OVAE_PWS_V17_ED_VAE_130002.doc

April 23, 2013 Draft

ED-VAE- 13-R-0032

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Implementing College and Career Readiness Standards in Adult Education U.S. Department of Education

Office of Vocational and Adult Education Division of Adult Education and Literacy

A. Background For over a decade, the Office of Vocational and Adult Education has provided leadership and technical support to states and programs to promote standards-based education to improve the quality of adult education and literacy programs nationwide. The standards-based education movement in adult education has resulted in communicating clearer expectations for students, using content standards to improve curriculum and instruction, and creating professional development to help staff develop the expertise to implement standards. OVAE’s program of national leadership activities have developed key resources to assist states and programs to strengthen their capacity to use standards as guidelines for instructional practice and program improvement. They include: A Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Standards (2005), the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse (AECSW) Website (2005), and the Standards-in-Action Innovations for Standards-Based Education (2009).

OVAE’s current investment in the area of standards-based education reform is Promoting College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards in Adult Basic Education (ABE), operated by MPR Associates Inc. This project continues to work to strengthen state capacity to implement ABE standards but with an important additional purpose:

· To better position states and programs to adopt and implement content standards that define what adult students need to know and be able to do to qualify for placement in credit-bearing college courses or enter into job training programs.

Promoting CCR Standards in ABE is assisting OVAE’s efforts to raise awareness and understanding for the critical skills and knowledge that colleges, universities and employers expect from incoming students and employees. This project will help with the development of ABE programs to better prepare adult students for success in higher education and training programs. Since it began in August 2011, the project has

· Identified a set of college and career readiness standards in mathematics and English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects—useful to states and adult education programs as examples for developing or updating their state standards. For this purpose the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were used. Two expert panels (one for English language arts and one for mathematics) have reviewed the CCSS to determine the extent to which they target appropriate content for adult students. The work of both panels has yielded a set of recommendations regarding a manageable yet significant set of CCR standards for adult education programs. The final report CCR Standards for Adult Education was released in April 2013.

· Reviewed the alignment of the selected CCR Standards for Adult Education and the National Reporting System for Adult education (NRS). A second pair of panels evaluated these standards to consider the extent to which they align with the educational functioning levels of the NRS for ABE in reading, writing, functional skills and mathematics. The panels also assessed the extent to which the standards align with the assessments approved for use with the NRS. A final report—prepared for internal departmental purposes—will be completed by September 2013. It will present the results of the review process and the implications for assessing the knowledge and skills included in the CCR Standards for Adult Education within the existing framework of the NRS for ABE.

Between now and the project’s conclusion, in August 2014, it will carry out the following two activities with relevance to the requirements of Implementing CCR Standards in Adult Education:

· An assessment of the resources residing in the AECSW Website. In constructing the assessment, the following areas of interest may be considered: 1) resources that have become unimportant or obsolete; 2) resources that are missing, especially resources that can support the implementation of CCR standards in adult education; and 3) the connections between the AECSW Website and the LINCS (Literacy Information aNd Communication System).

The final report developed for internal purposes will present the assessment results and make recommendations about the resources that should reside in the AECSW Website. The assessment will be conducted in early 2014, and the report should be finished by August 2014. The conduct of this assessment as well as the results figure into the conduct of the fifth task in OVAE’s new activity Implementing College and Career Readiness (For more information, see Task 5, Assemble Online Resources, on page 12).

