Draft PWS Acceleration Tool.pdf

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

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Advanced Academic Program & Services Grades K-8 Acceleration Tool

1 General Information

1.1 Agency

1.1.1 For school year (SY) 2020-21, the Department of Defense Education

Activity (DoDEA) will provide PK-12 instruction to approximately 69,000 dependents of military and civilian employees. Student enrollment is based primarily on deployment of military troops worldwide. In the Americas, DoDEA operates 50 schools located in seven states, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In Europe and the Middle East, DoDEA operates 64 schools located in Germany, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Turkey, Bahrain and Italy. In the Pacific, DoDEA operates 45 schools located in Korea, Japan (mainland and Okinawa), and Guam. DoDEA's curriculum, resources and student achievement scores on standardized assessments compare favorably to those of high-performing US public school systems. In addition, DoDEA operates fully accredited Virtual High School with teaching hubs in each DoDEA region: Americas, Europe, and Pacific.

1.1.2 DoDEA schools have various grade configurations, with the most common being PK-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Of DoDEA’s 159 brick-and-mortar schools, 100 schools have students in at least three of the grades K-5; 62 schools have at least one grade 6-8; and 40 schools have grades 9-12. Of the 6-8 schools, nine are part of a K-6 or PK-6 school.

Table 1: Student Enrollment Projections – SY 2020-21 (rounded to nearest 50)

Grade Students Grade Students Grade Students Grade Students

PK 3,750 3 6,350 7 4,950 11 3,000

K 6,750 4 5,800 8 4,350 12 2,750

1 6,700 5 5,600 9 3,650 PK-12

Total 68,500 2 6,400 6 5,250 10 3,250

1.1.3 DoDEA has adopted College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) in literacy, mathematics, the arts, social studies, and science, which are rigorous, research-based, and reflect the knowledge, skills and dispositions students need for success in college and/or careers and are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), National Core Art Standards (NCAS), Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (C3).

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1.2 Background

DoDEA has used standard assessments and teacher recommendations to make advanced academic program & service acceleration decisions. DoDEA has never awarded a contract for an assessment tool designed specifically for this purpose.

1.3 Scope of Work

1.3.1 DoDEA requires a systemic, comprehensive structure to guide the decision about K-8 acceleration. DoDEA Administrative Instruction, 1308.01, Advanced Academic Programs and Services – Elementary (Kindergarten- Grade 5),” DoDEA Regulation 2590-1, Programs for Gifted Education Students, and Section 2 of Enclosure 2 of DoDEA Regulation 2000.03, Student Grade Level Placement, allow for whole-grade acceleration for students, when appropriate. The acceleration tool will assist the Advanced Academic Review Committee and Gifted Review Committee with an objective process to review all data. It must (1) be research-based, (2) provide evidence of successful use in other states/ school systems, (3) include a method using a multitude of factors to determine appropriate student placement, such as: ability, achievement, aptitude, developmental factors, school information, interpersonal skills, student attitude towards acceleration. DoDEA requires one per school in either print or digital format. DoDEA expects to make one award for a base year and four option years.

1.3.2 In the base year, each school and above-school-level subject-matter experts will receive a kit and larger elementary schools will receive additional packages of forms, 141 kits and two packages of forms, respectively. In the option years, schools will order off of the contract at an estimated rate of one kit and 50 packages of forms each year.

2 Requirement (Objectives)

2.1 Objective 1, Advanced Academic Program and Services Acceleration Tool

Provide the acceleration tool and related forms and services.

2.1.1 Task 1, Acceleration Tool—The Contractor shall provide:

1) Acceleration tool that is aligned to the National Standards in Gifted and Talented Education produced by the National Association of Gifted Children

(NAGC).

2) K-8 acceleration tool that is research-based and aligns to best practices.

3) Most recent version of the acceleration tool.

4) Evidence of its use in state education agency and/or local education agency policies on grade acceleration.

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5) Inclusive of multiple factors used to determine appropriate student place-ment, such as ability, achievement, aptitude, developmental factors, school information, interpersonal skills, and student attitude toward acceleration.

6) Method of systematic and comprehensive structure to guide a child study committee decision

2.1.2 Task 2, Procedures—The Contractor shall provide a standardized procedure for student whole-grade acceleration to include the following:

1) Guidelines for weighing the importance of factors.

2) Documentation of student strengths and areas of concern.

3) Numerical range to guide the discussion and subsequent acceleration decisions.

4) Standard of comparison with student who have had successful acceleration.

