In Johnson County schools and across Indiana, students, teachers and school leaders have been preparing for a new exam, the ILEARN.
Students will start taking the test today, which will replace the ISTEP exam for third through eighth graders, and next year for tenth graders. A few key differences separate the ILEARN from its predecessor: the test is entirely computer-based, is untimed and it adapts to the students’ knowledge of the subject areas tested, according to the Indiana Department of Education.
Removing time constraints for the test will help ease students’ stress and the adaptive nature of it will help students who are struggling keep a grasp on the exam, said Adam Baker, spokesperson for the department of education.
“It adapts to student performance, it minimizes frustration and maximizes engagement,” Baker said. “The questions will follow how well you know a topic.
“(Another) caveat of the test is it’s untimed. It will remove a layer of stress for the student. They can breathe, relax (and) consider what (they) know about the topic.”
Like the ISTEP test, the ILEARN will cover both English language arts and mathematics, but most of the differences are in the technology. In each section, students will start with a question that has the same level of difficulty. Students who continue to get questions correct will receive more advanced questions until the section finishes or they submit an incorrect answer. Students who struggle on the test will receive easier questions, Baker said.
Because of the differences in difficulty, two students who scored 90 percent might not be placed in the same category. A student who reached that mark taking an easier test might be graded as below or approaching proficiency, while students who scored the same with a more difficult set of questions might be graded as above or exceeding proficiency, he said.
“The scores are more individual and will better tell how you as a student are doing rather than the normal scoring system,” Baker said. “The key component, because it’s adaptive, you are now able to understand the results of individual students a lot easier. When you have a graph of how each student is doing, you can adjust your method of teaching, but may need to work with a student a little further. As an instructor, you can better understand your class.”
At Center Grove schools, the department of education provided webinars and after-school training so they could prepare their students for the test, said Shannon Carroll-Frey, director of secondary teaching and learning as well as the district’s test coordinator.
Although the test can provide some insight about how well students understand what they are learning, there is more needed to fully understand a student’s needs, Carroll-Frey said.
“I think the state will continue to help us with webinars to understand the results,” Carroll-Frey said. “This is an end-of year summative test that we can use. It’s not meant to be a be-all-end-all in diagnosing what kids need, but instead (helps) in getting (important) pieces of information.”
Because the test is untimed, schools can schedule time during the day to take the test in small increments, such as 30-minute spurts, and then continue it later in the day with classroom teaching in the interim period. If one or two students finish the exam quicker than their classmates, those students can participate in other activities. At Edinburgh schools, for example, students can program Sphero ball robots while their peers continue the exam, said Andrew Scholl, principal of East Side Elementary School.
“If a student is done they wouldn’t have to return to the testing location, they could do other activities,” Scholl said. “We want to make sure every kid has time to do their best.”
Students who fall behind most of their classmates in finishing sections of the exam can complete them during make-up sessions, which can be scheduled any time during the four-week window allotted by the department of education.
Not only did teachers and administrators go through online training and in-person meetings with the department of education, but Franklin schools conducted a parents’ information night to discuss how the test is designed, Assistant Superintendent Brooke Worland said.
“We use visual forms of data to advance students’ success, create a viable curriculum and improve instruction,” Worland said. “ILEARN is one of the various data points, and we rely on the data to make informed decisions.”
While the data from test results may help teachers and administrators understand how well students are doing as a whole, it might not make a big difference in terms of analyzing individual students, said Cameron Rains, Clark-Pleasant assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.
“It will be good at addressing needs from a grade-level perspective, but the problem is we need to see the reliability of the assessment at (an individual) level,” Rains said. “The state exam is not designed to do that, it’s designed to see generally if kids are on track."
The test, which will take the average students two hours shorter to complete than the ISTEP, according to the department of education, will not be in-depth enough to properly determine how well each student knows the subjects covered, he said.
