By Heather Lusk
Students at Eagle Elementary were able to see firsthand the final step of a bill becoming a law on March 22 when Gov. Mike Pence signed House Enrolled Act 1395, which will eliminate the ISTEP test in June 2017.
“Literally today you’re going to witness law being made,” said Pence in front of more than 400 students and faculty.
After the assembly Pence shook hands with many of the students and allowed them to hold and read the bill he had just signed.
“I’m excited to be here to sign into law a bill that will make a very significant change in the state of Indiana,” Pence said.
With the No Child Left Behind law repealed at the national level, Pence said that Indiana was able to take a step back from ISTEP and consider other options.
“This is the beginning of a new day of testing in the state of Indiana,” he said.
When he announced that the test would be eliminated, he was met with cheers from some students.
“That’s the good news for you,” Pence said. “The bad news is we’re going to keep testing.”
Pence said that a 23-person panel will be created to study other testing options with appointments being made in May.
“There’s a growing sense that we can do better than ISTEP,” he said.
He added that he couldn’t resist the opportunity to teach a lesson in civics, which is why he felt it important to sign the bill among students at the four-star school.
