Education policy has been in turmoil in Indiana in recent years, with state standards changing, the resultant standardized tests changing, frequent political battles and more. It's time to let the dust from all this renovation settle a bit to get a more clear view of the education scene.
Gov. Mike Pence had been adamant about pushing forward with school and teacher evaluations, but he did an about-face last week, just before the Indiana State Board of Education released new pass-fail scores for the new ISTEP test. Pence was right to urge that school accountability be put on hold, despite his earlier position.
"We grade our children every week, and we can grade our schools every year, but those grades should fairly reflect the efforts of our students and teachers as we transition to higher standards and a new exam," Pence said in a letter to the State Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz.
Pence said he asked the GOP leadership at the Indiana General Assembly to draft legislation ensuring "test scores will not negatively impact teacher evaluations or performance bonuses" and guaranteeing the A-F school rating system "fairly reflects the efforts of our students and teachers during this transition year."
Last week, the State Board of Education set pass-fail standards that drop the average passing rate for grades 3 to 8 to 64.7 percent for reading and 59.2 percent for math.
During the 2013-14 school year, the success rates for elementary students were 80.8 percent for English and 83.6 percent for math.
The new academic standards are, by a 2014 state law sought by Pence, the highest in the country and no longer tied to any other state's standards. The result is a more difficult test. Comparing results to previous years, when the test was vastly different, is statistically invalid.
Education policy changes have come fast and furious in recent years. First we need to stabilize the standardized testing. Once we get reliable results, then the tests should again be a factor in school accountability, but not yet.