ISTEP+ is here to stay - at least two years

The Indiana House of Representatives Education Committee amended a bill this week that would have replaced ISTEP+ with an “off-the-shelf” exam, removing that provision altogether. Instead, the amendment sends the idea — the replacement of ISTEP+ — to a summer study committee for further consideration.

“I don’t think anybody is opposed to (switching to off-the-shelf),” said Chairman of the Education Committee state Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis. “But, if we do it, we have got to do it right.”

The end of ISTEP+?

Senate Bill 566, as originally written, would have commissioned the state’s education roundtable to find a pre-written test for Indiana students to take in place of the much-beleaguered ISTEP+ exam.

The bill’s backers said replacing ISTEP+ would give superintendents an exam they support, while also saving the state money it would normally spend on commissioning education companies to write ISTEP+.

In early March, 13 local superintendents from all four of northeast Indiana’s counties lent their voices to the debate, signing an open letter to state educators and lawmakers calling for an end to ISTEP+. They asked specifically that the General Assembly replace the exam with the Northwest Evaluation Association tests already used widely in Indiana schools.

Behning said that, while it wasn’t expressly written in SB 566, NWEA was the leading candidate for replacing ISTEP+ among those supporting the bill’s original language. But NWEA has some problems, Behning said, that make him question whether the company should take over Indiana’s largest standardized test.

A tale of two tests

The biggest red flag, Behning said, comes down to the type of test in which NWEA specializes.

ISTEP+ is a summative exam, which gauges how students match up to state and federal standards.

NWEA constructs formative exams that are diagnostic in nature, matching questions to a student’s ability and assisting teachers in tracking the progress of their classes over time.

In the last month, Indiana’s Department of Administration awarded bids for the creation of Indiana’s standardized tests over the next two years. While NWEA did bid (unsuccessfully) for the state’s formative test, it held back from entering consideration for the state’s summative test.

According to Behning, NWEA representatives explained their nonparticipation to him. Behning said NWEA’s leaders are afraid the use of their test for accountability purposes would cause teachers to find the company “distasteful,” as per educators’ general dislike for accountability exams such as ISTEP+.

Federally required

Still, Indiana law and federal funding requirements stipulate the state must offer a summative test. Under President Barack Obama’s administration, that status quo is unlikely to change, Behning said. But he added that it may change after the 2016 presidential election.

“(The NWEA replacement) may be two years too early,” Behning said.

If NWEA were to take over Indiana testing, the test would have to gain approval from the federal government. Behning said he couldn’t see the Obama administration authorizing an NWEA-created test.

“NWEA admitted that it probably won’t be until the next administration … that would allow them to get into the marketplace,” Behning said.

Behning, however, expressed doubt about whether an off-the-shelf test is the right solution for Indiana. He said such a test would require Indiana to shift its standards for the test, rather than testing for state standards.

He said some lawmakers have questioned whether “you want the tale wagging the dog, or the other way around.”

“It doesn’t make sense shifting the standards to the test,” Behning said.

A money saver?

Part of the rationale lawmakers give for replacing ISTEP+ is cost savings. State Superintendent Glenda Ritz said in December that statewide testing could cost Indiana as much as $134 million over the next two school years.

In response to that number, as well as to complaints from educators about the effectiveness of ISTEP+, state senators wrote language replacing ISTEP+ into SB 566.

Behning explained that the $134 million represents the absolute maximum money the state could spend for testing over the next two years and includes all possible testing options, many of which the state won’t actually use.

A proposed budget released by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this week allocates just over $70 million for K-12 testing over the next two years. Behning said that number reflects the traditional amount Indiana has spent on assessments.

‘Not over yet’

Caution was the primary reason Behning gave for putting the stopper on ending ISTEP+ in this General Assembly. A summer study committee, he said, will have more time to deliberate and a larger pool of experts for input.

“I’m not sure off-the-shelf is best,” Behning said, “but we’re going to be looking at all our options.”

He added, however, that SB 566 may, in the end, include some concessions for educators who would like to use NWEA’s program.

A large majority of Indiana schools used NWEA for formative testing until a few years ago, when the state began offering another formative test, Acuity, at no cost to school districts. While most schools made the switch, about a third of Indiana schools pay extra to use NWEA, including many northeast Indiana schools.

Behning said while it’s by no means official, SB 566 may be amended to set up a grant program for formative testing, allowing school districts to choose their own programs.

“It’s not over yet,” Behning said. “We are going to have a dialogue about it.”