Based on data released today from the Indiana Department of Education, Warsaw Community School Corporation has reported growth in both math and language arts at almost all grade levels.

This year a total of 482,000 students completed the ISTEP examination. However, according to officials, 78,000 students were online taking the exam when server issues caused delays. The repeated interruptions that ensued as a result of these issues were believed to have potentially negatively impacted thousands of students scores throughout the state.

According to WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz, after reviewing WCS students ISTEP scores, the school corporation was requested by the Indiana Department of Education to examine score results and indicate students who were affected.

“(The server issues) have caused problems,” said Hintz in June. “Warsaw Community Schools was requested by the IDOE to indicate students who were affected. It was difficult to provide an accurate assessment, however, we have determined that all students were affected one way or another.”

Though many schools systems, such as Warsaw Community School Corporation, reported a belief that the interruptions negatively affected students’ scores (see related), the state has stated that, according to a third party investigator, the average negative impact on scores was not measurable.

According to a press release from the corporation, despite the testing issues faced statewide during the spring (see related), significant growth was demonstrated in math in both the third and fourth grade levels. The school corporation stated it was pleased with the preliminary data.

Superintendent Craig Hintz stated, “The increases reflect the hard work and dedication of students, staff and parents in the school corporation and I attribute our commitment to Professional Learning Communities as the key factor for ongoing school improvement.”

For more information about ISTEP+ results, contact WCS Chief Accountability Officer Amy K. Sivley by email at [email protected].