25MASSSMS1 - Appendix B - Final.docx

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Appendix B - Areas of Content Expertise and Service Categories - Definitions

Alternate ID: 24MASSSMS1 COMMBUYS Document #: BD-25-1026-DOE02-DOE01-112189

DESE is asking vendors to specify their area(s) of content expertise. In some cases, a specific area of content expertise is not applicable and this can be noted. However, in many cases DESE is asking vendors to identify the types of service they provide and in which area(s) of content expertise. The list and descriptions of Areas of Content Expertise are as follows:

Areas of Content Expertise: Definitions

Racial Equity / Cultural Responsiveness: Vendors with expertise in providing support(s) related to institutional racism, building cultural awareness, culturally responsive pedagogy and practices, both instructional practice and systemic policies.

Academics: Subcategories: Vendors with content expertise in curriculum development and implementation, standards, resource materials development and review, developing educational leadership and coaching, and professional development in the following content areas:

· ELA/Literacy

· Math

· Science/Tech

· Engineering

· History/Social Sciences

· Art

· World Language

· Comprehensive Health

· Digital Literacy/Computer Science

SEL, Behavior, Health and Wellness, Belonging/Connection: Subcategories

· Social Emotional Learning: Vendors with expertise in the process of developing systems to identify and address students’ and adults' social and emotional competencies—the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that individuals need to make successful choices.

· Behavior: Vendors with expertise in behavioral development and systems to support behavioral needs across tiers in schools.

· Mental Health & Trauma: Vendors with expertise in supporting both systems for and direct services to support mental health and trauma across all facets of education.

· School Culture/Climate: Vendors with expertise in building school and district capacity to foster a safe and welcoming learning environment that fosters supportive, authentic relationships.

· Attendance/Absenteeism: Vendors with expertise in strategies and interventions to improve student attendance and reduce absenteeism. This includes developing and implementing effective attendance monitoring systems, engaging families and students, and addressing barriers to consistent school attendance.

· Sense of Belonging and relationships: Vendors with expertise in fostering a strong sense of belonging and building positive relationships among students, staff, and families. This involves creating inclusive programs and practices that promote student engagement, connection, and a supportive school community.

Access & Equity: Subcategories

· Universal Design for Learning: Vendors with expertise in Universal Design for Learning, an education framework that transitions the teachers role into facilitator, removing barriers to learning by giving students options and choices that empower them to take control of their learning and reach rigorous state standards. To universally design lessons, teachers must provide (1) multiple means of engagement, (2) multiple means of representation, and (3) multiple means of action and expression.

· Co-Teaching / Inclusion: Vendors with expertise in inclusive settings, where educators representing general education, special education and English learner education work closely together to create instructional plans that are rigorous and purposeful and meet the needs of all students.

· Students w/ Disabilities: Vendors with expertise in supporting schools, districts, and state agencies with policy, practice, research, and direct services related to students with disabilities.

· English Learners: Vendors with expertise in supporting schools, districts, and state agencies with policy, practice, research, and direct services related to English learners.

· Highly mobile students (homeless, foster care, migrant, military): Vendors with expertise in educational stability.

· Remote Learning: Vendors with expertise in remote learning design, including but not limited to remote learning platforms, teaching techniques and methods, and designing remote learning lessons to meet all students’ needs.

Specific Grade and School Type Supports: Subcategories

· Early Education / Pre-K: Vendors with expertise in building high quality early education (preschool and pre-K) programming.

· Secondary re-design: Vendors with expertise in supporting the redesign of secondary (middle/high) schools.

· Vocational Schooling and Career-Technical Education: Vendors with expertise in vocational and career-technical education, including (but not limited to) “after dark” programs and supporting partners with employers to expand opportunities for students.

· Post-Secondary Planning / Pathways (i.e., Early College): Vendors with expertise in post-secondary planning supports and pathways (either for schools and districts or direct services to students).

· Dropout prevention and recovery: Vendors with expertise in evidence-based practices to support schools/districts to increase their capacity to serve students who have already dropped out or are at-risk of dropping out of high school.

