By State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper)
At nearly half the state's overall budget, Indiana invests billions of dollars on K-12 education each year.
With so much money devoted to education, the state owes parents, educators and taxpayers the ability to gauge how schools are doing. That's why I supported House Enrolled Act 1498 this year, which directs the State Board of Education to update the A-F grades for schools.
The state initially issued A-F grades for schools from 2011 through 2018. However, due to changes in state testing, updated diploma requirements and the COVID-19 pandemic, grades have not been issued since then. After seven years with no grades released, it's time for the state to get back to issuing them again.
These A-F grades for schools are a simple, uniform and transparent way to measure the performance of Hoosier schools. Earlier this year, the Indiana Department of Education released a first draft of the proposed grading scale and asked for public comments.
While the public comment period on the first draft has ended, a second draft is expected to be released soon, which will include a second window for public comments.
I encourage anyone interested in offering comments to keep an eye on the department of Education's website at IN.gov/DOE for updates on when the second draft of the A-F grading scale will be released.
As always, constituents can reach out to me with any questions or concerns by email at s48@iga.in.gov or by phone at 1-800-382-9467.
-30-
State Sen. Daryl Schmitt (R-Jasper) represents Senate District 48,
which includes Crawford, Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
