INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Secretary of Education Dr. Katie Jenner today thanked Indiana’s federal education partners, following the release of guidance from the U.S. Department of Education on required spring assessments.

Consistent with federal guidance, Indiana is working to help schools administer these assessments in a manner that prioritizes safety. This includes extending the window for federally-required assessments for English language proficiency, and alerting schools last week that Indiana would also extend the ISTEP+ retest window.

While assessment data is one important step in identifying and addressing students’ learning loss, it’s important that schools and students aren’t penalized. Indiana has already requested a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education for calculating accountability determinations this year, and we’re working with state legislators to ensure schools are held harmless for the test results by issuing a null grade for the current school year.