Governor might alter Board of Education

INDIANAPOLIS -- Although state lawmakers failed to approve his plan to move Indiana's ISTEP test from the fall to the spring, Gov. Mitch Daniels could soon reshape a panel that is capable of making the switch itself.\nWith six of the 10 State Board of Education members' terms set to expire on June 30, Daniels can appoint anyone to fill those six spots -- within reason.\nFor instance, no more than six board members can be from one political party; each congressional district must be represented, and several members must be current educators.\nDaniels had tried to remold the board to his liking earlier this year, asking all of its members to resign. None would step down, however.\nDavid Shane, Daniels' education adviser, said the governor does not mind whether lawmakers make the fall-to-spring change for ISTEP testing or if the state board does.\n"The big-picture objective for me is to get a good long-term assessment approach in place which includes a spring ISTEP test," Shane said.\nUnder state law, the board is responsible for determining the date on which the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress program, or ISTEP, is administered.\nIn the mid-1990s, when the test was moved from the spring to its current fall schedule, the panel made that decision, not the Legislature. At the time, the change was made so scores would be available in January, allowing more time for remediation during the second semester.\nNow, Daniels wants it moved back, contending it will be easier to test student aptitude the same year they learn material instead of waiting until the next school year.\nDuring the recent legislative session, Daniels pushed a bill that included a 10-year testing plan with a year-round approach that also would have moved ISTEP-Plus -- the exam used to gauge student performance for state and federal accountability laws -- to the spring.\nShane blamed the Democrats' mid-session walkout for killing momentum on the bill in the House. But that doesn't explain why the heavily Republican Senate couldn't even get the bill out of committee.\nState Superintendent of Public Instruction Sue Ellen Reed, a Republican, believes a better long-term investment is to establish a year-round testing system that relies heavily on online testing rather than focusing on moving the test to the spring.\n"Everything we do we have to look at in terms of money," she said. "When money is introduced, the priority of that item drops."\nMoney is what sidetracked lawmakers during the session. Education associations across the state argued Indiana can't afford to spend extra money revamping the test when schools are \nreceiving fewer and fewer state dollars, and cutting programs and teachers.\nShane claims it won't cost any more to change the date because the test doesn't have to be redone. But others believe if the test is taken in the spring, some questions would have to be removed because teachers haven't finished covering that school year's material.