Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, February 27, 2015
(STATEHOUSE) - After 28 years, there may be momentum for doing away with the ISTEP exam.
The Senate voted 46-3 this week to get rid of ISTEP after next year and replace it with something shorter and cheaper.
Governor Pence says while it wasn't part of his education agenda, he's open to the idea, as long as it doesn't weaken accountability requirements. He notes his administration has already proposed giving private schools the option of using a different standardized test.
House leaders in both parties aren't committing outright to killing ISTEP but agree the bill deserves a serious look.
Speaker Brian Bosma says legislators are alarmed by Department of Education cost estimates for a new test lining up with rewritten Indiana academic standards. He says Indiana has always insisted on writing its own test, but says it's possible a nationally recognized test could be adapted to Indiana standards with a few tweaks.
Minority Leader Scott Pelath (D-Michigan City) says schools are burning so much time and money on ISTEP that there's not enough left to provide remedial help to students who need it. He says a proposal that preserves accountability while allowing students to spend less time taking tests deserves serious consideration.
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