Schools Not Happy with State’s Grading System

The state’s A-F grading initiative is not sitting well with several school corporations, especially since it was learned that former state superintendent Tony Bennett reportedly “fixed” the system so more than one private school could receive an “A”.

South Bend and Fort Wayne School Corporations are not choosing to recognize the state’s grading system.

Oregon-Davis School Interim Superintendent Greg Briles said the school board hasn’t discussed the issue in a board meeting. However, he is disappointed to learn that 33 percent of the school population, or 88 students, were affected during the spring ISTEP+ exam. The ISTEP+ exam determines a school’s grade and the subsequent teacher evaluations.

“That’s kind of a significant number so it really affected our school in an adverse way,” stated Briles. “We’re going to take it into consideration when we do our evaluations. We’re not going to blame anybody or throw darts at this point in time. We’ll deal with it as it comes along.”