25CISFK1 Attachment A - Final.docx

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FY25 Targeted Math Tutoring Program - Attachment A

Alternate ID #: 25CISFK1 COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-24-1026-DOE02-DOE01-100839

Background:

Due to the resounding success of the Math Tutoring program in FY24, DESE has decided to extend the initiative into FY25. The Math Tutoring program supports DESE's overarching vision for educational excellence and a commitment to providing equitable opportunities for all students. The Math Tutoring Program is designed to support students, particularly those from historically underserved groups, in excelling in mathematics by creating targeted interventions through high-dosage tutoring services. The program addresses individual strengths, needs, and diverse backgrounds of the students. The program fosters affirming environments in which students are known, valued, and held to high expectations, ultimately working towards the overarching goal of ensuring that all students thrive in their mathematical learning experiences.

In FY24, the program demonstrated remarkable efficacy, reaching over 50 districts and benefiting more than 3,000 students in both 4th and 8th grades. For the purposes of this BID, high-dosage mathematics tutoring services refer to virtual small group mathematics tutoring for children in grades 4 and 8. These services are specifically focused on the standards for Mathematics as identified in the 2017 Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework. This supplemental support is delivered through a structured cohort-based model with a specific duration and dosage. The targeted approach aims to accelerate academic growth and ensure sustained progress for long-term academic success, staying in line with DESE's commitment to providing high-quality education for all students.

Scope of Service:

This BID seeks vendors to provide high-dosage Mathematics tutoring to 4th and 8th grade students in Massachusetts, with an emphasis on reaching students who underperformed on previous MCAS, consistent with the model, frequency and duration recommendations by EdResearch for Recovery. DESE anticipates that more than one vendor will be selected to provide these services and that individual vendors will have their own assessments and student progress monitoring tools.

The selected vendor(s) are expected to:

· Coordinate with DESE and other awarded vendors to ensure alignment of content across the tutoring program. This may include calibration meetings prior to the start of tutoring services and during the school year.

· Based on coordination with DESE and district interest, recruit and make contact with Massachusetts local education agencies (LEAs), in particular those with large numbers of 4th and 8th graders in need[footnoteRef:2] and are either (a) not currently served by the vendor or (b) interested in expanding vendor services to additional children. [2: The intention is for students to be primarily identified for tutoring based on scoring “Not Meeting Expectations” on the previous year MCAS.

· Execute agreements with interested LEAs with a plan to provide math tutoring services from September 2024 through June 2025.

· Meet regularly with the participating LEAs to provide updates, data analysis, and to problem solve.

· Ensure the hiring, training, and vetting of tutors and subcontractors through a meticulous process, including comprehensive background checks and CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) checks, to provide a safe and enriching learning environment for all students.

· Monitor and supervise the tutors and tutoring sessions to maintain a safe and enriching learning environment for all students consistent with the goals of this program.

· Provide math tutoring services with students from September 2024 through June 2025. Tutoring services will be provided in a virtual setting only. Tutoring services should take place during school hours only and scheduled based on 12-week cycles or 36 sessions (90 min/week).

· In coordination with a third-party evaluator and DESE, administer a DESE-approved pre-test/screening assessment to every participating student, prior to the start of each tutoring cycle and a post-test/screening assessment at the completion of the tutoring cycle along with regular progress monitoring assessments. For students engaged in a tutoring model that extends beyond twelve weeks, the vendor will coordinate with DESE and the third-party evaluator to determine the appropriate assessment cycle.

· Participate in a third-party evaluation to determine tutoring efficacy; this includes, but is not limited to, sharing parent/staff emails, supporting the evaluation team to contact and administer surveys, other types of data collection, and providing regular required student level data in a format outlined by the evaluator.

· Provide the data listed below. Note that vendors will only be compensated for services provided to students for whom the following completed data is provided to DESE or a third-party evaluator:

· Monthly tutoring roster reports (provided via evaluator secure website) of tutoring sessions delivered, including frequency, duration, content covered, name of tutor, and anonymized student attendance and performance data. DESE and the evaluator will require the ability to track individual student attendance and performance throughout participation in the tutoring program.

· Student pre-tutoring, post-tutoring, and progress monitoring assessment data, using an assessment approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education and in a format outlined by the evaluator.

