SINGLE($20,000 ANNUAL INCOME)D Must make payment of $17 a month, not to exceed5 percent of gross income.

D Only co-pay is $25 for non-emergency use of an emergency department.D First $1,100 in medical expenses would be paid for out of partici-pant’s monthly payments plus contributions from the state. Employerscan contribute if they wish.

INSIDE: Who is eligible, what’s covered and how to apply, Page A13

D Must make a payment of $85 a month, not to exceed5 percent of gross income.

FAMILY OF 4($40,000 ANNUALINCOME)

HOW MUCH IT COSTS

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty” II COR. 3:17

Comics ...................E4Editorials.............A14Indiana Living ....E1-8Lotteries................A2

Metro & State ..B1-6Movies ...................E5Obituaries ..........B3-5Public notices ........F4

Puzzles ..................E6Scoreboard ............D7Star Classifieds .F1-6Television ..............E7

@INDYSTAR.COMCheck online for alerts aboutaccidents and other traffic problems.

Chance of rain andsnow early.Full forecast, C4 Copyright 2007

The Star

WEATHER INDEXLow 33 High 37

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007

A GANNETT NEWSPAPER✭ INDYSTAR.COM ✭

CITY FINAL✭ 50 CENTS ✭

FEVER NAME NEW COACH. D1

SPORTS, D1

PACERSBEATBULLS

INDIANA LIVING, E1

Quickaid for fashion

EMERGENCIES7 helpful products for female fashionistas.

By Dan McFeelydan.mcfeely@indystar.com

The yelling, the long hours,his determination and tearspaid off Wednesday for Princi-pal Jeffery C. White at Mar-shall Middle School in Indian-apolis.

The school saw the moststudents in a decade passISTEP-Plus, a 5 percentagepoint increase from last year,his first at the helm.

White takes pride in theprogress but is quick to ac-knowledge there is more to bedone. Just more than a quarterof his students passed bothparts of the exam.

“I am very proud,” he said,“but the school’s final numbersdo not give us room to cel-ebrate. It’s up, but we want75 percent, so this is not some-

thing I can brag about.”That theme echoed across

Indianapolis Public Schools,where elementary and middleschools reported strong prog-ress this year as reformslaunched by SuperintendentEugene White seemed to betaking hold. The signs of prog-ress in a district trying to curba drain of about 1,000 studentsa year heartened civic leaders.

In the middle schools, forexample, 21 percent more stu-dents passed both parts of theexam.

“This is very encouraging,”said Roland Dorson, presidentof the Greater IndianapolisChamber of Commerce. “Pub-lic education is critical to hav-ing a prepared work force, and

DANESE KENON / The Star

QUALIFIED JOY: Jeffery C. White, principal of John Marshall Middle School, says he’s proud that ahigher percentage of his students passed ISTEP this fall, but he’s not ready to brag about the numbers.Go to Indystar.com/multimedia to see more of White’s reaction to his students’ ISTEP progress. See ISTEP, Page A12

IN TODAY’S STAR

FRANK ESPICH / The Star

THERE’S A NEW SHOW IN TOWNThe 2,400-seat Castleton Square 14 theater opens Friday.

It will be the area’s second all-digital projection cinema. C1

PRIVATE FIRM BUYING LAFAYETTE SQUARENew owners of the 39-year-old Northwestside mall are

known for giving old properties completely new looks. C1

By Shari Rudavskyshari.rudavsky@indystar.com

Thousands of uninsuredadults in Indiana will have ac-cess to health insurance Jan 1through a new government-backed program hailed as themost significant expansion ofhealth coverage in recent years.

Sheryl Mayes, 44, already hasher application. Despite the factthat she struggles with asthma,the Eastside Indianapoliswoman hasn’t had health insur-ance for 11 years.

“There have been times whenI’ve put off going to the doctorbecause I just really didn’t havethe money to go,” said Mayes,whose husband and child re-ceive Medicaid, a state healthinsurance program for pregnantor disabled adults and poor chil-dren.

The state’s new Healthy Indi-ana Plan is health insurance forlow-income adults like Mayeswho don’t have other insurance

Hoosiers to start lining up for insuranceAdvocates for low-income residents praise

Indiana health program that starts Jan. 1

See Insurance, Page A13

By Brendan O’Shaughnessybrendan.oshaughnessy@indystar.com

Mayor-elect Greg Ballard, aformer Marine, has decided hewill take the oath of office at theIndiana War Memorial on NewYear’s Day.

The swearing-in ceremony isscheduled for 1 p.m. and will beopen to the first 1,000 people.

John Cochran, the director ofBallard’s transition, said MarionSuperior Court Judge DavidCerto will administer the oath.

Cochran said Ballard met

Certo during the campaign, andthe newly appointed judgeopened his arms to help the un-derfinanced and little-knownchallenger.

Newly elected City-CountyCouncil members also will beinvited to take their oaths at theevent.

Cochran said the mayor-electpicked the memorial in part be-cause he wants to honor thosefighting in the war in Iraq.

