An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner
So much has transpired in the situation regarding the state of Louisiana education for 2014-15. For those attempting to keep up with the situation, let me briefly summarize:
On June 18, 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal declared that he wanted Louisiana out of both the Partnership for Assessment of College and Careers (PARCC) consortium (the now-nonprofit that is responsible for the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) tests) and CCSS itself.
In order to release Louisiana from both PARCC and CCSS, Jindal had the Office of Contractual Renewal (OCR) (part of the Division of Administration–DOA) begin an investigation into the assessment contracts that the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) supposedly had for PARCC tests. OCR froze LDOE spending on assessments at that time.
As it turns out, LDOE has no direct and properly-procured contract for PARCC tests for 2014-15. So, the Division of Administration (DOA) began an investigation into LDOE assessment contracts.
Meanwhile, on July 1, 2014, the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) held a special meeting, the apparent goal of which was to “explore” suing the governor for interfering in the BESE business of PARCC and CCSS.
Not all BESE members wanted to turn attention to suing Jindal. One of the outcomes of the July 1, 2014, meeting was a resolution by BESE member Jane Smith that Louisiana State Superintendent John White and Governor Jindal meet prior to any decision to file suit and that White report back to the full board. Her resolution passed. Smith suggested that the meeting be on July 18, 2014. The meeting was scheduled for July 17, 2014.
BESE member James Garvey also proposed that BESE investigate legal action. His resolution passed.
On July 2, 2014, DOA Commissioner Kristy Nichol supported a decision by OCR Interim Director Pamela Barfay Rice to restrict any non-OCR-approved BESE An Update on the Continued Constriction of Roemer’s and White’s 2014-15 Assessment Corner | deutsch29:
