Standardized Tests in Indiana
Overview of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+)
If you have a child in elementary, middle or high school in Indiana, then you need to know about the standardized tests your child will be taking. To comply with the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, Indiana administers standardized tests to students beginning in 3rd grade through high school.
Time4Learning, an online education service that teaches many of the skills these exams test, offers this page to help you understand Indiana’s standardized tests and how you can help your children prepare.
In Indiana, students in third through eighth grade take a standards-based test called the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+). Standards-based means that test items are based on grade-specific Indiana academic content standards.
The ISTEP tests are administered to
- 3rd through 8th grade students in English language arts and math
- 4th and 6th grade students in science
- 5th and 7th grade students in social studies
End of Course (EOC) Exams
In high school, Indiana students enrolled in algebra I, algebra II, biology I, English 10, English 11 and U.S. History courses must take End of Course exams. Like the ISTEP, the End of Course exams are standards-based tests, which mean they measure specific skills defined by the state of Indiana.
Changes in Indiana’s Testing Program
In the 2008-2009 school year, Indiana transitioned from administering the ISTEP+ in the fall to the spring. Going forward, the ISTEP+ will be given in the spring. In addition, the ISTEP now includes science tests in fourth and sixth grade and social studies tests in fifth and seventh grade.
Previously, the ISTEP+ administered to 10th grade students was known as the Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE). Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, the ISTEP+ will no longer be administered in tenth grade. Instead, the new GQE will consist of End of Course exams for Algebra I and English 10.
What do the ISTEP+ and EOC Test Scores Mean?
For the ISTEP+, students receive one of three scores for each of the subject areas tested:
- Did not pass
For the EOC exams, students are scored as pass or did not pass. For the End of Course exams that make up the new GQE (Algebra I and English 10), students must pass these tests to graduate from high school.
Preparing for Indiana’s ISTEP+ Test
For general tips on test preparation, please visit our standardized test overview page. The real preparation for the ISTEP+, and all standardized tests that assess a wide range of fundamental skills, is to steadily build and master skills in math, reading and writing fundamentals.
Parents can help students succeed in school by making a special effort to get involved in their children’s education. You should ensure your children are doing their homework every night and reading and writing on a daily basis. In addition, families can hire tutors or use online learning programs such as Time4Learning and Time4Writing to supplement their children’s schoolwork and help to build fundamental skills.
To help your children prepare for state standardized tests such as Indiana’s ISTEP, you can enroll your children in a test prep program or buy books to help them become familiar with test formats and terminology, to learn test-taking strategies (when to guess, when not to), to become comfortable with time restrictions, and to practice answering different types of questions.
For instance, when a reading passage is followed by comprehension questions, many test prep programs teach students to scan the questions prior to reading the passage so that they can pay special attention to the areas addressed by questions.
Most states release copies of tests or sample test questions from previous years. Parents can use these released test questions as resources to help students practice test skills and students can spend the majority of their time reviewing the key concepts within the sample test questions.
Time4Learning is not a test prep program; instead, it is a program that builds the skills that will be tested.
Time4Learning is a new approach that takes advantage of today’s technology. It’s a convenient, online home education program that combines learning with fun educational teaching games.
The online language arts and math curriculum comprise a comprehensive program for preschool, elementary school, and middle school. Science and social studies programs are provided as a free bonus for most grades.
Kids like using the computer to learn and to develop their skills. Time4Learning’s educational teaching games give students independence as they progress at their own pace.
Parents like that it tracks progress and helps kids advance by teaching through individualized learning paths that assure mastery of the skills and concepts that makes kids succeed.
Have a child with math and reading skills at different grade levels? No problem, just tell us in the online registration process.
Time4Learning is proven effective, has a low monthly price, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can be sure that it works for your family, risk free!