· A guide that focuses on the requirements of scaling up and sustaining standards-based improvements, derived from materials first created by OVAE’s National Diffusion of the Standards-in-Action (SIA) Innovations project. The SIA project delivered professional development focused on the four SIA innovations and how to scale up implementation of the innovations statewide via two parallel processes and a combination of face-face workshops, Webinars, conference calls and email. The SIA sustainability materials reside offline as four sets of individual Word and PowerPoint document. They were created in four parts because there are four stages in the sustainability of a reform initiative like SIA: 1) assessment and building the argument; 2) identifying stakeholder support; 3) analyzing infrastructure issues; and 4) planning for full implementation. (See Section H. Government Furnished Information). And because, each sustainability stage was introduced during one of four SIA training institutes offered through the project, 2009-2011. MPR Associates, Inc. will bring the individual sets of materials together into one coherent whole—a guide to sustainability. The final guide, scheduled for completion in January 2014, will reside on the AECSW and LINCS Websites. The contractor shall consider this guide for its usefulness in the development of Implementing of CCR Standards in Adult Education project.

This new activity will complement and build upon OVAE’s previous investments with an added focus on the implementation of the new higher-level CCR Standards for Adult Education. It is also positioned to play a critical role in supporting the Administration’s Goal for Postsecondary Education as well as new requirements resulting from the reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).

This project will assist states in the work of transitioning from awareness of CCR expectations to implementation and will provide the necessary supports to help teachers teach the standards and to help administrators prepare educators for higher level academic standards.

B. Purpose and Objectives Implementing CCR Standards in Adult Education will support the development of educational programs able to better prepare adult students for postsecondary and career success through the adoption and implementation of the CCR Standards for Adult Education. This project will develop and deliver affordable, multi-leveled training and technical assistance for all States and programs to address how adult education can best integrate the CCR Standards for Adult Education into its programs. Various training and technical assistance opportunities will be provided to states and programs through virtual and face-to-face learning environments. OVAE anticipates the Implementing CCR Standards in Adult Education initiative will serve the needs and interests of all states—regardless of where they are in the standards-implementation process. This includes states and programs yet to adopt CCR standards or update their existing standards as well as those seeking assistance to meet the new requirements associated with the implementation of higher-level standards. To accomplish these goals the contractor shall work with OVAE to complete the following objectives:

· Manage the project to ensure accountability and successful outcomes

· Develop and deliver a professional development institute to orient all states to the adoption and implementation of CCR Standards for Adult Education

· Assemble and maintain online resources for teaching and learning to promote the adoption and implementation of CCR standards for Adult Education

· Establish a cadre of standards trainers to assist states and programs in the work of adopting and implementing CCR standards for Adult Education

· Provide training, technical assistance and leadership activities to States planning to support sustained, statewide implementation of CCR standards for Adult Education through state-level training systems and the delivery of professional development

· Convene sessions at national meetings to disseminate project products and services

C. Legislative Authority

This activity is authorized under the AEFLA, Title II of Public Law 105-220, Section 243, National Leadership Activities. Section 243 allows the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out a program of national leadership activities to enhance the quality of adult education and literacy programs nationwide.

D. Period of Performance The period of performance for this scope of work is 12 months from the effective date of the contract, plus two 12-month option years.

E. Scope of Work The contractor is required to provide the services described in the Tasks section of this Performance Work Statement (PWS). All tasks are to be interpreted with reference to the information provided in the Purpose and Objectives section, above. The contractor shall work in coordination with OVAE staff and leadership, especially during the development phase of all tasks and activities. In addition, ED shall be involved in the review process of all draft deliverables and maintain approval rights of all final deliverables.

F. Tasks

The contractor shall carry out the following activities:

Task 1

Manage Project Task 1 consists of three specific subtasks that support the overall management of the project. The contractor shall be responsible for the following project management duties and functions:

1.1.

Post-award Project Management Meeting The contractor shall meet with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), the Contracting Officer (CO), the Contract Specialist (CS) and other ED staff within five business days of the award-date. The purpose of the post-award meeting shall be to review:

· Contract requirements and provide contractor staff with additional information and documentation relevant to the successful completion of the project;

· Project tasks and deliverables to address any questions, provide clarifications and consider assumptions, including any proposed modifications to the contract; and

· Key target dates and the scheduling of activities.

