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IU welcomes record freshman classes at IU Bloomington, IUPUI — biggest, brightest and most diverse

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Across university, enrollment remains robust; minority enrollment milestone reached
 
Indiana University campuses in Bloomington and Indianapolis have welcomed their largest, brightest and most diverse freshman classes ever.

On the IU Bloomington campus, there are 8,001 beginning students, who are 23.6 percent minority and have an average SAT composite of 1295, which is up nine points over last year. The IUPUI campus has 4,093 beginning students, who are 27.9 percent minority and have an average SAT composite of 1118, which represents an increase of four points.

Enrollment at all levels across the university remains robust this fall, with IU serving more than 112,000 students across the state. Those students are also taking more than 1.3 million credit hours. The tallies include students enrolled in IU programs at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and in high schools taking dual credit through the Advance College Project.

These numbers were reported Aug. 29, the official IU census day for the fall semester.

These figures include 20,053 domestic minority degree-seeking students, which is a new record for diversity at IU. The 20,000-student milestone is a first for the university, and the percentage (24.1 percent) of degree-seeking minority students is a record, including record numbers of Hispanic/Latino and Asian-American students, and the second-highest number ever of African-American students, including those who have chosen the “two or more races” census category. Over the last 10 years, the minority student population at IU has nearly doubled.

These figures show the continuing impact of IU’s Bicentennial Strategic Plan, which prioritizes a commitment to student success: keeping tuition and fees low, providing financial assistance, helping students stay on track to graduate and enrolling more students from diverse backgrounds.

“Indiana University continues to be an outstanding, highly sought college option, especially for residents of Indiana,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “Our enrollment remains strong and at record levels in many areas, and reflects the demand for an IU education that is affordable, relevant and of great distinction.

“We’re especially proud of our record number of minority students, who make up roughly a quarter of IU’s total enrollment, which is testament to a universitywide commitment to diversifying our campuses, the growing diversity of our state and the continuing globalization of higher education.”

Total official enrollments for the seven IU-administered campuses (IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend and IU Southeast) stand at 94,698, including degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students but not including students enrolled in dual-credit high school classes. A total of 66,147, or 69.9 percent, of students are Indiana residents. When dual-credit numbers are added, this percentage is closer to 73.

Enrollment is stable at IU Bloomington, the university’s oldest and largest campus, with 43,710 students with a record 583,745 credit hours. Degree-seeking undergraduate enrollment is at 33,429, a 0.6 percent increase from last year, of which 58.9 percent are Indiana residents.

IU Bloomington has a record 8,232 degree-seeking minority students, or 22.3 percent of the enrolled domestic student body, with record numbers of Hispanic/Latino, African-American and Asian-American students and students of two or more races.

Enrollment is also stable at IUPUI with 29,791 students with a record 372,524 credit hours. More than 25,000 of these students, about 87 percent, are Indiana residents.

IUPUI has a record 7,130 degree-seeking minority students, or 26.8 percent of the enrolled domestic student body, with record numbers of Hispanic/Latino and Asian-American students and students of two or more races. Also, international students on campus are at record numbers, up 1.2 percent from last year.

Universitywide, this year’s group of beginning students arrive with strong track records of achievement. Over 20 percent of Indiana resident students had a high school rank in the top 10 percent of their class, and 64.1 percent earned academic honors diplomas.

“One of our key strategies is always a commitment to student success, and these figures show students who are coming to us ready to succeed,” said John Applegate, executive vice president for university academic affairs.

“For the second consecutive year, undergraduate credit hours topped the 1 million mark. We also continue to serve high numbers of undergraduates with full-time course loads, keeping them on the path to on-time graduation.”

IU also saw a record 5,066 students enrolled in online degrees, a 4 percent increase over last year’s record. Additionally, more than 29,000 IU students are enrolled in at least one online class, a figure that has surged in the past four years. Online courses generated 135,193 credit hours across the university, accounting for 11.3 percent of all university credit hours, up from 10.2 percent last year.

