135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149 | 781.338.3000 | TTY: N.E.T. Relay (800).439.2370

Attachment A

Alternate ID #: 27IMESK1 COMMBUYS Bid #: BD-27-1026-DOE02-DOE01-134942

The Department is seeking to contract with an experienced vendor to update and revise the existing Guidance for Supporting English Learners with Disabilities, select IEP Forms, Notices and Resources, and other priority resources (e.g., ESL tool kit’s best practices) for English Learners with disabilities (ELSwD) students to best serve ELSwD students by aligning the guidance revisions with all federal and state laws, regulations, and legislation (specifically the Protect Education Equity Act) as well as the recently completed ELSwD research project.

Background:

The Office of Special Education Planning and Policy (SEPP) and the Office of Instruction and Multilingual Education (OIME) at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (“DESE” or “the Department”) work collaboratively to ensure that students who are identified as English Learners with disabilities (ELSwD) have equitable access to all programs, courses, resources, and services, and achieve equitable outcomes. Meeting the language and learning needs of English learners (ELs) who may be or are eligible for special education services[footnoteRef:2] is a challenge faced by many local education agencies (LEAs). ELSwD students are doing triple the work of a "typical" student; 1) learning content; 2) learning English in an educational system that is not inherently set up to support their linguistic needs; and, 3) navigating an educational system that is not inherently set up to support their disability needs. Since the ELSwD guidance was last updated in February of 2019, and with the passing of the Protect Education Equity Act, DESE is now legally required to revise the ELSwD guidance to ensure it aligns with all federal and state laws and regulations as well as the recommendations and research-based best practices the ELSwD research project deliverables provided. This bid includes a one-year contract, with the option for renewal for an additional year, with each year focusing on a specific revision project. Year 1 of this project will revise the current ELSwD guidance and align it with current laws, regulations, and research. Year 2 of this project, if renewed, will revise priority DESE ELSwD resources and align them to the updated ELSwD guidance. [2: Special education is defined as specially designed instruction or related services to access the general curriculum. Related services are developmental, corrective and other supportive services, which may include transportation.]

This work will build on existing resources, feedback and research conducted by the Department.

Existing Resources

Currently, the Department offers guidance and resources to support Massachusetts LEAs in meeting their obligations to appropriately provide services to students who are eligible for both an English Learner Education (ELE) program and special education services, including:

· federal and state requirements regarding English Learners (ELs) eligible for special education and related services,

· guidance to assist districts and schools in their decision-making, and

· resources for meeting the general curriculum, English learning, and special education needs of eligible students

Additional DESE resources that inform this work include:

· Updated ELE guidance

· A pathway for exiting EL status for students who take the ACCESS Alternative assessment for the first time in the Department’s history

· Massachusetts Referral, Evaluation, and Eligibility Determination Guide RLO

· Updated Individualized Education Program (IEP) form

· Massachusetts Individual Education Program (IEP) Technical Guide

· Supporting English Learners with the New IEP QRG - a new quick reference guide to support LEAs in implementation of the new IEP form

· Information for Parents on the New Individualized Education Program (IEP) Form: Quick Reference Guide

· Discussion Questions to Get Ready for My Yearly IEP Meeting

· Transition Planning with the New IEP QRG

· Changes to the IEP Forms crosswalk, if necessary

Advisory Group Input

Beyond document-based resources, in school years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, the Department convened an ELSwD advisory group to gather direct feedback from a diverse group of interested and impacted parties. This group provided direct feedback both in the live synchronous sessions held quarterly and via asynchronous surveys. The feedback addressed topics such as:

· identification practices for ELSwD

· multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)

· scheduling and programming

· high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) access

The feedback gathered from these advisory group convenings indicated the highest priority request from the field and impacted parties is for the Department to provide LEAs with updated ELSwD guidance that translates regulations, legislation, and new research findings into practical application recommendations for administrators and teachers to use at the system and classroom levels so that they can better ensure equitable access to high-quality education and equitable opportunities for success for ELSwD students.

External Research

Feedback from the advisories and frequently asked questions that SEPP and OIME receive from the field, both indicated the current DESE ELSwD guidance is not sufficient to provide the clarity or implementation support necessary to ensure ELSwD students have equitable access to appropriate educational services and the opportunity to achieve equitable academic outcomes. To best address these gaps, DESE contracted with a research team who completed an ELSwD research project that provided:

· A literature review compiling research articles specific to ELSwD students

· A national scan compiling all state level resources, policies, guidance, and definitions specific to ELSwD students

· A gap analysis of current MA DESE ELSwD resources and guidance including recommendations regarding updating and revising the existing guidance and resources

These documents will be provided to the selected bidder.

