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Reed reminds students, families of upcoming ISTEP+ changes
With students returning to school this month, Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed wants to remind Hoosiers that the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) will be given in the fall and the spring this year as part of changes to the state’s testing system. The fall ISTEP+ test will cover material taught during the 2007-2008 school year to ensure students are ready for the 2008-2009 school year. Testing in the spring will address skills learned during the 2008-2009 school year. Beginning next year, ISTEP+ will be given only in the spring. “This is the transition year that will allow us to move from one high-stakes test to a true assessment system that measures and supports student learning throughout the school year,” said Reed. The change is part of a comprehensive testing plan for Indiana that includes
Fall 2008 ISTEP+ Students in grades 3-8 will take the fall ISTEP+ beginning September 15 (check with your school for local testing dates within the statewide September 15-26 window). Based on Indiana’s Academic Standards, the fall test includes multiple choice, essay and short answer questions covering English/language arts and mathematics at each grade level as well as science at grades 5 and 7. Incoming high school sophomores (class of 2011) will be the last group of students to take the current GQE that covers English and math skills through grade 9 (see details on the new GQE below). All student results for the fall ISTEP+ will be sent to local schools in late November. Spring 2009 ISTEP+ Students in grades 3-8 will also take ISTEP+ in the spring. Like the fall test, the spring ISTEP+ will include questions on English and math at each grade level. The new spring test also expands the subjects tested with questions on science at grades 4 and 6 and social studies at grades 5 and 7. The spring test will be administered in two parts:
Student results for the spring 2009 ISTEP+ will be released in August. Results for each year thereafter will be available to students, parents and educators before the end of the school year. New Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE) The Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE) ensures that Indiana high school graduates have mastered and are able to apply basic knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Students must meet the GQE requirement to earn a high school diploma, and Indiana is changing how students are tested for this requirement. Previously, students took one big test in grade 10 that covered both math and English. The class of 2011 (incoming sophomores this fall) will be the last class to take the GQE as one big exam this fall. The GQE will be administered on September 16, 17 and 18. Beginning with the class of 2012 (incoming freshmen this fall), the new GQE consists of two smaller tests that students will take after completing courses in Algebra I and English 10. The exams will be given at various times during the year, depending on when a student completes each course. For most students, that will be in late spring. Since some Hoosiers take Algebra I as early as middle school, this change allows students to be tested when the content is still fresh while clearing their way to pursue higher-level math courses. What if I have more questions about ISTEP+?
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Indiana Department of Education |
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