Iowa Department of Education Moving on From Iowa TIER System

As you are aware, for the past four years the Iowa Department of Education has provided an early warning system in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade to all interested public and non-public schools in the state. Through two separate requests for proposals processes, the vendor we chose to provide the state-purchased universal screening and progress monitoring assessments in literacy was FASTBridge Learning (FBL). The Iowa TIER data system vendor we selected was Technology and Information Educational Services (TIES).     

This fall, we experienced an unacceptably problematic screening window. As a result of these problems, the Department commissioned an independent technology audit to review the Iowa TIER data system and provide information about the sustainability of the system.  We have received the final report from that audit and it is available upon request.

Due to the audit findings, which raised questions about the system’s long-term sustainability, the Department will terminate the contract with TIES effective June 30. Our commitment to continuing to build a comprehensive statewide data system remains, and we will re-issue a request for proposals in the future to continue this work. This change will not affect the spring screening window that is currently underway or the availability of reports using spring data. Use of the system for summer 2017 may be affected, and we will follow-up with details as soon as possible.

To ensure continuity of service to districts and schools and, most importantly, to the students of Iowa, for the 2017-2018 school year, we will be transferring all district and nonpublic school users directly into the FASTBridge data system. Key components of this transition will include:
•    Continuing use of the approved literacy FAST assessments as our state-purchased universal screening and progress monitoring assessments.  Districts may also continue to use any other assessments on the approved list;
•    Comparable assessment administration and scoring, which will not require new training for teachers;
•    Student, district, and state-level data that will remain comparable over time;
•    Manual creation by the Department of some system-level reports that were a part of the Iowa TIER;
•    Reports in the FASTBridge data system which will include the same information but may be formatted differently, in addition to new reports;
•    Uploading rosters to get student and staff data into the FASTBridge system, as well as new processes for logging into the system, which will require limited training.

Please know that the Department will do everything it can to minimize the impact that this transition has on schools and districts. Throughout this transition, the Department will continue to be the first line of communication and support for districts.