Special Report
Education

Idaho

May 03, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Idaho will not be getting its long-awaited tracking system that would have standardized software in all 114 school districts and let parents monitor their children’s academic progress over the Internet.

The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, which had pledged $35 million for the Idaho Student Information Management System, announced in December 2004 that the project was more complicated and costly than anticipated. The original plan, after five years of consideration, called for parts of the project to be launched statewide by fall 2006. Instead, the 29 districts that have been piloting the project will convert to one of three alternative information systems over the summer of 2005.

State officials plan to work with the foundation on setting more realistic goals for a possible scaled-down version, although going forward will depend on outside resources. A legislative audit released in January found that most districts fall below minimum industry standards for technology-support staffing. The report said that local schools in the state had put too much emphasis on buying computer equipment and not enough on making sure it is used and maintained properly.

Over the past three years, the legislature has not approved budget requests for an increase in classified positions for schools, which would allow districts to hire more technology-support workers, according to state Superintendent Marilyn Howard. In light of the legislative audit, officials may revisit the statewide technology plan they adopted in spring 2004. For now, each school system is drawing up an action plan for meeting the state’s current technology goals and objectives, which affect all grades.

All of Idaho’s public schools now give standardized tests online in grades 2-10.

The state budgeted $8.4 million for educational technology for the 2004-05 school year, the same amount it invested the previous school year.

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read