Many Indiana school districts see state A-F ratings drop

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The number of Indiana school districts receiving top state ratings dropped sharply following lower student scores on the revised ISTEP standardized exam.

About 8 percent of school districts received an A grade under ratings approved Wednesday by the State Board of Education. That's down from the 46 percent of Indiana's 289 districts receiving an A rating last year.

The biggest jump was in districts receiving B ratings. Nearly 61 percent got that grade, up from 32 percent last year. Twenty-nine percent of districts received C grades.

Five districts received D ratings, with the only F going to the Gary Community Schools.

The percentage of students passing the ISTEP's language arts and math sections dropped by double digits under a revamp after Indiana withdrew from national Common Core standards in 2014.