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Board approves curriculum purchases; member raises data-use concerns about i-Ready
Summary
The board approved multiple curriculum and instructional purchases, including Curriculum Associates' i-Ready. A board member asked about lawsuits concerning i-Ready and student data; district staff and Ms. Turner said Baldwin County's student data were not involved and staff will provide contract safeguards.
At its June 23 meeting the Baldwin County Board of Education approved several curriculum purchases and related contracts, including Curriculum Associates' i-Ready math benchmark assessments and supporting Alabama resource materials.
During discussion of the i-Ready purchase a board member asked David (district staff) to review an ongoing lawsuit related to i-Ready and to provide detail on contractual safeguards and data-handling practices. Ms. Turner responded directly: "Our data was not included in any way in any of those lawsuits ... we've received assurances from them. Our data was not involved in any of those alleged lawsuits." She also said i-Ready provided information about how it safeguards and transfers data, and she offered to circulate that documentation to the board.
The board approved other instructional materials and assessments during the consent portion of the meeting: Forefront early numeracy (kindergartensecond grade) and a related screener; K-6 Alabama standard workbooks as listed in the agenda; and contract approvals for interpreter services with LBP Interpreting and on-site coaching with Solution Tree for Magnolia schools (to be paid from school improvement funds).
Board action: all purchases and contracts in this consent block were approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
What the board asked to follow up on: a board member asked staff to provide contract language and information about i-Ready's data safeguards and whether district student data were included in any litigation or third-party data transfers; staff said they would provide that information to members.
