(Raleigh) — NC Superintendent Mark Johnson issued the following statement regarding today’s NC DIT ruling on the Read to Achieve reading diagnostic tool. 

"Jonathan Shaw of NC DIT can point to nothing to back up clear factual errors he made today in his ruling.  

"Shaw and DIT have not in any way, shape, or form followed the legal standard of review for ordering a stay. The stay they put in place in August was inappropriate based on the simple fact alone that they never even gave DPI or other parties the chance to respond. 

"Now, months after DPI asked for relief for NC’s schools, DIT is taking it to the next level by saying things that are simply not true. The mistakes of fact in Shaw’s ruling today are too numerous to cover them all, but I’ll note two. 

"Shaw says DPI did not inform the vendors of the evaluation criteria. The fact is that both vendors were provided the evaluation criteria in a letter that DPI drafted with guidance from DIT staff. The vendors’ proposals based on those criteria went through a fair evaluation process guided by DIT staff.  

"Shaw says that DPI only placed members on the negotiation evaluation committee who had previously voted for Istation, but half of the members of that final committee had never even voted in the previous two RFPs. Also, the votes were conducted anonymously. The only tally Shaw has on the votes is the leaked confidential information from a former DPI employee who coordinated with Amplify on their protest. 

"DPI employees worked closely with DIT employees throughout both RFPs and the negotiations with vendors. DIT employees were the ones who suggested going the negotiations route and were present in negotiations meetings with vendors. 

"Shaw has already injured the work of DPI and DIT employees with the incompetence with which he has conducted this review process. Now, he is adding insult to injury with blatant mistakes that he is using to justify more bad decisions."