Board tables one‑year renewal of ALEKS screening contract after questions about data use and implementation

The Montgomery County Board of Education on Oct. 21 voted to table for further review a proposed one‑year renewal of the district's contract with McGraw Hill for the ALEKS math diagnostic and intervention program, after board members pressed staff for clearer evidence the product will be used broadly and will return measurable results.

Curtis Rice, a district staff member who presented the item, said the one‑year renewal would allow the system to study how ALEKS “identifies learning gaps” and creates “personalized pathways” for students. He said ALEKS is already being used in parts of the secondary program and that staff want the vendor to share usage and outcome data with the district so the board can judge return on investment.

The decision followed sustained questioning from multiple board members about how widely ALEKS is used and whether its results are linked to state and college‑ready assessments. Board member Cloud noted that staff had used the phrase “hope” when describing vendor commitments and pressed for firm assurances before signing a new contract. "I was a little bit concerned because you use the, term hope, and we are looking at a contract renewal," said Dr. Coleman during the discussion.

Superintendent Byrd said the district had negotiated a data‑sharing agreement (DSA) with the vendor and that the technical process to correlate ALEKS results with state and college/career assessments would require time. Byrd told the board the agreement existed and that reviewing vendor data would take about five months: "the agreement for the data that we've requested... does take 5 months to actually look at our data for that to do," Byrd said.

Board members also cited usage figures shown by staff as part of the presentation: ALEKS usage rates cited for current secondary courses were geometry 36%, algebra I 29%, algebra II 48% and precalculus 43%. Staff said ALEKS has been part of the district's toolbox since roughly 2019 but that integration with other district programs and assessments has been uneven.

The board voted 6–1 to table the item until the board's Nov. 12 meeting so staff could finalize the DSA, negotiate specific deliverables and provide additional information about fund source and implementation. Board members indicated they expect clearer timelines for district‑wide implementation, benchmarks tied to ACAP/ACT/WorkKeys outcomes and a plan that ensures building‑level leaders and teachers will use the tool consistently if the contract is renewed.

The superintendent's office confirmed the requested renewal would be paid from the district general fund and that the vendor's current subscription is scheduled to expire Nov. 30, prompting the expedited schedule for additional information and a possible contract decision in November.