26PE035_PWS_092126.pdf

CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI)

SOURCE SELECTION INFORMATION – SEE FAR 2.101 & 3.104

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Department of War Education Activity 4800 Mark Center Drive

Alexandria, VA 22350

DEPARTMENT OF WAR EDUCATION ACTIVITY (DoWEA)

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT (PWS)

FOR

Alternate Assessment System for Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Agency

The Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) is one of only two federally-operated school systems.

DoWEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs in 161 fully accredited schools that serve approximately 66,000 children of active-duty military and DoW civilian families. Our curriculum, resources and student achievement scores on standardized assessments compare favorably to those of high-performing US public school systems.

Operating as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of War (Personnel and Readiness), DoWEA is overseen by a director located at our headquarters in Alexandria, VA. DoWEA’s schools are organized into three geographic areas: Americas, Europe, and Pacific. In the Americas, DoWEA operates 50 schools located in seven states, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In Europe and the Middle East, DoWEA operates 64 schools located in Germany, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain, and Italy. In the Pacific, DoWEA operates 46 schools located in Korea, Japan (mainland and Okinawa), and Guam. Finally, DoWEA operates a fully accredited virtual high school with teaching hubs in the Americas, Europe, and Pacific.

1.2 Background

DoWEA provides special education services to approximately 8,000 students in compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as implemented by DoW Instruction 1342.12, Provision of Early Intervention and Special Education Services to Eligible DoW Dependents. DoWEA administers a summative alternate assessment to students in grades 3–8, and 11 in ELA/literacy and mathematics. The purpose of DoWEA’s summative alternate assessment is to do the following:

Maximize access to the general education curriculum for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

Ensure that all students with disabilities are included in the DoWEA Balanced Assessment System

(DoWEA-BAS).

Tailor instruction in the classroom by providing important data to guide classroom decisions.

As a reminder, FAR Clause 52.212-4(q) requires the contractor to "comply with all applicable Federal, State and local laws, executive orders, rules and regulations applicable to its performance under this contract." DoWEA is a DoW field activity, providing education from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

Executive Order 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, and Executive Order 14190, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, are particularly applicable to DoWEA contracts.

1.3 Scope

DoWEA requires membership in an Alternate Assessment System Consortium that includes member participation in policy decisions. DoWEA requires the membership to include the provision of a computer-based adaptive performance-style, alternate assessment program in ELA/literacy and mathematics for students in grades 3-8 and 11 with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The alternate assessments shall align with DoWEA’s following needs: (1) assessment measures the Alternate Achievement Standards; (2) vendor-hosted assessment management and delivery systems; (3) summative and interim alternate assessments, (4) assessment scoring and reporting (5) product training and administration resources, (6) professional learning, and (7) technical support services. The proposed summative and interim alternate assessments shall meet industry standards and be fully developed and ready for administration beginning in school year 2026-27.

DoWEA also requires program management support services to ensure requirements are delivered on time and in accordance with contract specifications.

DoWEA expects to award one contract for a 5-year base period. The table below shows the total number of assessments by type and the estimated annual quantities.

Assessment Modality

Base Year 1 Estimate

Base Year 2 Estimate

Base Year 3 Estimate

Base Year 4 Estimate

Base Year 5 Estimate

Grand Total

Online 407 444 481 499 508 2,339

2 REQUIREMENTS (OBJECTIVES)

2.1 Objective 1, Consortium Membership with an Alternate Assessment System

This objective is to obtain membership in a consortium with alternate assessments to administer to DoWEA’s students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-8 and 11.

The tasks listed below help the Contractor understand the requirements but are not exhaustive.

The Contractor shall develop a complete solution using a performance-based approach.

2.1.1 Task 1, Consortium Membership—The Contractor shall provide DoWEA membership in a consortium for alternate assessment system for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The membership offers the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities that other states are given to include that of any and all policy decisions. The membership shall:

2.1.1.1 Include ongoing and regular discussions with member states/territories that cover a wide range of mutual interests regarding the development and revision of policies and principles of the members that inform collective decision-making.

2.1.1.2 Afford members the right to participate in work groups and advisory groups that provide actionable data for assessment policy and practices for longitudinal planning that will positively impact student learning.

2.1.1.3 Provide common assessment security, administration, interpretation, and reporting policies and practices agreed upon and implemented by all members.

2.1.1.4 Provide established rules/processes to address concerns by members, so input (e.g., questions, comments and/or recommendations) are applied in the products, services, policy, and operations of the membership.

2.1.1.5 Provide national comparisons of student performance in academic proficiency and mastery utilizing the same metrics and assessment tool.

2.1.2 Task 2, Summative and Interim Alternate Assessments, Accommodations, and Universal Design— The Contractor shall:

2.1.2.1 Provide a summative alternate assessment that possesses the following features:

1) Incorporates test design that is adaptive in nature.

