PowerSchool and NC schools: Work continues

A North Carolina blogger known as Lady Liberty 1885 turned up an interesting letter from big-district superintendents taking Pearson to task over problems with the start-up of the PowerSchool data system.

"Delays in report cards,  transcripts and attendance data have generated considerable negative attention from media,  resulting in districts being blamed for poor implementation,"  says the Feb. 21 letter from 10 superintendents,  including the leaders of CMS, Wake, Union and Gaston county schools.  "... Public goodwill has been severely damaged.  We need Pearson to accept responsibility for the challenges as we continue to address issues."

The superintendents ask Pearson to provide PowerSchool to N.C. districts at no charge next year,  saying the product will eventually be a good one but the one-year rollout,  which many of the district leaders predicted would fail,  has been a mess.  "We want a productive relationship with Pearson since the data system will be with us for many years,"  they say.

"Lady Liberty"

Neither the problems nor the frustration of district leaders is surprising.  T. Keung Hui of the News & Observer and I were among those giving  "negative media attention"  about the time that letter was written.  But Lady Liberty,  aka A.P. Dillon of Holly Springs,  a conservative/Libertarian blogger,  got some good details as part of a public records request related to PowerSchool.  She reports that she's still digging through four big boxes of documents.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Heath Morrison said this week that Pearson's follow-up has been  "very good,"  including a visit to Charlotte last week to meet with him and Chief Learning Services Officer Valerie Truesdale.  (An email to the Pearson communications department has gotten no response.)  "They acknowledged many of the issues we have discussed all year and have promised to help with issues we continue to have, such as not being able to print report cards recently,"  Morrison said in an email.

Philip Price,  chief financial officer for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction,  agrees.  "While I would not state that the larger school districts are completely happy at this time,  I will state that we have addressed the items outlined in the posted letter (most prior to the date of that letter).  As we progress through the implementation year, new issues do arise; but we are pleased that we are not experiencing repeat issues."

But don't hold your breath for that year of free service.  The previously reported cost is $7.1 million a year.  While Pearson may be forced to provide some type of refund if it fails to meet agreed-upon levels of service,  the state Board of Education is asking for $6 million to cover the cost that would otherwise fall to districts and charter schools next year,  Price said.

Here's Price's detailed explanation,  for those who can follow it:

The request to have the software to be free for another year relates to the $4 per ADM charge to sign-up for the Home Base suite of products.  There continues to be confusion as to what the $4 charge is based on.  The software, maintenance, support, data conversion, and training are all free to the school districts and charter schools for all parts of Home Base (including PowerSchool).  We subscribed to some Pearson content that strengthened the Home Base tool with Science and Social Studies material for teachers.  This content is charged to the State based on the number of systems that access the content.  We are charged on a sliding scale based on use.  If 20% of the State sign-up to use the content, the charge is $8.30 per ADM.  If 95% sign-up, the charge will be $4.00 per ADM.  The General Assembly authorized the Department to make-up any shortfall from collections by using possible reversions (with authorization from the State Budget Office).  Therefore, we could stabilize the LEA and charter price at $4.00 for the length of the contract (5 years).

Since this content is based on use, it is difficult to eliminate the charge.  The State Board has requested that the Governor recommend and the General Assembly appropriate funding ($6 million) to cover the subscription content costs.  If funded, there will be no cost to the LEA or charters to participate in Home Base.

Our contracts do include service level agreements (SLAs) that set an acceptable level of service.  If those targets are not met, we do receive credits to our maintenance and support costs.  We are currently determining the amount of those credits.  We plan on refunding Home Base participating LEAs and Charters a portion of their $4 per ADM charge (if it is not appropriated), based on the amount of credits received.

There are several incorrect statements included in the write-up around the letter.  PowerSchool was designed and is supporting the entire State (the comments state that it was never intended to support the whole state). CEDARS has nothing to do with PowerSchool other than the fact that data will come from PowerSchool to CEDARS.  The contract w/Pearson does cover all the costs for implementation.

Check out NC schools: Data reports are up

North Carolina's school report cards for 2012-13 are in  --  perfect timing for those who are school-shopping for the coming year or who just have some extra time on a snow day.

The report cards compile the most recent data on test performance, teacher turnover, class sizes, student suspensions, criminal and violent acts at school and other key checkpoints. They're available for every public school  (that includes charters)  and district.

Update: A reader's comment about the best data being buried reminds me that I forgot to include a basic step that many people miss. The first page that displays is the school profile. To find the best info,  you need to click the dark blue tabs at the top of each school or district's page for high student performance;  safe, orderly and caring schools;  and quality teachers.

You can also check past years,  but don't expect test results to match up.  Remember,  the state introduced new exams last year,  leading to much lower proficiency rates across the board.

You'll also find a line about how many Annual Measurable Objectives,  or AMOs,  each school met,  instead of the AYP goals listed previously.   I won't bother detailing the difference because I don't think  those measures tell you anything about academic performance that you won't get more clearly from the other breakdowns.

As always:  Remember that numbers provide a great framework for asking questions and fact-checking what you may hear from people pitching an option.  But they never give the full picture of a school.  If you assume the best numbers equal the best education,  you may miss a school that's right for your child.

As for this year's enrollment and demographics for Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools  ...  still waiting.

Big menu, little info for school shoppers

The new year ushers in a time of unprecedented school choice in the Charlotte area.  And unfortunately for families trying to sort it all out,  school data is harder than usual to find.

Twenty-six of North Carolina's 127 charter schools are in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, and this week the state Board of Education is poised to approve 11 more to open in August. That includes four near the Meck/Cabarrus line that plan to draw students from both counties.

The nonprofit MeckEd has provided a boost for families interested in charters, with an updated report on local charters.

2012 magnet fair

CMS kicks off its month-long magnet application period Saturday with a school options fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology,  1430 Alleghany St. A dozen new magnets and other programs for 2014-15 will be among the options showcased.

And new N.C. Opportunity Scholarships will help low-income families pay for private school in 2014-15.  Applications will be taken starting Feb. 1 for $4,800 vouchers.

It's the time of year when families traditionally scour data on academic performance, demographics and other measures of school performance,  trying to figure out the best option for their kids in the coming year. But a confluence of new state tests and problems with the new PowerSchool data system have made that unusually difficult.

Halfway through the school year,  CMS has yet to release any enrollment numbers or demographics for individual schools, or to post  long-promised school data reports.   N.C. school report cards,  usually a great source of information, haven't been updated to reflect 2012-13 data.

I've got 2013 proficiency results for CMS and Mecklenburg charters in the School Data maps at the right of this post,  but families tend to want a lot more.  I'm expecting state and local resources to be updated this month,  and as fresh information arrives I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile,  I'd love to hear from those of you who are exploring your choices.  With so many new and untested options,  how are you checking them out?  What kind of questions do you have about the rapidly-changing school choice scene,   and what tips do you have for fellow seekers?