Reading assessment company asks NC schools to 'suspend or terminate' competitor's contract

— A company that has worked with North Carolina public schools since 2013 to test K-3 students' reading skills submitted a letter to the state education agency Monday asking it to "suspend or terminate" its recent multimillion dollar contract with a competing company.

Amplify Education Inc. said it was "concerned to learn" that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction decided to stop using its services and instead choose Istation, even though "DPI’s evaluation committee concluded as far back as December 2018 that Istation’s product was inferior, did not meet the state’s mandatory standards, and that Amplify should have been awarded this contract."

In a statement Tuesday, a DPI spokesman defended the agency's decision and said the State Board of Education "unanimously approved the (Istation) product."

"State purchases require strict processes and legal parameters, which were followed and will continue to be followed," DPI spokesman Graham Wilson wrote. "After a fair weighing of all factors of the available products, Istation was deemed to be the best choice."

Included in Amplify's 22-page letter and 59 pages of exhibits were two Facebook posts by a former DPI staffer who was part of a committee that reviewed the companies competing for the contract. In her posts, Amy Jablonski criticized State Superintendent Mark Johnson for "going against the advice of our educators and experts," whom she said did not recommend Istation.

"People ask, how do I know… I was there and I will not stay silent. This is the result of putting politics, not kids first," wrote Jablonski, who previously worked as DPI's director of Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems' division. She is currently running for state superintendent.

In a statement Monday, Istation Chief Operating Officer Ossa Fisher said her company "won the contract based on the merits of our proposal and our proven results working with teachers and millions of students across the country. We are actively engaged with educators as we roll out our initial training and implementation. We look forward to working with teachers and administrators during this phase, and with students as we enter the new school year.”

The state superintendent announced on June 7 that he had signed the contract with Istation, which angered some educators, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg teacher Justin Parmenter. On his blog, Notes from the Chalkboard, Parmenter wrote that the change to Istation would result in "increased screen time" and "reduced human interaction" for K-3 students who are tested on reading. The blog post was shared more than 13,000 times.

In its letter to DPI, Amplify said its product, mClass, is based on "direct observations by a teacher of students performing authentic reading activities," whereas Istation "is purely software-based, so that the student does not read aloud and does not interact with the teacher."

Amplify has asked to meet with state education leaders "as soon as possible" and requested that Istation's newly awarded contract be suspended until the protest is resolved.

Source: Wral.com

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