Please note, 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 all responses received, to negotiate with qualified bidders, and to cancel this bid in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interest of DESE or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to do so.

Scope of Service:

The Department is seeking to contract with an experienced vendor to update and revise the existing Guidance for Supporting English Learners with Disabilities and revise priority ELSwD resources in whole or in part (e.g., IEP Forms, Notices and Resources Next Generation ESL tool kit’s ELSwD best practices) to align with federal and state laws and regulations (including the Protect Education Equity Act and related regulatory updates that have been made at DESE), and the recommendations and information in the ELSwD research documents listed above. A communication and dissemination plan and related documents are also part of this contract work for each year's scope. All deliverables must be completed before 06/30/2028; more detailed information breaking down deliverables into each fiscal year is included below.

Year 1 (FY2027) of this project focuses on the guidance revision, which will include but is not limited to:

· An initial outline of the ELSwD Guidance Document based on review of the following:

· Current MA DESE ELSwD guidance document and existing guidance documents relevant to ELSwD

· Current MA and federal laws, regulations, legislation

· ELSwD research project deliverables

· Revising the MA DESE ELSwD guidance document to align with all federal and state requirements and to include non-regulatory guidance based on the research deliverables

· Virtual meetings with MA DESE staff (SEPP, OIME, OPR, Legal) and the ELSwD advisory group to gather feedback through an iterative draft process. The ELSwD advisory group will have 2 virtual meetings annually, and the MA DESE staff virtual meetings will be biweekly but may fluctuate depending on the pace and stage of work.

· Incorporating feedback into iterative drafts from all impacted and interested parties

Year 2 (FY2028) of this project focuses on ELSwD DESE resource revision, which will include but is not limited to:

· Final versions of the ELSwD guidance document, fully aligned with current laws, regulations, and research

· Reviewing current MA DESE resources related to ELSwD students and aligning these with the updated guidance, including but not limited to:

· Special education

· Massachusetts Referral, Evaluation, and Eligibility Determination Guide RLO

· Updated Individualized Education Program (IEP) form

· Massachusetts Individual Education Program (IEP) Technical Guide

· Supporting English Learners with the New IEP QRG - a new quick reference guide to support LEAs in implementation of the new IEP form

· Level of Need: aged 3 through 21 / Educational Environment and Placement: aged 5 (enrolled in kindergarten) and aged 6 through 21

· Notices of Proposed School District Action / Refusal to Act

· Attendance Sheet—Special Education Team Meeting

· Information for Parents on the New Individualized Education Program (IEP) Form: Quick Reference Guide

· Discussion Questions to Get Ready for My Yearly IEP Meeting

· Transition Planning with the New IEP QRG

· Changes to the IEP Forms crosswalk, if necessary

· Language acquisition guidance documents

· updating links and any/all references to ELSwD guidance, resources, etc

· Dual Language: revising and updating relevant sections related to ELSwD

· QRG Providing ESL Services in DLBE

· QRG 6 Key points of ESL in DLBE

· QRG DLBE Enrollment

· DLBE Planning Tool

· Next Generation ESL: revising and updating relevant sections related to ELSwD

· ELSwD Quick Reference Guide

· Collaboration Quick Reference Guide

· ESL Curriculum Modules - Overview

· updating resource links on the Curriculum Review Rubric document

· Creating a crosswalk or other summarizing document to be utilized as an appendix for resources outside the scope of the resource revision work to ensure full alignment across all DESE resources

· Creating a communication and dissemination plan and related documents for informing educators, parents/caregivers, communities, organizations, and other interested parties about the revisions to the guidance

Budget:

The initial contract for this work is from time of award through June 30, 2027, with the possibility of one renewal for one year. Please note that the funds for this project must be spent in the fiscal years indicated below. The funds do not roll over to future years, must be spent in the year they are allocated in the state budget, and renewals are contingent upon funding.