2.1.3 Task 3, Kits and Forms—The Contractor shall provide acceleration tool kits in print and/or digital form, including a manual, forms, and summary report documents. If and when a new version is released in either print and/or digitally, DoDEA will have access to the updated version. The kits shall:

1) Be the most current version.

2) Include at least ten sets of forms.

3) Provide packages with at least ten sets of forms, as required.

4) Include Summary report documents.

5) Manual describing, at a minimum, the purpose of the acceleration tool, directions for completing forms, sample forms, and sample summary report.

Performance Standards and Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL) Objective 1, Advanced Academic Program and Services Acceleration Tool

Performance Standard and Related Task AQL Inspection Method Incentives*

* Unless specified otherwise, possible ratings are as follows: exceptional, very good, satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory, per FAR 42.1503, Table 42-1, “Evaluation Ratings Definitions”.

Task 1, Acceleration Tool, PWS 2.1.1

After receipt of first delivery order

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment.

Task 2, Procedures, PWS 2.1.2

After receipt of first delivery order

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment

Task 3, Kits and Forms, PWS 2.1.3

After receipt of delivery orders

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment

2.2 Objective 2, General Requirements

2.2.1 Task 4, Meetings—The Contractor shall:

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2.2.1.1 Medium and Minutes: Provide the medium through which each meeting occurs, record each meeting’s minutes, and submit them to the COR within two business days of the event.

2.2.1.2 Post-Award Conference: Participate in a video- or teleconference with the COR five business days after award in accordance with FAR Subpart 42.5.

2.2.1.3 IT Meeting: Convene a video- or teleconference with DoDEA

Information Technology staff ten business days after award. (See Technical Exhibit #1.)

2.2.1.4 Other Post-Award Meetings: Meet with the Contracting Officer (KO), COR, and/or other Agency personnel, as appropriate, to review Contractor performance, as required by DoDEA. 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 raised by the Agency.

2.2.1.5 Attendance: Attend virtual meetings at no additional cost to the

Government. Note: Costs associated with attendance at face-to-face meetings, if any, shall be handled/paid for as stated in the contract.

2.2.2 Task 5, Delivery of Print and Digital Resources—The Contractor shall:

2.2.2.1 Deliver web-based materials (such as access codes) three days after receipt of delivery order.

2.2.2.2 Ship all print materials and manipulatives to the Americas by either commercial carrier or USPS and to Europe and the Pacific only by commercial carrier. Note: Delivery orders will include door-to-door addresses.

2.2.2.3 Provide a digital shipment notification upon shipment of material that includes the following:

1) Contract number

2) Delivery order number

3) Contract line item number (CLIN) indicating materials and quantities included in this shipment

4) Destination of shipment

5) Date of shipment

6) Shipping carrier name

7) Tracking number of shipment

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8) Estimated date of arrival of shipment

9) Shipping slip (if applicable)

2.2.3 Task 6, Technical Support: Provide industry-standard technical support for its digital resources for the life of the contract via telephone or by email within one business day or less from the initial contact to include but not limited to assisting with service problems, product setup, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

2.3 Objective 3, Contractor Manpower Requirement Application (eCMRA)

Complete/submit reporting requirements annually, per the eCMRA website.

2.3.1 Task 7, eCMRA: The Contractor shall report all labor hours (including subcontractor labor hours) required to perform the services provided under this contract via a secure data collection site. The Contractor shall complete all required data fields. Reporting inputs shall be for labor executed during each fiscal year’s period of performance (01 Oct - 30 Sep). While inputs may be reported any time during the fiscal year, all data shall be reported no later than October 31 of each calendar year. Contractors shall use the following URL both to fill out the abovementioned data fields and to contact the help desk for assistance: https://www.ecmra.mil.

Requirements / Objectives The tasks listed above are to help the Contractor gain a better understanding of the requirements and are not all-inclusive. The Contractor is expected to develop a total solution in accordance with a performance-based approach.

3 Constraints

3.1 Period and Place of Performance: Base period of one year and four option years, each

12 months long. Work performed at the Contractor’s facilities.

3.2 Holidays and Hours of Operation: Contractor personnel shall be available during the hours of 9AM to 3PM Eastern Standard Time (EST), except for Federal holidays and Federal government closures/shutdowns. The following list shows all recognized Federal holidays:

New Year’s Day Labor Day Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Columbus Day Presidents Day Veterans Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Independence Day Christmas Day

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

3.4 Anti-Bias: The Contractor shall ensure all resources are free of racial, color, national origin, age, disabling conditions, sexual, gender, religious, and ethnic bias and wherever appropriate, present balanced coverage of multi-cultural contributions and representation.

