District 299 The Chicago Schools Blog

Payroll Problems: 400 Grievances, 16 Promised Changes

This isn't new news, but it's got some depth and context that other news coverage may not have had: "Some of the nation’s biggest school districts and many smaller ones are weighing the adoption of corporate-style software, called “enterprise resource planning” systems, to run their key business functions," begins this EdWeek article (Payroll Problems).  "But problems implementing ERP systems in the Los Angeles and Chicago schools have raised cautionary flags about going down this technological path too quickly and without careful planning.

"The Los Angeles and Chicago school districts, for instance, both encountered large-scale payroll errors as a consequence of their adoptions of new systems during the 2006-07 school year. In Chicago, more than 400 teachers have filed grievances that allege payroll errors were committed by the 415,000-student school district since it converted to a PeopleSoft payroll system in March. Chicago school officials have acknowledged the problems and said they were caused by not providing enough staff members and training for the implementation of the software. In August, district officials posted a list of 16 changes they planned to make to reduce errors and improve the operation of the payroll system. But the problems in Chicago have been far less extensive than in Los Angeles."

Charter School Reform -- Is It Time?

Some of you might be interested in this EdWeek commentary from charter guru Greg Richmond about the need to rethink and revamp what charters are all about:

"It’s time to admit that in simply getting out of the way, we failed to plan for and support the growth of high-quality charter school communities," writes Richmond (Piecing Together the Charter Puzzle).  "Let’s learn from that and improve how we support our charter schools, in New Orleans and around the country. If we do, districts can begin to use chartering strategically to move all of public education forward."

Test Problems Not Just Here

Even though Illinois is currently the nation's poster child for messed-up testing systems and delays, this AP article makes clear that there's lots of the same going on in other places, and that it may get worse before it gets better ('No Child' test demands taxing system). 

For critics of standardized testing, this is icing on the cake.  For accountability fans, this is fast becoming an Achilles heel.

Things Could Be Worse

Post this in the category of "things could be worse."  In what way, you ask?  Well, in the area of testing, actually.  Read all about what's going on in Oregon, where the state, fearing a complete breakdown of its testing system and loss of NCLB funding due to intense squabbles with its vendor (Vantage), is switching testing methods at the last minute. Here:  State Supe Says Testing Co. Threatened State & Raises Loss Of NCLB Funding.

Last Year's Test Scores To Be Released Next Week

According to ISBE, the release date for Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) scores will be next week on on Tuesday, March 6, 2007 and on March 13th for Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) scores, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and School Report Cards.  Just in time for the 2007 ISAT testing window, if my calculations are correct.  What a two-fer that will be the schools, don't you think?

Last Year's ISATs Arrive Just About The Same Time As This Year's

As the CPS memo below details, they're getting ready for the arrival of the 2006 ISAT results and the 2007 tests at roughly the same time. How convenient.

Hopefully things will go better than last year. Remember? If not, look here.

From the ISBE website: 

ISAT Testing Window March 12-23, 2007 (Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8)
                    2007 ISAT Testing Schedule (Posted January 17, 2007)

Harcourt Messes Up On Testing -- Again

A normally reliable reader sends in word from the Office of Research and Evaluation that there's been a small mixup from Harcourt on the Winter Learning First reports -- mislabeling them as Fall scores.  Oops!

Details:  "We discovered late yesterday that the Learning First READING Parent Reports and parent CDs contain a typographical error. The reports state that the data is for the Fall Reading Assessment rather than for the Winter Reading Assessment. The data on the reports is accurate and reflects student performance on the Winter Learning First READING Assessment. This error does not apply to the Mathematics Benchmark Parent Reports.

"To minimize confusion by parents or schools, Harcourt Assessment will be sending new READING parent reports to be delivered via FedEx on Tuesday, January 30th. This is the best we can do to get correct reports into schools before the January 31st parent report card distribution date. Please make sure you destroy the old reports and do not distribute them to parents next week. "

"We are in the process of exploring our legal options and hope to compensate each school for this inconvenience.  We sincerely apologize for the confusion and distress this may cause you."

For previous mentions of Harcourt on this site, go here.

The Lost Tests Story, Continued

This Time Magazine article chides Illinois (and Montana) for having "failed miserably" at complying with the NCLB requirement for annual testing to be used to determine school performance, pointing out the a combination of vendor and internal problems with 11,000 mis-entered student ID numbers have -- you know this already -- delayed the release of last spring's tests until "well into the new year."

Forget Harcourt -- What About Chancery?

No sooner had the curiosity surrounding the reorganization plan flared and died than readers' and sources' attention reverted right back to where it was before:  IMPACT, Chancery, Bob Runcie, and all of that. 

Below, thanks to a reader, are a couple of links to stories about how software upgrades involving Chancery have gone in other school districts -- Orlando and Baltimore.  Maybe this is what we're headed for.   Their experiences "pale in comparison with CPS," I'm told. True?

Somone told me yesterday that the IMPACT contract is the biggest single check that CPS has cut in several years -- bigger than the High School Transformation, for example.  If ISBE has to deal with the fiasco surrounding Harcourt, is Chancery shaping up to be the fiasco surrounding CPS? 

Downstate Drama: Harcourt?

No news yet on what the closed ISBE meeting yesterday was all about, though there's some speculation from State School News ($) that it might have been about Harcourt:  "perhaps enough Democrat legislators have threatened to revolt in the final days of the session that the matter had to be addressed quickly." 

SSN also has an excellent Harcourt "timeline" and supporting documents like Auditor General reports on GRod's relucatance to seek bids on contracts.  There's also a legislative newswire -- minute by minute tracking of education related legislation.