The memorial, 431 N. Merid-ian St., hosts about 400 events ayear, including weddings, birth-day parties, business events and,beginning last month, militaryfunerals. It includes the 500-seat General Pershing Audito-

rium and the Shrine Room. Ballard intends to go to the

City-County Building after theceremony and begin movinginto the mayor’s office on the25th floor.

Cochran said a celebratoryevent, possibly an inaugurationparty, is being planned for thethird week in January, possiblyJan. 19. That event would serveas a fundraiser for a charitablecause, he said. ✭ Call Star reporter BrendanO’Shaughnessy at (317) 444-2751.

Ex-Marine to take oath at War MemorialMayor-electGreg Ballardwill be sworninto office at 1 p.m. on NewYear’s Day.

STARTING SUNDAY

In the state’s largest call-up since World War II, 3,400 IndianaNational Guard troops will head to Iraq early next year. The Star

begins its coverage of the one-year deployment of the 76th Brigadeon Sunday, with the first of four profiles of soldiers. Others will run

on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Look for the profiles inThe Star and go to IndyStar.com for accompanying

videos and photo galleries.

SPIRIT OF THE 76TH>> C A L L E D T O S E R V I C E <<

Indiana’s record now 11-11.

IPS sows seeds of successMIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ PASSING RATE IS UP 21% IN ’07 VS. ’06,

COMPLETE RESULTSON INDYSTAR.COM

Go to IndyStar.com/ISTEP and searchour online database to find out how

your child’s school performedon the 2007 ISTEP exam.

BUT 63% OF THE DISTRICT’S MIDDLE SCHOOLERS FAILED THE TESTStudents statewide continueto show slow improvement

345678910

2005

65%66%66%66%63%61%60%57%

2006 2007Grade

Percentage passing both mathand English/language arts:

Source: Department of Education

JENNIFER IMES / The Star

STATEWIDE ISTEP SCORES

64%66%67%67%63%60%58%57%

63%66%67%67%65%62%59%58%

2007 ISTEP RESULTS

On the4thDayofChristmas brings to you...

4 Winesunder$10

not convinced that the changeswould have much of an impact.With Wednesday’s results, shebecame a believer.

“I see a difference with the

we need people who can enterready to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy.”

Greg Ballard, the Republicanwho will succeed IndianapolisMayor Bart Peterson next month,also praised the results.

“I am particularly impressedwith the progress made in the In-dianapolis Public Schools,” hesaid in a prepared statement. “Iapplaud the leadership of Super-intendent White and all thosewho educate our children.”

Indiana improvement Statewide results showed a

slight uptick across the board.Overall, 64.7 percent of Hoo-

sier students in Grades 3-10passed both the math and lan-guage arts portions of the IndianaStatewide Testing for Educa-tional Progress-Plus. Higher per-centages passed one or the other:74 percent passed math, 71 per-cent language arts.

That continued a gradual, dec-adelong increase in ISTEP re-sults, according to the state, withpercentages climbing from a lowof 56.5 percent in 1997.

“The good news is . . . we havegood news,” said Superintendentof Public Instruction SuellenReed.

In IPS, elementary and middleschools armed with a mix ofchanges — new uniforms, zerotolerance for disruptions,monthly testing to target prob-lems and mandatory lesson plansfor teachers — improved acrossthe board in both subjects.

“It’s how we look, how we actand how we teach and learn,”said IPS School Board PresidentMary Busch. “The dress code hasmade a big difference in the be-havior and focus of our children.”

The district’s high schools,however, continued to struggle,with little more than a quarter ofall 10th-graders passing the mathexam and a third passing English.

Skepticism waningThe changes launched since

White became superintendent in2005 have not been easy. Manypeople fought the school dresscode, and parents were shockedwhen students were sent homefor improper dress infractions asminor as a missing belt.

Even a veteran teacher such asMarshall’s Nancy Scott, who hasworked for 26 years in IPS, was

dress code,” she said. “We don’thave near the disciplinary prob-lems we used to have.”

Principal White (no relation tothe superintendent) agreed.

“Last year, we had three fightsduring the test, and it caused totalchaos,” he said. “This year, therewere no fights.”

And the numbers are lookingbetter: 42 percent of eighth-graders passed the math portionof the ISTEP, a dramatic im-provement from the 26 percentwho passed in 2003.

Good old-fashioned classroomwork is also a key factor.

“I think our students are tak-ing this serious because ourteachers and administrators aretaking it serious,” said Superin-tendent White.

“We test every 41⁄2 weeks, andthat has impressed upon themthat it is important how you per-form and that you pay attention.”

At the district’s nine middleschools, 63 percent of seventh-graders passed the math test, upfrom 52.6 percent a year ago. Inthe same grade, 48 percentpassed language arts, up from42.5 percent.

Passing rates for eighth-

graders climbed nine percentagepoints in math, seven in English.

Still, just 37 percent of IPSmiddle school students passedboth sections of the test.

Back at Marshall, JefferyWhite walks the halls with a bigsmile, calling out to students byname and constantly pushingthem to do better — even if ittakes a little bribery.

To encourage better scores,volunteers doled out snacks anddrinks between the tests. Whiteused some new community con-nections to reward students whopassed. New shoes for kids, drinkcoolers for teachers and, forsome, tickets to an NBA game.

