Requested Information
On Dr Chu’s personal website, https://chaowu.org, he indicated, in a September 2, 2019 blog entry, that he developed a computer model, using Python, to evaluate policy options for the High School Attendance Area redistricting (Participating in HCPSS 2020 Redistricting Process).
Seeing as this model is being used to inform Howard County policy decisions the public should have access to it and be able to provide feedback on the model as well. As such, I am requesting the list of documents below are provided to me, as well as made available to the public.
1. Copies of the actual model and associated code Dr Chao references in his September 2 blog entry.
2. Copies of any Quality Assurance Plans associated with developing this model to ensure there were no errors in the code itself or the resulting policy options developed by the model.
3. Copies of Howard County policies or guidance on the use of modeled outcomes to develop policy options.
4. Copies of Howard County policies or guidance on Quality Assurance requirements when using modeled outcomes to develop policy options.
5. Any peer review studies or external review of the model, beyond Dr Chau himself, to ensure the program was coded properly and the outcomes were in line with any stated quality goals.
6. Any information on how Dr Chau estiamted the relative value or social costs associated with the changes modeled including but not limited: FARM ratios, overcrowding rates, test scores, etc. This may include: stated preference surveys, peer reviewed literature, published articles, etc.
7. The criteria that Dr Chau used when evaluating various policy options agains one another, incurring but not limited to: how to compare the effects of moving students vs relative changes in overcrowding, changes in overall test scores at schools, potential decreases in future earnings per capita due to decreased standardized testing scores.
8. The specific feedback that Dr Chau received after the County published his 10/30/19 option that resulted in the secretly revised 10/31/19 redistricting option posted on his private website; including the specific feedback causing him to redistrict Polygons 1100 and 100 from Centennial HS to Wilde Lake HS. This should includes any and all feedback that was set to Dr. Chau through the private g-mail account he used to solicit feedback on the redistricting through his private website.
9. Any and all documentation or e-mails associated with this model, including the names of Howard County staff that reviewed the model for precision and accuracy, the specific feedback they provided Dr. Chau,and how Dr. Chau revised his models to incorporate the feedback he received.
Seeing as this model is being used to inform Howard County policy decisions the public should have access to it and be able to provide feedback on the model as well. As such, I am requesting the list of documents below are provided to me, as well as made available to the public.
1. Copies of the actual model and associated code Dr Chao references in his September 2 blog entry.
2. Copies of any Quality Assurance Plans associated with developing this model to ensure there were no errors in the code itself or the resulting policy options developed by the model.
3. Copies of Howard County policies or guidance on the use of modeled outcomes to develop policy options.
4. Copies of Howard County policies or guidance on Quality Assurance requirements when using modeled outcomes to develop policy options.
5. Any peer review studies or external review of the model, beyond Dr Chau himself, to ensure the program was coded properly and the outcomes were in line with any stated quality goals.
6. Any information on how Dr Chau estiamted the relative value or social costs associated with the changes modeled including but not limited: FARM ratios, overcrowding rates, test scores, etc. This may include: stated preference surveys, peer reviewed literature, published articles, etc.
7. The criteria that Dr Chau used when evaluating various policy options agains one another, incurring but not limited to: how to compare the effects of moving students vs relative changes in overcrowding, changes in overall test scores at schools, potential decreases in future earnings per capita due to decreased standardized testing scores.
8. The specific feedback that Dr Chau received after the County published his 10/30/19 option that resulted in the secretly revised 10/31/19 redistricting option posted on his private website; including the specific feedback causing him to redistrict Polygons 1100 and 100 from Centennial HS to Wilde Lake HS. This should includes any and all feedback that was set to Dr. Chau through the private g-mail account he used to solicit feedback on the redistricting through his private website.
9. Any and all documentation or e-mails associated with this model, including the names of Howard County staff that reviewed the model for precision and accuracy, the specific feedback they provided Dr. Chau,and how Dr. Chau revised his models to incorporate the feedback he received.
Date Received
Status
Complete
Response Notes
Request withdrawn.