Utah school board cancels contract with testing company
Jun 7, 2019, 9:19 AM | Updated: 10:03 am
(Photo Credit: KSL TV, file)
(Photo Credit: KSL TV, file)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Board of Education has canceled its ten-year $44 million dollar contract with the company that ran their end of year testing.
The RISE tests ran by Questar this spring were full of glitches and problems, and after last nights decision, Utah Public Schools will have to start over with a different company.
In a closed-door meeting that ran through that went past midnight into Friday morning where members voted 12-1 to terminate the contract with Questar.
Some schools had cyber attacks, others saw tests freeze or shut down without saving.
After a long closed session, the Utah State Board of Education voted to cancel its contract with testing provider Questar, the vendor that provided the technological platform for Utah to administer statewide RISE assessments to students in grades 3-8 in the 2018-19 school year. https://t.co/HBuZJAKzgE
— Utah State Board of Education (@UTBoardofEd) June 7, 2019
In a news release, Superintendent Sydnee Dickson said they will continue to investigate this situation.
“The underlying test questions, developed by Utah educators, are still valid and reliable, but the platform upon which the test was delivered did not meet our expectations. We will be conducting studies to determine what effect – if any – this year’s glitches had on our ability to use the data for statewide accountability purposes, including school grading and identification of schools in need of support and improvement,” Dickson said.
These yearly tests are required by federal and state law, so now the board will look for a short-term contract to get through next year. and then find for a long-term replacement.
