Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is calling on lawmakers to adopt a pre-kindergarten program that would include all students regardless of family income. She estimates her plan would cost about $150 million a year.
Republicans are looking to regain control of the state Department of Education from Democrat Glenda Ritz, who is seeking re-election to the position she won in in 2012.
Five years after taking over management of three failing Indianapolis schools, Charter Schools USA has rolled out an unusual proposal for revamping Howe High School. But the plan could face resistance.
After a long debate, board members said they didn’t have enough information to make a decision.
Indiana House lawmakers on Thursday effectively killed a proposal that would have diminished the power of teachers unions amid an intense backlash from labor leaders and opposition from within the GOP.
A measure passed on a 38-10 vote would create a 22-member panel to "study alternatives to the ISTEP" and "make recommendations for replacing" the test.
The chairman of Indiana's Democratic Party called Thursday for the firing of a State Board of Education official who altered a report that detailed a so-called independent investigation into the ISTEP exam.
A review of documents showed a top education official made significant alterations to a report that detailed a so-called independent investigation into the unpopular standardized ISTEP+ exam for students.
A report summarizing what was billed as an independent investigation into Indiana's new, unpopular standardized student exam includes edits and suggested changes by a state administrator hired by Gov. Mike Pence's State Board of Education.
More than three-quarters of Indiana's school districts are receiving A or B grades under the state's rating system.
House Bill 1330, authored by Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, would require the Indiana Department of Education to make available to schools the formula it uses to calculate federal poverty aid. Four other education bills advanced Monday.
Jennifer McCormick introduced herself and her run for state superintendent Thursday by criticizing Glenda Ritz’s management of the Indiana Department of Education and calling for a debate that gets beyond politics.
When the state released grades for the 2014-15 school year on Tuesday, it seemed clear that many schools benefited from a “hold harmless” bill that Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Thursday.
Some Indiana school officials say students ran into frozen screens and error messages Wednesday during a test run of the online ISTEP exam.
Whether the 2015 ISTEP should be re-scored due to well-documented problems with the roll-out and administration of the exam is once again pitting GOP leaders in the Legislature against Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz.
Rep. Robert Behning, R-Indianapolis, said he wants to hire a contractor to re-score the 2015 ISTEP test, which he calls a “disaster.” Meanwhile, the House education committee approved a measure sparing teachers from having their performance pay reduced as a result of the scores.
Following ongoing controversy over tougher Indiana student assessments, the Indiana Department of Education on Wednesday released long-awaited statewide and local 2015 ISTEP scores.
Democrats and Republicans are backing a proposal expected to be considered by the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The bill proposes schools may not receive a lower grade for 2015 than they received in 2014.
Investigators found no evidence that students were given incorrect lower scores on this spring’s high-stakes ISTEP exam, according to state officials.
The much-lauded Tindley Accelerated Schools has missed its enrollment targets this year, forcing it to eliminate positions and seek loans.