Initial Contract (FY27):

· Year 1 ELSwD Guidance Revision

· Time of award to June 30, 2027 (FY27): Up to $200,000

Renewal Period

· Year 2 ELSwD Resource Revision

· July 1, 2027- June 30, 2028 (FY28): Up to $100,000

Vendors must propose a deliverables-based budget[footnoteRef:3]. [3: Deliverable-based budgets are a Massachusetts State Procurement requirement. Examples of deliverables that can be invoiced for include, but are not limited to, project plans and timelines, final research questions and research. designs, final data collection protocols such as interview protocols or survey instruments, draft reports, and final reports.]

This is a deliverables-based contract, and all other incidental costs must be included in the budget. This compensation is inclusive of all overhead and administrative fees. DESE will pay invoices based on completion or percentage completion of tasks for actual work undertaken and completed prior to the invoice date.

Budgets must be all inclusive of costs including all administrative and indirect costs. Budgets should reflect the cost and value of deliverables for each year and should not exceed the annual maximums listed above. Budgets must provide costs in several formats as outlined in the sample deliverables-based budget posted with the RFR materials on COMMBUYS: 1) Deliverables line-item budgets; 2) budgets by staff member by fiscal year using your organization’s hourly rates; and 3) budget narratives, for all fiscal years aligned to the following fiscal years and budget allocations. Deliverables-based budgets are a Massachusetts state procurement requirement. Note that budgets are evaluated by the value provided by the services offered for the budget and not the lowest bid.

When proposing budgetary guidelines, please include all necessary information in this section. (i.e., cost per deliverable or product). The budget should be submitted according to the breakdown as explained in the submission requirements section of this attachment.

Deliverables:

Please note that when applicable, the content of the final deliverables will be determined jointly by DESE and the selected vendor.

FY27 (from time of award to June 30, 2027) Year 1 ELSwD Guidance Revision[footnoteRef:4] [4: The final deliverables must meet Title II accessibility standard (WCAG 2.1 (Level AA) - Accessibility Support - Web Services Team Resources]

1. Kick off meeting[footnoteRef:5]; [5: All meetings are typically virtual]

2. Regularly conducted virtual updates with the Department as agreed upon by the Department and the winning vendor (these can vary bi-weekly, monthly, etc. which may vary depending on the pace and state of the work at different times)

3. A timeline that clearly lays out how the vendor will ensure high-quality deliverables aligned to this contract are completed before the fiscal year end date of June 30, 2027

4. An outline of how the vendor proposes to set up the ELSwD guidance document (e.g. sections, headers, organization)

5. A crosswalk or other summarizing document of what currently exists in DESE ELSwD guidance, what federal and state laws and regulations require, and what the research deliverables provided

6. 3 Iterative drafts of guidance revisions for review by the ELSwD advisory group and internal DESE staff, including SEPP, OIME, and Legal, and incorporation of this feedback into the following draft versions as follows:

a. 1st draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group

b. 2nd draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group with feedback from the 1st draft incorporated

c. 3rd draft for review by DESE with feedback from the 2nd draft incorporated

FY28 (from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028) Year 2 Final ELSwD Guidance and Dissemination Documents and Revision of DESE ELSwD resources

1. Kick off meeting;

2. Regularly conducted virtual updates with the Department as agreed upon by the Department and the winning vendor (these can vary bi-weekly, monthly, etc. which may vary depending on the pace and state of the work at different times);

Final Guidance Documents By August 23, 2027

3. By August 23, 2027 A two-page summary or crosswalk of the revisions made according to the research, laws, and regulations to be utilized to support the FY28 resource revision work.

4. By August 23, 2027 Final version of revised guidance for DESE review and approval[footnoteRef:6] [6: Please note that all final documents and reports must meet DESE’s accessibility requirements. See DESE’s accessibility support documents and information regarding web accessible documents here.

5. By August 30, 2027 Final presentation to and presentation slide deck for DESE to reflect the revisions made to the guidance and the related laws, regulations, and/or research that informed those revisions. In addition to providing DESE with the opportunity to engage with the selected vendor about the revisions, ask questions/clarifications, etc., DESE will use the presentation to share the revisions with educators and MA impacted parties at unit and office level DESE internal meetings, network meetings with educators, and other internal and external facing meetings.

