Around Half of Hoosier Students Failed This Year's ISTEP Test

STATEWIDE -- About half Indiana students flunked this year's ISTEP test -- about the same as last year.

The Department of Education calls the performance "stable."

The passing rate of 51-percent is down less than a percent from last year. Eighth-graders did better than last year's, and third graders did better on math. But no grade level moved by more than two percentage points in either direction. Third-graders' overall passing rate wa down three-hundredths of a percent.

Two-thirds of sophomores failed the 10th-grade version of ISTEP. That too is a slight decline from last year.

This is supposed to be the last ISTEP before a restructured and renamed ILEARN test debuts next year.