How Should Indiana Evaluate School Quality? State Seeks Public Comment On Proposal

The Indiana State Board of Education is seeking public comment on proposed changes to the way the state calculates school letter grades. 

The board is in early stages of revising the state school accountability, or letter grade, system. Members received a draft framework to base future changes on at a meeting this month. 

The proposed framework suggests considering things like attendance rates, social studies and science test scores, and career exploration to help evaluate school quality. The draft indicates some currently used data points – like graduation rates and reading and math test scores – would remain part of the equation in some form. 

The memo also recommends creating a student performance dashboard to go along with school letter grades.

Board staff are hosting a series of webinars aimed at gathering public feedback. That includes a session Nov. 18 for parents and families. 

A draft of the framework is available on the state board website, and public feedback can be submitted online until December 4.

Contact reporter Jeanie at jlindsa@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @jeanjeanielindz.