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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana House has approved a bill to replace the ISTEP exam by the 2018-19 school year.
The measure by Republican Rep. Bob Behning was approved Monday on a 67-31 vote and heads to the Senate.
House Bill 1003 would require students in grades 3 through 8 to complete the new assessment.
The proposed exam would be titled "Indiana's Learning Evaluation Assessment Readiness Network," or ILEARN.
Supporters want the test to be shorter and take less time to grade. They also want Indiana educators to help develop and grade it.
The ISTEP has existed in one form or another for decades. But it became a politically charged issue in recent years after Republicans undertook a number of overhauls. Students across the state performed poorly on one recent version of the test that was not only more difficult, but also plagued by administrative glitches.
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