The 2008 Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus results, released recently by Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed, showed overall pass rates declined slightly compared to last year.
Statewide 2008 pass rates across all grades tested were approximately 71 percent in English/language arts, 74 percent in math and 60 percent in science."Despite gains made by many local schools, the latest ISTEP+ results are disappointing from a state perspective," Reed said. "Like an annual physical, ISTEP+ is our regular checkup of student learning. The results are in, but the true test is what will be done by parents, students and educators to turn these results around."
English/language arts pass rates dropped by 1 percentage point at every grade level except 10th grade, which remained the same as last year. Pass rates for math and science were mixed with changes ranging from a two-point gain to a two-point decline.
All ISTEP+ information, including performance data for each corporation and school, is available online at www.doe.in.gov/istep
Reed noted the Indiana Department of Education has several complementary efforts underway to help local students, parents and educators identify and address areas of academic need, including the new ISTEP+ Parent Network launched at www.doe.in.gov/istepparentnetwork
The ISTEP+ Parent Network is a new online resource that offers parents secure access to their student's ISTEP+ scores. Parents should contact their student's school if they do not receive a letter containing their secure ISTEP+ Parent Network login information.
ISTEP+ is given to approximately 700,000 students in grades 3-10 annually. ISTEP+ offers a snapshot of student progress at a specific point in time, providing educators, students and parents with information they can use to identify specific strengths and weaknesses at each grade level.
