State releases school accountability A-F grades

INDIANAPOLIS (WANE) — The Indiana Department of Education on Tuesday released its 2015-16 accountability grades for Indiana schools.

The grades, figured on the percentage of students who pass the ISTEP, became public after the Indiana State Board of Education approved the placement of schools into their respective categories.READ | 2016 A-F School Grades

Indiana officials are considering whether schools could be spared a second year from penalties based on poor student scores on the state’s ISTEP standardized test. The percentage of students with passing scores on the 2016 ISTEP dipped statewide, which can hurt the A-F ratings of their schools and affect teacher evaluations.

It’s not clear yet how those ISTEP scores impacted the A-F grades.

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz released the following statement in response to the release:

I want to thank Indiana’s students, educators and families for their countless hours of work over the last academic year. This year, Indiana implemented a new student-centered school accountability system utilizing Indiana’s new, more rigorous standards and assessments for the first time. For those reasons, the 2015-16 school year establishes a new baseline for school accountability grades in Indiana. Moving forward, the Department of Education will continue to support students, educators and schools with the important work of school improvement.”