2) Utilizes an assessment design that measures the Alternate Achievement Standards and blueprints.

3) Includes psychometric characteristics and considerations of the assessment, including scoring, scaling, and linking methods.

4) Has a documented standard setting methodology and resulting cut scores.

5) Assesses a wide range of student performance at each given grade consistent with the

“on grade” requirements stipulated by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).

6) Is administered annually during a testing window, generally in the spring, which is determined by DoWEA in consultation with the Contractor.

2.1.2.2 Provide an interim alternate assessment that possesses the following features:

1) Stand-alone interim alternate assessments with immediate scoring and feedback that teachers can opt to administer to their students

2) Developed with a learning map model: connecting skills showing how understanding develops, guiding both instruction and assessment.

3) Targets specific, critical skills within standards, broken down into small chunks that link to broader concepts.

4) Short adaptive online assessments that assess specific skills and are integrated directly into learning activities, not just at the end.

5) Item Types: Uses varied digital formats including but not limited to multiple-choice (single/multi-select) and text selection (ELA/literacy) or line matching (math) to gather evidence.

6) Provides immediate feedback and insights into student mastery informing next steps and differentiation.

7) Provide alternate assessment system that complies with the applicable laws and regulations and uses researched-based methodologies regarding required accommodations to include the following:

8) Assessments comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and Section 504.

9) Accommodations include but are not limited to accessing non-standard print, adjusting the size of the items and graphics and providing text-to-speech and speech-to-text.

10) Accommodations can be assigned manually in the system or through an upload process in advance of student testing by the test administrator or the test coordinator.

11) Accommodations include proposed guidelines for selection and implementation to be included in a downloadable Accommodations Guide.

12) All documents publicly displayed are ADA-compliant, per https://www.ada.gov/.

2.1.2.2.1 The Contractor shall provide a solution to provide the required assessment to students who cannot—even with accommodations—take the assessment using a computer. When possible, information on solution is provided in the Accommodations Guide.

2.1.2.3 Ensure all components of the assessment follow the principles and practices of Universal Design (UD) without affecting the assessment validity for students with or without disabilities.

As part of the development process, items shall be reviewed by the appropriate Consortium Committee to ensure the following UD principles are applied:

1) Multiple Means of Representation: Variations in the way the test is presented.

2) Multiple Means of Expression: Variations in the way students can show what they know.

3) Multiple Means of Engagement: Opportunities for establishing interest in tasks.

2.1.3 Task 3, Assessment Management System and Delivery Platform—The Contractor shall:

2.1.3.1 Provide assessment management system which possess—at a minimum—the following functionality:

1) Four distinct account levels as follows:

Teacher/Test Administrator: Users possess permissions limited to their specific classrooms, assigned students, and test administration sessions.

School Level: Users possess administrative permissions scoped to a single school campus, encompassing all associated teachers/test administrators, and student test assignments and data within that school.

District Level: Users possess administrative permissions encompassing all schools, users, and data within a defined district.

System/State Level: Users possess administrative permissions, covering all districts, schools, users, and data across the entire system or state-level jurisdiction.

2) Ability to input individual student information through bulk upload and manually add individual student records, which shall be available to users at the four account levels:

teacher/test administrator, school, district, and system/state.

3) Ability to reassign students to new organizational units within DoWEA and that limit users to perform this function within their account level.

4) Ability to lock/unlock student tests at various account levels.

5) Ability to add code to invalidate tests due to test security issues.

6) Availability of student profile survey or data collection instruments to assist in the determination of student-level characteristics, including accommodations, used in setting up student profile in the assessment management system.

2.1.3.2 Provide an assessment delivery platform which students access to take the assessment and which has—at a minimum—the functionalities required to successfully administer the assessment, which align with capabilities typically found in industry-standard platforms.

2.1.3.3 Provide an assessment management system and assessment delivery platform that meet—at a minimum—the following requirements for online testing:

1) Operating System: Windows 11

2) Networking: Wired or wireless Internet connection

3) Device Type: Chromebooks and laptops.

2.1.3.4 Provide regular product and system updates as needed and ensure that updates do not disrupt testing and only minimally affect DoWEA personnel systemwide. The scope of the update, including purpose and schedule will be disclosed to DoWEA at least 20 business days prior to implementation.

2.1.3.5 Provide a downloadable Online Test Administrator's Manual which provides detailed information (including, where appropriate, screen shots) about the online systems, including but not limited to the following:

1) How to create, assign, and edit accounts.

2) How to create and edit schools.

3) How teacher/test administrator log in to the assessment management system.

4) How to upload student information, including accommodations.

5) How to manually add or update student information.

6) How to transfer students from unit groups (i.e., a group within school, a group in another school within the district, a group in another school in another district).

7) How to create and assign tests.

8) User matrix detailing the functions and privileges are available at each account level.

9) How to obtain reports.

