Brian Touchette, the former Director of Assessment at the Delaware Department of Education, has stepped down from the role but is still an employee. Dr. Carolyn Lazar is serving as the Interim Director for the Office of Assessment. This was confirmed with the Human Resources Department at the Delaware DOE. Touchette is still listed as the K-12 lead on the Smarter Balanced website for Delaware, but I believe this information is outdated as well, as it has Touchette’s DOE Role in the Exceptional Children Resources Group, a role he had prior to the Office of Assessment.
I first noticed this when I went to look for any information on the letter Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Murphy spoke of at yesterday’s House Education Committee meeting from U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan regarding potential federal funding cuts for Delaware in the event an opt-out law is passed. I found no letter, which I have formally requested from the DOE, but I did find this:
Office of Assessment Contact Information
Email:Carolyn.Lazar@doe.k12.de.us
Phone: (302) 857-3391
Fax: (302) 739-3092
I made a few calls and this has been confirmed. While no details were given in regards to the change, which I would not expect, I have to wonder if Touchette is the fall guy for the opt-out movement in Delaware. This is merely speculation on my part.
The Season Of Myths 