Revision of DESE ELSwD resources

6. Interim documents as appropriate, for example, a draft of the first substantive revision of the relevant resources. We ask that bidders propose what interim documents they provide and when they recommend providing these. The final set of documents and reports to be determined jointly by DESE and the selected bidder.

a. A timeline that clearly lays out how the vendor will ensure high-quality deliverables aligned to this contract are completed before the fiscal year end date of June 30, 2028

b. An outline of how the vendor proposes to align all relevant resources with the updated ELSwD guidance document, with the specific resources to be determined in collaboration between DESE and the vendor (See scope of services for a non-exhaustive list)

c. 3 Iterative drafts of a crosswalk of what currently exists in MA DESE ELSwD resources and what the updated guidance contains (including federal and state laws and regulations, as well as the research project deliverables) to be utilized as an appendix for resources outside the scope of the resource revision work to ensure full alignment across all DESE resources (see item b above)

i. 1st draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group

ii. 2nd draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group with feedback from the 1st draft incorporated

iii. 3rd draft for review by DESE with feedback from the 2nd draft incorporated

d. 3 Iterative drafts of resources’ revisions and updates (i.e. aligning resources to updated guidance and laws, including vignettes, scenarios, and examples) for review by the ELSwD advisory group and internal DESE staff, including SEPP, OIME, OPR and Legal staff and incorporation of this feedback into the following drafts

i. 1st draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group

ii. 2nd draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group with feedback from the 1st draft incorporated

iii. 3rd draft for review by DESE with feedback from the 2nd draft incorporated

e. 3 Iterative drafts of a communication and dissemination plan including documents to inform educators, parents, and other impacted or interested parties about the guidance and resource revisions and incorporation of this feedback into the following draft versions as follows:

i. 1st draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group

ii. 2nd draft for review by DESE staff and the ELSwD advisory group with feedback from the 1st draft incorporated

iii. 3rd draft for review by DESE with feedback from the 2nd draft incorporated

7. Final version of crosswalk or other summarizing document of the previous guidance, and the revised guidance, laws, regulations, and research project deliverables to be utilized as an appendix for resources outside the scope of the resource revision work to ensure full alignment across all DESE resources

8. Final version of revised resources for DESE review and approval[footnoteRef:7] [7: Please note that all final documents and reports must meet DESE’s accessibility requirements. See DESE’s accessibility support documents and information regarding web accessible documents here.

9. Final communication and dissemination plan and documents (i.e. messages to communicate this work for Commissioner’s Weekly Update, Teaching & Learning and SEPP network notices, ELBAC, Western MA ELE network) for DESE that will ensure the guidance and resource revisions are clearly and directly communicated and shared with educators, parents, and other impacted or interested parties

10. Final deliverables & outward facing stakeholder materials provided to DESE meet Title II accessibility standard (WCAG 2.1 (Level AA) - Accessibility Support - Web Services Team Resources

Qualifications:

1. The extent to which the vendor articulates an accurate understanding of the scope of work and the project's constraints; the extent to which the vendor articulates effective approaches to mitigating constraints.

2. The extent to which the narrative demonstrates the bidder meets DESE’s foremost goal to address inequities in education that exist in the Commonwealth by describing, in a 1-page narrative:

· The proposed staff and vendor organization’s awareness of and commitment to diversity and equity, particularly from a racial equity lens, as well as evidence that their work and practices reflect these commitments.

· The organization’s commitment to and actions taken to ensure equity, include efforts within the organization to support equity and efforts when providing services to clients, as applicable.

· The organization’s current challenges with, and ongoing efforts to ensure it is working towards building the mindsets, practices, and skills to support diversity and equity.

3. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of the proposed staff to develop and/or revise complex SEA public documents that detail and/or support district- and school-level practices for historically underserved student groups, including state guidance documents.

4. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of proposed staff regarding the current policy and legislation guiding the education of ELSwD students in Massachusetts.

5. Demonstrated knowledge and experience of the proposed staff regarding evidence-based instructional practices for ELSwD students.

6. Demonstrated experience of the proposed staff: consulting, communicating, and working with educational stakeholders within all levels of state and district administration, school-based staff; and, working with and for ELSwD students, their families, and the LEAs, communities, and other providers in a coordinated effort to meet unique educational needs of ELSwD students.

7. Demonstrated experience of the proposed staff creating a successful communication and dissemination plan for an SEA to inform educators, parents, and other impacted or interested parties about guidance updates and revisions.

Submission Requirements:

A narrative, no longer than 10 pages, that articulates the following:

1. An accurate understanding of the scope of work and the project's constraints; the extent to which the vendor articulates effective approaches to mitigating constraints.