10) How students log in to the assessment delivery platform.

11) Examples of what a student sees when taking the test.

12) How the student can navigate through the assessment.

13) How the student will indicate his/her response.

14) What embedded accommodation and accessibility features look like.

2.1.4 Task 4, Assessment Scoring and Reporting—The Contractor shall:

2.1.4.1 Report assessment results in an interpretable, actionable, and user-friendly format. The reports shall complement classroom instruction (1) to facilitate the use of assessment results to improve student learning and achievement and (2) to assist educators in instructing this population of students.

2.1.4.2 Provide a portal that houses score reports and which allows DoWEA users to access and download reports within their permission levels.

2.1.4.3 Produce scores immediately in the reporting system as students complete their tests that are available at the teacher, school, district, and system/state.

2.1.4.4 Provide individual student reports (ISR) in PDF format which are downloadable from the reporting portal for DoWEA users and parents via the Parent Portal (see section on Parent Portal).

2.1.4.5 Provide interpretive guides to accompany the ISRs.

2.1.4.6 Provide guidelines for scoring and reporting.

2.1.4.7 The error rate of data reports is zero. Accuracy is expected at all times.

2.1.4.8 Provide a separate score reports training in an asynchronous module format to be delivered on an agreed upon timeline. Provides appropriate materials for the score reports training for DoWEA to review and approve no later than 20 business days prior to the delivery of the score reports training.

2.1.5 Task 5, Test Enhancement—The Contractor shall provide ongoing test development to further populate the assessment in subsequent school years. DoWEA will entertain but neither requires nor ensures that stand alone field testing may occur in DoWEA. Subsequent year field testing will be subject to DoWEA’s commitment to appropriate use of data and reduce testing administration burden.

2.1.6 Task 6, Resources, Product Training, and Professional Learning (PL)—The Contractor shall provide resources and training on the assessment and its implementation as follows:

2.1.6.1 Product Training: Provide virtual synchronous training of 2-3 hours annually for each region (Americas, Europe, and Pacific). Dates will be set by DoWEA in consultation with the Contractor. The training will be attended by various groups including school leaders and educators responsible for administering the assessment. The training includes, at a minimum, the following topics: assessment overview, assessment systems, accommodations and turnkey training resources based on administrationsy processes and guides. Provide appropriate materials for the training for DoWEA to review and approve no later than 20 business days prior to the delivery of the training. Provide reliable conference platform and link to the platform is delivered to DoWEA 40 business days before the training. Ensures the platform and link works during the training. The training will be recorded, and recordings will be provided to DoWEA 2 business days after the training. DoWEA can post the asynchronous training recordings in DoWEA’s system for internal use only.

2.1.6.2 Educator Professional Learning: Provide virtual synchronous professional learning webinars for 2-3 hours annually. Each webinar shall be presented three times, once for each region (Americas, Europe, Pacific) during their normal business hours. (For each region’s normal business hours, see Holidays and Hours of Operation, PWS 3.4.2.) Topics would focus on providing information to help educators on the use of alternate assessments and resources with efficacy including but not limited to pinpoint specific areas of strength and weakness (profile of a student's abilities) and differentiate instruction through techniques such as individualized learning plans, flexible grouping strategies, and alternative instructional approaches geared to different student profiles. The topics and materials will be submitted to DoWEA for approval. The delivery of draft and final materials and the delivery of professional learning will be determined by DoWEA in consultation with the Contractor. Set up webinars and provide all materials needed for each webinar as well as management of the pre-registration and set-up process for the training. Record each webinar and make available the recording and materials (in a format acceptable to DoWEA) for potential posting for later viewing on DoWEA’s internal system. Provide a reliable conference platform and link to the platform is delivered to DoWEA 20 business days before the training. Ensure the platform and link work during the training.

2.1.7 Task 7, Training and Practice Sites—The Contractor shall provide training and practice sites that mirror operational sites.

2.1.7.1 Assessment Management System Training Site – Provide a training site that mirrors the Assessment Management System as a resource for teachers/test administrators, and test coordinators help prepare educators to administer the assessments, access scoring reports, etc.

2.1.7.2 Assessment Delivery Platform Practice Site – Provide a public practice site that is (1) accessible with a non-secure browser, (2) uses released items to display the functionality of the test, (3) has the full range of the types of assessment items which a student might encounter while taking the assessment, and (4) contains the same essential functionality as the operational assessment delivery platform. As new types of assessment items are introduced in the operational test, practice items shall be provided sufficiently ahead of time so students may experience these new item types before they appear on actual, secure assessments. This resource is geared towards helping prepare students to use the test interface and tools successfully.

2.1.8 Task 8, Parent Portal—The Contractor shall provide an application which parents/sponsors may use to electronically access their students score reports for ELA/literacy and mathematics for all tested grades. The score reports shall be made available for each year that a student is assessed.

