INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indiana Department of Education's request for more money to assess student performance is drawing scrutiny from the State Budget Committee.
Committee members raised questions Thursday about whether Indiana needs to administer the number of tests it does and whether national tests would be cheaper than the state's ISTEP+ exam.
The ISTEP+ exam is being overhauled for the spring to have more rigorous standards as part of the state's shift from Common Core.
Schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz says the retooled ISTEP test will be aligned to Indiana's new education standards.
Committee chairman Sen. Luke Kenley says he needs a better understanding of the decision process in order to sell Ritz's budget request to lawmakers who will be asked to pay for it.
