Department OKs $134M in Testing Contracts
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Department of Administration has released the list of selected vendors to administer statewide K-12 testing. The two-year contracts total around $134 million, which State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz calls “astronomical.” State Board of Education Member Sarah O'Brien says the board will work to make sure Hoosiers aren't on the hook for “more tax dollars than is necessary.”
One contract is for more than $38 million for Pearson PLC for ISTEP+ assessments.
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Source: Inside INdiana Business
March 11, 2015
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Today, the Indiana Department of Administration informed vendors of their successful bids to administer aspects of Indiana’s assessment system through the spring of 2017. In response to the Department of Administration's award, Glenda Ritz, Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction issued the following statement:
“When I ran for this office, I ran on a platform that included less testing for our students. However, Indiana's procurement process is modeled to comply with state and federal mandates that require a continuation of assessments that we have been administering to our students. The Department of Education learned of the awards and the astronomical costs of the assessments after this process had been completed.
“I strongly believe that Indiana needs a streamlined system of assessments that come at a reasonable cost to taxpayers. I look forward to working with Indiana's policy makers toward that outcome.”
Source: The Indiana Department of Education
March 11, 2015
Statement from Sarah O'Brien, State Board of Education Member, on future statewide assessments:
“The State Board of Education will take a very close look in the coming months at the proposed testing contracts in terms of overall scope and cost. Hoosier taxpayers and parents can be assured the Board will not authorize any assessment that results in excessive testing time for our children or spends more tax dollars than is necessary to meet state and federal education requirements.”
Sarah O'Brien is a first and second grade teacher at River Birch Elementary School in Avon. She received both her BS in Elementary Education and her MS in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has served on the State Board of Education representing the fourth congressional district since 2009.
Source: The Indiana State Board of Education