Since the reports contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII), the portal created shall be protected/secure. The parent portal shall be accessible via desktop and mobile devices and be supported by web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox and Safari. In addition, the Contractor shall provide a parent-friendly guide for parents/sponsors to access and view their students score reports as online PDF documents as well as provide an option to download and print.

2.1.9 Task 9, Client Website—The Contractor shall provide a Client website that will be used to house Alternate Assessment resources produced and approved by DoWEA under this contract which would include the following:

• Manuals and guides

• Resources (e.g. training materials, interpretive guides)

• Link to the assessment management platform, both operational and training sites

• Link to the assessment delivery both operational system and practice sites

• Link to Parent Portal

2.2 Objective 2, General Requirements

2.2.4 Task 1, Technical Support: The Contractor shall provide industry-standard technical support for its digital resources for the life of the contract via telephone or email within one business day from the initial contact to include but not limited to assisting with service problems, product setup, upgrades, and troubleshooting. Provide Customer Service report that includes at a minimum issue details, resolutions, timeframe, and client info weekly during the testing window and monthly outside of the window.

2.2.5 Task 2, Third-Party Programs, Software, and Applications: The Contractor shall ensure its own and its subcontractors’ (third-party) programs, software, and applications meet—at a minimum—the same technical requirements as the Contractor must meet, such as single sign on (SSO) and Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Level 2, etc. On a case-by-case basis, DoWEA may honor requests to waive the FedRAMP Level 2 requirement. For more information, see Technical Exhibit #1, 1.1.

2.2.6 Meetings: Attend virtual meetings at no additional cost to the Government and provide the medium through which each meeting occurs, record each meeting’s minutes. Submit the draft minutes to the COR within two business days of the event and finalize the minutes two business days after receipt of written feedback from the COR.

2.2.6.1 Post-Award Conference: Participate in a video- or teleconference with the Contracting Officer

KO and COR five business days after award. IAW FAR Subpart 42.5.

2.2.6.2 IT Meeting: Participate in video- or teleconference with DoWEA Information Technology staff ten business days after award, per Technical Exhibit #1.

2.2.6.3 Other Post-Award Meetings: Meet with the KO, COR, and/or other Agency personnel, as appropriate, to review Contractor performance, as required by DoWEA. The KO may discuss the Agency’s view of Contractor performance, and the Contractor shall apprise the Agency of any problems being experienced. The Contractor shall take appropriate action to resolve any outstanding issues the Agency raises.

2.2.6.4 Project Meetings: Meet with DoWEA project team on the agreed upon frequency to address logistical preparedness, technology preparedness, communication, and other matters associated with successful testing implementation.

2.2.6.5 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC): Attend one day TAC meeting to discuss DoWEA’s assessment system and initiatives. The Contactor has the option to attend virtually or in person at no cost to the government. This will be an annual event, and specific dates will be provided by DoWEA once identified.

2.3 Performance Standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (Objectives 1 and 2)

2.3.4 Performance Standard: Tasks shall be completed by the required completion date.

2.3.5 Acceptable Quality Level: See PWS Section 7, Performance Requirement Summary.

3 CONSTRAINTS

3.1 Place of Performance: Work shall be performed at the Contractor’s facilities.

3.2 Privacy—The Contractor shall:

3.2.1 User Accounts: Require, wherever applicable, that individual accounts possess unique usernames and passwords that do not require PII to access online content, i.e., first & last name and any other unique personal information.

3.2.2 Contractor Personnel

Ensure personnel assigned to this contract take proper precautions to protect information from disclosure. Collect and/or store all agency-owned or agency-controlled PII in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C, which may be found at the following URL:

http://www.archives.gov/about/laws/privacy-act-1974.html.

All Contractor personnel that have access to DoWEA data in any form shall be US citizens, U.S Nationals as defined by U.S.C §1408, or U.S Persons as defined by 22 C.F.R § 120.62 including any third-party penetration (PEN)/security testers. Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official.

3.2.3 Privacy Training: Ensure Contractor staff who have access to DoWEA’s student, teacher and/or staff personally identifiable information successfully complete approved privacy training before gaining access to the data and yearly thereafter. Provide copies of the certificates of completion to the COR which can be audited at any time by the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or his/her designee.

3.2.4 Privacy Verification: Provide the COR written verification of compliance with the Privacy requirements (listed above) 120 calendar days prior to the expiration of each year’s contract option period or annually, as required. After reviewing the Contractor’s verification, DoWEA reserves the right to ask for further verification data in order for DoWEA to comply with DoW’s evolving privacy mandates.

3.3 Program Management: The Contractor shall:

3.3.1 Develop and submit an annual detailed project plan to DoWEA at the start of the school year. The purpose of this plan is to clearly outline the methods and timeline the Contractor will use to complete all contract requirements. Crucially, the Contractor will not perform any project work until DoWEA officially reviews and signs off on this annual project plan. Provide regular status updates on all aspects of the project and any constraints that put any services and deliverables at risk of completion.

