The 22-member panel tasked with developing a new standardized assessment test to replace the ISTEP will begin meeting soon.
Lawmakers mandated the ISTEP rewrite during the 2016 legislative session.
The panel has the ability to change the format of the test, the school accountability measures, and how often and when it can be administered.
Parent Lynne Stallings was appointed by House Speaker Brian Bosma and has two kids in the Muncie school system.
She says she will advocate for a test that is split up throughout the year, because giving one large assessment at the end of the year doesn’t help teachers evaluate learning progress.
“I think that would be great if it’s giving valuable feedback to the teachers, so that it can instruct their instruction immediately,” she says.
Batesville School Superintendent Jim Roberts says in recent years educators have endured several changes to statewide testing and accountability.
He says he wants this to be the last ISTEP re-write for a long time.
“It’s just all of these are moving pieces, moving targets and it’s hard for us to hit,” Roberts says.
The panel must issue a report with its recommendations to the legislature by December 1.
