Students around Indiana began taking the first ILEARN test this week. Some of the key differences between ILEARN and the ISTEP test it’s replacing were highlighted during last week’s Knox School Board meeting.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction Peggy Shidaker said a big change is that the new test is computer-adaptive. That means the questions will adjust as students work their way through the test, so students with a higher score will get more difficult questions.
The other major difference has to do with depth of knowledge. Shidaker said that while the ISTEP had a lot of multiple-choice questions, the ILEARN will require more higher-order thinking. She said teachers have been working to ask students those types of questions since the school year began.
Additionally, the ILEARN is not a timed test, meaning some students will take longer than others to complete various parts. Shidaker added that the change in vendor from Pearson to AIR has also brought along a few challenges. High school sophomores continue to take the ISTEP test for the time-being.
