Bill Advanced to Replace ISTEP

An Indiana Senate education committee has advanced a bill setting parameters for a new state test that will replace the ISTEP exam. The measure approved Wednesday on a 7 to 4 vote now goes to the full Senate.

The bill by Rep. Bob Behning mandates that a new test, to be called ILEARN, be in place by 2019. But critics note the state has not yet picked a test. And they worry that the tight timeline and uncertainty could lead to the same circumstances that prompted lawmakers to ditch the ISTEP.