Agency predictive model documentation (Department of Education)

Thank you for your interest in public records of the Illinois State Board of Education. Your request has been received and is being processed in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS140/) Your request was received in this office on 10/25/2021 and given the reference number F000572-102521 for tracking purposes.
Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

1) Executive summaries, algorithmic impact reports, predictive model reports, and/or model validation studies dating from Jan. 1, 2017 until the present for all predictive analytics tools and automated decision systems (ADS) used by the agency. This includes predictive models and ADSs built in-house as well as those built by vendors for the agency or those used by agency employees through third-party software.

2) All contracts and statements of work regarding the purchase and/or creation of tools identified in response to part one of this request.

2) A data dictionary/library for each predictive model and ADS identified in response to part one of this request. Please note: Data dictionaries list the names of data fields (i.e. column headers in a spreadsheet), they do not contain the actual data analyzed by models.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please don't hesitate to contact me for further clarification.

I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employee involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.

Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of responsive documents, I ask that you provide a detailed breakdown of the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portions from public review.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers

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Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question. PLEASE NOTE: The Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/) does not require a public body to create new information, to do legal research, or to answer questions.
To monitor the progress or update this request please log into the Illinois State Board of Education Records Center (https://u8387778.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=6HtRfOYLt5fXvpttM-2FU1Ha-2FdEhxzDjvUAY431aAb4rJQ-2BVxFKLipe50Hl35LImRjFxFTwD6TMKstsPkDZau6hA-3D-3DY_LN_24cKGLX3rOnzmpN4CbXBXbjJ9Fz5-2BFpRRrYdcZnS7d2vKF1aZCui-2F-2Fhbk9z80juexJDMZiimVWQY-2Fj8UGkhq1q5fHEAgW4BOfKx7s2BiKAfpUzvhT8k47z4vmlqWBr1npyYA7gei0DSrDgW2LQUKoCgKs5G9rieRDVCWaU-2B8clNIBjmqzSJ4JOLKwkVFM-2B-2B88SpKwScrhPnPRVSzyqBcsMdkc5FHzRPGwnEXpCkGrOcOHVli-2BOgtg-2BL6cW4Wuyv3G-2FEdCCs22UYLgbACE9r-2BM4vGkJD9JPjnUJe9JCjSLOLHC5NNQBXwWFkLKTzCHxWu4n4T1eM3GQLRULc3rGb-2FafskuucA7o-2Fl5TgCPNLHlURMUPdo4rrEanGQD679e7EA)

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of October 25, 2021, Reference # F000572-102521
Dear Todd Feathers,
The Illinois State Board of Education received a public information request from you on October 25, 2021. You have requested: “To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:

1) Executive summaries, algorithmic impact reports, predictive model reports, and/or model validation studies dating from Jan. 1, 2017 until the present for all predictive analytics tools and automated decision systems (ADS) used by the agency. This includes predictive models and ADSs built in-house as well as those built by vendors for the agency or those used by agency employees through third-party software.

2) All contracts and statements of work regarding the purchase and/or creation of tools identified in response to part one of this request.

2) A data dictionary/library for each predictive model and ADS identified in response to part one of this request. Please note: Data dictionaries list the names of data fields (i.e. column headers in a spreadsheet), they do not contain the actual data analyzed by models.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please don't hesitate to contact me for further clarification.

I ask that all fees be waived as I am a journalist and intend to use the requested records to publish articles in the public interest. In the event you choose to impose fees, I request a detailed breakdown of the fees, including the hourly wage of each employee involved and an explanation justifying the employee hours required to fulfill the request.

Should you choose to reject this request or redact portions of responsive documents, I ask that you provide a detailed breakdown of the statutory exemptions and associated case law underlying your decision to withhold each/any portions from public review.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Todd Feathers

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
The Illinois State Board of Education has reviewed its files and has determined there are no responsive documents to your request.
If you feel you have been denied your access to public records, you may file an appeal with the Office of the Attorney General’s Public Access Counselor at 500 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62706 or publicaccess@atg.state.il.us. If you choose to submit a request for review, you must do so within 60 days after the date of this response letter. The request for review must be in writing, signed by you and include (i) a copy of your FOIA request and (ii) this office’s response. In addition, you have the right to seek judicial review of this response.
If you have questions, please contact ISBE’s Legal Division at (217) 782-8535.