ISTEP+

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BRIEF SUMMARY

The purpose of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+) program is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science (Grades 4, 6 and 10), and Social Studies (Grades 5 and 7). In particular, ISTEP+ reports student achievement levels according to the Indiana Academic Standards that were adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education.

Beginning in 2016-17, the ISTEP+ Grade 10 English/Language Arts and Mathematics tests replace the End of Course Assessments in Algebra I and English 10 as the graduation requirement for the class of 2019 and 2020. Every Indiana student in the graduating class of 2019 and beyond must demonstrate mastery of the Indiana Academic Standards measured by the ISTEP+ Grade 10 English/Language Arts and Mathematics assessments. The ISTEP+ Grade 10 Math Assessment is based on standards adopted in 2014; the Grade 10 English Assessment is based on standards adopted in 2014.  (from IDOE, https://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/istep-grades-3-8-10)

 

KEY POINTS

  • The assessments are administered in two parts: Part 1 consists of applied skills (open-ended) items, and Part 2 includes multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items. Both Part 1 and Part 2 are required components of the ISTEP+ program and are used to measure student mastery of the Indiana Academic Standards.
  • The assessment requirement for graduation can be met in three (3) ways:
    1. Pass the English 10 and Algebra I End of Course Assessments (graduating class of 2018) OR the Grade 10 ISTEP+ in English/Language Arts and Mathematics (graduating classes of 2019 and 2020).
    2. Fulfill the requirements of the Evidence-based waiver.
    3. Fulfill the requirements of the Work-readiness waiver.

