School at heart of grade-change flap drops to 'F'
By TOM LoBIANCO, Associated Press
Updated 1:17 pm, Friday, December 20, 2013
Indiana Schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz responds to a board members question during the monthly business meeting of the Indiana State Board of Education in Indianapolis, Friday, Dec. 20, 2013. The Christel House Academy, the Indianapolis charter school at the center of Indiana's grade-changing scandal, saw its grade drop from an "A'' to an "F'' in school grades approved by the the State Board of Education at its meeting. Photo: AJ Mast, AP
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis charter school at the center of Indiana's grade-changing scandal dropped from an "A'' to an "F'' in school grades released Friday.
The Christel House Academy benefited last year from changes to the grading formula made by former schools Superintendent Tony Bennett. But grades released for the 2012-2013 school year showed a precipitous drop for the school founded by top GOP donorChristel DeHaan.
Christel House's ISTEP test scores fell sharply this year, which contributed to its lower grade.
This year's school grades also used a formula that took all the school's grade levels into account. Bennett's staff excluded the school's 9th and 10th grades from the calculations last year, which helped bump Christel House's grade from a "C'' to an "A''.
A spokesman for new Superintendent Glenda Ritz could not immediately say whether use of all the grade levels contributed to the sharp drop.
Christel House Principal Carey Dahncke on Friday blamed the school's troubles on the administration of Indiana's standardized test, the ISTEP. Thousands of students were