The Policy That Includes Educators: A Teacher’s Response to Indiana’s Draft Accountability System

On June 5, Indiana officials released a first draft of their revamped K–12 school accountability plan, aiming to retire the traditional A–F grading scheme in favor of a more nuanced, student-centered point system.  The proposal emerges from robust stakeholder engagement including educators, students, parents, and industry leaders—a promising shift toward collaboration rather than mere compliance.

What’s Different?

• Point-based system: Schools no longer earn an overall A–F grade; instead, each student contributes points in five dimensions: academic mastery, communication and collaboration, work ethic, civic, financial, and digital literacy, and career and postsecondary readiness.

• Broader measures: It tracks outcomes from early grades through high school, including attendance, credential attainment, and work-based learning.

• More time for revision: The draft was presented in June 2025, with public commentary expected to continue through late 2025, and final adoption scheduled for December 2025. Implementation would begin in fall 2026.

  
  

Why This Matters to Our Mission

1. Centering Student Strengths, Not Just Scores: The new system acknowledges that not every child thrives in traditional academic areas. Career readiness, soft skills, and character count, too. This mirrors our belief that learning is multidimensional—beyond test results to include the human qualities we treasure in education.

2. Empowering Teacher Voice: Unlike top-down grading models, this draft is co-created with those who live the classroom reality. That’s essential. Policies shaped with teachers—not for them—lead to practices that work.

3. Trust Over Compliance: Rather than policing schools with simplistic A–F labels, Indiana is building trust by tracking long-term growth across multiple indicators. Our platform empowers teachers to build trusting relationships with their students and effectively lead their classrooms. This is a step in the right direction.

4. Holistic Accountability: Education isn’t simply about what students can remember on a test; it’s about who they become. By measuring collaboration, ethics, and civic engagement, Indiana is redefining accountability to include life readiness—not just math and reading.

   
   

Still a Long Road Ahead

It’s important to note this remains a draft. Implementation hinges on stakeholder feedback, honest dialogue, and sufficient support for schools—especially those facing systemic challenges. Without funding for teacher training, data systems, and community partnerships, even the most effective policies can fall short.

What’s Next for Indiana—and All of Us

• We must provide feedback now: The draft is under review through December. This is our chance to push for clarity, teacher support, and equity.

• We must support schools in the transition: Rolling out this system successfully requires investment in professional development and community engagement—not just new dashboards.

• We must hold onto the mission: Education is not a transaction. It’s relational, creative, and transformative. Any accountability framework should serve students and teachers, not the other way around.

• 
  

Conclusion: Indiana’s draft accountability model is a hopeful departure from punitive, one-dimensional grading. It moves toward a system that values what we know matters: the whole child, teacher wisdom, character, and readiness for life. But hope is not enough. Transformative policy must be matched by authentic support.

So, teachers, parents, and advocates: this is our moment to speak up—to help shape a model that truly reclaims the classroom.