3.3.2 Project management support would include standard consortium services plus one-hour weekly meeting with DoWEA project team and access to specialist support as needed.

3.3.3 Project Manager (PM) and Alternate PM (Alternate)—The Contractor shall provide two people to be responsible for the performance of work. The names of the PM and Alternate who shall act for the Contractor when the PM is absent shall be designated in writing to the KO. They shall have full authority to act for the Contractor on all contract matters relating to the daily operation of this contract.

Provide a PM and Alternate who possess the following qualifications:

1) Bachelor's degree—master's degree or above is preferred.

2) Previous experience in projects involving elementary and/or secondary-level testing.

3) Three years' experience managing large-scale assessment projects from conception through completion following industry-recognized project management methodology.

4) Strong organizational and managerial skills and demonstrated knowledge of testing procedures.

5) Familiar with the Contractor’s assessment products and services.

Changes: Personnel provided as replacements to key functions after contract award shall meet or exceed the qualifications and experience of those provided upon award of the contract. Notify the COR in writing regarding all personnel changes ten business days in advance of the change.

Note: DoWEA reserves the right to review and approve or disapprove proposed changes in any staffing and/or subcontracting.

3.4 Holidays and Hours of Operation

3.4.1 The PM and/or Alternate shall be available during the hours of 9AM to 3PM Eastern Time (ET), except for Federal holidays and Federal government closures/shutdowns. The following list shows recognized Federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

3.4.2 Although there are different time zones throughout DoWEA, the normal business hours for the regions roughly correspond to the following: Americas, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM (ET); Europe, 1:00 AM – 9:00 AM (ET); and Pacific, 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM (ET).

3.4.3 Service desk hours to be from 8 am to 8 pm EST.

3.5 Availability: The Contractor shall make all resources available for the life of the contract.

http://www.archives.gov/about/laws/privacy-act-1974.html

3.6 Section 508 Compliance—The Contractor shall:

3.6.1 Background: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-220) requires Federal agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use information and communication technology (ICT) to ensure they are accessible to people with disabilities. Federal employees and members of the public who have disabilities must have access to and use of information/data that is comparable to people without disabilities.

3.6.2 Requirement: Ensure that products, platforms, and services delivered as part of this work statement that are ICT or contain ICT conform to the Revised 508 Standards, 36 C.F.R. § 1194.1 & Apps. A, C & D which are located at the following URL: https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines.

3.6.3 ARS: See the attached ICT Accessibility Requirements Statement (ARS). All functional performance criteria apply when using an alternative design or technology that achieves substantially equivalent or greater accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities, than would be provided by conformance to one or more of the requirements in Chapters 4-6 of the Revised 508 Standards or when Chapters 4-6 do not address one or more functions of ICT. The guidance is in the table below:

Applicable Requirements Directions

Software Features and Components

Applies to all WCAG Level AA Success Criteria, 502 Interoperability with Assistive Technology, and 503 Applications.

Hardware Features and Components All requirements apply.

Support Services and Documentation All requirements apply.

Outputs/Deliverables Ensures that outputs/deliverables do not adversely affect accessibility features of the existing EIT technologies.

3.7 Optical Character Resolution (OCR): The Contractor shall provide, upon request, two digital OCR copies of print materials in one or more of the following five formats: Digital Accessible Information System/National Instructional Materials; Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) with cascading style sheet; HyperText Markup Language (HTML); Portable Document Format (PDF, unlocked, embedded fonts, single page); and Rich Text Format (RTF)/Word document.

3.8 Sharable Content Object Reference Model® (SCORM®) Compliance: Provide digital modules, if included among the proposed/required resources, that are SCORM®-compliant. Note: The Department of War Instruction (DoWI) 1322.26 mandates that modules comply with the latest possible version of SCORM®, per https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/132226_dodi_2017.pdf?ver=2017- 10-05-073235-400.

3.9 Data & Data Rights: All data developed from any work awarded under this contract is and shall remain the property of the Government. The Contractor shall ensure that digital rights to all visual materials embedded in the resources will be given so that DoWEA for DoWEA’s internal use only may use resources without incurring copyright costs or infringing on copyright laws. All data developed from any work awarded under this contract is and shall remain the property of the Government.

3.10 Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): The Contractor (including any subcontractor) personnel performing work under this contract may receive, have access to, or participate in the development of, proprietary or Privacy Act information (e.g., personal information, education, etc.) may create a current or subsequent OCI as defined in FAR Subpart 9.5. Whenever the Contractor becomes aware that such access or participation may result in actual or potential OCI, the Contractor shall (1) immediately notify the KO in writing and (2) promptly submit a plan to the KO to avoid or mitigate any such OCI. Note: The KO will unilaterally determine if the Contractor’s plan is acceptable. If the KO determines the plan cannot satisfactorily avoid or mitigate an OCI, s/he may implement other remedies to include prohibiting the Contractor’s further participation in contracted requirements.

