Another Challenge For The 2015 ISTEP+? Snow Days

Districts with multiple snow days this week are facing an even tighter deadline to prepare students and teachers for this year\’s ISTEP+. (Photo Credit: Jason.Kuffer/Flickr)

Recent commotion regarding the 2015 ISTEP+ involved a lot of key players: state superintendent Glenda Ritz, the State Board of Education and Governor Mike Pence, along with many parents and educators voicing concerns. But as temperatures dropped and snow fell this week, another character was added to the mix: Mother Nature.

Many school districts cancelled classes multiple days this week because of weather, meaning lost opportunities to administer practice tests or meet with teachers to get them up to speed on how to proctor the test.

The Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation has called four snow days so far this week, and according to spokesperson Marsha Jackson, this puts them on an even tighter deadline regarding assessments. The district received their practice tests at the end of the last week, but have not had a chance to use them.

“Tomorrow we’re hoping to be back in the classroom and will begin working with those practice tests with our kids, but that only gives us a couple days, really,” Jackson says.

One thing making this especially tricky for EVSC schools is that their window for the Social Studies and Science Acuity test closes tomorrow. If school resumes that will likely be the first priority over ISTEP+ practice questions, since EVSC uses Acuity for teacher evaluations.

Right now, the district plans to start testing when the window opens Feb. 25, giving them three school days to finish Acuity and go through any practice questions – granted school is in session. Jackson says educators are worried about getting all of this done as well as familiarizing students with the more rigorous version of the test.

“We’ve never had to teach how to take the ISTEP+ before,” Jackson says. “But because this is so different we are spending time doing that in addition to familiarizing kids with the kinds of things they’ll be seeing and how things will be worded.”

Since the window for taking the ISTEP+ was extended, Jackson says if EVSC schools need more time, they will just play it by ear.