor. It is not clear whether scores will be released immediately after the state board meeting.
“We don’t have a definite timeline,” she said.
Schools and parents have had individual students’ ISTEP+ scores for months, but they have not been released publicly.
It is also not clear when schools might receive A-F scores, though Hart said preliminary data on that might be sent to the state board in December. The state must approve that data before it is released to the public.
An agenda for next week’s state board meeting in Indianapolis has not yet been posted.