· Engage with DESE liaison on a regular basis regarding program successes, challenges, and needs.

· Guarantee that every tutoring group is comprised of precisely four students. This continuity is essential for student success.

· Ensure the same tutor is utilized for each group of precisely four throughout the cycle.

· In the event that vendors employ subcontractors for the math tutoring program, it is imperative that they notify DESE. Vendors are required to furnish evidence substantiating that the subcontractors' values align with the vendor's overarching vision for the program. Additionally, it is essential that the subcontractors undergo comprehensive training to ensure they are well-versed in delivering tutoring services in strict accordance with DESE's established requirements. This proactive communication and assurance process are fundamental to maintaining program integrity and upholding the standards set forth by DESE.

Budget:

A total of approximately $1.7 Million is expected to be expended on services delivered from September 2024 through June 2025 and is expected to be split amongst multiple vendor contracts depending on the number of qualified applicants and the estimated level of funding needed to serve interested LEAs. Pending available funding, there may be an option for 2 renewals for FY26 ($1M) and FY27 ($1M), ending 6/30/2027. Renewal eligibility is contingent on available funding and relies on positive feedback from LEAs and evaluations by the third-party assessor, with DESE approval, recognizing and rewarding effective vendors for sustained impact.

The total value of the contract awarded to each vendor will be dependent on the number of quality responses received and the estimated capacity (determined in coordination with DESE) for the vendor(s) to engage and serve LEAs. After the execution of contracts with DESE, vendors will contact interested LEAs in coordination with DESE and execute commitment forms with them. Upon completing services to a student, as defined in the contract with DESE, the vendor(s) will invoice DESE for services on a cost per-student basis, which will be stated in the contract with DESE. Vendors will be required to provide attestation from the partner LEA or community organization that services were completed as reported. Vendors will be able to invoice DESE through mid-August 2025 for services provided from September 2024 until June 30, 2025, for FY25.

In the response, vendors must indicate the per student fee they will charge for grades 4 and 8 Mathematics tutoring and related supports, inclusive of any additional costs or overhead. Costs are reported and invoiced on an agreed upon per-student basis. Vendors must clarify the duration of services as it pertains to the per student cost.

It must be explicitly stated that the per student cost is based on a group of four students for a 12-week cycle, with invoicing permitted only upon the successful completion of services. In situations involving unanticipated circumstances, such as excessive student/tutor absences or incomplete sessions, DESE may consider the possibility for vendors to invoice on a pro-rated per student cost basis. The per student cost, as specified, will remain effective throughout the duration of the contract.

Vendors must also indicate the minimum and maximum number of LEAs, schools, and children they are capable of serving under this BID at the time of submission and describe how they would scale up services as needed. The Department has an interest in serving as many students as possible with a high dosage tutoring program using the available funds; for this reason, vendors’ proposed cost structure will be a criterion in the selection process.

DESE reserves the right to amend awarded individual contracts as needed to ensure that the maximum number of services are delivered by June 30, 2025, within the maximum $1.7 Million available, pending confirmed agreements with LEAs.

Required Qualifications:

1. Vendor must have the capacity to begin establishing relationships with schools/educational organizations before September 3, 2024. Vendor must have the capacity to serve MA students beginning September 3, 2024.

2. Demonstrated experience deploying virtual tutoring programs in elementary and/or middle school settings to provide supplemental math-focused services to children in grades 4 and/or 8.

3. Demonstrated use of tutoring materials, including assessments, that are aligned to the 2017 Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks or Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

4. Demonstrated capability to provide services to students at various levels of English language development, aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.

Preferred Qualifications:

If bidders meet the 4 required criteria above, their responses will be further evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Demonstrates some evidence that they have examined and are working to improve their practices and supports (internal and/or external) from a racial equity lens.

2.

3. Existing agreement/commitment with the MA Student Data Privacy Alliance agreement, see here https://sdpc.a4l.org/about_alliance.php?state=MA. If not already under agreement, willingness to agree, or willingness to include a crosswalk demonstrating compliance with all of the requirements outlined in the agreements.

Submission Requirements:

In a narrative not to exceed 11 pages, please address the following:

Experience and Approach A. Briefly detail the organization’s experience providing math tutoring services to children in grades 4 and/or 8, including years of operation. Enumerate the size of your service corps and the number of students served per tutor or trained individual. Note the current and historical geographic service area of your program.

