CHAPTER 5. INDIANA STATEWIDE TESTING FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS
IC 20-32-5
Chapter 5. Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress
IC 20-32-5-1
Purposes of ISTEP
Sec. 1. The purposes of the ISTEP program developed under thischapter are as follows:
(1) To assess the strengths and weaknesses of schoolperformance.
(2) To assess the effects of state and local educationalprograms.
(3) To compare achievement of Indiana students to achievementof students on a national basis.
(4) To provide a source of information for state and localdecision makers with regard to educational matters, includingthe following:
(A) The overall academic progress of students.
(B) The need for new or revised educational programs.
(C) The need to terminate existing educational programs.
(D) Student readiness for postsecondary school experiences.
(E) Overall curriculum development and revision activities.
(F) Identifying students who may need remediation underIC 20-32-8.
(G) Diagnosing individual student needs.
(H) Teacher education and staff development activities.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16. Amended by P.L.246-2005,SEC.176.
IC 20-32-5-2
Subject areas
Sec. 2. ISTEP program testing shall be administered in thefollowing subject areas:
(1) English/language arts.
(2) Mathematics.
(3) Science, in grade levels determined by the state board.
(4) Social studies, in grade levels determined by the state board.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-3
Content of tests
Sec. 3. To carry out the purposes described in section 1 of thischapter, each English/language arts and mathematics test developedfor use under the ISTEP program test must include the following:
(1) A method of testing basic skills appropriate for thedesignated grade level, including multiple choice questions.
(2) A method of testing applied skills appropriate for thedesignated grade level, including short answer or essayquestions and the solving of arithmetic or mathematicalproblems.
(3) A method of testing and grading that will allow comparison
with national and international academic standards.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-4
Duties of board, state superintendent, and department
Sec. 4. (a) The state board shall:
(1) authorize the development and implementation of the ISTEPprogram; and
(2) determine the date on which the statewide testing isadministered in each school corporation.
(b) The state superintendent is responsible for the overalldevelopment, implementation, and monitoring of the ISTEP program.
(c) The department shall prepare detailed design specifications forthe ISTEP program that must do the following:
(1) Take into account the academic standards adopted underIC 20-31-3.
(2) Include testing of students' higher level cognitive thinkingin each subject area tested.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-5
General language arts essay questions; scoring rubric; anchorpaper
Sec. 5. The department shall make general language arts essayscoring rubrics available to the public at least four (4) months beforethe administration of a test. An essay question, a scoring rubric, or ananchor paper used in the ISTEP program must comply with thefollowing:
(1) For an essay question, have a prompt that is taken from:
(A) a textbook on the state textbook adoption list included inIC 20-20-5; or
(B) a source other than a source listed in clause (A) that isapproved by the ISTEP program citizens' review committeeestablished under IC 20-32-6.
(2) Not seek or compile information about a student's:
(A) personal attitudes;
(B) political views;
(C) religious beliefs;
(D) family relationships; or
(E) other matters listed in IC 20-30-5-17(b).
The ISTEP program citizens' review committee shall determinewhether an essay question or a scoring rubric complies with thissubdivision.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-6
Scoring of student responses
Sec. 6. The scoring of student responses under an ISTEP programtest:
(1) must measure student achievement relative to the academic
standards established by the state board;
(2) must adhere to scoring rubrics and anchor papers; and
(3) may not reflect the scorer's judgment of the values expressedby a student in the student's responses.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-7
Reports of scores in mathematics and English/language arts
Sec. 7. This subsection applies to reports of scores in mathematicsand English/language arts. Reports must:
(1) provide scores indicating student performance relative toeach of the academic standards:
(A) established by the state board; and
(B) assessed by the test;
(2) be related to passing scores established by the state board;and
(3) contain the information listed in subdivisions (1) and (2) forthe following levels:
(A) Individual student.
(B) Classroom.
(C) School.
(D) School corporation.
(E) Indiana.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-8
Reports; guide for interpreting scores
Sec. 8. Reports of student scores must be:
(1) returned to the school corporation that administered the test;and
(2) accompanied by a guide for interpreting scores.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-9
Test scores; inspection; rescoring
Sec. 9. (a) After reports of student scores are returned to a schoolcorporation, the school corporation shall promptly do the following:
(1) Give each student and the student's parent the student'sISTEP program test scores.
(2) Make available for inspection to each student and thestudent's parent the following:
(A) A copy of the essay questions and prompts used inassessing the student.
(B) A copy of the student's scored essays.
(C) A copy of the anchor papers and scoring rubrics used toscore the student's essays.
A student's parent may request a rescoring of a student's responses toa test, including a student's essay.