OVAE will identify a time and place for the meeting and will assume responsibility for inviting relevant OVAE staff. The COR will create the meeting agenda in conjunction with the CS and CO—and the contractor—and send it to all meeting participants within three business days of the meeting. The contractor shall provide to the COR and CS a written summary of the meeting and a revised schedule of deliverables with calendar-dates within five business days following the post-award meeting.

1.2.

Tri-Weekly Status Meetings Once every three weeks, the contractor shall conduct tri-weekly teleconferences with the COR to discuss the status of tasks and activities. The contractor shall include on the calls the Project Director and Task Leaders responsible for the tasks under discussion. Within one week of the post-award meeting, the contractor and the COR will select a regular day/time for the status meetings to occur. Typically, the meetings will last up to 90-minutes in length and continue throughout the contract. The contractor shall send the COR a meeting agenda within two business days of a meeting, and shall provide the agenda and call-in information to meeting participants within one business day of the teleconference. Within three business days of the meeting, the contractor shall provide a written meeting summary covering the main points discussed, key decisions made and next steps expected. The summary should not exceed two pages. The COR will review and provide any necessary feedback within three business days. As necessary, the contractor shall incorporate revisions.

1.3.

Annual Reports The contractor shall prepare annual reports due to the COR and CS within one month of the end of each calendar year, for the duration of the project. The report shall describe the amount of work and services produced by the project during the preceding year, and the outcomes of those efforts. The annual report should, for example, give OVAE and other interested department people information about the project’s activities, accomplishments and products, as well as the outcomes that occurred. OVAE is interested in documented results of progress made by each of the participating states and programs, and efforts made to ensure the sustainability of standards implementation in the States. The COR will review the draft report and provide written feedback to the contractor within ten business days. The contractor shall then submit the final report within ten business days of receipt of comments.

Task 1 Deliverables

1. Post-award meeting summary

2. Status meeting agendas

3. Status meeting summaries

4. Draft annual reports

5. Final annual reports

Task 2

Establish a Cadre of National Standards Trainers and Experts In the first year of the project, the contractor shall initiate a cadre of national standards trainers and experts—a group of eight individuals to provide content expertise and training and technical services throughout the project. These individuals need to have the capabilities necessary to carry out the activities that make up Tasks 3, 4, Subtask 5.1, and Task 6. This task also requires the contractor to implement a valid process to qualify cadre members to represent this project as national standards trainers and experts.

Subtask 2.1.

Identify Prospective Standards Trainers/Experts Within three weeks of the contract award, a refined list of proposed cadre members and their qualifications shall be submitted to the COR, including up to14 nominations. (Before submitting this list to the COR, the contractor shall communicate with the nominated individuals to make certain they are interested in participating.) ED will provide comments within one week after receipt. The contractor shall submit the final, approved list of specialists/trainers to ED within one week.

Subtask 2.2.

Plan to Develop, Deliver, and Implement a Trainer Endorsement Process The contractor shall develop, deliver, and implement a plan for a trainer endorsement process to provide the necessary technical support and personnel to sustain the states’ and OVAE’s activities to promote the implementation of the CCR Standards for Adult Education. The contractor shall ensure that cadre members are prepared to provide quality training and technical assistance activities developed under the auspices of this project. Through the deployment of a co-training model, the contractor shall certify that cadre members can demonstrate knowledge of the project’s standards-based interventions as well as necessary training skills. The contractor also shall implement evaluation activities to maintain quality control of the training delivered by cadre members and fidelity to evidence-based methods and materials. A cadre of eight qualified and endorsed national standards trainers shall be maintained. In their work with the states and programs, cadre members also may help identify potential candidates who are qualified to provide standards training and technical assistance to states and programs.

