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.
Posted — UpdatedIn 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."
"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.”
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.
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