(b) A student's ISTEP program scores may not be disclosed to thepublic.As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-10
Parent/teacher conferences
Sec. 10. After a school receives score reports, the school shallschedule a parent/teacher conference with the following:
(1) A parent of a student who requests a parent/teacherconference on the scores of the student.
(2) The parent of each student who does not receive a passingscore on the test. The conference must include a discussion of:
(A) the student's test scores, including subscores onacademic standards; and
(B) the proposed remediation plan for the student.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-11
School corporation compilation of results
Sec. 11. Each school corporation shall compile the total results ofthe ISTEP program tests in a manner that will permit evaluation oflearning progress within the school corporation. The schoolcorporation shall make the compilation of test results available forpublic inspection and shall provide that compilation to the parent ofeach student tested under the ISTEP program.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-12
Annual school corporation performance report
Sec. 12. The department shall develop a format for the publicationby school corporations in an annual performance report required bystatute of appropriate academic information required by thedepartment, including ISTEP program test scores, in a manner thata reasonable person can easily read and understand.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-13
School results
Sec. 13. The school corporation shall provide the ISTEP programtest results on a school by school basis to the department uponrequest.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-14
Student results; consent
Sec. 14. Upon request by the commission for higher education, thedepartment shall provide ISTEP program test results to thecommission for those students for whom the commission under 20U.S.C. 1232g has obtained consent.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-15 Testing schedule
Sec. 15. (a) The state superintendent shall develop an ISTEPprogram testing schedule in which:
(1) each student in grades 3, 6, 8, and 10 must be tested; and
(2) each student in grade 10 must take a graduationexamination.
(b) The state board shall adopt rules to establish when a studentis considered to be in grade 10 for purposes of initially taking thegraduation examination.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-16
Children with disabilities
Sec. 16. (a) A student who is a child with a disability (as definedin IC 20-35-1-2) shall be tested under this chapter with appropriateaccommodations in testing materials and procedures unless theindividuals who develop the child's individualized education programdetermine that testing or a part of the testing under this chapter is notappropriate for the student and that an alternate assessment will beused to test the student's achievement.
(b) Any decision concerning a student who is a child with adisability (as defined in IC 20-35-1-2) regarding the student's:
(1) participation in testing under this chapter;
(2) receiving accommodations in testing materials andprocedures;
(3) participation in remediation under IC 20-32-8; or
(4) retention at the same grade level for consecutive schoolyears;
shall be made in accordance with the student's individualizededucation program in compliance with the ISTEP program manualand federal law.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-17
Nonpublic schools
Sec. 17. (a) If a nonpublic school seeks accreditation asauthorized under IC 20-19-2-8(a)(5), the governing body of thenonpublic school is entitled to acquire at no charge from thedepartment:
(1) the ISTEP program test; and
(2) the scoring reports used by the department.
(b) The nonpublic school seeking accreditation must:
(1) administer the ISTEP program test to its students at thesame time that school corporations administer the test; and
(2) make available to the department the results of the ISTEPprogram testing.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-18
Innovative testing methods; pilot program Sec. 18. (a) The department shall establish a pilot program toexamine innovative testing methods.
(b) The department shall select a representative sample of schoolcorporations determined through an application procedure toparticipate in the pilot program under this section.
(c) The types of methods authorized under this program includethe following:
(1) Recently developed techniques for measuring higher orderthinking skills.
(2) Performance testing of academic standards that are difficultto measure by a written test format.
(3) Expanded subject area assessment using student writingsamples.
(d) The funds necessary to implement a pilot program under thissection shall be expended from the research and developmentprogram under IC 20-20-11.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-19
Use of state funds
Sec. 19. If state funds appropriated for remediation are availableunder IC 20-32-8 at the end of a state fiscal year, the funds:
(1) do not revert to the state general fund; and
(2) must be transferred to the 4R's technology program for useunder IC 20-20-13-9.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-20
Repealed
(Repealed by P.L.179-2006, SEC.1.)
IC 20-32-5-21
National or international assessments
Sec. 21. (a) The state board may require schools to participate innational or international assessments.
(b) The state board may establish an assessment to beadministered at the conclusion of each Core 40 course inEnglish/language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.However, participation in a Core 40 assessment established underthis subsection must be voluntary on the part of a school corporation.
(c) The state board may establish a diagnostic reading assessmentfor use in grades 1 and 2 to promote grade level reading competencyby grade 3. However, participation in a reading assessmentestablished under this subsection must be voluntary on the part of aschool corporation.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.
IC 20-32-5-22
Rules
Sec. 22. The state board shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to
implement this chapter.
As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.16.