Sigh ... well ... Texas Education Agency and Pearson Educational Measurements have decided NOT to offer us licensing rights to use the Study Guide materials. Mind you ... they didn't DENY us rights, either .... they just put the idea "On Hold" and will "revisit" the idea in 3 months or so ...
Hmmmm .... let's see ... in 3 months time students will be receiving notice of whether they passed or failed the 2006 administration of the Exit Level TAKS Test ... exactly the time we wanted to be promoting the DVD. By then it will be too late to film the DVD and get it edited and ready for sale ... and in August 2006 there is rumor that the Study Guide will change anyway!!
I am suspicious that Pearson may be stealing the idea ... VERY SUSPICIOUS!
Well ... we already have over $2,000 invested in this project and exactly 1/2 of the problems in the Study Guide on film. We cannot just walk away from this. However ... our lawyer says we need approval from Pearson and TEA. So ... Tom and I have put together a proposal for them and will be sending it out this week .... offering payment for licensing rights and a percentage of the DVD sales ... and asking for immediate response ... which we are not counting on. But we are trying!! If we don't hear from them, then I guess we will put all the film in a shoebox and put it on a shelf for potential future use ...
HOWEVER .... WE ARE NOT GIVING UP!!
I have spent all weekend (and thank goodness it was a snasty, cold, frizzly, soup-on-the-stove, fire-in-the-fireplace kinda weekend) ... pulling out old benchmark tests from school and organizing and rewriting problems. Tom has been a big help with the graphics and formatting ... he is a Word Wizard, thank goodness!! I am creating 10 mini-TAKS tests with 10 problems each ... one from each Objective. We are going to have to publish these tests and bind them. And on Saturday we will start filming all over again .... this time going over all of these tests!! So now we are creating a Book of 10 mini-tests and a DVD explaination to go with them.
It will be a harder sell, not linking it to an established product, even if the established product is basically worthless without someone to teach it .... HOWEVER ... in the long run ... I think the product I am creating will have more value to classrooms and to students who fail the TAKS and need help preparing for the re-test. And it will be MINE! No need to share Royalties or profits!! So Pfffffttttttt to TEA and Pearson!!
It's okay ... we were probably going to have to reshoot the first day of filming anyway .... it's all good ....
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1 comment:
I'll keep you in my prayers - this is too awesome an opportunity for it not to work out for you!
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