“Two seats on the floor,” ex-claimed 15-year-old WendellSherron, an eighth-grader whowon Pacers tickets from FedExfor passing his test.

Raijon Parker, 14, is eagerlywaiting for his new shoes.

“I studied more than I usuallydo,” he said.

As Marshall begins the trans-formation into a junior-seniorhigh school under a districtwideoverhaul, the principal is count-ing on winning attitudes like that.

“It’s like going from Miami toTacoma, Washington,” Whitesaid. “A long journey . . . andwe’ve made it to Jacksonville.

“But we’re still in Florida.”✭ Call Star reporter Dan McFeelyat (317) 444-6253.

DANESE KENON / The Star

IMPROVING: Shannon Robinson is a seventh-grader at Marshall Middle School. Students could get new shoes or Pacers tickets for passing ISTEP.

ISTEP◆ IPS officials credit changesfor improvements in scores.From A1

Go to IndyStar.com/Marshall to experienceThe Star’s special report

on Marshall Middle School andPrincipal Jeffery C. White’sstruggles to improve studentperformance.

Source: Star analysis of Indiana Department of Education data by Mark Nichols

EMILY KUZNIAR / The Star

HOW SOME SCHOOLS FAREDSuccess on statewide exams varied across Indiana.

Total Total2007 2006 students passingrank rank School system County tested both Percent

1 4 Signature School Vanderburgh 167 159 95.2%

2 1 Carmel Clay Schools Hamilton 9,370 8,368 89.3%

3 2 West Lafayette Tippecanoe 1,280 1,143 89.3%Community Schools

4 3 Zionsville Boone 3,337 2,964 88.8%Community Schools

5 5 Hamilton Hamilton 10,043 8,589 85.5%Southeastern Schools

Total Total2007 students passingrank School system County tested both Percent

328 Timothy L. Johnson Allen 59 12 20.3%Academy

329 Renaissance Academy LaPorte 58 10 17.2%Charter

330 Indianapolis Metropolitan Marion 167 23 13.8%High School

331 21st Century Charter Lake 240 30 12.5%School of Gary

332 Campagna Academy Lake 65 7 10.8%Charter School

TOP FIVE STATEWIDE

BOTTOM FIVE STATEWIDE

A12 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007 3 R D THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR } WWW.INDYSTAR.COMFrom Page One

WHAT IS ISTEP?Indiana Statewide Testing

for Educational Progress-Plusis a mandatory annual examgiven to students in all publicand private schools that havebeen accredited by the state.Scores are used to determinewhether a school met its aca-demic goals, called adequateyearly progress. The scoresalso are used to create a list ofschools that need to improveor face sanctions.

The test is given to stu-dents in Grades 3-10. Testscores were sent home to par-ents this month.

WHAT’S THEBOTTOM LINE?

Hoosier students showedsome improvements in Englishand math scores on statewideexams taken this fall, accord-ing to data released Wednes-day by the Indiana Departmentof Education.

WHY IT MATTERSTO YOU

A federal education law re-quires every student to passstatewide exams by 2013. Bet-ter-educated students, expertssay, lead to a work force withhigher skills and help lurebusinesses and industry to thestate. But gains have comeslowly, and state education of-ficials admit improvement isn’twhere they want it to be.

Every 1 percentage point in-crease represents about 800more students passing theexam, officials say. Businessleaders think schools can andmust do better.

The response of parents ismixed, with some saying toomuch emphasis is placed onthe test, which can take awayfrom innovative lessons in theclassroom.

WHAT’S NEXTStudents will take ISTEP

tests in the spring beginning in2009. That means that in the2008-09 school year, studentswill take the exam in both thefall and spring as schools makethe adjustment.

FIND OUT MOREDetailed ISTEP information

is available at IndyStar.com.

Just South of 465 on 67 Open: Mon-Sat 10-6Sun Noon-5

831-5400

The Or ig ina lVincent’sFur & Leather

The Original Fur & Leather

The right coat for the right person.

Ladies 3/4 Leather Coats

$159Mink Hooded Parkas

$995Mink Ear Muffs

$59Mens Shearlings

$795Ladies Sheared Mink Reversible

$1995Mens Fur Hats

$59Ladies Fur Vest

$795Indianapolis ColtsLeather Ball Caps

$2795

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

ASLOWAS

• Fur Scarves• Mink Headbands• Shearling Gloves• Leather Gloves• Fur-Trimmed Gloves

40%Off

ALL FUR& LEATHER

30-70%Off

HOLIDAY SAVINGSSTOREWIDE

STORE HOURS: M–TH 10 – 8 • FRI–SAT 10 – 6 • SUN 1–5

12725 Old Meridian St. • Carmel, IN 46032Just East of Meijer on Old Meridian, North of Carmel Drive

317.575.9588

MERIDIAN MUSIC

GRANDS from $4,891UPRIGHTS from $1,894PLAYER Grand Pianos from $8,79488 note DIGITAL Pianos from $399

Christmas EveDelivery StillAvailable!

SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE12 months no payment, 11 months no interest on select items, OAC

FINAL Mark Downs on Guitars & Accessories!