Of IU’s regional campuses, IU Kokomo grew in enrollment (up 2.3 percent) and in credit hours (up a record 3 percent), and the campus welcomed a record incoming class of 605 students, up 19.3 percent over last year.

There were small declines in enrollment at other regional campuses due to changing demographics in their respective regions and strong economic growth that has resulted in some potential students opting to go straight into the job market.

Note: Effective this fall, unless otherwise noted, IU’s enrollment counts do not include high school students taking dual-credit courses. The change will result in figures that are a better indicator of the core changes happening with IU enrollment and that most accurately reflect campus and institutional health, capacity and service.

Enrollment facts

All figures below represent total campus enrollment and total credit hours, which include degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students, but do not include high school students taking dual-credit courses. Where appropriate, “degree-seeking” is added to reflect a subset of the total enrollment.

Indiana University

  • 94,698 students, down 0.7 percent.
  • 1,200,258.1 credit hours, flat from 2016.
  • 69.6 percent of degree-seeking undergraduates are Indiana residents. Records for Hispanic/Latino students (6,279, up 8.1 percent), Asian-American students (4,085, 7.2 percent) and minority students (20,053, 24.1 percent of total). Second-highest number ever of African-American students (7,646), including those who have chosen the “two or more races” census category.

IU Bloomington

  • 43,710 students, down 0.1 percent.
  • 583,745 credit hours, a record and up 0.4 percent.
  • 33,429 undergraduates (up 0.6 percent) and 10,503 graduate and doctoral students (down 2.3 percent).
  • Slightly more than 50 percent of all students are Indiana residents. For undergraduates, that resident figure is 58.9 percent.
  • Records for degree-seeking Hispanic/Latino students (2,426), African-American students (1,907), Asian-American students (2,316) and students of two or more races (1,522).
  • Record number of minority students (8,232), 22.3 percent of U.S. resident students whose race or ethnicity is known.
  • Incoming class set records for size (8,001), diversity (23.6 percent minority) and quality (average SAT Composite of 1295).

IUPUI

  • 29,791 students, down 0.04 percent.
  • 372,524.1 credit hours, up 0.6 percent and a record.
  • Records for degree-seeking Hispanic/Latino students (1,949), Asian-American students (1,441), students of two or more races (1,113) and international students (1,985).
  • Incoming class set records for size (4,093), diversity (27.9 percent minority) and quality (average SAT Composite of 1118).

IU East

  • 3,490 students, down 2.6 percent.
  • 36,300 credit hours, down 1.1 percent.
  • Record number of graduate students (198).
  • Both Hispanic/Latino (120, 3.9 percent) and African-American (153, 5 percent) students made gains in actual numbers and as a proportion of degree-seeking students.
  • Taken together, the number of degree-seeking domestic minorities set a record at 403, or 13.2 percent.

IU Kokomo

  • 3,029 students, up 2.3 percent.
  • 37,126 credit hours, up 3 percent and a record.
  • Record number of undergraduates enrolled with a full-time course load (2,213).
  • Hispanic/Latino (152) and African-American (128) students and students of two or more races (88) seeking degrees are up over last year.
  • Record incoming class of 605, up 19.3 percent over last year and with an average SAT composite score of 1044.

IU Northwest

  • 4,055 students, down 2.9 percent.
  • 46,699 credit hours, down 3.4 percent.
  • Even with relative declines in enrollment by race/ethnicity, the proportion of domestic, known minorities set a record at 46.3 percent.
  • Record for highest share of senior students (1,009, 28.4 percent). 

IU South Bend

  • 5,385 students, down 4.4 percent.
  • 64,522 credit hours, down 3.1 percent.
  • Records for Hispanic/Latino students (568) and students of two or more races (205). Taken together, the known domestic proportion for minorities also set a record (25.9 percent).
  • The incoming beginner class (982) is up 7.6 percent and the largest since 2011, with record proportions of Hispanic/Latino (14.4 percent), African-American (9.3 percent) and overall minority (31.7 percent) students.

