Education at the Statehouse

Gov. Mike Pence called on the Indiana General Assembly to make education a major focus of the 2015 session. To help explain the legislative issues, 90.1 WFYI’s Eric Weddle and Christopher Ayers will discuss a related topic Fridays during "Morning Edition."

Feb. 20, 2015

Ditching the ISTEP

Eric and Chris discuss a proposal that would end the ISTEP and other standardized tests and replace them with an "off-the-shelf" national test. Senate Bill 566 would end the tradition of Indiana hiring an outside company to design the ISTEP. Instead, the State Board of Education would be tasked with choosing an already available exam that could also replace high school end-of-course exams and the state’s third-grade reading test, IREAD.

For more information:

• SB566: Replaces ISTEP program testing with another testing program for school years beginning after June 30, 2016.
• SB527: Allows nonpublic schools that accept vouchers to administer, instead of the ISTEP program, another nationally recognized assessment.

Feb. 14, 2015

School Intervention

Eric and Chris discuss House Bill 1638 -- proposed legislation that would give the State Board of Education greater oversight when it comes to school intervention. It would reduce the amount of time it takes for a failing school to require intervention from six consecutive Fs under the states A-F acountability system, to four consecutive failing years.

House Bill 1638 would also allow the state board to create transformation zones within a school corporation -- such as a failing middle school and the elementary schools that feed into it -- and assign an outside group to help the district improve the schools.

As part of the discussion State Superintedent Glenda Ritz voices her opposition of the bill, school board member Daniel Elsner explains the need to speed up intervention, and Indianapolis Schools Superintedent Lewis Ferebee explains why the legislation has pros and cons.

For more information:

• Rep. Bob Behning's SB 1638 would change the current state intervention model
• IPS' Lewis Ferebee Makes Case For Transformation Zones

Feb. 6, 2015

School Vouchers

As part of the discussion State Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, raises concerns over the costs, and Pence touts the program to Washington, D.C. lawmakers.

For more information:

• Gov. Mike Pence's 2015-2017 proposed budget proposal
• Sen. Tallian's SB 184 woudl limit the number of vouchers awarded per year to 20,000
• Indiana Department of Education's Choice Scholarship Program Annual Report (June 2014)
• Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice's Properly Counting Indiana Voucher Students

Jan. 30, 2015

State Board of Education

Eric and Chris discuss the ongoing conflict between State Superintendent Glenda Ritz and the State Board of Education.