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Illinois General Assembly --
House Republicans Demand Answers on ISAT Fiasco
Springfield (March 24, 2006) -- A group of House Republicans today called upon state school Superintendent Randy Dunn to answer critical questions about the Illinois Standards Achievement Test fiasco that has wreaked havoc with school districts’ testing schedules statewide. The lawmakers called for immediate consideration of a resolution compelling Superintendent Dunn to appear before lawmakers to explain Harcourt Assessment, Inc.’s failure to deliver testing materials, causing testing delays and calling into question the validity of the results.
“Some schools in my area received too few testing booklets, some received booklets that were illegible, others received none at all. Districts were sharing materials so some could go ahead and get their testing done, while others are still waiting for the materials they need. In short, it’s a disorganized mess. Schools in our districts need and deserve answers,” said State Representative Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling).
“Our March round of standardized testing is scheduled a year in advance, so there’s absolutely no excuse for Harcourt’s failure to get us our testing supplies on time,” added State Representative Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville). “The past few weeks have been incredibly tough on students and staff who are prepared for the test only to be told it has been delayed. My schools want to know how this happened, how it’s being resolved, and how the state board plans to prevent it from happening again.”
Representatives Mitchell, Eddy, Suzie Bassi (R-Palatine) and Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) today called for immediate House passage of House Resolution 1005 requiring State Superintendent Randy Dunn to appear before a joint hearing of the House Committees on Elementary and Secondary Education and Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations to answer all questions about how the state standardized testing contract was awarded to Harcourt, how the company was to fulfill the contract, why the State Board of Education was not aware that the company could not deliver the materials on time, and what the testing delay may mean in terms of validity and compliance with federal requirements.
“Yesterday we called for our resolution to be released to the floor, but Speaker Madigan and House Democrats continue to keep it blocked in Rules,” said Representative Bassi. “Harcourt has a 5-year contract with the state worth $44.5 million and apparently can’t fulfill their obligations. We have serious concerns about the fact that Harcourt’s lobbyist who secured the contract happens to be John Wyma, a former top aide to Governor Blagojevich.”
Representative Rose added concerns that the testing delays may nullify the test results and force Illinois out of compliance with federal “No Child Left Behind” guidelines. “It’s not really a standardized test if districts are administering it using different test questions and different testing support materials, so after all this hassle the results are useless,” said Rose.
“Our schools are looking to us to get these questions answered. Superintendent Dunn needs to appear before our Elementary and Secondary Education and Education Appropriations Committees to provide the answers and to tell us what his recommendation is for the future of Harcourt’s contract,” Representative Mitchell said.
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