B. Describe your approach to mathematics tutoring, including how you establish a relationship with the district/school and student/families, how students are typically identified, grouped, and placed into the program and the instructional approaches or materials used. Describe how your approach to integrating the tutoring program into the district’s existing Multi-Tiered System of Support. Include links to content materials used if possible.

C. Outline the comprehensive process of recruiting and training tutors, encompassing subcontractors' tutors. Provide details of the support, monitoring, and management mechanisms in place for tutors and subcontractors' tutors throughout their tenure in the tutoring program. Additionally, furnish specific information about background checks, with a focus on Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) procedures. Include examples of the training materials employed in their preparation and append background check documentation, particularly highlighting CORIs, in the appendices. Describe the training that tutors receive on cultural/linguistic competence; working with English Language Learners, students with IEPs, and students from historically marginalized communities; social-emotional learning; and anti-racism practices.

D. Describe the structure of the small group tutoring sessions, materials used, and instructional strategies used. Describe the methodology and pedagogy utilized during the tutoring process, emphasizing how tutoring software is integrated during the actual session. Furthermore, highlight strategies employed to support Multilingual Learners (MLL) and Students with Disabilities (SWD) to ensure an inclusive and effective learning environment. As described below, include sample tutoring materials in the appendices. Describe how the materials used are high-quality, standards aligned, and sequenced to support on-grade level learning.

E. One of DESE’s foremost goals is to address inequities in education that exist in the Commonwealth. Describe, in an at most 1-page narrative, your organization’s commitment to and actions taken to ensure equity (this should include efforts within your own organization to support equity and efforts when providing services to clients, as applicable). In addition, please share your organization’s current challenges with and ongoing efforts to ensure your organization is working towards building the mindsets, practices, and skills to support this initiative.

F. Describe the mathematics specific assessments used during the tutoring process. Including Pre and Post assessments and progress monitoring. Describe and provide necessary information, in appendices if needed, regarding how student work is scored, reported, and how student growth is monitored and evaluated. For example, explain how expected student growth is determined and evaluated. Include information regarding alignment of these materials to the 2017 Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks. Detailed evidence of the psychometric quality of these assessments, both reliability and validity, may be included in appendices but should be summarized in the 11-page proposal. Detailed information regarding the methods, analyses, and findings used to test the validity and reliability, both internal and external, of their assessments, including the demographics of students in the testing and the ways in which student groups varied in their assessment results may also be included. Note that the department seeks adequate documentation to assess the quality of the methods and findings for reliability and validity testing if possible. Please provide examples of the assessment if possible.

G. Describe how the tutoring program will support multilingual students and students with Individualized Education Programs.

Evidence of effectiveness impact H. Detail your evidence of quality of tutoring program and success engaging schools and families to improve math outcomes for children in grades 4 and/or 8, including use of evidence-based assessment and instructional practices. Detail your evidence of success improving outcomes for students with disabilities and multilingual learners. Artifacts that illustrate program quality, including research reports, may be included in appendices, but evidence of quality should still be summarized in the 11-page proposal. Note that the department needs adequate documentation of research findings to assess success improving student outcomes.

I. Detail your evidence of capability to provide tutoring services remotely, including experience delivering services remotely; necessary technology in place; and training that includes remote delivery.

J. An effective model which reflects model, frequency and duration recommendations by EdResearch for Recovery; impact on student learning; tutor training in cultural/linguistic competence, working with English Language Learners, social-emotional learning, and anti-racism practices. Reports from prior impact or evaluation studies may be included in appendices, but evidence of quality should still be summarized in the 11-page proposal.

Expansion capability and cost effectiveness K. Identify how many regions, schools, and children the vendor can serve in SY24-25 while maintaining program quality. Identify the areas of Massachusetts to which the vendor can expand, if needed.

L. This BID targets the needs of students in 4th and 8th grade with tutoring supports in mathematics, specifically numeracy and algebraic and proportional reasoning. Identify what skills and standard you would recommend be the focus of the tutoring sessions to address this goal.

M. Provide any evidence of existing relationships with and/or outreach to LEAs that would indicate interest and ability to quickly engage with LEAs upon award. (Please note: written commitments from schools or districts are not required.)