The contractor’s Plan to Develop, Deliver, and Implement a Trainer Endorsement Process shall give substance to the initial plan accepted by ED per the contractor’s final technical proposal, which addressed the process and procedures intended to establish a cadre of endorsed national standards trainers and experts. The contractor shall address a number of items related to the trainer program, including, but not be limited to: 1) the timeline for trainer preparation and endorsement including a deadline for the endorsement to be completed; 2) the significance of the endorsement; 3) trainer qualifications and competencies; 4) trainer roles and responsibilities; 5) trainer assessment and evaluation; 6) ongoing support of trainers; and 7) trainer attrition. The plan shall discuss project milestones including any key materials to be developed—not included in the PWS Schedule of Deliverables and the contractor’s Project Management Chart—to help manage Task 2 activities. The milestone schedule shall include time for the COR to review and approve all draft and final materials. The contractor shall be responsible for adhering to the milestones.

Within five weeks of the contract award, the contractor shall submit a first draft Plan to Develop, Deliver, and Implement a Trainer Endorsement Process to the CS and COR for review. The COR will provide comments on the plan within one week after receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from OVAE’s comments and submit the second draft plan within seven weeks of the effective date of the contract. The COR will provide comments on the second draft plan with one week of receipt. The final plan shall be submitted to the COR within nine weeks of the contract award date.

Within three weeks of completion of the initial trainer-endorsement process, the contractor shall submit a report of recommendations to the COR, containing information on what worked well and what could be improved in the process.

Task 2 Deliverables

1. Refined, proposed list of prospective standards trainers

2. Final, approved list of prospective standards trainers

3. Initial draft plan with milestone schedule

4. Second draft plan with milestone schedule

5. Final plan with milestone schedule

6. Report of recommendations Task 3

Develop and Deploy Orientation Institutes

The contractor shall develop and deploy professional development institute to orient all States and programs to college and career readiness and the implementation of CCR Standards for Adult Education. Activities shall be offered through a face-to-face, multiday institute, repeated in three regional settings. The institute will be three business days, repeated in three settings. The contractor shall determine the meeting locations in consultation with OVAE.

The first institute in the first series shall begin no later than in the sixth month of the first year of the contract—with the subsequent two initial institutes of the first series occurring at intervals of two weeks, apiece. Attendance at each institute shall be capped at 40 participants. The contractor shall provide the three-institute series twice during the contract period, for a total of up to six institutes. The second series of institutes shall be completed no later than thirty months after the effective date of the contract. In consultation with OVAE, the contractor shall identify the most fitting time during option year 2 for the second set of institutes.

Participants will be responsible for covering the cost of their travel, lodging and meals. The contractor shall be responsible for covering the costs of materials, meeting space and A/V equipment as well as the costs of trainers/facilitators and their travel, lodging and meals.

The scope of work for this task shall include, for example, the development of printed and electronic instructional materials, presentation scripts, online resources, and various logistical support activities. The contractor shall use the CCR Standards for Adult Education [http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/ CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf] to develop the institute materials, and shall manage the two content areas—English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics—separately. Topics for institute sessions shall be determined in discussion with the OVAE. All materials developed to go online shall comply with federal specifications including the department’s Accessibility Enhancement Initiative: [http://www2.ed.gov/internal/accessibility-requirements.html]. The contractor shall ensure the agenda of activities for the first series of institutes is the same as for the second series. The contractor shall also be responsible for making minor edits to the meeting materials based on feedback from the initial institute or from the initial series of institutes. Contractors shall consider but not be limited to the following institute topics:

· Pre-assessment to determine where states are in the standards-implementation process

· Fundamentals of standards-based education and priority areas of standards-based reform;

· The CCR Standards for Adult Education report

· Key shifts in the CCR Standards for Adult Education and the fundamentally different instruction the new standards require;

· Gaps between current instructional practices and the higher-level, academic demands of entry-level postsecondary education and training;

· Instructional leadership and the implementation and assessment of the CCR Standards for Adult Education;

· Introduction to the menu of continued training and technical assistance opportunities for interested states (Task 4).

