Dive Brief:
- A judge has ordered the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to place its recent contract with Pearson on hold while a potential bias is investigated.
- PARCC contracted Pearson — the only bidder — last month for Common Core help. However, nonprofit American Institutes for Research is protesting the decision, alleging PARCC showed favoritism towards Pearson that led them to refrain from even submitting a proposal.
- The contract bidding process is now being reviewed by officials.
Dive Insight:
As many states waffle over their decision to implement the Common Core, news of a potential bias among developers of tests aligned to the standards does not sit well. The federal government granted PARCC and Smarter Balance massive chunks of money to create Common Core aligned tests. The idea that this money is now being funneled to other massive education powerhouses in biased or unfair ways leaves a lot to wonder about all of the money being spent on implementing the standards overall.
