The State of IPS; 2010
I almost missed this. Indianapolis Public Schools have released their 2010 State of the District report. And although how you interpret data is in the eye of the beholder, I think it’s fair to say that IPS has pretty much been flat when it comes to progress and achievement as opposed to the prior year. Here’s a breakdown…
Demographics
- IPS had its smallest decrease in enrollment in six years, losing only 547 students from 2008-2009 school year. Total enrollment is at 33,824.
- IPS is 55% Black, 23% White and 16% Hispanic.
- 52% Male, 48% Female.
- 84% of the students are on free and reduced lunch.
- 20% of the population is classified as special education
- 4% are homeless.
Academic Achievement
- IPS’ graduation rate went from 47% to 49%.
- The percentage of students passing ISTEP+ tends to drop as students go from grades 3 to 8.
- 45% of 3rd graders passed the Math and Science portion of the exam, while only 28% of 8th graders passed the exam.
- Sidener Academy was the best performing IPS school with 99% of students passing both the English and Math portions of the exam.
- In grades 3, 4,7,and 8 Black students performed near the bottom of English/Language Arts.
- White students in grades 3-8 performed dead last in English and Math.
- Hispanic students were the best performing group.
- Five IPS magnet schools received nationwide recognition as Outstanding Magnet Schools.
Administrative Supervision
- Twenty teachers were removed from the classroom because of poor instruction.
- Student compliance with IPS’ uniform policy was better at the elementary level than the secondary.
Student Discipline
- In-House school suspensions were down for the first semester from 3,753 last year to 2,082 this year. However the percentage of repeat offenders went from 63% to 73%.
- Out of school suspensions went from 2,473 to 2,082 and 62% of the suspensions were repeat offenders.
The report also cites IPS’s financial troubles such as it $26 million budget shortfall. And it says the District will lose $12 million in its Capital and transportation budgets due to tax caps.
You can see the full presentation here.
