Senate Bill 491 Summary

• Requires the state board of education to place the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Indiana School for the Deaf into a category or designation of school improvement annually, using the same criteria applied to other schools.

• Mandates the state board report the school improvement category placement for both schools to the general assembly before November 1 each year in electronic format.

• Requires student data including statewide assessment results, academic progress, grade level, and graduation date for students at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired or Indiana School for the Deaf to be included in accountability determinations for both their home school corporation and the specialty school.

• Expands the definition of student data to include "all statewide assessments" instead of just ISTEP program testing scores.

• Effective July 1, 2013.