Media Contact: 

Suzanne Miller, Organizer

NCTestingReform.org                                                 

Tel. 919-815-7861

Email: Advocacy@NCTestingReform.org

NC FAMILIES FOR SCHOOL TESTING REFORM TO HOST PRESS CONFERENCE CALLING FOR FULL INVESTIGATION OF STATE PROCUREMENT OF K-3 READING DIAGNOSTIC TOOL 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RALEIGH, North Carolina (July 17, 2019) — NC Families For School Testing Reform, a parent advocacy group, is hosting a Press Conference on Friday, July 19, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. on the Bicentennial Mall at the Jones Street end across from the NC General Assembly. 

NC Families for School Testing Reform is making a statement in response to the NC Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) K-3 reading assessment program for the current (2019-2020) school year. We believe 1) the time-frame for program implementation is insufficient, and 2) we are concerned about possible irregularities in awarding the contract for testing services.

1)   We publicly supported the requests for delaying implementation of the new test by one year. DPI’s later announcement that data collection for teacher performance evaluations will be delayed until January does not solve the problem of data discontinuity between assessment modalities. 

2)    Issues related to the contract award process itself have arisen, which we believe warrant further investigation. Some problems include inconsistent answers about why the two RFPs were cancelled, varied answers on whether RFPs required consensus or unanimity, and confusion over assessments vs. curriculum components and purposes of them. 

Our goal is to:

  • Repeat the request for a full one-year delay for the new program, as our request for a response from Superintendent Johnson has not been granted (see our Open Letter to Mark Johnson on 7/9/19 co-signed 350 individuals and by 17 organizations representing tens of thousands of North Carolinians).
  • Call for complete public disclosure of the procurement process, along with a full investigation by Attorney General Josh Stein and State Auditor Beth Wood.

Our Speakers will include Mark Jewell, President of NCAE, and Suzanne Miller, organizer for NC Families For School Testing Reform. Speakers and NC Families For School Testing Reform leadership team members will be available for interviews after the press conference.   

About NC Families For School Testing Reform 

As a parent advocacy group that formed in June 2018, NC Families For School Testing Reform is working to bring legislative change to the high-stakes testing culture in North Carolina. We fight for #FewerTests, #FairerTests, and #FruitfulTests for all NC students, and advocate for assessments that are formative, equitable, and developmentally appropriate. We are proud members of the Network for Public Education. For more information, visit: http://NCTestingReform.org.