Memo: Final 2012-13 A to F grades for all schools won't happen until 2014

StateImpact Indiana has posted a memo sent from the Indiana Department of Education to superintendents this week which spells out a proposed timeline for release of A to F grades to Indiana schools. The story outlines the key proposed dates:

  • Validation of scores would be complete by Nov. 5.
  • The Indiana State Board of Education would resolve remaining scoring questions related to unusual school configurations by Nov. 8. Data would be released then to the Legislative Service Agency, which state board members have demanded.
  • The education department would calculate the grades and compare them with LSA’s calculations for verification by Nov. 15
  • A special meeting of the state board would be held to approve the grades on Nov. 22.
  • All grade appeals would be reviewed by the department by Dec. 23.
  • Any changes based on appeals would be approved by the state board by Jan. 8.

If the schedule were adopted, it would appear to both meet the state board’s demand for outside verification of the grades and conform to the process limitations Ritz has said confine her from issuing grades sooner. Conflict between Ritz and the board began over the board’s desire to have LSA examine the school test data and determine the grades. Ritz has said she was OK with that approach as a check on the department’s work, but that the data couldn’t be ready until early November.

That means this plan does not speed up the timeline as the board had pressed Ritz to do. Grades would be issued before Thanksgiving, as Ritz said was her goal, but the full process of issuing A to F grades would actually not be complete until 2014.