By Afra Hussein
<a[email protected]g> 

Freshman Katherine “Katie” Urbanowich is part of the first class at this school to graduate without taking the ISTEP standardized test as a graduation requirement.

Instead, Urbanowich, like many other freshmen, sophomores and juniors, took part in the first trial of a new testing system that will replace the fall ISTEP+ next year as the graduation requirement.

“(The state) felt that it was a better judge to test students at the end of a course as opposed to the beginning,” Ronda Eshleman, assistant principal and director of curriculum said. She said that in the past, ISTEP tested students on certain proportions of the current course they enrolled in, as well as material from the previous year.   

Urbanowich said she thinks this kind of testing is better suited to judge student abilities. “ISTEP’s more vague and not detailed. Subject tests are beneficial because they test to see what you know for each subject,” she said.

Instead, the Core 40 end-of-course assessments will test solely on the current course a student is in. According to the Indiana Department of Labor, these end-of-course assessments are created to ensure the “quality, consistency and rigor of Core 40 courses” in the state of Indiana.

Eshleman also said she hopes  the tests will provide teachers with necessary information. Information that includes what next year’s curriculum should focus on.

This year, already five subjects test have been administered. The list includes Algebra I, Algebra II, biology, English 10 and English 11. Urbanowich said she took the biology and Algebra II tests.

According to Eshleman, there is talk about adding U.S. history as a subject test as well in the future. Most of the tests such as the algebra tests will appear on college transcripts, according to Eshleman. The release date of results for both the Algebra tests falls during the first of week of June. The other test results are to be announced.

However, there are potential problems to the new end of course assessments. Next year students must take the tests by May 16.

While this does not interrupt the AP testing schedule it does interrupt the IB testing schedule. But Eshleman said  the state provides flexibility with scheduling the tests and they can be rescheduled. 

“We are all kind of in a learning phase. I can’t imagine that they can be that different. We will just have to wait and see,” she said, noting the similarities between the ISTEP+ and the Core 40. This flexibility still provides for the tests to fall during the last couple weeks of next year’s spring semester. Eshleman said. “It’s kind of hectic at the end of the year to be giving all those tests.”

Hectic or not, Eshleman said she stressed the importance of the end-of-course assessments to students, especially the English 10 and Algebra tests because of their addition as graduation requirements. But Urbanowich said she does not think the new testing will be a problem. “I think they (other student) are happy that they do not have to take ISTEP. “It’s a relief,” she said.

As for herself, Urbanowich said she also does not mind the testing. “I’m happy about not having to take ISTEP anymore.,” she said. “I never really liked it.”