Reis Demands Answers on ISAT Fiasco

March 28, 2006

Springfield.….State Representative David Reis (R-Ste. Marie) has joined a group of House Republicans calling upon state school Superintendent Randy Dunn to answer critical questions about the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) 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.

“This is high stakes testing with a lot of funding tied to the test results” said Reis. “We begin testing these students in the third grade and monitor their progress all the way through. What do we do with a ‘bad year’ of testing?”

The 108th District State Representative said he and his colleagues 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. “We have brought pay-to-play politics to the third grade classrooms of the State of Illinois” Reis said. “Students of all ages deserve much better than that from an administration that continually talks about how important education is. Harcourt has a 5-year contract with the state worth $44.5 million and apparently can’t fulfill their obligations.”

Some schools received too few testing booklets, some received booklets that were illegible, and others received none at all. Districts have been sharing materials so some could go ahead and get their testing done, while others are still waiting for the materials they need.

That is why Rep. Reis has joined his fellow Republicans in calling for immediate 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. They will also seek answers regarding 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.

“The Governor needs to show some leadership on this ISAT fiasco. Instead, he’s worried about scheduling 10 debates for his re-election campaign and renewing calls to take away our guns. I am deeply concerned with this governor’s misaligned priorities and his ineptitude at managing any important detail of governmental operations. The Governor needs to take a leading role and come up with some answers to this serious problem. Our school districts and our children deserve better” Reis said.