IU Southeast

  • 5,238 students, down 4 percent.
  • 59,343 credit hours, down 2.6 percent.
  • While the incoming beginner class was slightly smaller than last year (927, -0.9 percent), the overall proportion of known domestic minorities set a record at 20.9 percent. Hispanic/Latino (51, 5.5 percent) and African-American (83, 9 percent) students were also records for beginners in number and proportion.

Bomb Threat in Santa Claus

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The Indiana State Police and the ISP Emergency Ordinance Disposal Unit (bomb squad) responded to a residence in Santa Claus this morning to assist county units with a complaint of a bomb threat. 

The scene has been secured and the item was recovered and made safe; there is no threat to safety.

WSLM will have more information when it is released from the Jasper District. 

Purdue Basketball Releases Upcoming Season Schedule

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The Big Ten Conference has announced the tip times and television assignments for the 2017-18 men’s basketball schedule.

Throughout the course of the season, Purdue will appear on the Big Ten Network 12 times, on ESPN or ESPN2 seven times, on FOX or FS1 four times and BTN Plus three times.

Television assignments for the Gavitt Games, Battle 4 Atlantis, Big Ten / ACC Challenge and Crossroads Classic will be announced at a later date.

Some of the highlights include a FOX game at Indiana on Sunday, Jan. 28, tipping at 3:30 p.m. ET. Purdue has won four of the last five meetings with Indiana. The contest at Michigan State on Feb. 10, will tip at 6 or 8 p.m. ET, and will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2. And FOX will visit Mackey Arena twice during the season, the first coming on Dec. 7, for the Boilermakers’ contest with Valparaiso (6:30 p.m.) and the regular-season finale against Minnesota on Feb. 25 (4 p.m.).

Purdue sports also airs exclusively in the Louisville market on WSLM 1220 AM. 

Purdue will return six of its top seven scorers from last year’s Big Ten championship-team and Coach Painter welcomes in a highly-regarded recruiting class. 

Season tickets are available at PurdueSports.com, or by calling 800.49SPORT.

Wed. Nov. 1 1 Carroll College West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM BTN Plus
Fri. Nov. 10 SIU Edwardsville West Lafayette, Ind. 8 PM BTN Plus
Sun. Nov. 12 3 Chicago State West Lafayette, Ind. 4 PM BTN
Tues. Nov. 14 2 at Marquette Milwaukee, Wis. TBA TBA
Sat. Nov. 18 Fairfi eld West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM BTN Plus
Wed. Nov. 22 3 vs. Tennessee Atlantis, The Bahamas Noon TBA
Thurs. Nov. 23 3 vs. Villanova / Western Kentucky Atlantis, The Bahamas TBD TBA
Fri. Nov. 24 3 vs. To Be Determined Atlantis, The Bahamas TBD TBA
Tues. Nov. 28 4 Louisville West Lafayette, Ind. TBA TBA
Fri. Dec. 1 * at Maryland College Park, Md. 7 PM BTN
Sun. Dec. 3 * Northwestern West Lafayette, Ind. 4 PM BTN
Thurs. Dec. 7 Valparaiso West Lafayette, Ind. 6:30 PM FS1
Sun. Dec. 10 IUPUI West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM BTN
Sat. Dec. 16 5 vs. Butler Indianapolis, Ind. TBA TBA
Thurs. Dec. 21 Tennessee State West Lafayette, Ind. 6 PM BTN
Sat. Dec. 30 Lipscomb West Lafayette, Ind. 8 PM BTN
Wed. Jan. 3 * Rutgers West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM BTN
Sat. Jan. 6 * Nebraska West Lafayette, Ind. 2:15 PM BTN
Tues. Jan. 9 * at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich. 9 PM ESPN / ESPN2
Sat. Jan. 13 * at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. Noon ESPN2
Tues. Jan. 16 * Wisconsin West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM ESPN / ESPN2
Sat. Jan. 20 * at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Noon ESPN / ESPN2
Thurs. Jan. 25 * Michigan West Lafayette, Ind. 7 PM ESPN2
Sun. Jan. 28 * at Indiana Bloomington, Ind. 3:30 PM FOX
Wed. Jan. 31 * Maryland West Lafayette, Ind. 8:30 PM BTN
Sat. Feb. 3 * at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 4 PM BTN
Wed. Feb. 7 * Ohio State West Lafayette, Ind. 8:30 PM BTN
Sat. Feb. 10 * at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. 6 / 8 PM ESPN / ESPN2
Thurs. Feb. 15 * at Wisconsin Madison, Wis. 7 PM ESPN / ESPN2
Sun. Feb. 18 * Penn State West Lafayette, Ind. 8 PM BTN
Thurs. Feb. 22 * at Illinois Champaign, Ill. 7 PM FS1
Sun. Feb. 25 * Minnesota West Lafayette, Ind. 4 PM FS1
Feb. 28 – March 4 6 Big Ten Tournament New York, N.Y. TBD BTN / CBS
March 13 – April 2 7 NCAA Tournament TBD TBD TBA

