The Journal-Gazette's Niki Kelly has a disturbing story today about 28 private schools receiving vouchers to educate K-12 students under Indiana's Choice program not being graded by the state's Department of Education because of a statistical anomaly. No grade is issued if the school has insufficient data to calculate a grade.
The 28 private schools represented 10% of the schools accepting state-paid vouchers. Another 6% of the voucher schools received a D or an F. The grades are critical because it's what determines whether a school can continue to receive voucher students. If a school receives a D or F two years in a row, they are cut off from accepting voucher students.
According to the Department of Education, seven voucher schools received letters last year informing them they couldn't receive new voucher students due to low grades. Of those seven, five improved their grades in the latest A to F rankings. An additional four received their second letter telling them they couldn't enroll voucher students after receiving their second consecutive D or F grade.
Most of the private schools are church-run schools. The Indiana Constitution prohibits money from being drawn from the state treasury for religious purposes. The Indiana Supreme Court ruled Indiana's Choice program doesn't violate the constitution because the vouchers are made available to the parents of students who direct which schools the money is sent to educate their children, which some people would argue is a distinction without a difference.
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