Additional School & District Systems: Subcategories

· Family / Community Engagement: Vendors with expertise in facilitating shared responsibility that contributes to the healthy development, learning, and growth of children - from the earliest ages into young adulthood. Effective family engagement is culturally responsive, collaborative, equitable, and respectful of diverse languages, norms, and values. Effective engagement strives to eliminate barriers to participation. These engagement practices take place in schools, in the community, and wherever students live and learn.

· Leadership Development: Vendors with expertise in leadership coaching and development (via 1:1 coaching models, leadership programs, pathways, etc.), specifically focused on school, district and state-level education leaders.

· Structures (e.g., ILT, CPT, etc.): Vendors with expertise in building Instructional Leadership Teams, Common Planning Time, and other collaborative meeting structures at the schools, district, and state-level.

· Scheduling: Vendors with expertise in designing school master schedules in order to allow for schools to meet the academic, social emotional and behavioral needs of all students, increase enrichment opportunities for students and additional time for teachers to collaborate.

· Integrated Student Support Systems: Vendors with expertise in building a system of integrated student support (ISS), creating schools that fully support all students by finding ways to break down barriers to learning, including academic or social-emotional learning, behavioral or physical health, or income insecurity. This can include building a system to address these barriers with school- and community-based resources (i.e. tutoring and mentoring, enrichment opportunities, and extracurricular activities, to linking students and families to a broader set of services, such as physical and mental health care, family counseling, food banks, or employment assistance).

· Partnership Development & Management: Vendors with expertise in the development of high quality partnerships and coalitions that are tightly aligned to student needs/school priorities and have clear conditions and parameters for collaboration and shared goals.

· Educator Evaluation: Vendors with expertise in providing evidence-based professional development activities that address literacy, numeracy, remedial, or other needs of local educational agencies and the students the agencies serve to support and promote educators' continuous growth and professional learning.

· Curriculum Review Cycles: Refers to the systematic process through which vendors evaluate and refine educational curricula over time. This includes analyzing curriculum effectiveness, aligning with standards, incorporating feedback, and integrating new research or pedagogical practices. The aim is to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant, effective, and responsive to the needs of students and educators, ultimately leading to improved teaching and learning outcomes.

· Professional learning, Inclusive of Professional Development, Coaching, and Collaborative Learning Time: Refers to a comprehensive approach to enhancing educator effectiveness through ongoing training and support. It encompasses structured professional development sessions, individualized coaching, and opportunities for collaborative learning among educators. The goal is to foster continuous growth, share best practices, and improve instructional strategies, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience for students.

· Human Resources: Vendors with expertise in effective policies and procedures to support the competitive, timely recruitment and selection of educators and staff, as well as effective strategies with respect to their support, retention and evaluation.

· Expanded Learning Opportunities/Time (including Acceleration Academies): Vendors with expertise in supports designed to help schools lengthen the school day (or year) so students have more time to learn.

· Fiscal systems and budget: Vendors with expertise in schools and/or district budget/business offices and processes, including purchasing, payroll, budget planning and additional fiscal services.

· Assessment Literacy, inclusive of data reviews/cycles of inquiry: Refers to the ability of vendors to design, implement, and analyze assessments effectively. This includes the development of evaluation tools, conducting data reviews, and facilitating cycles of inquiry to interpret assessment data. The goal is to enhance instructional practices, inform decision-making, and support continuous improvement in educational outcomes for students.

· Technology integration: Vendors with expertise in supporting schools and districts with ongoing data cycles/cycles of inquiry to support improved instruction, student supports, systems-level improvements, etc.

Service Categories: Definitions Comment by Ortiz, Anthony (DESE): Update Within each area of content expertise, vendors may provide services in a variety of ways. The list below defines the service categories outlined in the scope of work. Many of the services vendors provide will overlap across these service categories or work together to create a cohesive support model.

· Strategic planning: Vendors who provide services including, but not limited to leading strategic /action planning processes.

· Consulting/targeted assistance: Vendors who provide insight, feedback, coaching, and/or assistance as needed in a variety of areas.

· Professional Learning Systems: Develop and provide high quality, evidence-based, professional development/coaching activities including face-to-face sessions, hybrid/online courses, training and technical assistance, coaching and/or mentoring, workshops, and/or institutes in the areas of expertise outlined below.

· Curriculum Selection & Implementation: Vendors specializing in the development and support of high-quality instructional materials, offering expertise in the effective selection and implementation of these curricula.

