By The Numbers: Four Takeaways From Indiana's A-F School Ratings

Elle Moxley / StateImpact Indiana

State superintendent Tony Bennett and State Board of Education member Tony Walker prepare for the board's meeting Wednesday.

We learned Wednesday what A-F letter grades each Indiana school received in 2012. The State Board of Education approved the ratings — which state officials calculated using a new grading system for the first time this year — during its meeting in Indianapolis.

As we try to sort out what the numbers mean, here are some key figures from the grades released today:

• 42.5 percent of schools — 889 of 2090 total schools — received the same letter grade they received last year.

• 72.2 percent of schools — 1,500 schools in all — received the same letter grade they received last year, or increased or decreased by one letter. As the Indy Star’s Scott Elliott points out, some had been predicting sharp decreases in letter grades this year.
• 1 school now has earned five straight Fs or “Academic Watch” ratings: Glenwood Leadership Academy in Evansville. This makes the school a target for possible state intervention next year if their test results do not improve. Schools in their sixth year of “Academic Watch” can face state takeover.
• 4 schools now have earned four straight Fs. In addition to Glenwood, Evansville’s McGary Middle School and Lincoln School and Gary’s Le Wallace received their fourth-straight “Academic Watch” rating. On the current timeline, state intervention for these schools would still be two years from now — but state lawmakers may consider shortening that timeline.

More to come.