20 Ind. schools could face state takeover

It all comes down to the ISTEP scores.

There are now 20 schools, including seven in Indianapolis, that are on the academic warning list.

Indiana Superintendent of Public Education Dr. Tony Bennett said he would not hesitate to intervene if the schools fail to show improvement this year through test scores.

Lauren Auld, spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Education, said this year’s ISTEP scores are likely to be returned in the next three to five weeks but there could be a delay due to the recent ISTEP essay leak.

The schools ended up on the academic warning list by failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress on ISTEP test scores for five years in a row now. As outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind Act and under Indiana law, if those schools do not achieve AYP this year, they are subject to state takeover.

The state of Indiana has never had to take control of a school, but Bennett said unless the schools turn around by the end of the 2010-11 school year, or show an adequate plan of improvement, the state will do whatever necessary to improve the schools’ quality of education.

Susan Holtz, a teacher from Lawrence County, said she fears the IDOE might resort to selling the schools to a private corporation.

“It turns into a business for them,” Holtz said. “We haven’t made enough progress, so they’re going to lease the public schools to corporations. The private companies come in and take all the public money, the private companies get a profit.”

Holtz said although the fear of a state takeover is troubling her, she is more concerned about the emphasis the state puts on test scores.

“Test scores would be fine if all the kids in every class were identical,” she said. “But they’re not.”

Schools on the watch list are working toward identifying students who need attention for improvement as well as outlining improvement plans in order to ward off state control.

But unless the schools meet AYP with this year’s ISTEP scores, the ultimate school takeover decision will be made by the IDOE as soon as this summer.