(INDIANAPOLIS) — Indiana will study this year’s ILEARN scores to see how the pandemic
affected students.
Legislators have already set aside $150 million for tutoring, community partnerships, and
other steps to address learning loss. The New Hampshire-based Center for Assessment will
review just where those losses are.
Department of Education spokeswoman Holly Lawson says the center will look at possible gaps
between different demographic groups, and whether students fell behind in particular subject
areas, such as English or math.
The center should deliver its report in August, so schools can take action in the new school year.
The department had already commissioned the study before legislators finalized a bill ordering it
to do so. That bill also repeals Indiana’s nine-year-old law allowing the department to take over
schools which post six straight F’s on the state’s report card. The state took that step with four
schools in Indianapolis and Gary, handing over operations to private operators. But the last of
those schools was returned to local control last year, and legislators say the idea just didn’t work.
Schools will still receive A-to-F letter grades each year, but won’t face the risk of punishment for
underperforming. The bill also directs the department to issue no grades for this school year,
because of the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill also gives the department three years to create an online dashboard where parents can
compare schools’ performance on attendance, graduation rates, test scores, and any other
measures the State Board of Education decides to include.
