[K12OSN] State Testing

[rmcdaniel at indata.us]

If everyone would click on the sales team for your area and shoot an
email stating the need for software that supports other operating
systems and browsers, I bet it will get some attention.

Following is one that I just sent to the rep for Alabama:

 Mr. Hebson,

It is being brought to my attention that some of the assessment products
that are being required in other states don't support Internet browsers
or other operating systems other than Windows.  Our state has not made
a decision to use products like this and I hope that they will not as
long as the products aren't being developed around open standards.
Please pass on to your development teams that many school systems are
using operating systems other than Windows and if they intend to
capture a larger market share, they should consider developing software
that will operate on Linux and Mac as well as Windows.  Our district is
moving at a fast pace deploying Linux and FireFox throughout our system
due to the greater reliability and ease of management that has been
experienced in our district.

Sincerely,



Ronald R. McDaniel
Conecuh County Schools
(251) 578-7073 x26
(251) 238-1890 cell
1*4238*104 SouthernLinc
rmcdaniel at indata.us


Ronald R. McDaniel
Conecuh County Schools
(251) 578-7073 x26
(251) 238-1890 cell
1*4238*104 SouthernLinc
rmcdaniel at indata.us


> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: RE: [K12OSN] State Testing
> From: rmcdaniel at indata.us
> Date: Sun, February 26, 2006 9:13 pm
> To: "Support list for opensource software in schools."
> <k12osn at redhat.com>
> 
> The best thing to do is leave some feedback about the direction and
> limitations of the software.
> 
> http://harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/VIEW/Customer+VIEW.htm
> 
> Explaining the school systems that aren't Microsoft centric and are
> implementing systems that are based on Open Standards, perhaps someone
> may take notice.
> 
> Ron
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ronald R. McDaniel
> Conecuh County Schools
> (251) 578-7073 x26
> (251) 238-1890 cell
> 1*4238*104 SouthernLinc
> rmcdaniel at indata.us
> 
> 
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: [K12OSN] State Testing
> > From: Ken Grant <kmgrant at actaccess.net>
> > Date: Sun, February 26, 2006 12:45 pm
> > To: k12osn at redhat.com
> > 
> > Hello All:
> > 
> > 	This may or may not be the best place to address this issue, but I
> > figure there are enough tech/educational experts here that someone is
> > bound to have encountered it.
> > 	
> > 	My problem: Our state, Wyoming, is converting all standardized testing
> > for compliance with the "No Child Left Behind" law to computers. 
> > Starting in about six weeks, children in grades 3-8, and grade 11, will
> > be taking our state test online.  The test is designed by the state but
> > admisistered through Harcourt Assessment.  To ensure that students do
> > not have access to other parts of the computer they are working on, all
> > testing must be done with a "secure browser." To get the browser to
> > be secure a program called SiteKiosk is used. And you guessed
> > it, it only runs on Windows and sometimes Macs.
> > 
> > 	At this point the state is still dealing with many tech issues,
> > including getting SiteKiosk to run on Macs.  I've been assured by
> > people at the state level and at Harcourt Assessment that no testing has
> > been done with Linux.  Since K12LTSP is being used by school districts
> > across the nation, this seems to me to be a terrible oversight.
> > 
> > 	I realize that the bigger school districts have the funding for Windows
> > systems; however, we are a small Catholic school with very little
> > resources to invest in IT.  K12LTSP is the only way we can get computers
> > in the classroom.  
> > 
> > 	All that said, have any of you been faced with a similar issue?  If
> > so, how have you dealt with it?  How many schools with K12LTSP are using
> > it as their only platform?
> > 
> > 	I plan to make as much noise as possible with both the state and with
> > Harcourt so that this situation can be corrected, but in the meantime
> > any ideas on how to get SiteKiosk to run on Linux would be great.  Does
> > anyone know if a Linux-based program exsists to make a  browser secure?
> > 
> > 	Thanks for reading my rant and for K12LTSP...it's an awesome OS!
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Ken
> > 
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