Due Diligence in MCPS?

Did the Board of Education check out the reputation of its new curriculum partner Pearson before agreeing to the high profile novel curriculum partnership/contract at its June 8, 2010 meeting?

On the same day that MoCo's own BOE approved the Pearson project with barely a question, the Miami Herald reported problems with Pearson's performance on a an assessment contract with the state.  The state education commissioner is threatening to impose fines likely to reach the seven figure level.   Lawmakers in the state are asking for information on how the company was hired.  


Did anyone from MCPS check out the company?  Run a Google search?  Or is the Pearson deal so lucrative that no one really cares?

FCAT firm gets an 'F' from Florida

The company that was hired to administer the FCATs could face millions in penalties for botching the release of this year's results.

BY KATHLEEN McGRORY AND HANNAH SAMPSON

kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith on Tuesday slammed the testing company in charge of administering the FCAT for delaying the release of this year's scores and threatened to impose hefty fines, which are likely to reach into the millions of dollars.
Breaking its previous silence, NCS Pearson, the testing company, admitted to having technical problems and apologized for the delays.
``We take responsibility for it,'' company spokesman Adam Gaber said late Tuesday. ``With the benefit of hindsight, we underestimated the challenges involved in aligning technology systems between Pearson, the Department of Education and the state's schools.''
Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties have called for an investigation into how the company was hired -- and its problems since.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/08/1670342/state-blasts-company-in-charge.html#ixzz0qVO4SOSX