Bill would allow private voucher schools to bypass ISTEP
02/13/2015

 

ACTION: Tell your senator to oppose attempts to make special exceptions to Indiana's school accountability system.

 

SB 470, authored by Sen. Scott Schneider, is essentially a freedom for voucher schools bill.

 

• Freedom from using ISTEP
• Freedom from current A-F ratings
• Freedom from teacher evaluation requirements
• Freedom from reporting requested information to IDOE

Sen. Schneider attempted to pass a similar bill last session.

 

Voucher schools will no longer be required to use ISTEP, but can pick a test of their choosing, as long as it is nationally recognized and norm referenced. One headmaster of a private school testified that classes were too small to be tested using a norm referenced test. This is a problem our public schools would love to have.

 

The bill expects the state board to develop and maintain a method for reconciling the results of these tests for school accountability purposes. This appears to imply they will have their own system for A-F ratings on voucher schools. Wouldn’t we all like to have a rating system we developed?

 

The bill further exempts voucher schools from using the state mandated teacher evaluation parameters, so long as they are accredited. (Note: SB 500 removes the requirement of accreditation for public schools, yet SB 470 seems to encourage its use.)  When vouchers passed, it was in the name of accountability. It would appear that SB 470 is a significant step backward in accountability.

 

This bill limits the ability of IDOE to require reporting information, other than what is necessary to determine a school’s eligibility to be a voucher school. The department must show that the information they’re requesting is necessary.

 

SB 470 passed out of the Education Committee on a party line vote and was recommitted to Appropriations due to fiscal impact.