Schools across the state given four stars

Indiana DOE Release:

The Indiana Department of Education released the list of 2009-10 Four Star Schools today, following the creation of a new, easy to understand method of qualifying for the statewide honor. Out of 1,808 public schools, 188 were given this distinction. Thirteen of 261 private schools also received the honor this year.

“Today I offer sincere congratulations to Indiana’s 2009-10 Four Star Schools as we celebrate their dedication to academics,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett said. “These schools set high expectations for their students on a daily basis, and as a result, students work hard and exceed those expectations. The students and teachers in these schools should be extremely proud of this honor, and I am confident they will continue down this path of success.”

Following numerous inquiries and recommendations from educators regarding what were confusing calculations for the Four Star Schools program, the IDOE’s Office of Accreditation created new benchmarks for the program. These new requirements, which were used to determine the 2009-10 honorees, establish the 25th percentile cut score for combined passing percentages for English/Language Arts and Mathematics as well as the percent of students passing both for all grades tested. Schools that rank in the top 25th percentile for each grade tested and each of these categories and have made AYP qualify for the Four Star School Award. Additionally, the attendance rate is addressed through AYP verification.

For the first time, IDOE reviewed data for non-public schools and included the top non-public schools as honorees. It is, however, important to note that both public schools and non-public schools had their own cut scores and were compared only to like schools—meaning public schools were only compared to other public schools, and non-publics only to non-publics. The calculations were completely independent of one another.

For a list of all the 2009-10 Four Star Schools, click here.

For a full breakdown of the new Four Star School methodology, click here.