Indiana’s dormant A-F school grading assessment program is on track for an overhaul with a new methodology to rate school performance.
House Bill 1498 cleared the full House by a 62-28 vote Tuesday and is headed to the Senate for consideration.
Indianapolis Republican state Rep. Robert Behning, who chairs the Education Committee, authored the bill that tasks the Department of Education and State Board of Education to develop a framework for the new accountability system. The bill repeals the previous methodology.
Education officials would be charged with developing the new grading benchmarks by the end of 2025 with grades assigned to public and state-accredited private schools in 2026. No grades will be given this year.
After Behning introduced the bill, State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, cautioned the fallout letter grades create. In Gary, it led to an unsuccessful state takeover of Roosevelt High School, which has since been shuttered.
“There’s a danger in labeling schools and it has an impact on the community,” he said.
Schools have not received letter grades since 2018 when the DOE moved from the ISTEP exam to a new accountability test called ILEARN. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted testing, and no grades were assigned.
Presently, the state’s assessment system rates students in grades 3-8 based on academic performance and growth on ILEARN.
High school grades are based on SAT scores, graduation rates and college and career readiness.
State Secretary of Education Katie Jenner told the House Education Committee last week the state board would likely add IREAD literacy scores, student attendance and chronic absenteeism to the third grade assessment.
Schools in grades 4-8 would be evaluated on ILEARN proficiency in math and English, attendance data and advanced courses.
High schools in grades 9-12 would be graded on measures that dovetail with the state’s new diploma standards just approved by the state board in December.
Local educators generally supported the bill.
“Personally, I do not have a problem with being held accountable for the job we’re responsible for in educating our children,” said East Porter Superintendent Aaron Case.
Students in East Porter’s small district have long been strong performers in past accountability measures.
“My concern, though, is the consistency of the grading system,” Case said. “Often, these systems lack clear, stable metrics, making them a moving target. It’s difficult to aim for a specific grade when the criteria can shift.”
Case said unfunded mandates often accompany accountability measures while the goalposts keep moving.
“Essentially, we’re being asked to run a race with hurdles, but the hurdles keep changing height and we’re not given the resources to clear them effectively,” he said.
River Forest Superintendent Kevin Trezak said students in wealthier communities typically always receive better grades than those in poor communities.
He said the A-F grading system has become less punitive over the years but results remain the same.
“Because of this, I have deep-rooted convictions that this, and similar systems across the country, are flawed,” he said.
Nonetheless, Trezak said schools aim for improvement and self-reflection to do what’s best for students. “We welcome accountability and want to gauge how we are doing and where we can make adjustments.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