Clinton R. Brewer, age 47, of Salem

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Clinton R. Brewer, age 47, of Salem, Indiana, passed away on September 7, 2017 at Baptist Health Floyd Hospital in New

Albany. He was born on June 9, 1970 in New Albany, Indiana.

Clinton was a member of Old Blue River Christian Church.

Survivors include his parents, James H. Brewer of Virginia & Carol J. Sanders of Salem; significant other, Kim Wheeler; son,

Christopher Sanders of Indianapolis; Kasandra Brewer of Salem; brother, Roy Sanders; 1 granddaughter.

Preceded in death by his grandparents, Farmer & Sophia Ledford, & WD & Charlene Brewer; 1 aunt, Evangeline Ledford; 2

uncles, James F. Ledford & Hack Brewer; step father, Irvin Sanders.

The funeral service will be at 2:00 PM Tuesday at Hughes-Taylor Funeral Home in Salem. Viewing will be Tuesday from

10:00 AM until time of service at the funeral home. Burial will be at Crown Hill Cemetery. Toney Voyles will officiate.

Online expressions: www.hughestaylor.net

Law Enforcement Teams Up For Traffic Screenings

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The Indiana State Police (ISP) All Crimes Policing Team (ACP) based out of the Lowell District joined forces with Pulaski County Sheriff Department (PCSD) and the Medaryville Police to conduct a multi-jurisdictional enforcement effort in Pulaski County this past weekend.

K-9 units from both the ISP and PCSD participated in the effort.  This combined effort led to 17-traffic citations issued, 58-warnings, 2-Operating While Intoxicated arrests, 1-Minor consumption of alcohol, 12-criminal arrests, 1-felony arrest and 6-drug related arrests for marijuana and methamphetamine.

A female was arrested for criminal conversion after allegedly attempting to shoplift 24 items from the Dollar General in Medaryville.  The bad luck for her was six officers working this detail were on scene within minutes of the 9-1-1 call made and her apprehension was made before she was able to leave the store.

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department with the success of this enforcement effort are planning similar enforcement with the ISP All Crimes Policing Team in the near future.

The ISP ACP Team is a specialized team of Troopers who work all seven counties within Indiana State Police District 13 (Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Pulaski and Starke Counties) to address violent crime and drug activity.  The ISP ACP Team provides additional manpower and resource support to local agencies with the common goal of making each community as safe as possible.

All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

John Dwight Ingram age 72 of Salem

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Mr. John Dwight Ingram age 72 of Salem passed away Wednesday, September 6 at Baptist Health Floyd.

