Sec. 4. (a) The state board shall place each school in a category or designation of school performance once annually based on the department’s findings from the assessment of performance and academic growth under section 2 of this chapter.

     (b) The state board may place a school in a category or designation of school performance only if:

(1) the department has provided each school the opportunity to review, add to, or supplement the data, and to correct any errors in the data; and

(2) the state board’s staff has had an opportunity to review and analyze the school corporation, school, and student level data.

     (c) Based on procedures adopted by the state board, a school corporation or school that focuses primarily on providing an academic program for students with developmental, intellectual, or behavioral challenges may petition the state board for review of the school corporation’s or school’s category or designation of school performance placement based on objective factors that the school corporation or school considers relevant because the annual assessment data does not accurately reflect, as applicable, school performance, growth, or multiple measures. Objective factors include:

(1) significant demographic changes in the student population;

(2) errors in data; or

(3) other significant issues.

After considering the petition for review, the state board may direct the department to revise the category or designation assigned to the school corporation or school, including assigning a “null” or “no letter grade” category or designation to the school corporation or school. The state board may grant the “null” designation for multiple years.

     (d) The state board may obtain assistance from another entity or, with the approval of the legislative council, the legislative services agency, to ensure the validity and reliability of the performance category or designation placements calculated by the department under section 2 of this chapter. The department shall provide all the data necessary to complete those calculations to the legislative services agency or to an entity designated by the state board.

[Pre-2005 Elementary and Secondary Education Recodification Citation: 20-10.2-5-4.]

As added by P.L.1-2005, SEC.15. Amended by P.L.286-2013, SEC.104; P.L.213-2015, SEC.197; P.L.287-2019, SEC.8.