Indiana Voucher Schools Score High on 2012 ISTEP+

INDIANAPOLIS, July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2012 Statewide Testing for Education Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) results recently released by the Indiana Department of Education prove that schools participating in the state's voucher program provide high quality educational options for Hoosier families. Based on the analysis of the ISTEP+ data, the voucher schools had an average 91 percent pass rate on the English/Language Arts portion of ISTEP+ and an average 89 percent pass rate on the Math section of the test. Overall, Indiana public schools recorded an average pass rate of 79 percent in English/Language Arts and 81 percent in Mathematics.

A total of 224 Indiana schools with voucher students administered the ISTEP+ test this year as part of their requirement to participate in the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program. Thirty-eight percent of voucher schools, or 86 schools, reached the 90 percent pass rate in both subjects, which the Indiana Department of Education set as a goal for every school in the state.

"We're excited to see Indiana voucher schools demonstrate such high ISTEP+ pass rates," said Lindsey Brown, Executive Director of School Choice Indiana. "We applaud Governor Daniels and state legislators for making the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program a reality and giving Hoosier families more opportunities to provide high quality educational options to their children."

"It is especially encouraging to see the ISTEP+ results for voucher schools as the vast majority of students participating in the voucher program came from low-income families and were on the free and reduced lunch program," said Robert Enlow, President and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. "These children now have a chance at better education."

Indiana voucher schools also performed well on another statewide exam, the 2012 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination for grade 3 (IREAD-3) that determines whether Indiana's third grade students have the reading skills they will need to succeed beyond third grade. Ninety-three percent of students in voucher schools demonstrated foundational third grade reading skills. Seventy-five percent of schools with voucher students, or 141 schools in total, hit the 90 percent goal, with 56 schools achieving a 100 percent pass rate.

More information about the Indiana school voucher program can be found at the MyChoiceInEd.com website operated by School Choice Indiana.

SOURCE School Choice Indiana