Sec. 10. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if requested by a school, the department may place the school in a “null” or “no letter grade” category for purposes of this chapter for the first three (3) consecutive years of operation of the school.

     (b) Subject to subsection (c), an innovation network school that reconfigures an existing school must apply to the state board, in a manner prescribed by the state board, to request to receive a “null” or “no letter grade” for the reconfigured school during the school’s first three (3) consecutive years of operation by an innovation network team.

     (c) In order to qualify for a “null” or “no letter grade” under subsection (b), an innovation network school must clearly demonstrate:

(1) a significant change in educational philosophy from the existing school and that the reconfiguration of the school is not being made to avoid accountability; or

(2) any other item that the state board finds appropriate.

The state board shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to establish criteria that the state board may consider in determining whether to grant an innovation network school’s request under subsection (b) and this subsection.

     (d) Subject to subsection (e), if the department used student growth as the state board’s exclusive means to determine an:

(1) innovation network school’s category or designation of school improvement under IC 20-25.7-4-5(d)(3) for the 2018-2019 school year; or

(2) innovation network charter school’s category or designation of school improvement under IC 20-25.7-5-2(d)(3) for the 2018-2019 school year;

the department shall, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year and unless an innovation network school or innovation network charter school requests otherwise, place the innovation network school or the innovation network charter school, whichever is applicable, in a “null” or “no letter grade” category for purposes of this chapter for not more than the number of school years determined for the innovation network school or innovation network charter school under subsection (e) consecutively. This subsection expires July 1, 2023.

     (e) Each innovation network school described in subsection (d)(1) and each innovation network charter school described in subsection (d)(2) may not be placed in a “null” or “no letter grade” category under subsection (d) for more than the number of years that equal the result of:

(1) three (3) school years; minus

(2) the number of school years that student growth was used as the state board’s exclusive means to determine the category or designation of school improvement for the innovation network school or innovation network charter school.

This subsection expires July 1, 2023.

     (f) The department shall post the proficiency and growth scores of an innovation network school, an innovation network charter school, or a school described in subsection (a) on the department’s Internet web site for each year the innovation network school, innovation network charter school, or school receives a “null” or “no letter grade” under this section.

As added by P.L.269-2019, SEC.7.