The State Board of Education held off on releasing letter grades after a significant drop in student test scores on the new ILEARN test last spring.

The Indiana Department of Education released 2019 federal school ratings Friday, while state letter grades remain on hold.

The state accountability system changed in 2016 to include a greater focus on student progress, and most schools received high marks on their growth measures this year.

Schools are getting letter grade ratings this year from both the state and federal government, and because of new education law, some schools will get two different ratings.

Each year the state reviews schools with at least two years of failing letter grades, to look at different aspects of a school's operations and figure out how they can improve.

Schools will receive grades this year from a state accountability law and through the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The formulas differ so schools may not receive matching grades.

At a meeting to consider public comments and figure out details around the board's proposal this week, many members agreed to press pause on the issue.

Board members say the concerns during this hearing echoed concerns at the previous hearing in Fort Wayne.

States have used different methods to reform urban districts in fiscal and financial peril. In Indiana, the controversial decision was made to give a single manager absolute power of the Gary Community School Corporation. But will it work?

The State Board of Education is working to create new rules around school accountability.