Accountability

Indiana DoE Revamps Education Data Portal to Meet ESSA Requirements

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/24/20

Indiana has launched an education data portal to replace a previous one. INview, which has replaced Compass, was designed to meet federal accountability requirements for transparency under the rules of the state's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan.

INview, translatable into multiple languages, includes information that wasn't part of the previous portal, such as student-level spending for every public school, school environment data on suspensions and expulsions, school-specific teaching level experience and demographics, and state and national awards and recognitions received. The portal also shows demographic data related to the number of students in foster care or who are homeless, how many are from military-connected families and how many have been identified as "high ability."

A new option titled "schools like me," allows parents to compare schools against others with similar demographics. Another new feature, Networks, shows groups of schools aligned for a particular purpose, such as all charter schools authorized by a particular charter school authorizer, those in a specific archdiocese or those associated with a certain education service center. Any networks to which a school belongs are identified on the profile page of each school.

Also, INview enables schools to customize their page with graphics and highlight key programs and features.

"Hoosiers deserve transparency surrounding the academic performance and fiscal solvency of all Indiana schools," said State Superintendent, Jennifer McCormick, in a statement. "INview is designed to provide this transparency to the extent identified by statute. INview is an outward-facing ESSA report card allowing Hoosiers to monitor, celebrate and select the state's K-12 education options and to better understand taxpayer investments."