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Indiana school leaders blasting ISTEP ahead of score release

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) School leaders around Indiana are stepping up criticism of the state’s standardized test as they brace for the release of scores that will show a double-digit drop in passing rates for students.

The Indiana Department of Education has sent preliminary A-F school ratings to local districts, but officials said Wednesday that the release of student scores on last spring’s ISTEP exams is being pushed back from this month until Jan. 6.

Democratic state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz says she still hopes to work with Republican legislative leaders to avoid penalizing schools for falling ISTEP scores that she blames on changes made to the test.

But while those talks continue, Anderson schools Superintendent Terry Thompson is among those saying Indiana’s testing system has been mishandled and isn’t accurately measuring student success.