Gov. Holcomb_2-12-20Governor Eric J. Holcomb offered the following statement after signing Next Level Agenda legislation SEA 2, which will prevent ILEARN test scores from having an adverse impact on teacher evaluations and school accountability grades in an effort to ease the transition to ILEARN.

SEA 2 School accountability provides that a school’s or school corporation’s category or designation of school or school corporation performance assigned by the state board of education for the 2018-2019 school year may not be lower than the school’s or school corporation’s category or designation of school or school corporation performance for the 2017-2018 school year. Provides that a school’s or school corporation’s category or designation of school or school corporation performance assigned by the state board of education for the 2019-2020 school year is the higher of the school’s or school corporation’s: (1) category or designation of school or school corporation performance assigned for the 2018-2019 school year; or (2) category or designation of school or school corporation performance for the 2019-2020 school year. Provides that consequences for school improvement do not apply for the 2018-2019 or 2019-2020 school years. Provides that ILEARN program test scores or a school’s category or designation of school improvement for the 2018-2019 or 2019-2020 school year may not be used by a school corporation as part of an annual performance evaluation of a particular certificated employee unless the use of the ILEARN program test scores or a school’s category or designation of school improvement would improve the particular certificated employee’s annual performance rating.