SPECIAL REPORT SEPT 2025 - Indiana’s Innovative Through-Year Assessment Within ESSA Requirements

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle

Indiana designs a year-round ILEARN checkpoint assessment system under ESSA authority, avoiding federal waivers or formal pilots. Replacing a single summative test with fall, winter, and spring checkpoints plus a shortened accountability summative, the system delivers computer-adaptive results aligned to streamlined essential standards. The design focuses on actionable instructional data, reduced testing time, and a learning-centered feedback loop covering instructional and assessment frameworks and centralized reporting. Participation expanded to 1,350 schools to refine implementation before full rollout.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Key Innovation

Checkpoints and Essential Standards

Feedback Loop

Implementation and Capacity Building

Pilot Participation and Supports

State-Led Purpose

Next Steps

SPECIAL REPORT SEPT 2025 Indiana’s Innovative Through-Year Assessment Within ESSA Requirements Lauren Bloomquist Indiana is charting its own path by designing a year-round assessment system that prioritizes instructional relevance, teacher utility and reduced testing burdens. Without seeking federal waivers or joining a formal federal pilot, Indiana is demonstrating how states can exercise flexibility under the current authority of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to build better systems for students, educators and communities. This state case study demonstrates how state leadership can drive the design of assessment systems that meet accountability requirements while also advancing the broader goal of improving student learning. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana’s Department of Education considered ways to accelerate learning and fill learning gaps. For over 20 years, the department has provided schools with a list of approved vendors and grant funding to support interim testing. However, these interim assessments did not provide schools with student assessments aligned to state standards and did not produce improved results. This led to their theory of action: strengthen the opportunity to learn by aligning interim assessments with streamlined, state-defined standards. Key Innovation Indiana introduced the pilot ILEARN checkpoint system in the 2024-25 school year. The state called for volunteers to participate in a year-round pilot project that replaces the traditional single, summative test with three checkpoint assessments spaced throughout the year and a shortened summative assessment aligned to new, streamlined state standards. Checkpoints are computer-adaptive assessments for math and English language arts given in the fall, winter and spring during a 9-to 11-week window. Each checkpoint consists of 22- 25 test questions assessing 4-7 essential standards. They are designed to measure students’understanding of critical skills and concepts as outlined in the Indiana Academic Standards and provide teachers with valuable information to guide instruction. The essential standards were identified after the Legislature directed the department to reduce the number of state standards by 25% and cap “essential” ones at 33% in 2022. The essential standards serve as the framework for the new assessment system. The final checkpoint in the spring is combined with a shortened summative assessment that includes 30-37 items used for accountability. Checkpoints provide real-time student data shortly after testing, which allows teachers the opportunity to remediate, reinforce or accelerate learning based on the results. In addition to the checkpoints, a teacher may offer students a second chance to reassess student learning and evaluate the success of remediation or reinforcement. The system allows schools and districts the flexibility to schedule checkpoints based on the learning progression of standards, local scope and sequence, and curriculum maps. To support the scope and sequence of learning at the school level, the department surveyed all districts to determine when they taught the standards. Based on those survey results and comments from the teacher and the public, the department worked to define a scope and sequence for the test blueprints. The department emphasizes that this is more than an assessment system; this is a learning system. The checkpoints are part of a broader state aim to align standards, instruction, assessment and intervention. Checkpoints are intended to provide an opportunity to make data-driven decisions on future instruction. Part of that effort is captured by a feedback loop that includes: Instructional frameworks. These are designed to guide best practice instruction and translate standards into learning opportunities. Assessment frameworks. These are designed to define the essential content that will be measured on the assessment. Cent

FAQs

What is the core innovation in Indiana’s ILEARN system?

Indiana replaces a single traditional summative test with three checkpoint assessments spaced across the year, plus a shortened summative assessment aligned to streamlined standards.

How do the checkpoints work and what do they measure?

The checkpoints are computer-adaptive math and English language arts assessments administered in fall, winter, and spring. Each checkpoint targets a set of essential standards and provides data teachers can use shortly after testing.

How does Indiana support educators beyond the assessment itself?

Indiana frames checkpoints as part of a broader learning system and provides supports such as webinars, in-person meetings, office hours, and partnerships to guide instructional frameworks, assessment frameworks, and centralized reporting tools.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Kyle