3.5 Privacy—The Contractor shall:

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

3.5.2 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 personally identifiable information in accordance with the relevant requirements of the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C— http://www.archives.gov/about/laws/privacy-act-1974.html.

3.6 Section 508 Compliance—Ensure Contractor resources, wherever applicable, meet the following requirements:

3.6.1 IT Requirement: Ensure that all electronic hardware and software that is procured under this contract/purchase order comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, (29 U.S.C. 794d) and the Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194). Additional information may be found at the following URL:

http://www.section508.gov.

3.6.2 Deliverable Requirement: Ensure the following occur:

1) Outputs/deliverables do not adversely affect accessibility features of existing

EIT technologies.

2) EIT related to the requirements of the contract are accessible to people with disabilities, per 29 U.S.C 794(d).

3) Outputs/deliverables to include the functional performance, information, documentation, and support requirements are considered. Standards from 36 CFR Part 1194 Subpart B, C and D apply to this acquisition.

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 formats:

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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) Rich Text Format (RTF)/Word document

3.8 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 Contracting Officer (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 Deliverables

Deliverables Frequency Medium/Format Submit To

Task 4, Meetings, PWS 2.2.1

Initial Conference: Participate in a post-award video- or teleconference within five business days after award. Provide minutes in writing in a format acceptable to the COR within two business days after the conference.

IT Meeting (if required): Convene ten business days after award. Provide minutes and medium as stated above.

Other Meetings: As required by the COR. Provide minutes and medium as stated above.

Email as MS Word/ Excel attachment COR

Task 1-2, Acceleration Tool & Procedures, PWS 2.1.1 - 2.1.2

Upon receipt of the first delivery order Email as MS Word/ Excel attachment COR

Task 3 & 5, Kits and Delivery, PWS 2.1.3 & 2.2.2

Digital: Three business days after receipt of delivery order.

Print: After receipt of delivery order, 30 calendar days for US sites and 45

Email as MS Word/ Excel attachment COR

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Deliverables Frequency Medium/Format Submit To calendar days for overseas sites.

Task 6, Technical Support, PWS 2.2.3

Ongoing after receipt of initial delivery order

Email as MS Word/ Excel attachment

COR and those who requested assistance

Task 7, eCMRA, PWS 2.3.1 Annually as required by the Government CMRA website COR notification

6 Acronyms and Definitions

College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS)

Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) – Basic structural element in a procurement instrument describing and organizing the required product or service for pricing, delivery, inspection, acceptance, invoicing, and payment. The use of the term “line item” includes “subcontract line number”, (SLIN), as applicable.

Contracting Officer (KO) – The only individual with expressed authority to obligate (bind) the Government by means of entering, administering, and terminating contracts within the limits of authority delegated via a Contracting Officer’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. COR’s do not have authority to obligate (i.e., bind) the Government.

Contractor - Supplier or vendor having a contract to provide specific supplies or service to the Government. The term used in this contract refers to the prime.

Department of Defense (DoD / DOD)

Deliverable – Usually anything that can be physically delivered but may include non-physical things such as digital reports.

Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS)

Electronic Information Technology (EIT) – EIT Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194)

Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)

In Accordance With (IAW)

Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) – Tabular listing of performance objectives and standards that provides the basis for a meaningful QASP.

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

Quality Assessment Surveillance Plan (QASP)

7 Performance Requirements Summary & Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

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7.1 Performance Requirements Summary (PRS)

Performance Standard and

Related Task Acceptable Quality Level Inspection Method Incentives*

* Unless specified otherwise, possible ratings are as follows: exceptional, very good, satisfactory, marginal, or unsatisfactory, per FAR 42.1503, Table 42-1, “Evaluation Ratings Definitions”.

Objective 1, Advanced Academic Program and Services Acceleration Tool Task 1, Acceleration Tool, PWS 2.1.1

After receipt of first delivery order

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment.

Task 2, Procedures, PWS 2.1.2

After receipt of first delivery order

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment

Task 3, Kits and Forms, PWS 2.1.3

After receipt of delivery orders

100% compliance Stakeholder feedback and COR inspection

Past Performance Assessment

Objective 2, General Requirement Task 4, Meetings, PWS 2.2.1

As stated in the PWS

No more than one meeting per year will need to be rescheduled

COR inspection Past

Performance Assessment.

