Last year, assessments were canceled because of the pandemic, and disruptions continued into this school year, which prompted many officials to expect a decline in student scores.

Some parents of online learners still have lingering concerns about sending their children back to school specifically for in-person standardized tests but the state says most students have already taken their federally required assessments, and there aren't consequences if they don't.

Indiana has extended some testing timelines and is considering others for later spring tests like ILEARN. But so far the state isn't planning to offer remote testing or reduce the number of questions on any state exams.

The cancellation of spring testing because of the COVID-19 pandemic means the state didn't have new ILEARN data to calculate this year's grades.

In a memo sent to superintendents late Friday, the Indiana Department of Education announced Indiana would seek "forgiveness" for required state tests, including the IREAD-3 and ILEARN.

The bill grants a two-year delay on schools receiving a lower A-F state rating based on scores from the 2019 or 2020 ILEARN exams. It also prevents the scores from being used in teacher evaluations.

Indiana teachers and schools will be shielded from penalties from last year's poor statewide standardized test scores.

A significant drop in scores on ILEARN compared to the state's old ISTEP test prompted calls from leaders across the state for lawmakers to avoid penalizing schools through state accountability measures.

Republican legislative leaders are urging the state to use 2018 ISTEP scores for school letter grades and teacher evaluations this school year, instead of 2019 ILEARN scores.

The results reveal just how much lower achievement rates on the test look compared to previous iterations of the states standardized exam.