N. Explain your plan to expand into the identified regions at the identified scale and how your organization will accomplish this in a short time frame while maintaining program quality, addressing key issues such as staffing, training new staff, and forming new or expanding existing partnerships.

O. Describe the cost effectiveness of the program, highlighting how the program serves students at a competitive per-student rate while also maintaining quality of the program. Include and explain a pricing breakdown for the per-student cost of a 12-week tutoring cycle. If possible, please include pricing information sheets, copy of an invoice, and promotional information that is typically shared with districts to explain pricing in the appendices.

P. Provide evidence of an existing agreement/commitment with the MA Student Data Privacy Alliance agreement, see here https://sdpc.a4l.org/about_alliance.php?state=MA). If not already under agreement, state a willingness to agree, or include a crosswalk demonstrating compliance with all of the requirements outlined in the agreements in the appendices, with a brief summary included in the 11-page proposal.

Budget In addition to the narrative, please submit an annual budget for FY25 and the two renewal years (FY26 and FY27), which includes all costs for mathematics tutoring services, and provides these costs on a per-student basis for a 12-week cycle. The budget should reflect the maximum number of services (student seats) the vendor can provide while maintaining program quality, and reflecting staffing capacity, up to a maximum total of $1.7M for FY25, pending available funding, over the course of the school year, and for $1M for each year of renewal. Please note that payments for services provided under this contract will be made based on the per student cost. Please budget based upon the following estimates of available funding for the renewal years:

· FY2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) - $1.7M

· FY2026 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) - $1M

· FY2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) - $1M

To clarify the per-student cost, kindly provide comprehensive details in the budget section regarding the pricing structure for your tutoring services. Specifically, outline that your pricing model is exclusively based on the cost per seat for a group of 4 students within a 12-week cycle. Additionally, please detail the method for monitoring attendance and provide information on any guaranteed payment milestones for vendors (e.g., every 3 weeks, mid-point check-in, cycle completion).

Note: A 12-week cycle is characterized by either 36 sessions lasting 30 minutes or 24 sessions lasting 45 minutes. Each student’s SASID, the school's name, and the number of attended sessions must be included in the rosters. Billing for each student will be completed upon verification of 75% attendance. In cases where the 75% attendance threshold is not met, and subject to DESE approval on a per-case basis, consider a per session/student cost.

Appendices In addition to the narrative, please provide the following artifacts in the Appendices. Appendices have no page limit and do not count towards the 11-page limit of the narrative response.

1. Provide a sample lesson plan, including student assignments, tailored for 4th and/or 8th-grade students. Alongside this, provide a link to a video demonstration of tutoring sessions. Describe the methodology and pedagogy utilized during the tutoring process, emphasizing how tutoring software is integrated during the actual session. Furthermore, highlight strategies employed to support Multilingual Learners (MLL) and Students with Disabilities (SWD) to ensure an inclusive and effective learning environment.

2. Share examples of advertising materials designed for district recruitment. Include samples of introductory materials that provide an overview of the program tailored specifically for districts. Include a range of introductory materials that cater to different district preferences, ensuring a comprehensive and adaptable approach to presenting the program overview.

Additionally, the vendor may append to their application any artifacts or samples that may attest to their meeting the Required or Preferred Qualifications, which may include but are not limited to annual reports, impact evaluation reports, instructional materials, client or partner testimonials.

Contact Information

· Provide name, email address, and telephone number of a contact person.

Prompt Payment Discount Form

· Form must be completed and submitted with response uploaded to COMMBUYS Supplier Diversity Program Plan Form

· Form must be completed and submitted with response uploaded to COMMBUYS This bid does not commit DESE to approve a contract, pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a bidder’s response to this BID, or to procure or contract for services. DESE reserves the right to accept or reject any and all responses received as a result of this BID, to negotiate with any or all qualified vendors, and to cancel in part or in its entirety this BID if it is in the best interest of DESE or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to do so.

Responses MUST be uploaded to COMMBUYS. Responses MUST be uploaded to COMMBUYS. Responses not posted to COMMBUYS will not be considered for evaluation. Do not Email and/or mail responses to the department.

In order to respond to this bid, please register on the COMMBUYS website. If you need assistance contact the OSD Help Desk at OSDHelpDesk@mass.gov or (8am - 5pm ET Monday – Friday) at 1-888-627-8283 or 617-720-3197.

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