2. A demonstration that the bidder meets DESE’s foremost goal to address inequities in education that exist in the Commonwealth by describing, in a 1-page narrative:

i. The proposed staff and vendor organization’s awareness of and commitment to diversity and equity, particularly from a racial equity lens, as well as evidence that their work and practices reflect these commitments.

ii. The organization’s commitment to and actions taken to ensure equity, include efforts within the organization to support equity and efforts when providing services to clients, as applicable.

iii. The organization’s current challenges with, and ongoing efforts to ensure it is working towards building the mindsets, practices, and skills to support diversity and equity.

3. The knowledge and experience of the proposed staff to develop and/or revise complex SEA public documents that detail and/or support district- and school-level practices for historically underserved student groups, including state guidance documents.

4. The knowledge and experience of proposed staff regarding the current policy and legislation guiding the education of ELSwD students in Massachusetts.

5. The knowledge and experience of the proposed staff regarding evidence-based instructional practices for ELSwD students.

6. The experience of the proposed staff: consulting, communicating, and working with educational stakeholders within all levels of state and district administration, school-based staff; and, working with and for ELSwD students, their families, and the LEAs, communities, and other providers in a coordinated effort to meet unique educational needs of ELSwD students.

7. The experience of the proposed staff creating a successful communication and dissemination plan for an SEA to inform educators, parents, and other impacted or interested parties about guidance updates and revisions.

Additional Materials, please append the following (these documents do not count toward the page limit):

8. [footnoteRef:8]Deliverables-based Budget and Narrative (does not count toward the page limit): An all-inclusive deliverables-based budget that includes a budget narrative and a breakout of hourly rates and contributions of proposed staff with a supporting budget narrative. As outlined in the sample deliverables-based budget posted with the RFR materials on COMMBUYS, bidders must provide: 1) a deliverables line-item budget; 2) budget outlining each staff members’ hours and rates for each fiscal year; and 3) budget narratives, for all fiscal years aligned to the fiscal years and budget allocations in the budget section above. Funds may not be used for purchasing food. The budget should include costs per fiscal year (by deliverable) as described in the budget section above. Note budgets are evaluated for value provided and not the lowest price. See the sample deliverables-based budget provided with these RFR materials. [8: Items 2, and 3 do not count toward the page limit

9. Project timeline with key dates associated with each deliverable including but not limited to: interim documents, iterative draft and feedback cycles, incorporation of feedback from a variety of impacted parties (e.g. ELSwD advisory group sessions, DESE staff from SEPP, OIME, OPR and Legal) expected dates of completion for each interim document/draft and each final version.

10. Examples of previous guidance revision work or other similar work that demonstrate the vendor and proposed staff’s experience that include a clear description of outcomes, processes, and intended audiences of work, authored at least in part by one or more of the key personnel proposed for this bid, including:

· At least one sample project (ideally one that the proposed staff have worked on together) demonstrating the ability of proposed key staff to develop and/or revise complex SEA public documents that detail and/or support district- and school-level practices for historically underserved student groups, including state guidance documents

· One sample of a power point presentation demonstrating the ability of the proposed key staff to successfully communicate complex SEA public documents to SEA employees and LEA employees

· One sample of a successful communication and dissemination plan and the related documents demonstrating the ability of the proposed key staff to provide such a plan including the outcomes of the plan (i.e. data of number and percent of LEAs that engaged, parents or educators that engaged, etc)

· Ideally these examples of previous work would include ELSwD students, their families, and/or the LEAs that serve them

11. Copies of current resumes/CVs for all proposed key staff who will substantively contribute to the deliverables outlined above

12. Contact information for at least two relevant references for each of the proposed key personnel, who can speak about the quality of the work of that individual’s work.

PLEASE NOTE: All bid postings such as this one, that is $250,000 or less annually, will give preference to Small Business Program Plan (SBPP) registered bidders. Those that are registered SBPP bidders will be evaluated first and if able to meet all the needs of the procurement, will be awarded. Non-SBPP bidders are not reviewed if a SBPP bidder can be awarded. To learn more about the SBPP click here.

Prompt Payment Discount (PPD) Form (available on COMMBUYS to download, complete and upload with response). Bidders are highly encouraged to offer a PPD to expediate payment and provide cost savings to the Commonwealth. Bidders unable to provide a discount can claim hardship. Hardship must be accepted by the team and procurement office.

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.

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.

image1.gif image2.jpeg