CHAPTER 8. ASSESSING IMPROVEMENT
IC 20-31-8
Chapter 8. Assessing Improvement
IC 20-31-8-1
ISTEP scores and other assessments
Sec. 1. (a) The performance of a school's students on the ISTEP
program test and other assessments recommended by the education
roundtable and approved by the state board are the primary and
majority means of assessing a school's improvement.
(b) The education roundtable shall examine and make
recommendations to the state board concerning:
(1) performance indicators to be used as a secondary means of
determining school progress;
(2) expected progress levels, continuous improvement
measures, distributional performance levels, and absolute
performance levels for schools; and
(3) an orderly transition from the performance based
accreditation system to the assessment system set forth in this
article.
(c) The education roundtable shall consider methods of measuring
improvement and progress used in other states in developing
recommendations under this section.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.15.
IC 20-31-8-2
Secondary means of assessing improvements
Sec. 2. (a) In addition to scores on the ISTEP program test and
other assessments, the department shall use the performance
indicators developed under section 1 of this chapter and the
benchmarks and indicators of performance in each school
corporation's annual performance report as a secondary means of
assessing the improvement of each school and school corporation.
(b) The department shall assess improvement in the following
manner:
(1) Compare each school and each school corporation with its
own prior performance and not to the performance of other
schools or school corporations.
(2) Compare the results in the annual report under IC 20-20-8
with the benchmarks and indicators of performance established
in the plan for the same school.
(3) Compare the results for a school by comparing each
student's results for each grade with the student's prior year
results, with an adjustment for student mobility rate. The
education roundtable shall make recommendations concerning
the incorporation of a statistical adjustment for student mobility
rates into the results.
(4) Compare the results for a school with the state average and
the ninety-fifth percentile level for all assessments and
performance indicators.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.15.
IC 20-31-8-3
Categories or designations of school improvement established
Sec. 3. The state board shall establish a number of categories or
designations of school improvement based on the improvement that
a school makes in performance of the measures determined by the
board with the advice of the education roundtable. The categories or
designations must reflect various levels of improvement.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.15.
IC 20-31-8-4
Placement of school in category or designation of school
improvement
Sec. 4. The state board shall place each school in a category or
designation of school improvement based on the department's
findings from the assessment of the improvement of each school
under section 2 of this chapter. The state board must place those
schools that do not show improvement and in which less than ninety
percent (90%) of the students meet academic standards in the lowest
category or designation.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.15.