Testing contractors bleeding La. schools dry

John Kennedy, state Treasurer, holds two books listings contracts for the Department of Education. Kennedy spoke with the News-Star Editorial Board on May 23. / Margaret Croft/The News-Star

The Louisiana Department of Education is spending more than $132.9 million with two out-of-state companies for standardized tests.The department has 70 current contracts worth more than $1 million each. That adds up to $282 million, more than half of which goes to contractors outside of Louisiana.
 
The biggest beneficiaries of current contracts are Minnesota-based Data Recognition Corp. for $93.1 million and California-based Pacific Metrics for $39.8 million. The six current contracts for the two companies account for $132.9 million. According to its website, Pacific Metrics develops online student assessment systems with items aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English, language arts and mathematics. -- NewsStar.com