The contractor shall develop materials to invite state- and local-program staff to attend the institute(s). This includes staff working in correctional education programs. The invitation shall provide prospective participants with the information they need to secure permission and funds to travel to the institute. It shall include a description of institute activities, the application process, and logistical information. The contractor shall send out one invitation for all three institutes at least two months prior to the first institute. The materials for all the institutes are the same. The contractor shall submit the draft invitational materials to the COR and CS for review and approval no later than eight weeks after the effective date of the contract. The COR will review and comment on the draft materials within one week of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from OVAE’s review and submit the final materials to the COR and CS within two weeks of receipt of OVAE’s comments.

The contractor shall submit the initial draft institute materials and related documents to the COR and CS for review and approval no later than ten weeks prior to the initial institute per series. The contractor shall develop the materials based on federal government specifications as appropriate and in consultation with OVAE. The COR will review and comment on the initial draft materials within one week of receipt. Final materials and related documents shall be submitted to the COR and the CS no later than three weeks prior to the initial institute. Within one week of each institute the contractor shall submit a summary of participant evaluations.

Within four weeks of the conclusion of the final institute in the first series of institutes the contractor shall meet with the COR to discuss the selection of institute materials to be posted to the AECSW Website. A selection of institute materials shall be identified to go online for continued use by educators: in the delivery of professional development, in professional learning communities, or for individual learning plans. OVAE pictures materials from certain sessions being bundled into individual professional development units or modules. The contractor shall prepare six online modules and their contents.

· A module might, for example, contain the material developed for a session devoted to the key shifts in the CCR standards for mathematics, and it might include the PowerPoint presentation with notes, handouts and hands-on activities with instructions, and a facilitator’s guide. If the contractor has not already developed facilitator guides as part of Subtask 2.2., the guides shall be developed as part of this subtask.

For any new content that needs to be developed for the modules, the contractor shall submit initial drafts to the COR and CS no later than eight weeks after the final institute, in the first series of institutes. The COR will review and comment on draft materials within three weeks of receipt. The contractor shall submit the final, approved version of the modules to the COR and the CS within weeks of receipt of ED comments. The contractor shall complete all development work on the modules with 24 months of the effective date of the contract.

The online modules shall be uploaded to the AECSW Website according to the schedule included in the approved Plan to Update and Maintain/Modify the AECSW Website (Task 5). The contractor shall consider the online modules a first-order priority in making plans to update and maintain/modify the AECSW Website. All online materials shall comply with federal specifications for materials posted online as well as the department’s Accessibility Enhancement Initiative: [http://www2.ed.gov/internal/accessibility-requirements.html].

Task 3 Deliverables

1. Draft invitational materials

2. Final invitational materials

3. Draft institute materials and related documents

4. Final institute materials and related documents

5. Summary of participant evaluations

6. Draft new materials for online modules

7. Final new materials for online modules Task 4

Develop and Deploy Targeted Training, Technical Assistance and

Leadership Activities Task 4 requires the contractor to develop and deliver in-depth training, technical assistance, and leadership activities to support the full implementation of the CCR standards for Adult Education. These activities are designed for those states that are serious about promoting effective instructional practices based on the implementation of standards that reflect the knowledge and skills needed for adult students to succeed in college and careers. They will provide necessary professional development for:

1) Instructional leaders (state and local program directors) who must plan to sustain statewide implementation of CCR standards and support their instructors in meeting the new requirements associated with the implementation of these higher-level standards; and

2) Instructors who must learn how to use the standards to provide college and career-ready aligned instruction in English language arts/literacy and mathematics. The contractor shall handle the two content areas separately.

As in previous tasks, the contractor shall conduct Task 4 by using the CCR Standards for Adult Education, identified by the Promoting CCR Standards in ABE project. Task 4 activities shall build upon and extend Task 3 activities and should bear a relationship to the project’s collection of online teaching and learning materials (Task 5). For possible applicability to this task, the contractor shall consider two professional resources produced under other OVAE contracts: 1) the Standards-in-Action Innovations for Standards-Based Education and the Guide to Sustainability, first described in the Background section and scheduled for completion in January 2014.

