Local Officials Oppose Change To Spring ISTEP
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Local school officials are opposed at this time to the state moving ISTEP testing from the fall to the spring.
But at least one member of the Indiana House sees the move as a better measure of what students learned during the school year.
"In general I'm opposed because of the timing," said Dr. Mark Stock, Wawasee Schools. "There are more important things in education. It's a waste of dollars."
"It's going to cause a real shift in the way we do our data," said Terry Roe, Warsaw Schools director of assessment.
"I think our position as a school corporation is that we'd prefer it to stay as it is now," said Brett Boggs, Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation assistant superintendent.
Thursday, the Indiana House approved by a 52-47 partisan vote to move ISTEP testing from fall to spring. According to The Associated Press, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed - a Republican who is opposed to the move - estimated that switching ISTEP to the spring would cost more than $45 million. The Legislative Services Agency, which provides financial estimates on proposed legislation, said the change would cost more than $11 million. Governor Mitch Daniels and House Republicans said the cost will be minimal. All 52 House Republicans voted for the bill, while 47 Democrats voted against it. The bill moves to the GOP-controlled Senate for consideration.
Rep. Dave Wolkins, Winona Lake, said there is a big discrepancy in the cost of moving ISTEP from the fall to the spring. While Reed estimated $45 million, he said the LSA estimated anywhere from zero dollars to millions.
"I just think that it's better to test them at the end (of the school year)," said Wolkins. Wolkins, a former teacher, said the beginning of the school year was used to go over material from the previous year. Testing students at the beginning of the school year is not the time to do it, he said. If ISTEP is taken in the spring it would be a better measure of who is really failing, hea said.
In surveys Wolkins conducted, most constituents said the ISTEP should be moved to the spring. "A lot of folks want to see us do away with ISTEP," he said. There are cheaper tests that would give the same results, he said.
Thursday afternoon, Roe provided an e-mail from Reed sent to superintendents and principals. In that e-mail Reed said the $45 million cost would include $30.2 million for a second test in the 2007-08 fiscal year; $9.5 million for a 2007 ISTEP+ pilot; $2.5 million for a new grade nine test; and $2.5 million for a new grade 10 test. The funds do not include an additional $5 million that would be required to create a new spring Graduation Qualifying Exam by 2009 to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to the e-mail.
Roe's biggest concern is that the schools will have to begin compiling testing data all over again. ISTEP results from a spring test can not be compared to the fall tests.
"One direct impact for Warsaw is the way we do (Northwest Evaluation Association) tests," said Roe. That testing is done in the spring currently. If the ISTEP is moved from fall to spring, NWA testing may have to be moved from spring to fall. The compilation of data from the NWA tests also will have to start anew because fall NWA testing would not be comparable to spring NWA testing.
Boggs said Tippecanoe Valley also has other testing that may have to be moved if the ISTEP is moved from fall to spring.
Besides the cost of moving the testing, Stock said he also was opposed to the move because of the effect it would have on schools' data collection. Schools track growth and improvement through testing, but if the switch is made, that has to start all over again.
Boggs agreed. "Moving it to the spring is really moving us back to square one," he said.
"There's actually no legislative purpose for it," said Stock. "It's just politics."
While the school officials said moving ISTEP to the spring wouldn't provide time for student remediation, Wolkins disagreed. He said the test can be given in April and that would provide ample time for student remediation in the summer.
If the change is made, Stock said, "They ought to do it as quickly and cheaply as possible."
He said he wasn't totally opposed to spring testing, and there are some benefits to it. Now, however, is not the time to make that change with the state's budget concerns. Wawasee has rising costs, but is losing revenue because of a decrease in enrollment.
Boggs said the money aspect puzzles him, too. Schools always are told there is no funding for schools, but now the state wants to spend the money to change ISTEP testing. "Where's that money going to come from?"
"It's not worth $45 million for very, very marginal improvement. We're better off if they leave things alone," said Stock.
The educators are the ones in the trenches, Stock said, but they are being ignored on this matter. "For everyone to ignore our opinion is just wrong." [[In-content Ad]]
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Local school officials are opposed at this time to the state moving ISTEP testing from the fall to the spring.
