TERRE HAUTE —
The most inspiring portion of a story in Thursday’s edition of this newspaper about the impressive performance on ISTEP-plus tests within the South Vermillion Community School Corp. made no mention of scores, percentages or rankings.
Instead, it was a comment by a fourth-grade teacher at Ernie Pyle Elementary School to Tribune-Star education reporter Sue Loughlin: “The children did a wonderful job with the support of teachers, staff, parents and the community. It was definitely a group effort.”
That effort showed the power of cooperation, which is the base ingredient in the success of public education.
Of course, the actual scores produced by the South Vermillion students deserve applause, too. The school district led Indiana in ISTEP-plus gains for combined English/language arts and math scores. This year, 75.9 percent of students at the corporation’s schools passed both sections of the state’s standardized tests, an increase of 17.8 percent over 2011. The state’s second-best improvement by a school district was 12.6 percentage points.
How is such a turnaround possible in just one year? As South Vermillion Superintendent Dave Chapman said, “This didn’t happen by chance. There has been a lot of work, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, a lot of stress and tension … but we persevered and came through and we showed what a team can do when they work together.” The corporation hired a director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. It hired five instructional coaches, one for each of its schools, pinpointing students at risk for not passing ISTEP. It positioned an extra half-hour of math and English instruction in the regular school day.
That comprehensive push lifted ISTEP results to record levels for the district.
Successes by Wabash Valley schools were not limited to South Vermillion. In Vigo County School Corp. schools, 71.6 percent of students passed both sections of ISTEP, up from 70.5 percent the year before. Statewide, 71 percent of students passed the language arts and math sections, an upgrade from 70 percent in 2011.
“Hoosiers from all walks of life should greet this news with a standing ovation,” said Tony Bennett, state superintendent of public instruction.
Hoosiers should also keep ISTEP in perspective. Many educators legitimately complain that the state and federal emphasis on standardized testing now borders on obsession and forces teachers to “teach to the test.” Classroom creativity is limited, they contend, to only activities that will directly result in higher ISTEP scores. Learning undoubtedly occurs through intensified preparations for ISTEP, and regular accountability of teachers, administrators and school districts certainly benefits the kids in their classrooms.
Still, Indiana residents need to demand parallel scrutiny of the value and relevance of these ever-evolving standardized tests, especially as the state moves toward full implementation of the Common Core State Standards — a nationwide initiative to bring uniformity to the various states’ curricula. Just as Indiana students, educators and their school systems are constantly being publicly assessed, so should the testing process itself.
Improvements shown by students statewide, and in individual districts such as South Vermillion and Vigo County, reflect the desire of educators to deliver excellence in the classroom, the willingness of parents and community members to provide the proper resources, and the kids themselves to learn.
To all of them, we say, “Bravo.”
Opinion
EDITORIAL: Focus, cooperation raising test scores for public schools
Cheers for the success, but perspective needed
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READERS’ FORUM: June 18, 2013
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MAX JONES: For loyal readers, a bit of news from the T-S newsroom
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EDITORIAL: Insisting on ISTEP quality lawmakers’ primary duty
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The Obama Debate: Is he a liar or incompetent?
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READERS' FORUM: June 16, 2013
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The Obama Debate: President has served us well
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RONN MOTT: Not hurried a bit by 21st century tech
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READERS' FORUM: June 15, 2013
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READERS' FORUM: June 14, 2013
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RONN MOTT: Kill the Umpire!
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READERS' FORUM: June 13, 2013
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EDITORIAL: Remembering Sister Jeanne
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READERS' FORUM: June 12, 2013
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RONN MOTT: What’s happening?
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READERS’ FORUM: June 11, 2013
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LIZ CIANCONE: Withdrawn society not very social any more
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READERS’ FORUM: June 10, 2013
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EDITORIAL: It’s time to assess ISTEP
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Readers’ Forum: June 9, 2013
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FLASHPOINT: Storm chasers must heed warnings, remember why we chase storms
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