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I-STEP Results Show Less Than One-Third Of Tenth Graders Passed Both English And Math

Last updated on Thursday, November 17, 2016

(INDIANAPOLIS) - Newly released I-STEP+ results show almost 52% of students in grades three through eight passed both of the English and math portions of the test, down 2% from the last year.

The Indiana Department of Education says statewide in 2016, 66.1% of students in grades 3-8 passed the English/Language Arts section, 58.9% passed the Mathematics section. Also, 64.9% of 4th and 6th grade students passed the Science section and 64.2% of 5th and 7th grade students passed the Social Studies section.

Tenth graders took the I-STEP+ for their first time. The state changed this year's test to reflect more stringent standards for college and career readiness.

For 2016, 59% of students in grade 10 passed the English/Language Arts section, 34.6% passed the Mathematics section, and 32.2% passed both sections. The numbers show 58.8% of students in grade 10 passed the Science section of the assessment.

Scores for area school districts are mostly lower than the state overall figures.

North Lawrence Com Schools totals: ELA Pass N: 1392; ELA Percent Pass: 61.7%; Math Pass N: 1162; Math Percent Pass: 51.3%; Both Math and ELA Percent Pass: 44.4%

Mitchell Community Schools totals - ELA Pass N: 448; ELA Percent Pass: 61.8%; Math Pass N: 364; Math Percent Pass: 50.1%; Both Math and ELA Percent Pass 41.4%

But students in New Albany/Floyd County, North Harrison, and South Harrison scored higher than the state average for grades three through eight in English and math combined. Tenth graders in North and South Harrison scored higher than the state average for English and math combined.

It's the second of likely three years for the test which outgoing state school superintendent Glenda Ritz has called inefficient and costly. Incoming superintendent Jennifer McCormick promised to work for a new accountability and assessment system that is "meaningful and manageable," according to her campaign website.

Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill last spring that eliminates ISTEP, so students will not take the test in 2017-18. However, when asked about the test during a gubernatorial campaign debate in September, Governor-elect Eric Holcomb said he wanted to replace I-STEP with "something that's much more efficient with quicker return."

The I-STEP "Plus" data covers tests given in 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years for grades three through eight in English and math, science tests for grades four through six, social studies tests for grades five through seven, and English and math tests for tenth graders.

Scores are reported by school corporation, individual schools, and broken down into categories of grade, subject, and student ethnicity.

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