Mr. Ingram was born December 17, 1944 in Middletown, Ohio the son of Hobert W. and Opal G. Wilhoite Ingram. He was a retired auto mechanic and a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

John is survived by his wife: Patricia Marshall Ingram. They were married April 3, 2010. He is also survived by five sons: Michael Ingram, Clinton Ingram, and Jonathon Ingram all of Florida, Joshua Ingram of Corydon, and Benjamin Ingram of Salem, two daughters: Diana Ingram Landen of Florida and Rachel Ingram Wright of New Albany, five step-sons: Dwight Cook and Carey Cook both of Salem, Gregg Cook of North Carolina, Rickie Cook of New Salisbury and Matthew Cook of Scottsburg, a brother: Wayne Ingram of Corydon, two sisters: Joann Lynch of Georgia and Gail Parsons of English, Indiana, 11 grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren and 1 step-great-grandchild.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers: Taze Ingram and George Ingram.

There will be a memorial service held at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be announced at a later date.

Salem Man Arrested For Dealing Meth and Coke

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Yesterday evening, at approximately 5:30 pm, a Salem man was arrested for dealing Meth during a traffic stop in Clark County.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Shane T. Ooley, 46, of Nubian Road in Salem, IN, was arrested for Dealing in Methamphetamine 10 Grams or More, Dealing in Cocaine or Narcotic Drug, Possession of Methamphetamine 10 Grams or More, Possession of Cocaine or Narcotic Drug and Maintaining a Common Nuisance.

He was incarcerated at the Clark County Jail awaiting his first court date.

Trooper Zach Smith from the Indiana State Police Post at Sellersburg stopped a vehicle on Louis Smith Road near Chapel Hill Road in Borden. The stop was for a traffic violation.

During the course of the traffic stop, Trooper Smith deployed Indiana State Police Certified K-9 “Riggs” for a free air sniff around the car.

K-9 “Riggs” provided a positive alert on the vehicle for a controlled substance.

A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed approximately fifteen, (15), grams of Crystal Methamphetamine, 1.5 grams of Heroin, and drug paraphernalia.

 

Shots Fired At Suspects Entering a Home 

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On September 5, 2017 at approximately 3:30 a.m. Warren County Sheriff’s Department contacted the Indiana State Police at the Lafayette Post in reference to a home invasion report with possible shots fired. 

The initial report has revealed at 1912 West 1050 North near Boswell, IN deputies from the Warren County Sheriff’s arrived and spoke to the home owner William Kellerhals,  He reported that two suspects allegedly kicked in his side door and entered his home without permission. 

One suspect beat Kellerhals with a bat before he was able to retrieve a gun and fired shots at the fleeing suspects who then jumped into a car and fled the area. Nothing was taken from the home and Kellerhals received only bumps and bruises which he declined medical treatment. 

Both men were described as being white males one being about 5-10 to 6-00 tall slender build wearing a white T-shirt.

The other individual was a white male with no descriptors. No other information is available at this time. 

Anyone with information about this case can call the Indiana State Police at 765-567-2125 and ask for Trooper Corey Dupuy or Master Trooper Detective Tim Kendall.  You can remain anonymous.  

Agencies assisting was the Attica Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Department, and Indiana State Police Crime Scene technician Sergeant Duane Datzman.  No further will be released at this time.  The investigation is continuing. 

Three Vehicle Crash Claims One Life 

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This morning at about 1:00 a.m. on I-65 northbound near the 160 mile marker (that is two miles north of the SR 28/158 exit), a three vehicle crash has claimed the life of a semi driver. 

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Peter Stephens has revealed that a 2007 Freightliner truck driven by Eric L. Woudema, 44 of Rensselaer, IN, was NB partially blocking the right lane. 