SHARED WISDOM

  • To clarify in regards to the 11th Grade ISTEP: A new memo went out and this year’s Juniors (Class of 2022) will take the ISTEP in the Spring for accountability purposes for the USED. (This is for FEDERAL accountability, not state).  Here is the memo: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/INDOE/2020/07/09/file_attachments/1492361/istep-2020-2021-participation-requirements.pdf.  Contact IDOE Assessment- INassessments@doe.in.gov with further questions. (Michelle Clarke, October 2020)
    • Students in Cohorts 2019-2021 may still participate in the Spring 2021 Retest.
    • Even if the student is using the Grad Pathways, they have to test this Spring (Cohort 2022).
    • Students in Cohort 2021 using Grad Pathways do NOT have to retest (unless there is a chance they would need a Waiver).
  • An updated ISTEP+ 2019-2020 Timeline is available now on the Indiana Assessment Portal.
  • Sample Opt-Out Letters and Forms (from Counselor Talk, February 2019)
  • Question: For those graduating this year under the ISTEP+ requirements, is there a 10% threshold on waivers in the same way that there will be a threshold once we move to the Graduation Pathways?
    • Response: Yes. But always give the waivers if the student earns it. If you are over 10% you have to complete a ‘Graduation Waiver Remediation Plan’ to show interventions you’re using to reduce the number of waivers.
  • Question: Students who are going to be graduating through the ISTEP+ waiver system need only to have taken the assessment ONCE this year, correct?
    • Response: Correct. Students who are going through the waiver must take the exam ONCE each year.
  • Question: If students do retest the ISTEP their Junior or Senior year, does that count towards school accountability and our grade? (Counselor Talk, September 2018)
    • Response: All students are required to participate in the statewide assessment (10th grade cohort year), regardless of whether they are on pathways. Students do not need to retest on the ISTEP if they are pursuing pathways. The only accountability component where this is will be considered is the 10-12 improvement score, which is a “bonus” within the growth domain score for high schools. It is not a standalone metric, and can only add to the base growth score. One thing to keep in mind is that the points earned from the 10-12 improvement are so nominal that they rarely have an impact on the school’s growth score or letter grade
  • 2018-2019-Testing Window
  • Code of Ethical Practice: The most significant consideration in pre-test activities, apart from security issues, relates to maintaining the validity of the assessment scores as estimates of student achievement in the domains being assessed. (a) The school corporation (Corporation Test Coordinator, School Test Coordinator, or other designee) must ensure materials and practices related to preparing students for assessments, administering assessments, securing assessments, and interpreting the results from assessments are annually reviewed. The school corporation must ensure test preparation materials used by school staff are appropriate and do not violate test security protocol. (b) Although students should be given instruction, experience, and practice with the Academic Standards, the curriculum should not be narrowed to fit the assessment. (c) Teachers should give students practice with various item types and formats used on assessments to ensure that the assessment will measure only the students’ knowledge and understanding and not their test-taking skills. Extensive use of test practice materials is inappropriate. (d) Reasonable notice of upcoming assessments should be provided to all concerned, including school personnel, students, and parents. However, using this notice to encourage probable low-scoring students to not participate in assessments, thereby raising aggregate scores, may be considered unethical behavior. Using notice to encourage probable low-scoring students to not participate may also have a negative impact on a school’s A-F grade for lack of participation.
  • Adding ISTEP+ scores to a student’s transcript: all three scores go on the transcript. The most recent test scores are the ones that are included. (2017)
  • Regarding whether or not the grade 10 ISTEP could be used in place of the ECA’s for current juniors: the short answer is yes, if you have a junior who didn’t pass the Alg I or Eng 10 ECA but did pass the grade 10 ISTEP last year in Math or ELA, that can be used to satisfy the graduation exam requirement.  Also, a reminder for seniors who haven’t yet passed the ECA and may need to qualify for a waiver at the end of the year, the criteria for the Work Readiness Waiver has changed slightly (effective with the graduating class of 2017).  Please refer to the resources below (from Amanda Culhan with IDOE, August 2017)
  • Currently the waiver options for the ISTEP are the same as those for the ECAs. This may change when the graduation pathways are approved, which technically will begin with the class of 2022. (from Amanda Culhan with IDOE, October 2017)
  • Q: Will juniors will be able to graduate mid-year next year if they haven’t passed the ISTEP since there isn’t suppose to be a retest in the Spring–will a student still qualify for the waiver and December graduation with the new retest setup?
    A: The earliest a student could graduate with a waiver would be following their 1st semester of the senior year. The reason being, one of the waiver criteria includes the student testing at least once each school year, including the senior year.  (From Amanda Culhan, Counselor Talk, November 2017)
  • Q: In the past I remember that 3 year grads who had yet to pass ECA, were required to come back the next fall when the test was offered for retakes. The requirement was that the test be taken every year, in order to qualify for the waiver. Now we have a 3 grad who has yet to pass ISTEP. It was thought that this year’s 3 year grads could qualify for the graduation pathways ISTEP waiver. Our student did pass the ASVAB, which is one of the proposed pathways. Can our student receive a diploma, or are they required to come back and take the ISTEP one more time, next school year to qualify for the waiver?
  • Q: In the past I remember that 3 year grads who had yet to pass ECA, were required to come back the next fall when the test was offered for retakes. The requirement was that the test be taken every year, in order to qualify for the waiver. Now we have a 3 grad who has yet to pass ISTEP. It was thought that this year’s 3 year grads could qualify for the graduation pathways ISTEP waiver. Our student did pass the ASVAB, which is one of the proposed pathways. Can our student receive a diploma, or are they required to come back and take the ISTEP one more time, next school year to qualify for the waiver?
    A: Answers from Counselortallk, April 2018: 3 year grad responses
  • How to retrieve ISTEP scores on Learning Connection: 1) Click Reports at the top, then 2) click Student Summary on the right, and 3) select the student from the drop down list and then run the report.
  • On the short response questions, do the text boxes count “characters” or “words”? Also, is the same true for the large essay? They count characters for everything. The boxes count down from a set number, so there is a maximum number of characters you can have. (From Counselor Talk, January 2018)
  • Ideas to prep for ISTEP (from Counselor Talk, February 2018):
  • Opt-Out of ISTEP+ (Guidance from chapter 13 of Indiana Assessment Program Manual):  Section 3: Opt-Out Guidance Every student attending a public, charter or accredited nonpublic school in Indiana must take the required Indiana assessments to graduate (i.e., the ISTEP+ Grade 10 assessment) or, in the case of IREAD-3, avoid being retained. Furthermore, it is a violation of Indiana’s compulsory school attendance laws for a parent to refuse to send his or her child to school for the purpose of avoiding tests, including assessments (see IC 20-33-2). As with any test, additional consequences for failing to participate in a statewide assessment, and procedures to manage students who refuse to participate, should be determined at the local school level. School administrators should be aware that section 1111(b)(2)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (also known as the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA) requires the implementation of high quality student academic assessments in math, reading or language arts, and science. Section 1111(b) (2) (B) (i) (II) requires these assessments be administered to all elementary and secondary school students. In addition, section 1111(c) (4) (E) requires participation rates in statewide assessments of at least 95 percent for all groups of students for purposes of accountability. Students’ failure to take Indiana’s assessments may result in a lower A-F accountability grade. NOTE: The IDOE will direct all parent inquiries regarding Opt-Out to the local school level.
  • Sample Opt-Out Letters
  • Rescores: You have to look for the rescore on the original score report roster. What happens is that Pearson just replaces the old DNP score with the new score. I couldn’t find any report that just gave you the new rescore scores…..so you really have to look carefully through all scores for any changes in score status. Counselortalk, March 2018
  • Math practice for re-testers and the calculator app: the calculator will come up for every practice in Math & Science but it will not be available on non-calculator portions for gen ed students to select. (from Counselor Talk, April 2018)

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