[LM_NET] TARGET: MUST READ for Reading Counts Users

[Pete Madden <peteweihui@GMAIL.COM>]

Dear Librarians,
(As mentioned in a recent post) If you are using RC version 3.3 or lower
(non-Enterprise versions) you will not be able to purchase quiz disks
after November. Reading Counts wants us to migrate to their Enterprise
Edition, this school year.

My 20 RC workstations running MAC OS 9.2 cannot run the Enterprise Edition
(requires OS X). Reading Count's solution to this is to have our quiz
database "hosted" by them via the Internet and charge me a per student fee
to do so. In other words, when students take a quiz, they would take it over
the Internet and our report data would housed there as well.

As of this morning, they could not tell me the browser version needed to
handle this connection to their server (RC tech support is not aware of the
proposed change), but I'm betting it's a browser that my OS 9.2 can't run.

I'm very frustrated by Scholastic's decision. I purchased RC 3.0 only two
years ago and spent thousands of dollars on quizzes for a system that is
now unsustainable after November. Their effort to communicate these changes
to us has been inadequate; I learned of these changes on LM_Net, in spite of
just receiving a download disk in the mail last week that made no mention of
this. To ask us to weather this change in the midst of the school year shows
a serious lack of concern for the customer--the least they could do is
continue to sell us quiz disks until May of '09 so we can work on upgrading
over next summer.

So I guess these are my options for this school year:

1. Don't add any more quizzes after November ( I have 2,400 now) and write
the quizzes that I need for new releases
2. Buy 20 new work station computers and the  Enterprise Edition
3. Ask all of you who are in the same situation to band together to help me
pressure SRC to postpone this change until the end of the 08/09 school year

I'm hoping # 3, with your help, will be the outcome. If you'd like to help
me communicate this to Scholastic, please respond to this email.


Sincerely,

Pete
-- 
Pete Madden
Librarian, Centennial Middle School
Portland, OR
peteweihui@gmail.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
  You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings
  by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET  2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
 3) SET LM_NET MAIL  4) SET LM_NET DIGEST  * Allow for confirmation.
 * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
 * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
 * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/
 * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
 * LM_NET Wiki: http://lmnet.wikispaces.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------