4 GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED INFORMATION / RESOURCES

None

5 CONTRACT DELIVERABLES

Milestone/Deliverable Format PWS Planned Frequency

Submit To

Objective 1, Task 1, Consortium Membership Digital 2.1.1 Ongoing after receipt of initial delivery order (DO)

COR and customers

Task 2, Summative and Interim Alternate Assessments, Accommodations, and Universal Design

Digital 2.1.2 Ongoing after completion of onboarding, if required.

COR and customers

Task 3, Assessment Management System and Delivery Platform Digital 2.1.3 Ongoing after completion of onboarding, if required.

COR and customers

Task 4, Assessment Scoring and Reporting Digital 2.1.4 During the testing window and after it closes.

COR and customers

Task 5, Test Enhancement Digital 2.1.5 Ongoing after receipt of initial DO COR and customers

Task 6, Resources, Product Training, and PL Digital 2.1.6

Resources Access throughout life of the contract except for scheduled downtimes

Product Training Annually updated after initial posting in the first month of Base Year 1

Professional Learning No more than one presentation per year rescheduled due to Contractor issues

COR and customers

Task 7, Training and Practice Sites Digital 2.1.7 Ongoing after completion of onboarding, if required.

COR and customers

Task 8, Parent Portal Digital 2.1.8 Ongoing after completion of onboarding, if required.

COR and customers

Task 9, Client Website Digital 2.1.9 Ongoing after completion of onboarding, if required.

COR and customers

Objective 2, General Requirements

Task 1, Technical Support Digital 2.2.1 Ongoing after receipt of initial DO COR or customer

Task 2, Technical Requirements for Digital Resources Digital 2.2.2 Ongoing after receipt of initial DO COR/IT

Task 3, Third-Party Programs, Software, and Applications Digital 2.2.3 Ongoing after receipt of initial DO COR/IT

Task 4, Delivery of Digital Resources Digital 2.2.4

After receipt of delivery order:

Digital: Ongoing access in three business days

COR and customers

Constraints

User Accounts Digital 3.2.1 Ongoing after receipt of initial DO COR

Privacy Training Digital 3.2.3 Three days after receipt of a written request COR

Privacy Verification Digital 3.2.4 120 calendar days prior to end of contract year COR

Milestone/Deliverable Format PWS Planned Frequency

Submit To

Program Manager and Alternate Digital 3.3 PM and Alternate roles and qualifications provided at post-award conference and when changes are proposed

COR

6 ACRONYMS and DEFINITIONS

DoWEA Department of War Education Activity CCRS College and Career Ready Standards PA/PII Privacy Act/Personally Identifiable Information ADA Americans with Disabilities Act BAS Balanced Assessment System ESEA Elementary and Secondary Education IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Act UD Universal Design ISR Individual Student Report TAC Technical Advisory Committee QASP Quality Assessment Surveillance Plan SCORM® Shareable Content Object Reference Model®

Contracting Officer (KO): Only individuals with the expressed authority to obligate (bind) the Government by means of entering, administering, and terminating contracts within the limits of the authority delegated via the KO’s warrant.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR): Qualified and trained Government employee, nominated by the requiring activity (RA) and appointed in writing by a KO primarily to perform specific technical or administrative functions on a specific contract(s); serves as the ‘eyes and ears’ of a KO to assure the Government’s best interests are protected via the terms and conditions of the contract(s). Appointed. CORs do not have the authority to obligate (bind) the Government.

Contractor: Supplier or vendor contracted to provide specific supplies or services to the Government—may also be referred to as “the prime”.

Deliverable: Usually physically delivered items but may include such items as digital documents/reports.

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS): Tabular listing of performance objectives and standards.

Performance Work Statement (PWS): Statement of work for performance-based acquisitions describing the required results in clear, specific, and objective terms with measurable outcomes.

Technical Exhibit #1 - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor shall comply with the applicable technical requirements detailed below.

1.1 Software and Cloud Security Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.1.1 Ensure all online resources, cloud-based services and instructional software meet Department of War

(DoW) and DoWEA cybersecurity requirements as defined below. Note: Software, cloud services and associated websites are rigorously tested to ensure no security risks are posed to DoWEA infrastructure and its users.

1.1.2 Complete the Cloud Services questionnaire that was submitted as part of the proposal submission and provide copies of and/or access to any software listed in the proposed solution.

1.1.3 Ensure its content accessible from the web is compatible with the following browser platforms: Google Chrome, and Edge. Ensure that any applicable STIGs are implemented. Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official.

1.1.4 Provide a plan of actions and milestones (POA&M) to mitigate any cybersecurity findings resulting from non-compliant and/or vulnerable components in 30 calendar days of written notification from DoWEA.

(Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official).

1.1.5 Be able to meet Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Moderate Impact standards for all proposed software/digital resources and ensure that any third-party resources that are part of its proposed solution also meet the FedRAMP Moderate Impact standard. For more information on FedRAMP, see www.fedramp.gov. Participate, if required, in interviews and deep system architecture inspections.

Per DoW policy for cloud-based services, DoWEA conducts a supplemental series of validations, which closely mirror the FedRAMP Internet Cloud vetting processes. Contractor participation/cooperation is normally required to complete this process.

On a case-by-case basis, DoWEA may honor requests to waive the FedRAMP Level 2 requirement.

1.2 System Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.2.1 Provide, per Section 1.1 (above), any software installed and/or accessed in or by a DoWEA system, network whether stand-alone or web-based, is compatible with the standards cited herein.

1.2.2 Provide minimum desktop/server system technical specifications, reference architectures, networking specifications and diagrams, and applicable systems configuration documentation for the proposed solution.

1.2.3 Provide software that is compatible with the following minimum baseline:

Specifications Minimum Memory 4 GB

Hard Drive 100 GB

Processor Intel® Core™ i5-8365U Processor 8th Generation (up to 4.1GHz, 6MB cache) equivalent or better (Must show benchmark/passmark scores)

Video Graphics Integrated Intel HD Graphics 620 (1920x1080) equivalent or better Operating System Windows 11

Browser Environment Chrome, Edge, Edge Chromium

1.2.4 Provide software that is completely functional on a standard DoWEA desktop without the need or requirement for administrative-level user rights and/or permissions or the requirement to use or insert external media to execute the software.

1.2.5 Provide software that does not require modifications to folder permissions while executing.

1.2.6 Provide, if applicable, software packages that support unattended installation methods used by enterprise software packaging and deployment systems.

DoWEA currently distributes software packages via Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager

(SCCM) and Microsoft Intune.

All older 16-bit software are automatically denied.

1.3 Data Management Requirements—The Contractor shall:

1.3.1 "Provide a mechanism for batch administration of routine data management tasks via flat file import, or representational state transfer (REST) based web service application programming interfaces (APIs).

The mechanism shall provision and manage data objects within the Contractor’s system, including but not limited to organizational structures, student accounts, staff accounts, courses, and class rosters."

1.3.2 "Provide all necessary documentation and assets to facilitate batch administration of routine data management tasks, including but not limited to roster template files (i.e., comma separated value templates); data element/field definitions documentation; data interchange formats and schemas (XML/ JSON); and/or data dictionaries for the purpose of mapping organizational student information system (SIS) data to the Contractor’s required input formats."

1.3.3 Provide a single point of contact to support DoWEA in performing the required data integration activities within the Contractor’s system.

1.3.4 Configure DoWEA enterprise within its system and/or databases as the appropriate organizational entity (i.e., region, district, school) upon a request in writing from the contracting officer’s representative (COR).

Note: DoWEA’s organization hierarchy consists of the following: one system, three regions, nine districts, 62 communities, and 161 schools, including the K-12 virtual school programs.

1.3.5 Participate in a technical meeting with DoWEA within ten business days after award for the purposes of preparing for onboarding of new services and initial configuration of administrator-level accounts.

1.3.6 Ensure the transfer of any Sensitive, Confidential data including but not limited to PII data be transferred in a secure means meeting any requirements set by DoWEA’s Chief Information Security Officer

(CISO).

1.4 DoWEA Software License Keys: The Contractor shall provide (1) license keys and electronic downloads for software required under this Contract to the COR and (2) software directly to DoWEA schools, districts, or regions only if explicitly required to do so in the contract or in writing by the COR.

1.5 Cybersecurity Supporting Elements/Requirements and Scalability—The Contractor shall:

1.5.1 Comply with the same Federal law and DoW policies and guidance to which DoWEA is subject that include but are not limited to the cybersecurity requirements defined in the following documents:

DoW Directive (DoWD) 8500.01E, Information Assurance, be found at the following URL:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/850001_2014.pdf.

DoW Security Technical Implementation Guidance (STIG), which may be found at the following

URL: https://public.cyber.mil/stigs/downloads/.

DoW Risk Management Framework (DOWRMF) per DoW Instruction 8510.01, which may be found at https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/851001p.pdf?ver=2019-02- 26-101520-3004.5.2.

“Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official. “

1.5.2 Provide security patches/upgrades to include third-party applications in response to public-released security vulnerabilities associated with its software solution. Provide a POA&M for any security vulnerabilities within five business days of discovery. Software upgrades/patches shall be included in the licensing cost and be performed at the least disruptive times as determined by DoWEA in writing. Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official.

1.5.3 Protect DoWEA data against all cyberattacks, notifying DoWEA within 72 hours of an identified and confirmed breach/intrusion.