The contractor shall recommend and deploy a coherent package of training, technical assistance, and leadership activities targeted to help teachers teach the standards and to help administrators to get educators ready for higher level activities. The purpose of Task 4 activities is to help states and local programs deliver professional development to instructors on organizing curriculum around CCR standards and using curriculum, instruction and assessments to help students achieve the learning goals of standards. OVAE anticipates that, at a minimum, these activities will address priority areas of standards-based education reform and the key instructional shifts in the CCR standards that represent important advances over previous standards work and the fundamentally different instruction the standards require.

Priority areas of standards-based education reform include:

· Building instructors' understanding of the standards taught;

· Translating the standards into curriculum;

· Aligning student assignments to standards; and

· Assessing the extent to which instructors are teaching to the standards and using effective instruction.

The key instructional shifts in the CCSS for ELA/Literacy are: 1) building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts; 2) reading and writing grounded in evidence from text; and 3) regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary. The key instructional shifts in the CCSS for Mathematics are: 1) focus strongly where the standards focus; 2) coherence ‒ think across grades/levels, and link to major subjects within grades; and 3) rigor ‒ require conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application with intensity.

Task 4 activities also shall address ways to deepen a state’s understanding of the processes for bringing professional development initiatives and standards-based education reforms to scale and full sustainability. The contractor shall plan and deploy training, technical assistance, and leadership activities designed to build a state’s capacity for statewide implementation of the CCR Standards for Adult Education through state-level training systems and the delivery of professional development.

During the Task 3 Institutes the contractor shall introduce participants to Task 4 professional development opportunities.

The contractor shall produce a Plan to Develop and Deploy Targeted Training, Technical Assistance and Leadership Activities to give substance to the one accepted by ED per the contractor’s final technical proposal. The plan shall describe how the contractor shall accomplish each activity including, but not limited to, staff resources, schedule of events and timeline. The plan shall discuss project milestones or target dates to help manage the conduct of Task 4 activities. The contractor shall include in the schedule key materials to be developed—not included in the PWS Schedule of Deliverables and the contractor’s Project Management Chart—and time for the COR to review them. The contractor shall be responsible for adhering to the milestones. The contractor shall consider but not be limited to the following elements of a work plan:

· Structure and organization of activities and resources

· Rational and supporting literature/evidence base

· Development team members and national trainers/experts

· State recruitment efforts and requirements for participation

· Assessment of states’ readiness

· Performance-based assessment of state trainers-in-training;

· Evaluation methods and materials.

· Communication and reporting

Sixteen weeks after the effective date of the award, the contractor shall submit a first draft Task 4 plan to the COR and CS for review and approval. The COR shall review and comment on the first draft plan within two weeks after receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from the COR review and submit a second draft plan to the COR within two weeks upon receipt of comments. The COR shall review and comment on the second draft plan within one week after receipt. The contractor shall submit the final plan to the COR for approval within one week of comments.

Task 4 Deliverables

1. First draft Task 4 plan with milestone schedule

2. Second draft Task 4plan with milestone schedule

3. Final Task 4 plan with milestone schedule Task 5

Assemble Online Resources To further support efforts of states and programs to adopt and implement CCR Standards in adult education, Task 5 requires the contractor to assemble—create and identify—online teaching and learning materials. The resource collection shall become a dynamic, new section of the AECSW Website. Resources might include, for example: 1) lesson plans; 2) study circles; 3) reference material; 4) professional development modules; 5) presentations and Webinars; 6) videos; 7) social networking tools; and 8) open educational resources, for instance. The contractor shall provide a mix of activities and resources that complement the project’s face-face activities, in ways that are purposeful and transparent. Taken together, the online and face-face activities and resources (Tasks 3, 4, and 5) shall represent a multifaceted, comprehensive professional development model designed to support states and programs at all stages of standards implementation. The contractor shall begin the work to create and identify online teaching and learning resources during the third quarter of Year 1.