· Assessment Literacy: Vendors who provide services including evaluation design, writing, and the development of surveys, assessments, data analysis and review protocols/instruments.

· Integrated Student Support Systems: Refers to comprehensive frameworks designed to address the diverse academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students. These systems encompass a range of services and interventions, such as academic tutoring, mental health resources, and behavioral support, aimed at removing barriers to learning. The goal is to create a holistic environment that fosters student well-being, engagement, and success by effectively integrating school and community resources.

· Intervention development and implementation: Vendors who provide services including content expertise for intervention development and implementation, including intervention research and materials.

· Direct provision of services to students: Vendors who provide direct services to individuals or groups of students, which could include but is not limited to tutoring services, mental health supports, tiered supports, extended learning opportunities, and enrichment opportunities.

· Program Evaluation and/or research: Vendors with expertise in conducting comprehensive program evaluations and research, including both formative and summative assessments. This involves providing qualitative and quantitative evaluation services to assess program effectiveness, outcomes, and improvements.

· Progress monitoring and Audits: Vendors who conduct ongoing program, school, and district monitoring/audits including, but not limited to: required statutory district and school monitoring for sustainable improvement, and program audits.

· On-line learning and assessment platforms Vendors who provide data/technology platforms for schools, districts, and/or state agencies including, but not limited to: student data platforms, survey platforms, classroom instructional platforms, assessment platforms, and remote learning supports/platforms.

· Communications and Public Relations: Vendors who have the expertise to develop communications plans, including but not limited to: dissemination of standards, research findings, best practices, and new initiatives.

· Writing, copyediting, graphic design, web design, video production: Vendors who have expertise in writing (grants, publications, briefs, etc.), copyediting, graphic design, web design, and video production specifically focused on educational related press.

· Sustainable school improvement planning: Vendors who provide support with sustainable school improvement plans, inclusive of meeting facilitation, stakeholder engagement (facilitation of community/local stakeholder focus groups in order to gain insight on a specific issue or topics, including develop the schedule of and agendas for meetings, provide translation services as necessary, and develop notes and/or summaries of sessions), sustainable school improvement plan implementation, reflection, and feedback support.

· School Operator: School Operators are educational management organizations that have a demonstrated track record in successfully managing and operating low-performing, underperforming, or chronically underperforming schools and can demonstrate success in achieving improved outcomes for students. In Massachusetts, districts sometimes select pre-qualified School Operators to direct the entire educational program and oversee all operations of one or more of their schools; pre-qualified School Operators may also be selected by DESE to manage or serve as the receiver for schools that have been designated “chronically underperforming”. School Operators are responsible for implementing well-developed models that encompass school governance and management, instructional design, staff planning, community engagement strategies, and student supports.

· Financial/budget system: Vendors who provide services including oversight of schools and/or district budgets/business offices and processes, including purchasing, payroll, budget planning and additional fiscal services.

· Project Management: Vendors who have the ability to support the following project management tasks, including but not limited to: help schools, districts, and state agencies develop a project scope, manage project timelines, develop project progress monitoring measures and feedback loops, or support a project through completion.

· Human capital systems: Vendors that develop effective policies and procedures to support the competitive, timely recruitment and selection of educators and staff, as well as effective strategies with respect to their support, retention and evaluation. Some of the supports bidders might offer in this category include, but are not limited to:

· Working with districts to establish or improve human resources systems (e.g., developing policies and procedures that effectively support recruitment, selection, support, and retention of educators and staff);

· Providing support with recruiting, selecting and hiring a diverse workforce;

· Providing training and networking opportunities for the growth and development of new and existing leaders and staff of low-performing or underperforming schools;

· Utilizing statutory authorities to reorganize, recruit, hire, and retain professional staff in underperforming and chronically underperforming schools;

· Assisting districts in identifying and implementing strategies for developing a pipeline of applicants for instructional and leadership positions; and,

· Helping districts align district priorities with state regulations for educator evaluation.

DESE is looking for vendors providing an array of services, models, products and supports that align with the outlined service categories and areas of content expertise listed above. Bidders will be asked through the submission requirements to provide an overview of their services and indicate how those services align to the Service Matrix (Appendix C).

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