Even with his school district’s grade rising to a B, Lake Central Superintendent Larry Veracco took the news with a grain of salt.
“Most superintendents are opposed to school corporation grades that are so heavily influenced by a one- to two-day test,” said Veracco.
The number of Indiana school districts receiving top state ratings dropped sharply following lower student scores on the revised ISTEP standardized exam.
About 8 percent of school districts received an A grade under ratings approved Wednesday by the State Board of Education, down from the 46 percent of Indiana’s 289 districts receiving an A rating last year.
“Most people agree that it wouldn’t accurately represent the efforts” of students and staff throughout the whole school year, Veracco said. It is “a system they agree doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of the instruction.”
In Lake County, nine school corporations received a B, four received a C, two received a D and one an F.
School corporations receiving a B included Munster, Crown Point, Tri-Creek and Highland while Whiting, Griffith, Hobart, Lake Central and Hanover schools improved from a C to B. Merrillville and Lake Station received a C grade, while Lake Ridge and Hammond schools jumped from a D to C.
The number of schools with a D or F rating also improved from last year — when two districts received D grades and three received an F.
Five districts received D ratings statewide, including River Forest and East Chicago. Both districts failed last year. The struggling Gary Community School Corp. received an F.
All seven Porter County school corporations received a B. In 2015, five received A grades and two received a B.
Last year, the department awarded school corporations the higher rating between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years under a hold harmless rule.
Statewide, the biggest jump was in districts receiving B ratings. Nearly 61 percent got that grade, up from 32 percent last year. Twenty-nine percent of districts received C grades.
The percentage of students passing the ISTEP’s language arts and math sections dropped by double digits under a revamp after Indiana withdrew from national Common Core standards in 2014.
The state Department of Education released individual school accountability grades last month.
The Associated Press contributed.
Twitter: @meredithcolias