In Years 2 and 3 of the contract, the contractor shall ensure the continuity, connectivity, applicability, and maintenance of the AECSW Website, and that it meets the department’s Web standards. The AECSW Website will continue to reside in its current location on the OVAE LINCS server. Management of the AECSW Website shall include but not be limited to uploading new resources (internal/external), modifying the site, and maintaining the site’s functionality. The contractor shall upload teaching and learning resources (described in task 3.2) to the AECSW Website. AECSW Website modifications shall be defined in part by the results of the AECSW Website assessment, scheduled to occur in early 2014, under Contract #EDCFO10A0117/001. The contractor, in consultation with OVAE, shall identify a staff person to join in the assessment’s participant activities to support the next phase of the site’s development.

Subtask 5.1.

Plan to Create and Identify Online Materials This plan shall give substance to the plan accepted by OVAE per the contractor’s final technical proposal. It shall describe how the contractor shall accomplish each activity, including staff resources, schedule of events and timeline. The plan shall address project milestones or target dates to help manage the conduct of Task 4 activities. The contractor shall include in the milestone schedule key materials to be developed that are not included in the PWS Schedule of Deliverables and the contractor’s Project Management Chart, and time for the COR to review them. The contractor shall be responsible for adhering to the milestones established.

The contractor’s plan shall address areas including, but not limited to, the: 1) goals and objectives for the collection of online teaching/learning materials; 2) targeted content areas and audiences; 3) varieties of resources; 4) professional development options; 5) development of new resources; 6) identification/inclusion of already developed resources; 7) learning communities; and 8) connections between online resources and other project activities.

The contractor shall submit a draft plan to the COR and CS for review and approval 25 weeks after the effective date of the award. The COR shall review and comment on the draft within two weeks after receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from the COR review and provide a final plan to the COR within two weeks of receipt of OVAE’s comments.

Subtask 5.2.

Maintain and Modify the AECSW Website The contractor shall provide a draft two-year plan to the COR 58 weeks after the effective date of the award. This plan shall give substance to the one accepted by OVAE per the contractor’s final technical proposal, including information pertinent to fulfilling the task requirements. It shall describe how the contractor proposes to accomplish each activity, including staff resources, time requirements, schedule of events, and timeline. The plan shall address project milestones or target dates to help manage the conduct of Task 4 activities. The contractor shall include in the milestone schedule key materials to be developed (not included in the PWS Schedule of Deliverables and the contractor’s Project Management Chart) and time for the COR to review them. The contractor shall be responsible for adhering to the milestones established.

Activities that the contractor shall plan to carry out include: 1) modification of the site’s format; 2) maintenance of the site’s general functionality; and 3) input of new materials. The COR shall review and comment on the draft within ten business days after receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from the COR review and provide a final plan to the COR within ten business days upon receipt of the COR’s comments.

The contractor shall carry out all activities according to the approved plan, and shall perform all web development in compliance with the e-gov technical standards. The contractor shall assure that web pages conform to the standards for web accessibility under Section 508 located at 34 CFR 1194.22. Interfaces to all databases developed/updated under this PWS shall meet the Section 508 accessibility requirements for software applications and operating systems located at 34 CFR 1194.21.

The AECSW Website shall comply with the following:

· Websites must have a .gov domain name (OMB Memorandum M-05-04). In order to comply with OMB M-05-04, a contractor must use only .gov, .mil, or Fed.us domains unless the agency head explicitly determines another domain is necessary for the proper performance of an agency function. For the LINCS site and any new sites, the contractor shall put into place a .gov domain name. http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/reqs_bestpractices/omb_policies/domains.shtml.

· The website must demonstrate affiliation with the Department of Education; the contract number shall be displayed on the main pages of the system.

