Pence Says Lower ISTEP Scores Should Not Affect Teacher Pay

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is siding with Democratic state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz in calling for student scores on the ISTEP standardized test to not impact teacher pay this school year.

The Republican governor said Tuesday that he's spoken with GOP legislative leaders about crafting a bill to make sure teachers are not penalized for student performance, which is one factor that determines pay raises.

Ritz has warned for months about many more students failing this year's ISTEP exam because of more difficult state standards, which were created after Republican legislators and Pence withdrew Indiana from the national Common Core standards last year.

Pence's move comes after key Republican lawmakers who influence state education policy called for the opposite. On Monday, they said student test scores should be counted.