It’s always good to talk directly to the folks who are the center of a controversy, even if you don’t learn quite as much from them as you’d like. That was my experience speaking with Curriculum Associates CIO Ty Holmes, who has been quoted recently in Chalkbeat, NBC News, and WFAE public radio.
However, the conversation did unearth a few useful tidbits.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, i-Ready is the unlikely poster child for the current backlash in which parents complain that edtech has swamped their kids’ school experiences.
In this new interview, Holmes explains that there are a confusing number of different services and programs that have the i-Ready name, including an assessment and a supplemental program called My Path that’s meant for only 30-49 minutes of student use a week.
Holmes also shares that while i-Ready will be affected by district decisions regarding screen time, such as in LAUSD, it won’t be immediately affected by AI bans or pauses since AI has been piloted but isn’t baked into the current program.
“Nothing is ever going to replace a live teacher,” says Holmes.
I still don’t understand exactly what i-Ready does — I’ve heard it described as “digitized practice worksheets” — or whether it’s central to the current ed tech problem or more of an innocent bystander, or even how many districts have non-renewed or shortened their contracts in light of the current controversy.
Recent news reports suggest that at least one district (Charlotte Mecklenburg) has shortened its contract. Curriculum Associates has attempted to set the record straight via the Fordham Foundation website — an interesting choice. In California, some parents are suing the company over data privacy.
Watch the interview or read the transcript above (or on YouTube). Listen to the conversation on Spotify or Apple. Who should be my next interview?
Previously from The Grade
In defense of education technology (Tony Wan)
How one reporter latched onto the edtech backlash (Tyler Kingkade)
How to cover ed tech hysteria (Holly Korbey / The Bell Ringer)