He was pulling an actuator with a lighted arrow board on the truck directing traffic into the left lane.  A second vehicle, 2015 Chevrolet pickup driven by Troy D. Whitkanack, 47 of Fairbanks, IN was pulling a trailer with two construction workers picking up traffic cones. 

Both trucks are owned by Milestone Construction out of Indianapolis.  A semi-tractor/trailer rig failed to slow or follow traffic signs and hit the left rear of the actuator, side swiped the Freightliner and then sideswiped the pickup truck and the trailer. 

The semi rig continued northbound and drove off the right side of the roadway, rolled onto its left side and came to rest.  

The driver of the semi rig was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Clinton County Coroner.  No one else was injured in the crash. 

It is unknown at this time of vehicle information on the semi.  Notification of family is pending.  Both of the other two vehicles sustained damage but appear to be drivable. 

The trailer on the pickup was destroyed. The investigation is continuing.  

This is a construction area with ample signs and markings along the roadway to notify drivers of the construction ahead.  Slow down while traveling through construction zone.  The life you save may be your own. 

State releases ISTEP Results; Local schools listed

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The Indiana Department of Education today released the 2017 ISTEP+ results. Performance remained stable across content areas in grades 3-8, while for Grade 10 performance rose slightly.

ISTEP+ assesses more rigorous Indiana Academic Standards adopted in 2014 for English Language Arts and Mathematics. Altogether, ISTEP+ assesses English Language Arts, Mathematics in grades 3-8 and 10, Science in grades 4, 6 and 10, and Social Studies in grades 5 and 7. Current proficiency levels were established based on feedback from educators following the 2015 and 2016 test administrations.

Student scores on Indiana’s high-stakes, end-of-year tests remained largely flat for the third straight year, raising questions about whether the state is making academic progress. 

Local results are as follows:

East Washington Elementary School

  • Third Grade – 74.3 percent passed ELA – 67 percent passed Math
  • Fourth Grade – 71.7 percent passed ELA – 71.3 percent passed Math
  • Fifth Grade – 63.5 percent passed ELA – 73.3 percent passed Math

East Washington Middle School 

  • Sixth Grade – 70 percent passed ELA – 58.6 percent passed Math
  • Seventh Grade – 78.9 percent passed ELA – 49.5 percent passed Math
  • Eighth Grade – 68 percent passed ELA – 54.5 percent passed Math

Eastern High School 

  • Tenth Grade – 54.7 percent passed ELA – 30.5 percent passed Math

School grades are being held until later in the fall, but East Washington Middle School scored a B last year, dropping from an A in 2015 and 2014. 

East Washington Elementary raised their grade from a D in 2014 to an A in 2015 and 2016. 

Eastern High School has had a B grade the past three years. 

Bradie M. Shrum

  • Third Grade: 58.1 percent passed English Language Arts (ELA) and 51.1 percent passed Math. 
  • Fourth Grade: 58.5 percent passed ELA – 52.1 percent passed Math.
  • Fifth Grade: 41.6 percent passed ELA – 50.3 percent passed Math.

Salem Middle School

  • Sixth Grade – 61.4 percent passed ELA – 67.7 percent passed Math
  • Seventh Grade – 68.4 percent passed ELA – 43.9 percent passed Math
  • Eighth Grade – 58.2 percent passed ELA – 37.7 percent passed Math

Salem High School

  • Tenth Grade – 57.2 percent passed ELA – 36.2 percent passed Math

Salem’s grades for each building won’t be released until this fall, but last year Bradie M. Shrum and Salem Middle School both received a D. Salem High School received a B. 

The middle school had received A grades in 2014 and 2015. Bradie Shrum had received C grades the past two years. Salem High School has had B grades going back the past three years. 

