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School committee authorizes three-year Renaissance license after questions on assessment use and student data
Summary
The committee approved a three-year extension with Renaissance Learning to support STAR assessments after members pressed administration on whether assessment frequency and contract terms could be adjusted and on student-data protections; a district administrator said the district controls data and it is stored by the vendor subject to FERPA.
The Worcester School Committee voted to authorize administration to enter a three-year extension of a license-service agreement with Renaissance Learning Inc. to support reading, mathematics and early-literacy instruction.
During discussion, committee members raised operational and privacy questions. One member asked whether the district could reduce common assessments in the future and still modify or opt out of contract components; Superintendent Allen and other administrators said purchasing authorizations are subject to annual appropriation and that the district would negotiate terms as assessment needs evolve. "All of these are subject to annual appropriation anyways," an administrator said, noting contracts can be revisited during the annual budgeting process.
Members also asked about student-data ownership and privacy. Dr. Lampe, an online district administrator brought in to answer technical questions, said the district owns the student data while the vendor stores it and that both parties must comply with FERPA and applicable state protections. "Data is owned by the district, harbored by the contractee and subject to all of the rules and regulations under federal and state" protections, Dr. Lampe said, and added the district can request deletion of data at contract end.
Committee members requested clearer backup on required versus optional assessments and expressed interest in receiving an assessment inventory in a Friday letter or in the fall assessment report. After the discussion, the purchasing authorization for a three-year engagement with Renaissance was approved by roll call.
