By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist

As promised, this is a follow-up article to the one I wrote previously where I began to unpack the recommendations issued by the state appointed ISTEP+ Alternatives Panel. The Indiana Legislators charged this panel with issuing guidance regarding what type of assessment should be used to replace the current ISTEP+ assessment.

It is important to understand that the recommendations from the panel will not be immediately enacted into law. The Legislators will consider this report and decide on which items will be implemented for use in school year 2017-2018.

An item that we are encouraged to see is that the assessment will be moved to the end of the school year, sometime in May. We agree with this recommendation because it allows for our teachers to provide meaningful instruction on Indiana’s College and Career Readiness standards throughout the entire year. Currently, our students are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of the grade-level standards during the first ISTEP+ administration, which takes place in March. We believe that a May assessment makes more sense when applied as a summative format.

Currently, our students take Part 1 of the ISTEP+ assessment in March and Part 2 of the ISTEP+ assessment in late April/early May. The ISTEP+ panel recommends that the multiple assessment windows will be eliminated so that the students experience fewer classroom disruptions throughout the year. The idea of one administration of the statewide assessment is very appealing so that we can spend more time focused on quality instruction instead of taking accountability assessments.

The ISTEP+ assessment panel recommends that students in Grades 3-8 will participate in end-of-course assessments in English/Language Arts and math and students in Grades 4 and 6 will also participate in end-of-course assessments in science. The panel makes no recommendation for students to participate in an assessment for social studies, which is different from prior administrations of ISTEP+.

As a replacement to the current Graduation Qualifying Examination (GQE), the panel recommends students participating in end-of-course assessments that are taken upon the completion of English 10, Algebra I and Biology I standards. Should students not pass these assessments, districts are advised to provide individualized intervention plans that will remediate missing skills and content.

The panel also advised that the Department of Education should create a communications plan to inform stakeholders around the state about the new assessment plan. We are pleased to see this as a recommendation so that our students, families, teachers and community have a better understanding about the requirements and timelines for the upcoming assessments.

Brown County Schools is encouraged to see that the panel is recommending a shorter assessment that takes place one time at the end of the school year. We hope that the recommendations are seriously considered and ultimately implemented at the Statehouse. The work of this important panel is genuinely appreciated at the local level. I will be sure to keep the readers posted on the progress that is made regarding these recommendations.

Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County Schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].