Casey Smith
Indiana Capital Chronicle
To increase transparency around Indiana students’ education performance, new report cards issued by the state education department are now required to be posted on nearly every Hoosier school’s website.
Beginning Oct. 15, each public and state-accredited non-public school must post online a performance report from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) that shows how its students are doing on academic and other measures.
The report cards replace the state’s previous accountability system in which the state assigned A through F grades to measure a school’s quality.
School grades have been effectively suspended since 2018, when Indiana shifted from ISTEP to a new state standardized test and later grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic.
State officials maintain that the new school performance reports will provide additional transparency around key data points, like test results, attendance rates and career readiness.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said she also hopes the move will help parents, families and communities to better understand what’s happening in their schools.
What’s in the reports
Information included in the performance reports covers the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years and varies by the grade levels served by a school.
For example, reports for elementary schools— which are defined as those serving grades K-8— will include pass rates for the 3rd grade literacy test, known as IREAD-3, along with pass rates for the statewide ILEARN exam, chronic absenteeism rates, and per-student funding.
High school report cards will also highlight per-student funding, along with average composite SAT scores, as well as graduation and non-waiver graduation rates. Additionally, secondary school performance reports will provide the percentage of students who enrolled in and passed any of the following: an Advanced Placement exam, International Baccalaureate exam, dual credit course, or Cambridge International exam.
All schools are also required to compare their data to those serving similar grade bands. Schools with high rates of students who receive free or reduced lunch additionally provide a comparison of their metrics to schools with a similar population.
Much of the data for the new report cards is already available to the public, though, and was drawn from the Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed (GPS) dashboard, which the state released earlier this year.
State lawmakers required the performance reports earlier this year in House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1591.
Where to Find Your School’s Report
Crothersville Community Schools
Click on Elementary then GPS Dashboard for the elementary performance. Scroll to the bottom of page to find the link to the Jr-Sr High School Performance.
Scott County School District 1
www/scsd1.com
Click on Forms and Links then (under Links on right side of page) SCSD1 Report Card/Indiana GPS
Scott County School District 2
www.scsd2.k12.in.us
Click on About Scott 2 then District Report Card then Indiana GPS
Medora Community Schools
www.medora.k12.in.us
Click on Parents, scroll down left side to LEA GPS Dashboard
Brownstown Central Community School Corp.
www. btownccs.k12.in.us
Click on Menu, scroll down to bottom page to School Performance Reports.
Seymour Community Schools
www.scsc.k12.in.us
Click on Schools then School Sites and select the school you wish to view its performance. Under Essentials or About Us, click on Performance Report.