Indiana State Board of Education delays vote on setting ISTEP passing rate

The board received that information late Tuesday night, according to Marc Lotter, spokesman for the Indiana State Board of Education. Lotter said the information showing the difference between the two tests was given to the Indiana Department of Education in a report on Oct. 2, but the report was not given to the state education board until Tuesday.

Several board members expressed hesitation to approve pass-fail scores for ISTEP without knowing the size of the gap between the two tests. If there is a big difference, the board would have to approve two separate pass-fail scores.

Locally, some grades in Castle South and Boonville middle schools, as well as Loge, Castle and Chandler elementary schools in Warrick County took the paper test. Perry Heights Middle School in Evansville also opted for the paper test.

Some schools opted for the paper test after some schools had computer problems with the electronic tests in April and May.

"At this point I haven't seen any information from the department that justifies one cut score," board member Sarah O'Brien said. "This is a huge deal and we've got to get this right."

O'Brien asked Karla Egan, a member of the CTB McGraw Hill Techincal Advisory Committee, whether she was comfortable with a vote on just one cut score without completing a validity study.

"I would want the validity study done first," Egan said. "I do think everything is OK, but I would want the study done."

Validity studies are usually completed every year, but there was a delay in this year's study.

O'Brien said she had asked DOE officials in July if the study would be finished in time for the vote on the cut scores. She said she was told it would be done.

Board member Gordon Hendry said yet another delay in the test's release was a huge disservice to Indiana's teachers and parents.

"This seems like another self-inflicted wound," Hendry said. "This could have been avoidable if we had gotten the information earlier."

Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz asked presenters from the Department of Education when the study might be done, but did not receive a specific answer.

The delay is yet another related to ISTEP test scores. It's also holding up the teacher compensation rates tied to the test results.

Despite the setback, Ritz said after the board meeting members are still hoping to make the timetable for releasing the A-F grades for schools, which should come in January. The actual ISTEP scores are supposed to come out in December.

"I just want to move forward with where we need to go," Ritz said. "The cut scores study process went very smoothly and as a result this issue has arisen and we will deal with it. It's a very complex system when you're talking about accountability."

The state has to approve cut scores every year before releasing the grades for each school and school corporation.

This first delay in test scores this year came when CTB, who administered the spring 2015 test, announced there were problems with the test. CTB officials at the time blamed Indiana's new standards, which were not adopted in time to administer a practice test.

Indiana cut ties with CTB after a four-year commitment and the partnership will officially come to an end once the scores are released, which might not be until January. Pearson Education, a British-based company, will administer the spring 2016 ISTEP test.

The board is hoping to have a special meeting on Oct. 28 to discuss new high school diploma requirements. Some members of the board were hopeful the validity study might be done by then.