ISTEP Glitches Had No Measurable Impact On Scores

Last updated on Tuesday, July 30, 2013

(INDIANAPOLIS) - This year’s ISTEP glitches that affected roughly 80,000 students across Indiana did not have a “measurable” impact on scores.

The report released Monday by the Indiana Department of Education shows nearly 143,000 students in grades three through eight had at least one part of their test interrupted when server glitches kicked them offline. That's about 29 percent of all students who took the test.

But the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment found that the statewide impact of the glitches on student scores wasn't measurable.

The report concludes that the slight increases in overall scores seen between 2012 and this year were on par with other years.The report found that the statewide average score was not affected by the interruptions.

That's the results from the Indiana Department of Education Monday following a commissioned report.

The DOE stated the "exact impact of interruptions at the individual, classroom and teacher level cannot be ascertained."

The computer problems associated with CTB/McGraw-Hill's testing system caused frustration for students and teachers alike during the high-stakes test.

"Every student deserves the opportunity to take a fair and uninterrupted assessment," Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz says.

Ritz hired Dr. Richard Hill of the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment to review the results.

He added that they could not know definitively how students would have scored this spring if the interruptions had not happened.

Ritz says she's given schools flexibility on teacher compensation and evaluation to minimize the negative effects of this year's testing problems.

She also says she's instructed CTB/McGraw-Hill to improve its system so it doesn't happen again.

The DOE is negotiating with CTB/McGraw-Hill regarding a settlement. It's also working on processing student reports to make them available online.

Right now, students and administrators are starting a new school year without knowing the results of testing from last school year.

Here is a list of findings for the Lawrence and the surrounding counties:

North Lawrence Community Schools
321 Students Interrupted: 14%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 298 (13%)
English: 35 (2%)
Science: 2 (0%)
Social Studies: 4 (1%)

Mitchell Community Schools
100 Students Interrupted: 13%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 43 (6%)
English: 58 (8%)
Science: 3 (1%)
Social Studies: 1 (0%)

Orleans Community Schools
81 Students Interrupted: 23%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 38 (11%)
English: 46 (13%)
Science: 10 (8%)
Social Studies: 0 (0%)

Springs Valley Community School Corporation
57 Students Interrupted: 15%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 55 (14%)
English: 2 (1%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 0 (0%)

Paoli Community School Corporation
133 Students Interrupted: 18%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 125 (17%)
English: 6 (1%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 2 (1%)

Shoals Community School Corporation
44 Students Interrupted: 17%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 41 (16%)
English: 1 (0%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 2 (2%)

Loogootee Community School Corporation
39 Students Interrupted: 9%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 22 (5%)
English: 14 (3%)
Science: 3 (2%)
Social Studies: 3 (2%)

Eastern Greene County School District
89 Students Interrupted: 16%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 79 (14%)
English: 6 (1%)
Science: 10 (5%)
Social Studies: 1 (1%)

Bloomfield School District
32 Students Interrupted: 7%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 27 (6%)
English: 3 (1%)
Science: 2 (1%)
Social Studies: 0 (0%)

Linton-Stockton School Corporation
24 Students Interrupted: 8%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 20 (7%)
English: 9 (3%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 2 (2%)

Barr-Reeve Community School Corporation
76 Students Interrupted: 23%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 74 (23%)
English: 1 (0%)
Science: 1 (1%)
Social Studies: 0 (0%)

North Daviess Community Schools
27 Students Interrupted: 5%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 11 (2%)
English: 10 (2%)
Science: 1 (1%)
Social Studies: 6 (3%)

Washington Community School Corporation
198 Students Interrupted: 18%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 189 (17%)
English: 12 (1%)
Science: 3 (1%)
Social Studies: 1 (0%)

Monroe County Community School Corporation
598 Students Interrupted: 13%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 524 (11%)
English: 84 (2%)
Science: 14 (1%)
Social Studies: 3 (0%)

Brownstown Central Community School Corporation
242 Students Interrupted: 34%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 198 (28%)
English: 40 (6%)
Science: 35 (15%)
Social Studies: 13 (5%)

Medora Community School Corporation
0 Students Interrupted: 0%
This district did not test students online.
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: n/a (0%)
English: n/a (0%)
Science: n/a (0%)
Social Studies: n/a (0%)

Salem Community Schools
222 Students Interrupted: 26%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 175 (20%)
English: 29 (3%)
Science: 15 (5%)
Social Studies: 18 (7%)

West Washington School Corporation
39 Students Interrupted: 16%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 26 (11%)
English: 13 (5%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 0 (0%)

East Washington School Corporation
37 Students Interrupted: 6%
Students Interrupted by Content Area
Math: 31 (5%)
English: 6 (1%)
Science: 0 (0%)
Social Studies: 1 (0%)

To see more results visit http://www.stats.indiana.edu/maptools/ISTEPinterruptions.html

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