West Washington Elementary School 

  • Third Grade – 90.7 percent passed ELA – 96.2 percent passed Math
  • Fourth Grade – 78.6 percent passed ELA – 54 percent passed Math
  • Fifth Grade – 67.7 percent passed EL A – 86.3 percent passed Math
  • Sixth Grade – 78.9 percent passed ELA – 71.9 percent passed Math

West Washington Jr/Sr High School 

  • Seventh Grade – 51.8 percent passed ELA – 39.3 percent passed Math
  • Eighth Grade – 56.6 percent passed ELA – 41.3 percent passed Math
  • Tenth Grade – 57.6 percent passed ELA – 25.4 percent passed Math

West Washington High School received a C grade in 2016 and had received B grades for the previous three years. The elementary school received a B grade for the last three years and received an A in 2013. 

SCHOOL GRADES FROM 2015-2009

 

The state has seen little improvement on ISTEP scores since the test was last overhauled in 2015 to align with new academic measures, after Indiana dropped the national Common Core standards.

Now, with three years of comparable data, the state has not seen the score bump that is generally expected after the initial drop that often comes with a new test. 

Prior to the change, more than three-fourths of the state’s third- through eighth-graders were passing both English and math portions of the ISTEP test. 

This year, for the third straight year, only about half did so.

“If you look at the scores, they’ve pretty much flatlined,” said Adam Baker, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Education.  “You can look at it one hand and say ‘Well, we haven’t improved.’

“You can look at it another way and say, ‘We haven’t decreased.'” 

ISTEP exams also were given to 10th-grade students, for just the second year. Nearly two-thirds of those students failed at least one portion of the exam, with the amount of students passing both rising by just two points.  

Looking at the 10th-grade data, State Board of Education member Tony Walker said he was concerned about what these results mean for students as they leave high school.

“Two-thirds are probably going to struggle in college,” he said as the board reviewed the results.

Another result that remains unchanged is the wide disparity in scores among districts, and groups of students. 

Students from poor families continue to lag behind their more affluent peers at a rate of nearly 2-to-1. While just 35 percent of third- through eighth-grade students who qualify for subsidized meals passed both English and math portions of the test, about two-thirds of those who receive full-priced meals did so. In high school, the gap is wider — just 18 percent of lower-income 10th-grade students passed, compared top 45 percent of their wealthier peers.  

The same wealth gap is often seen between schools and school districts.

Brownsburg Community Schools recorded the highest pass rate in the state, with 83.1 percent of their third- through eighth-grade students passing both English and math portions.

Other high-performing districts in Central Indiana were those in West Lafayette, Zionsville, Plainfield and several in Hamilton County, including Carmel Clay, Hamilton Southeastern and Noblesville schools. All were among the 20 highest-performing school districts in the state. 

Results for districts in Marion County were mixed. Nearly two-thirds of elementary and middle school students in Speedway and Franklin Township Schools passed both the English and math exams, and more than half did so in Perry Township.

Other districts fell lower on state ranks. The pass rate in Washington Township was just over 40 percent. Districts in Beech Grove and Decatur, Lawrence, Wayne and Pike townships saw a little more than one-third of their students pass both math and English. Warren Township Schools’ rate for passing both was 28.7 percent.  

Less than one-quarter of Indianapolis Public Schools students in third- through eighth-grade passed both the English and math portions, and fewer than 10 percent of IPS’ 10th-graders passed both. Superintendent Lewis Ferebee said the district knows it needs to do something different to improve academic achievement in its high schools. 

“This reinforces our proposal to go big with dramatically shifting our high school experience,” Ferebee said. “Based on the results, clearly, we need to take that bold action.”

IPS is currently in the process of reinventing its high schools, with plans to shrink from seven to four high schools next year and turn each of them into college- and career-themed academies. 

Schools across the state will have just one more year to look for any sort of improvement on ISTEP before moving to a new assessment.

The ILEARN test will replace ISTEP next year and will cover the same academic standards, but be given in a new, computer-adaptive format that many in the state hope will make it more useful for schools and a better measure of student performance.

The state is currently drafting a request for proposals for the new exam.