Bill pausing ISTEP scores' impact on teacher evaluations improved
01/06/2016
Wednesday was the first House Education Committee hearing of the 2016 legislative session, and the results appear positive for Hoosier educators.
Rep. Bob Behning’s (R-Indianapolis) HB 1003 would seek to decouple ISTEP scores from teacher evaluations for 2014-15 due the transition caused by the implementation of new academic standards and a new test with scoring glitches along the way.
Originally, the bill was drafted with a loophole to allow local school boards to use the spring 2015 ISTEP scores in evaluating its certificated employees, effectively negating the purpose of the bill. Overnight, ISTA members lobbied legislators to remove this section.
The bill passed by committee would allow ISTEP scores to be used in teacher evaluations only if it positively impacts a teacher’s rating – even for new teachers with only one year of student ISTEP scores. ISTEP scores could not be used in evaluations if they would negatively impact a teacher’s rating. In addition, for purposes of the bonus grants (performance awards), a school district would receive its allocation based upon the higher of the two scores for either 2013-14 and 2014-15, and the bonuses must then be distributed to teachers within 20 days.
ISTA supports the idea of holding educators harmless for any drop in student ISTEP scores as a result of the rapid transition to new state standards and college and career ready assessments, particularly with the numerous technical problems from CTB-McGraw Hill’s scoring.
The bill received support from Superintendent Ritz along with the Indiana Federation of Teachers and the office of Gov. Pence.
ISTA has called for common sense and fairness during this testing transition period for nearly two years in anticipation of artificially low test scores, which have been exacerbated by scoring mistakes from CTB-McGraw Hill. ISTA indicated to legislators that its members want a fix that is clear, clean and expeditious. They have been patient long enough.
Another bill in the Senate, SB 200 (Dennis Kruse – R, Auburn), addresses this testing transition by seeking to hold schools and districts harmless on A-F accountability grades for 2014-15.
Both bills are being fast-tracked in the House and Senate to prevent any further delay in performance awards to teachers. School and corporation grades were released today by the Indiana Department of Education.