NC education agency, Istation seek ruling in ongoing fight over K-3 reading test
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Istation, a company that tests K-3 students' reading skills, filed a joint motion Monday asking for a ruling in the ongoing fight over how the state's students are tested.
The state Department of Information Technology put Istation's contract on hold in August pending an administrative review process. Istation's competitor, Amplify, which lost out on the contract, asked DIT for the review. Amplify leaders are protesting State Superintendent Mark Johnson's decision to choose Istation over their company.
The parties met in court in October to argue whether or not the contract should have been put on hold, and DIT has yet to make a ruling.
In the joint filing, lawyers for DPI and Istation said the delay has caused "worsening statewide confusion" and "threatens to implicate the fundamental, constitutional rights of public school students to a sound education."
If a ruling is not made by Dec. 9 at noon, DPI and Istation said they "will be forced to seek relief in superior court."
