Only 18 percent of all high schools across Indiana made adequate yearly progress (AYP) under the federal benchmark, and even fewer met the guideline in Northwest Indiana.
Similarly, three-quarters of Indiana's high schools moved into "academic watch" and "academic probation" categories, under Public Law 221, Indiana's accountability system, based in part on standardized test scores. Next year, those categories will be replaced with an A-F letter grade system.
The state's elementary schools fared best overall, with 89 percent making progress (i.e., rated in the top three categories).
The intent is good but the testing program is flawed, said Duneland Superintendent Dirk Baer.
"If a school fails in one category, the entire school fails," he said. "In our high school, there was not a high enough percentage of students taking the test. We don't have students take the test if they have not passed the class. The participation rate makes no sense. Special education scores have always been a problem for us and many schools typically don't pass that category. Our scores have continued to improve each year but not enough. The cut scores are also higher each year."
Chesterton High School did not meet AYP and moved a step down from academic progress to academic watch.
While Merrillville High School also dropped to academic watch, Principal Mike Krutz said the 2010 graduation rate was 90.8 percent, 3.5 percent higher than the previous year. "That's a clear picture of what is taking place within our building," he said.
The local high schools that made federal benchmarks are Hanover Central, Morgan Twp. Middle/High and Kouts Middle/High in the East Porter County School Corp., Boone Grove High School in Porter Township School Corp., the 21st Century Charter School in Gary and Gary Lighthouse Charter.
Hebron Superintendent George Letz said the two tests that are being compared are different exams. "This is very unfair as you are comparing apples to oranges again. The state should have waited a year before doing this comparison," he said.
State officials said the category placements were based on comparisons between the current 10th-graders End-of-Course assessments to the same cohort (same students) who took the ISTEP-Plus exam as eighth-graders.
Hammond Superintendent Walter Watkins said AYP is a very arbitrary determination of the success of schools across the state. "It doesn't really reflect what students have learned and are doing on a day-to-day basis," he said.
Watkins said they are hoping the growth model, which measures how much students have learned in a school year, will better identify how students are performing and achieving academically.
In a statement released Tuesday, Indiana State education leader Tony Bennett said he is proud of the Indiana schools that showed improvement this year, especially those making strides by pulling their students out of the lowest-performing category.
The superintendent commended Evans Elementary School in the River Forest Community School Corp. Students and staff established a no-excuses culture for the diverse student population, of which 48 percent are minorities and 81 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch, Bennett said. He previously commended 21st Century Charter School for making AYP.
Those schools that have been on probation for four years and face state takeover remained on probation. In Lake County, the schools are Hammond High and Hammond Morton high schools, Gary Roosevelt, Lake Ridge's Calumet High School and East Chicago Central.