Pence Signs Bill Scrapping ISTEP

Gov. Pence signed HEA 1395 at Eagle Elementary School in Zionsville. The law gets rid of ISTEP+ by 2017 and creates a committee that will determine the replacement. (photo credit: Governor’s Office)

Gov. Mike Pence signed into law Tuesday a bill that eliminates Indiana’s current student assessment and lays plans for a new one.

The General Assembly passed HB 1395, which scraps the ISTEP+ by July 1, 2017 and replace it with a new assessment that students will take in Spring 2018.

“By signing House Enrolled Act 1395, we’re taking the first step toward eliminating ISTEP and ensuring that multiple perspectives are considered as Indiana develops its next iteration of assessment and accountability of our schools,” Gov. Pence said in a statement after the signing.

The new law also creates a 23-person committee that will decide what this new test looks like. The governor, state superintendent and leaders of the House and Senate each get four appointments, which must mostly be educators. Those appointments need to be made by May 1.

The committee must then submit a report to the Department of Education and legislators by the end of the year. The report will contain recommendations for how the new test should look and operate.

The IDOE will then have a year to contract a vendor to create the test and help schools prepare for the change in assessment.