Task 5, Delivery, PWS 2.2.2

Upon receipt of delivery orders

Digital: Three business days after receipt of delivery order

Print: After receipt of delivery order, deliver resources to US sites in 30 calendar days and to overseas sites in 45 calendar days

COR inspection and stakeholder feedback

Past Performance Assessment

Task 6, Technical Support, PWS 2.2.3

Duration of the award

95% of requests shall be handled in the time limit specified in the PWS.

COR inspection and stakeholder feedback

Past Performance Assessment

Objective 3, CRMA

Task 7, eCMRA, PWS 2.3.1 100% compliance COR notification N/A

7.2 Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP): The Government will utilize a QASP to monitor Contractor performance on the contract, which can change at any time during the life of the contract. As such, the Government reserves the right to unilaterally edit the QASP at its discretion. The QASP primarily (1) focuses on what the Government will do to ensure the Contractor has performed IAW the

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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 the Department of Defense (DoD) and DoDEA Cybersecurity requirements as defined below. Note: Software, cloud services and associated websites will be rigorously tested to ensure no security risks are posed to DoDEA 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 in the proposed solution. If applicable.

1.1.3 Ensure on-premises software support post-installation integration of the necessary Security

Technical Implementation Guides (STIG) for applicable systems and applications, including Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows IIS, Apache, Oracle databases, and Microsoft SQL Server databases. Note: They may be downloaded from https://public.cyber.mil/stigs/downloads/.

The application to view all of the STIGs may be found at the following URL:

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/unclass-STIGViewer_2-9.zip.

1.1.4 Ensure vendor content accessible from the web is compatible with the following browser platforms: Internet Explorer 11, Google Chrome and Edge. Ensure that any applicable STIGs are implemented.

1.1.5 Ensure on-premises software which will be subject to static and dynamic analysis testing imposes no risk to DoDEA systems, users and/or data. DoDEA will assess software products to ensure compatibility with existing system configurations and software, testing may also include reverse engineering analysis. The vendor shall provide a plan of actions & milestones (POA&M) to mitigate any cybersecurity findings resulting from non-compliant and/or vulnerable components within 30 calendar days of notification from DoDEA.

1.1.6 Per DoD policy for cloud-based services, DoDEA will conduct a supplemental series of validations, which closely mirror the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Internet Cloud vetting processes. As part of this process, the Contractor shall participate, as needed, in interviews and deep system architecture inspections.

1.2 System Requirements: – The Contractor shall:

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1.2.1 Ensure, per Section 1.1 (above), any software installed and/or accessed in or by a

DoDEA system, network whether stand-alone or web-based, is compatible with standards cited herein.

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

1.2.3 Ensure all software 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 10 Browser Environment Chrome; Edge; IE 11 or higher

1.2.4 Ensure that all software is completely functional on a standard DoDEA desktop without the need/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 Ensure, if applicable, that software packages support unattended installation methods used by enterprise software packaging and deployment systems. Note: DoDEA currently distributes software packages via Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). Any, older 16-bit software will be automatically denied.

1.3 Data Management Requirements: The Contractor shall:

1.3.1 Provide a mechanism for batch administration and automation 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 and automation 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.

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

1.3.4 Configure DoDEA 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: DoDEA’s organization hierarchy consists of the following: one system, three regions, eight districts, 62 communities, and 160 schools, which includes the DoDEA Virtual High School.

1.3.5 Participate in a technical meeting with DoDEA 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 DoDEA’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

1.4 DoDEA 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 DoDEA 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 DoD policies and guidance to which DoDEA is subject. These requirements include but are not limited to the cybersecurity require-ments defined in the following documentation:

DoD Directive (DoDD) 8500.01E, Information Assurance, which may be found at http://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/DIEA/850001p.pdf DoD Security Technical Implementation Guidance (STIG), which may be found at http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/Pages/index.aspx DoD Risk Management Framework (DODRMF) per DoD Instruction 8510.01 at http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/851001_2014.pdf

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

1.5.3 Ensure that any portion of its solution that involves Internet access by DoDEA students complies with the relevant requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act, Pub.L. 106-554, § 1(a)(4) [Div. B, Title XVII, § 1701], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-335.

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1.5.4 Ensure its solution is 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.

1.5.5 Ensure Contractor staff who have access to DoDEA’s student, teacher and/or staff personally identifiable information take the DoD Privacy Act/ Personally Identifiable Information (PA and PPI/PII) training before gaining access to the data and yearly thereafter. Providing copies of the certificates of completion to the COR which can be audited at any time by the CISO or his/her designee.

1.5.6 Ensure the solution is scalable to meet future growth requirements in terms of instruction and number of users.