INDIANAPOLIS — Results from Indiana’s standardized test, ILEARN, were released this week, and just 28% of students passed the math and reading portions.
The state went on with standardized testing in the spring, even with many students learning in hybrid classrooms or all-remote. The results won’t be used against schools in state or federal funding formulas this year, but they may be used to target education recovery resources.
Rachel Burke, president of the Indiana Parent Teacher Association, noted with fewer hours in the classroom for most students, there were pushes to teach content rather than specific standardized test-taking skills.
“To be quite frank, a lot of schools spend a good week or two, the month before the test, really hitting hard,” Burke acknowledged. “That did not happen this year, particularly with so many schools being shut down.”
Burke is the parent of an eighth grader, and she said to get more information about the test, she had to meet with a school administrator in person. She added the PTA supports summative assessments, but she thinks they need to be more transparent and consistent.
Burke pointed out ILEARN has only been around for a short time. Previously, the state test was called ISTEP.
“Indiana has played standard and assessment roulette for many, many years now, right?” Burke recounted. “We’ve had several sets of standards, we’ve had several different assessments. Every time you change one of those two things, you throw the other one off.”
Burke added it’s an issue of equity. In past years, Indiana’s test results have shown racial disparities. White students passed the ILEARN test at higher rates than Black, brown and Indigenous students, according to the most recent data.
She stated without more transparent information about the tests, it’s harder to reduce educational disparities.
Crawfordsville Superintendent Dr. Scott Bowling called for a complete overhaul of Indiana’s school accountability system. He said the system should rely more on quality measures that are fair to parents, teachers and students.
“After decades of championing standardized testing, it’s clear that it isn’t working. The scores always align nearly perfectly with community wealth,” Bowling said.
District wide, 17.4% of Crawfordsville students tested proficient on both the English and math sections of the test compared to 25.2% the last time the test was given in 2019.
The test is given to students in grades 3-8.
The Indiana Department of Education emphasized the latest results should not be compared to the past due to the pandemic. ILEARN was canceled in 2020 when schools were closed statewide.
“This data must not be an indictment on anyone,” Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jener said in a message to schools. “The pandemic was beyond anyone’s control, and none of us had a playbook on how to respond.”
North Montgomery Superintendent Dr. Colleen Moran said her district will use 2021’s results as a baseline moving forward. The results showed 40.1% of students proficient on both sections compared to 41.3% in 2019.
Despite the pandemic-related factors, Moran said administrators would drill into the data and address any skill deficits in curriculum or instruction.
“We will need the continued help of our parents and greater community to help our students and staff overcome the emotional and academic impact caused by the pandemic,” Moran said.
At South Montgomery, 38.4% were proficient in both sections in 2021 compared to 42% in 2019.
Like other area schools, South is offering remediation programs and hired additional teachers.
“We will need to spend the next several years making up for lost learning opportunities brought by the pandemic challenges,” Superintendent Dr. Shawn Greiner said.
Lily Bohlke, Indiana News Service, contributed to this story.
