Pence balances party makeup on state education board
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is adding an Indianapolis Democrat to the State Board of Education following questions over whether the group had too many Republicans.
Department of Education
Articles
A-F panel begins work on new grading system
Members of a new group studying the state’s A-F school grading system got to work Thursday with a history lesson of sorts that raised questions about the difficulty of marrying state and federal rules for education accountability.
Democrat calls for investigation of Bennett lists
Indiana's Senate Democratic leader called for an investigation Thursday after fundraising lists for former state schools chief Tony Bennett were discovered on state computers.
Fundraiser lists, emails raise Bennett questions
Former Indiana schools chief Tony Bennett faces scrutiny over the discovery of lists of Republican fundraisers on Department of Education servers and emails he sent directing staff to dissect a speech by Democrat Glenda Ritz.
Lawmakers debate education standards, testing
New college and career-ready assessments will gradually replace ISTEP, schools chief Glenda Ritz said at a legislative study committee meeting. But whether those assessments will be based on the controversial Common Core standards is still unclear.
Scores from ISTEP ready for parents of students
The Indiana Department of Education released ISTEP scores Monday to the families of students, but is still working on tallies for schools and school districts.
UPDATE: Review of A-F system finds no special treatment
A legislative review has found former Indiana state schools superintendent Tony Bennett changed the grade for a charter school as a matter of “quality control.” The findings say the Christel House school in Indianapolis didn’t receive special treatment.
Panel to make recommendations for grading system
State leaders have created another new education panel – this one to help develop an A-F grading system to replace one that has come under fire following accusations it was adjusted to help a specific school.
Pence aide leaving post, had role in grade scandal
Gov. Mike Pence’s chief lobbyist, Heather Neal, who was chief of staff to former Indiana schools Superintendent Tony Bennett last year, will join Limestone Strategies as president of its public affairs practice.
UPDATE: Indy schools seek records on state takeovers
Indianapolis Public Schools leaders filed a public records request Thursday seeking information on the 2011 takeover of four schools amid questions about the integrity of the state's A-F school grading formula.
Indiana officials find school grading ‘manipulation’
Indiana officials have found evidence of "manipulation" in the state's school grading formula as part of a review stemming from a grade-changing scandal.
Indiana testing vendor having troubles in Oklahoma, too
CTB/McGraw-Hill, the second-largest educational testing service in the U.S., has apologized for computer issues that disrupted thousands of students’ online tests in Oklahoma and Indiana in late April.
Indiana lawmakers launch review of school grading scandal
Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Long and Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma announced Friday the creation of an independent task force to review the school grading system.
Fate of Indiana school grading system uncertain
The American Federation of Teachers says Indiana should immediately suspend its A-F school grading system because of emails showing former schools chief Tony Bennett changed the grading formula to benefit a top GOP donor's school.
Pence stands by school-grading system
Pence said the system is "an essential part" of accountability measures designed to improve education in Indiana.
Review, resignation urged in Indiana grading flap
Indiana education leaders on Tuesday pledged a thorough review of the state's system for evaluating schools after a former official who now serves as Florida's education commissioner worked to alter a grade for a school founded by a top Republican donor.
Report: Bennett changed GOP donor’s school grade
Former Indiana school Superintendent Tony Bennett and his staff scrambled last fall to ensure influential donor Christel DeHaan’s charter school received an “A,” despite poor test scores in algebra that initially earned it a “C.”
ISTEP disruptions had no impact on scores, review finds
The report released Monday by the Indiana Department of Education shows nearly 143,000 students in grades three through eight had at least one part of their test interrupted when server glitches kicked them offline.
Operators of takeover schools worry about funding
Private companies that were hired to run five Indiana schools taken over by the state for poor performance say they might not be able to continue because of funding concerns.
District names three finalists for superintendent
Indianapolis Public Schools has narrowed its search for a superintendent to three out-of-state candidates who have never served as the top leader at a school district before.