MEDIA ADVISORY: 2007 Annual Performance Reports

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Media Contacts:
Jason Bearce, 317.232.6618, jbearce@doe.in.gov
Lynelle A. Miller, 317.232.6614, lamiller@doe.in.gov
Avon Waters, 317.234.4703, awaters@doe.in.gov

In a letter delivered on Jan. 11, the Chairs of the Indiana General Assembly Education Committees notified Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen Reed that 2007 amendments to the statutory language for calculating high school graduation rates (codified at IC 20-26-13) do not reflect the legislature’s intent. As high school graduation rates are a key element of the Annual Performance Reports (required under IC 20-20-8), Indiana Department of Education staff is now working to comply with the legislators’ request to recalculate and “publish graduation rates for 2007 that reflect the legislature’s original intent….”

Graduation rates for the Class of 2007 and all other data included in the 2007 Annual Performance Reports will be accessible to the media and the public on Jan. 22 at www.doe.in.gov/apr.

In light of these extenuating circumstances, the Chairs of the House and Senate Education Committees have supported the Indiana Department of Education’s request to extend the deadline for publication of the 2007 Annual Performance Report from Jan. 31 until Feb. 15, 2008.

Accordingly, the Department of Education will consider a school corporation that publishes the Annual Performance Report on or before Feb. 15, 2008 to be in compliance with the state’s publication requirement (511 IAC 6.1-1-4). This extension should provide the time needed for local schools and newspapers to coordinate the publication of these reports.