High School Assessment

The State of Indiana provides a variety of assessments intended to support high school students.

Some assessments may impact graduation requirements. Visit the Graduation Pathways site to see information about high school graduation requirements.

High School Assessments

ISTEP+ Retest

Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus (ISTEP+) is an assessment that measures student achievement in Mathematics and English/Language Arts as indicated in the Indiana Academic Standards (IAS). ISTEP+ serves as a Graduation Qualifying Examination (GQE) for students in cohorts 2019-2022. Students who are graduating via graduation pathways do not need to complete the ISTEP+ in order to fulfill their graduation requirements.

Two retest windows are available for School year 2021-2022. The Winter Retest is open November 8 – December 10, 2021. The Spring Retest is open February 7 – March 4, 2022. Additional key dates can be found on the ISTEP+ Retest 2021-2022 Milestones document.

The assessments are administered in two parts. Part 1 consists of Applied Skills (open-ended) items and Part includes multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items. Both Part 1 and Part 2 are required components of the ISTEP+ program and are used to measure student mastery of the IAS that were adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education in 2014. For Mathematics, ISTEP+ assesses Algebra 1 and Grade 8 foundational math skills. ISTEP+ assesses Grade 10 for English/Language Arts.

Parents seeking student scores should contact their local school for information about accessing their student’s results. More information on understanding ISTEP+ scores can be found on the ISTEP+ Interpretive Guide, available through the Resources on the ISTEP+ Portal.

Test Design Documents

• Understanding and Using ISTEP+ Blueprints and Specifications (Video)
• ISTEP+ Mathematics Blueprints
• ISTEP+ English/Language Arts Blueprints
• ISTEP+ Mathematics Item Specifications
• ISTEP+ ELA Item Specifications
• ISTEP+ ELA Passage Specifications

Scoring Documentation

• ISTEP+ Cut Scores and Scale Score Ranges
• ISTEP+ ELA Performance Level Descriptors
• ISTEP+ Mathematics Performance Level Descriptors

For questions related to ISTEP+, please contact the Indiana Department of Education at INAssessments@doe.in.gov or (317) 234-2881.

College Board SAT for High School Accountability

Indiana will use the SAT® (provided by College Board) to fulfill requirements listed in Indiana Code 20-32-5.1-7(d) for high school accountability. Students may also use scores to fulfill some high school graduation requirements. SAT assesses high school Mathematics, Reading, and Writing standards in grade 11. The SAT is administered in the spring of each school year, beginning Spring 2022.

For spring 2022, the Primary Testing Window for the SAT School Day administration is March 2 – 4, 2022. A Make-Up Testing Window is available from April 13 – April 20, 2022 (excluding Monday, April 18) for students and schools that are unable to test during the Primary Testing Window.

SAT Guidance

• Spring 2022 SAT School Day Administration Milestones
• Spring 2022 Coordinator Checklist
• Digital SAT Implementation FAQs
• Indiana SAT Policy FAQ (Accountability and Graduation Pathways)
• SAT/IAS ELA Priority Standards
• SAT/IAS Mathematics Priority Standards
• SAT for All Students (video)
• Differences Between the Indiana-Provided SAT Suite of Assessments
• The SAT as Indiana’s Accountability Assessment
• Indiana’s Transition to the SAT
• Why is Indiana Switching to the SAT?
• Indiana SAT and Graduation Pathways
• SAT as Indiana’s High School Assessment (video) -  Spanish
• SAT Assessment and Graduation Requirements (video) - Spanish
• Indiana SAT Accommodations and Test Tools (video) -  Spanish
• What to Expect with the Indiana Digital SAT (video)
• SAT Practice and Khan Academy (video) - Spanish
• Indiana Resources from College Board (Google Drive)

• How is the SAT delivered?

  The SAT is taken at school during the school day at a time specified by IDOE. It is an online assessment with paper provided as an accommodation only. The SAT for ELA consists only of multiple-choice questions, with no SAT Essay portion. The Math SAT consists of multiple-choice and numeric response items.

• How can I prepare for the SAT?

  Educators and students can use existing assessment data to guide them in preparation for the SAT. College Board provides resources to help you prepare at no charge for current Indiana students.

  • Be Data-Driven As You Prepare for the Indiana SAT
  • SAT College Board Student Webpage
  • Official SAT Practice via Khan Academy
• What types of scores will I receive?

  Students will receive standard SAT scores as well as a proficiency levels specific to Indiana. The cut scores for these proficiency levels will be determined by Indiana educators following the first test administration.

  Students may elect to send their SAT score reports to up to four colleges/universities at no charge.