Letter to Illinois Superintendent of Schools from Harcourt

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| Thursday, March 9, 2006 10:26 PM CST | () comments

Dear Superintendent Dunn:

You have asked for an explanation of delays in delivery of test materials for the Illinois Standards Achievement Test.

As you know, materials were to have been delivered to school districts two weeks in advance of test window dates. In fact, some districts are not receiving materials until days before the scheduled start of testing in their schools. Most districts whose testing starts next week and the week of March 20 are just receiving test materials this week. We recognize the testing season is a busy and stressful period for schools under the best of circumstances and that these late delivery problems have caused significant hardship and legitimate consternation. We intend to reimburse districts for any additional expense, including overtime, incurred as a result of delayed shipments of test materials.

I want to assure you personally that we are doing everything in our power to complete the delivery of test materials to schools as quickly as possible. Following are some of the steps we are taking to expedite shipments and assure the highest possible quality:

• Shipments of test materials are going out daily, and all orders are being shipped via overnight air

• We are working around the clock, seven days a week, to process Illinois orders

• We have added extra quality assurance staff dedicated exclusively to processing and inspecting Illinois orders

• We have increased from 12 to 20 the number of customer service representatives dedicated exclusively to serving Illinois customers

• Harcourt senior management has been directly involved in all aspects of this situation, including direct supervision of warehouse personnel processing orders for Illinois

I am pleased to report that the vast majority of testing materials have already been received or will have arrived in districts by tomorrow and that we expect all remaining orders for initial enrollments to arrive by Friday. We expect the last of special accommodation materials to be received by Monday, which will complete delivery of all orders received to date. We are staying in close communication with districts to advise them of delivery dates and related details.

The reasons for the late delivery are complex but began with the fact that we were late getting materials to press because of delays in the test development process. Despite the late press time, we expected to be able to meet all of our delivery deadlines. However, challenges in the implementation of a new technology solution for processing orders from Illinois districts unexpectedly slowed the order fulfillment process. Further, in an effort to get materials into the hands of local educators as soon as possible, we shipped materials as they arrived in our warehouse rather than waiting until all materials were on hand and could be shipped as complete orders. Unfortunately, that action actually compounded the delay and added additional work for districts.

In response to these issues, we have instituted procedures and tightened rules to avoid delays in the test development process in the future, and we have corrected the problems with our new ordering technology solution. We are confident that the steps taken will prevent any recurrence of the delays experienced in the first year of our administration of the ISAT.

All of us at Harcourt, and I personally, deeply regret our lapses and the hardship and aggravation we know they have caused your staff and educators around the state. We understand the critical importance of the ISAT program and take with utmost seriousness the trust the State has placed in us. You have my pledge that we are doing and will continue to do everything possible to ensure that the production and delivery of test materials and administration of the ISAT program goes smoothly and without further delay in the future.

Sincerely,

Pat Tierney