1.5.4 Perform security incident investigations upon identification of an event or at the request of DoWEA.

1.5.5 Address all CVE’s in the defined timeframes based on severity.

1.5.6 User passwords must not be readable by anyone having access to the system.

1.5.7 Ensure any portion of its solution that involves Internet access by DoWEA students complies with the relevant requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act, Public Law 106-554, § 1(a)(4) [Div. B, Title XVII, § 1701], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-335. All Contractor personnel that have access to DoWEA data shall be US citizens, U.S Nationals as defined by U.S.C §1408, or U.S Persons as defined by 22 C.F.R § 120.62. "Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official." If its solution does not involve Internet access by DoWEA students, please ensure the following are included:

1) Maintaining system security IAW the latest versions of the (1) DoW Cloud Computing Security

Requirements Guide, (2) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and (3) Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA).

2) Providing a solution robust enough to serve the needs of a large community of learners dispersed across the world using a variety of bandwidths and scalable to meet future growth, both in terms of instruction and the number of users. In addition, provided solutions shall be applicable to the digital learning environment of the DoWEA Virtual School.

3) Ensuring Contractor staff who have access to DoWEA’s students, teacher and/or staff personally identifiable information shall complete approved privacy training before gaining access to the data and yearly thereafter. Provide copies of the certificates to the COR which can be audited at any time by the CISO or his/her designee.

1.6 Program and System Integration—The Contractor’s solution shall:

1.6.1 Provide Single Sign-On (SSO) Capabilities / Platform which (1) integrates with an Industry Standard SSO login solution. (ClassLink, Google, Azure, etc.); (2) supports Oauth 2.0, Security Assertions Markup Language (SAML) for integration with Azure, or Google; and (3) authenticates using Azure Active Directory (AD) or Google AD. Authenticates using Azure Active Directory (AD) or Google AD. (Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official.

1.6.2. Support industry-standard data rostering standards via ClassLink and standard data formats such as

OneRoster.

1.6.3. Ensure that data storage, handling, and security meet the following minimum standards:

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/851001p.pdf?ver=2019-02-26-101520-3004.5.2 https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/851001p.pdf?ver=2019-02-26-101520-3004.5.2

1) DoWEA’s information and data shall be secured in data center located in the United States.

2) The system, including its server(s) and network devices, shall be in an environmentally controlled and secure facility under controlled circumstances (e.g., using authorized personnel access lists, ID cards, entry logs, etc.).

3) All Contractor personnel that have access to DoWEA data in any form shall be US citizens, U.S Nationals as defined by U.S.C §1408, or U.S Persons as defined by 22 C.F.R § 120.62, including any third-party penetration (PEN)/security testers. (Note: Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official.

4) All data transit shall be secured with Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption.

5) All data at rest shall be secured with Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption. (Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official).

1.6.4 Ensure that data integration includes the following:

1) Automated industry standard form of data integration using Representational State Transfer Application Program Interface (RESTful API), Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), or Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) data sets (ClassLink, OneRoster, etc.).

2) Encryption of DoWEA’s data at rest to include unique encryption keys for each customer on systems hosting multiple customers. (Any exception to this requirement must be approved in advance and in writing by DoWEA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) or designated official).

3) Notification of DoWEA in writing within 72 hours of any changes made to corporate policies for data protection.

4) Use of only masked or de-identified student data in non-production development and test (QA) environments.

5) Integration scheduling that meets DoWEA’s required timeframes.

6) Provision of fully automated data uploads per Agency schedule(s) and Agency requirements.

7) Support of SFTP capabilities using a single set of login credentials.

8) Provision of a single data set of DoWEA information. Note: The Contractor’s solution shall support

DoWEA at all levels: school, community, district, region, and system/state.

9) Maintenance of a backup and restore plan for DoWEA data in the event of a disaster.

10) Provision of detailed feedback of what caused errors if an integration transmission results in errors.

1.6.5 System Features—The system shall:

1) Allow user accounts to be managed by DoWEA staff.

2) The format of user login identification will be an email address. DoWEA will be able to manage user accounts.

3) Require the user—for manually created accounts—to reset the password on the user’s initial login or, upon request, a password reset.

7 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SUMMARY and QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN

7.1 Performance Requirement Summary (PRS)

Performance Objective

Performance Standard Acceptable Quality Level Method of

Surveillance Inspector

Objective 1, Consortium Membership with a Summative Alternate Assessment Task 1, Consortium

Membership

PWS 2.1.1

Completed in required timeline 100% PWS-compliant

Review of documentation and participation

COR &

customers

Task 2, Summative and Interim Alternate

Assessments, Accommodations, and

Universal Design

PWS 2.1.2

Completed in required timeline 100% PWS-compliant

Review of documentation and performing test administration

COR &

customers

Task 3, Assessment Management System and Delivery Platform

PWS 2.1.3