1. (a) Subject to subsection (c), the department shall, in collaboration with the state board, conduct a learning loss study regarding students in kindergarten through grade 10 for the 2020-2021 school year and the 2021-2022 school year. The study may include the following:

   1. (1) Which specific domains have significant learning loss for students in kindergarten through grade 10.

   2. (2) What differences exist in:

      1. (A) domain performance;
      2. (B) domain growth; or

      3. (C) both domain performance and domain growth;

         for specific subgroups, including students with disabilities and English language learners.

   3. (3) What learning gaps are present in foundational skills, specifically literacy and numeracy for early grade levels.
   4. (4) What are the overall student learning loss or gaps in education in Indiana due to the disruption in student education caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
   5. (5) Any conclusions or recommendations to address student learning loss or gaps in education, including recommendations regarding remediation.

2. (b) The department shall do the following:

   1. (1) Prepare a report regarding the 2020-2021 school year and a report regarding the 2021-2022 school year that includes information regarding the study described in subsection (a), including any conclusions and recommendations as described in subsection (a)(5).

   2. (2) Not later than December 1, 2021, submit the report regarding the 2020-2021 school year and not later than December 1, 2022, submit the report regarding the 2021-2022 school year to the:

      1. (A) governor;
      2. (B) state board; and
      3. (C) legislative council in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6 .

3. (c) The department:

   1. (1) shall conduct research for the study described in subsection
   2. (a) after a review of the research methodology by the Indiana technical advisory committee;
   3. (2) may include the use of summative and formative data sets in conducting the study under subsection (a); and
   4. (3) may use a third party vendor in conducting the study under subsection (a).

4. (d) In addition to the study under subsection (a), the department shall report the benchmark assessment data results from all of the providers in the state three (3) times annually to the:

   1. (1) governor;
   2. (2) state board; and
   3. (3) legislative council in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6 .

5. (e) The assessment data described in subsection (d) must be available as a report for reading and math proficiency and growth to proficiency of the Indiana college and career ready standards in grades 1 through 8 in the aggregate by school and school corporation and made available for view by disaggregation by subgroups. Data results shall include student progress in the aggregate for each of the following:

   1. (1) Typical or expected growth.
   2. (2) Growth needed for proficiency.

   3. (3) Actual student growth to proficiency on the Indiana college and career ready standards using historical and current data including at a minimum baseline data from the last benchmark assessments administered in school before the pandemic.

      The first report shall be delivered not later than July 1, 2021. Schools and school corporations shall provide or approve the release of the benchmark data described in this subsection to the department or a third party entity selected by the department to complete the requirements of this section.

6. (f) This section expires January 1, 2023.

As added by P.L.211-2021, SEC.15.