SUMMARY OF TEN IMPROVEMENT INDICATORS IN INDIANA EDUCATION 

 

                                                                      23-YEAR                  CURRENT            AT OR NEAR         

                                                                       RANGE                    MARK                  HISTORIC HIGH?

1. ATTENDANCE RATE                                             94.7 – 96.1                 96.1                            YES

2. GRADUATION RATE                                             76.1 – 88.4                 88.4                            YES

(new method since 2006)

3. SAT VERBAL SCORES                                              485 - 504
                                                            (1988-89 – 2004-05)

SAT CRITICAL READING                            493 – 498                   493                              NO

            (revised test 2005-06 – 2010-11)

SAT WRITING                                              475 – 486                   476                              NO

            (revised test 2005-06 – 2010-11)
4. SAT MATH SCORES                                                 485- 508
                                                            (1988-89 – 2004-05)

SAT MATH –REVISED                                  501 – 509                   501                              NO

            (revised test 2005-06 – 2010-11)

 5. ACT COMPOSITE SCORES                                     20.9 – 22.3                 22.3                             YES

6. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT (NAEP)                                                                                                   YES
            (percent passing basic standard)

4^TH GRADE MATH                                         60% - 89%                 87%                              YES

            8^TH GRADE MATH                                         56% - 78%                 77%                              YES
            4^TH GRADE READING                                    64% - 70%                 68%                              YES
            8^TH GRADE READING                                    73% - 79%                 78%                               YES
            4^TH GRADE SCIENCE                                     70% - 74%                  70%                               NO
            8^TH GRADE SCIENCE                                     62% - 67%               67%                               YES
            8^TH GRADE WRITING                                    85% - 89%                  89%                               YES

 7. ISTEP ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS SCORES                                                                                      YES

             (67 year-to-year comparisons)  33 (49%) went up Gr. 3, 5 & 6 went up ; 18 (27%) went down Gr. 7 went down

16 (24%) same Gr. 4 & 8 same

8. ISTEP MATH SCORES                                                                                                                            YES

              (67 year-to-year comparisons) 42 (63%) went up Gr. 3, 6, 7 & 8 went up 11 (16%) went down No grade went                    down 14 (21%) same Gr. 4 & 5 same

9. ASPIRING TO COLLEGE                                          48.9% - 77.0%              77.0%                              YES

10. HONORS/CORE 40 DIPLOMAS                           42.8% - 81.9%              81.9%                              YES

 CONCLUSION: EIGHT OF THE TEN INDICATORS ARE AT OR NEAR THEIR HISTORIC HIGH.

 

A review of 23 consecutive years of data for Indiana’s public schools show that they are currently performing at or near their historic high on eight of ten key indicators. While there remains plenty of room for further improvement, claims that Indiana’s public schools have declined or failed are clearly not based on facts, as a review of the attached data will show. The legislative push to dismantle public education and use state tax dollars for vouchers to send students to private schools is clearly based on beliefs and ideology and not on performance data.

 

Source:  www.icpe2011.com