But at least one member of the Indiana House sees the move as a better measure of what students learned during the school year.
"In general I'm opposed because of the timing," said Dr. Mark Stock, Wawasee Schools. "There are more important things in education. It's a waste of dollars."
"It's going to cause a real shift in the way we do our data," said Terry Roe, Warsaw Schools director of assessment.
"I think our position as a school corporation is that we'd prefer it to stay as it is now," said Brett Boggs, Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation assistant superintendent.
Thursday, the Indiana House approved by a 52-47 partisan vote to move ISTEP testing from fall to spring. According to The Associated Press, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed - a Republican who is opposed to the move - estimated that switching ISTEP to the spring would cost more than $45 million. The Legislative Services Agency, which provides financial estimates on proposed legislation, said the change would cost more than $11 million. Governor Mitch Daniels and House Republicans said the cost will be minimal. All 52 House Republicans voted for the bill, while 47 Democrats voted against it. The bill moves to the GOP-controlled Senate for consideration.
Rep. Dave Wolkins, Winona Lake, said there is a big discrepancy in the cost of moving ISTEP from the fall to the spring. While Reed estimated $45 million, he said the LSA estimated anywhere from zero dollars to millions.
"I just think that it's better to test them at the end (of the school year)," said Wolkins. Wolkins, a former teacher, said the beginning of the school year was used to go over material from the previous year. Testing students at the beginning of the school year is not the time to do it, he said. If ISTEP is taken in the spring it would be a better measure of who is really failing, hea said.
In surveys Wolkins conducted, most constituents said the ISTEP should be moved to the spring. "A lot of folks want to see us do away with ISTEP," he said. There are cheaper tests that would give the same results, he said.
Thursday afternoon, Roe provided an e-mail from Reed sent to superintendents and principals. In that e-mail Reed said the $45 million cost would include $30.2 million for a second test in the 2007-08 fiscal year; $9.5 million for a 2007 ISTEP+ pilot; $2.5 million for a new grade nine test; and $2.5 million for a new grade 10 test. The funds do not include an additional $5 million that would be required to create a new spring Graduation Qualifying Exam by 2009 to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to the e-mail.
Roe's biggest concern is that the schools will have to begin compiling testing data all over again. ISTEP results from a spring test can not be compared to the fall tests.
"One direct impact for Warsaw is the way we do (Northwest Evaluation Association) tests," said Roe. That testing is done in the spring currently. If the ISTEP is moved from fall to spring, NWA testing may have to be moved from spring to fall. The compilation of data from the NWA tests also will have to start anew because fall NWA testing would not be comparable to spring NWA testing.
Boggs said Tippecanoe Valley also has other testing that may have to be moved if the ISTEP is moved from fall to spring.
Besides the cost of moving the testing, Stock said he also was opposed to the move because of the effect it would have on schools' data collection. Schools track growth and improvement through testing, but if the switch is made, that has to start all over again.
Boggs agreed. "Moving it to the spring is really moving us back to square one," he said.
"There's actually no legislative purpose for it," said Stock. "It's just politics."
While the school officials said moving ISTEP to the spring wouldn't provide time for student remediation, Wolkins disagreed. He said the test can be given in April and that would provide ample time for student remediation in the summer.
If the change is made, Stock said, "They ought to do it as quickly and cheaply as possible."
He said he wasn't totally opposed to spring testing, and there are some benefits to it. Now, however, is not the time to make that change with the state's budget concerns. Wawasee has rising costs, but is losing revenue because of a decrease in enrollment.
Boggs said the money aspect puzzles him, too. Schools always are told there is no funding for schools, but now the state wants to spend the money to change ISTEP testing. "Where's that money going to come from?"
"It's not worth $45 million for very, very marginal improvement. We're better off if they leave things alone," said Stock.
The educators are the ones in the trenches, Stock said, but they are being ignored on this matter. "For everyone to ignore our opinion is just wrong." [[In-content Ad]]