· The website must display a disclaimer or warning when a user follows a link from the AECSW Website to a non-Government website.

· A disclaimer shall be displayed when logging onto the password protected websites or databases that the site is Department of Education funded and subject to monitoring.

· The AECSW Website must follow LINCS privacy and password policies.

· All web and software developed under this work statement shall comply with Section 508 of the “Americans with Disabilities Act” technical standards for web and software accessibility located at 36 CFR 1194.21 and 1194.22.

Task 5 Deliverables

1. Draft work plan to create and identify online materials with milestone schedule

2. Final work plan to create and identify online materials with milestone schedule

3. Draft work plan to maintain/modify the AECSW Website with milestone schedule

4. Final work plan to maintain/modify the AECSW Website with milestone schedule Task 6 Convene Sessions at National Meetings for Adult Education State Directors Annually, the contractor shall create opportunities at the 2014, 2015, and 2016 National Meetings for Adult Education State Directors for States to learn about the implementation of CCR standards in adult education. Typically, the state directors’ meetings are held in Washington, D.C. in the spring of the year. OVAE will determine the format of each year’s session, including a concurrent session (repeated twice during a meeting), or a mini-training institute, or a general session. (Concurrent sessions are up to 90 minutes in length; mini-training institutes are up to three hours in length; general sessions are up to 90 minutes in length.) The contractor shall determine the training topics and activities in consultation with OVAE.

Within 12 weeks of each meeting, the contractor shall submit a brief description of the mini-training institute to explain to the OVAE Planning Committee the session’s main concepts, expected outcomes and activities. The description shall be under one-page in length.

Within ten weeks of each meeting, the contractor shall submit an outline of the training institute. It shall include: 1. a final description of the training that will appear in the program; 2. an agenda; 3. session format and room set-up; 4. Participant/facilitator materials; and 5. equipment needs. Within three business days, the COR will review the draft and provide written feedback. The contractor shall revise the deliverable as necessary and resubmit it to the COR within five business days.

Within five weeks of each meeting, the contractor shall submit initial draft meeting materials. (As much as possible, OVAE expects the contractor to consider existing activities and resources when planning these sessions.) The COR shall review the drafts and provide comments within six business days of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate revisions resulting from the COR’s comments and submit the final materials for approval within ten business days. The contractor shall deliver meeting materials in both electronic and print forms.

Task 6 Deliverables

1. Session Description(s)

2. Draft Outline(s)

3. Final Outline(s)

4. Draft Meeting Materials(s)

5. Final Meeting Materials(s) G. Notes I.

All major products and deliverables will need explicit clearance by Office of the Assistant Secretary, ED/OVAE, prior to public release. All reports shall conform to the guidelines stated in ED’s Guide to Publishing at the U.S. Department of Education at www.ed.gov/offices/OPA. The Department of Education recommends the following sources for editing: for spelling -- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary; for abbreviations, capitalization, dates, numerals, usage and titles -- Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual; and for bibliographies and footnotes -- Chicago Style Manual.

II.

The contractor shall provide all deliverables (all products and web materials) intended for posting on the ED Website in accordance with the following:

· Deliverables shall be user-ready and compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d).

· Deliverables shall be submitted as electronic files in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) containing a copy of the deliverable with the same layout and pagination as the printed version (current specifications for PDF files are defined in the ED.gov Style Guide at: (http://www.ed.gov/internal/styleguide/index.html).

Large documents for which the PDF file exceeds five megabytes in size shall also be provided in multiple PDF files that subdivide the document into logical units each smaller than one megabyte.

· Electronic deliverables shall include all files complete with any embedded links and objects (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet table embedded in a Word document) in formats defined on the ED Website’s list of acceptable electronic formats (a current list is maintained at http://www.ed.gov/internal/styleguide/index.html) in editable form suitable for conversion to HTML and Web graphic formats or posting as-is (e.g., accessible Word or PDF documents). Two copies must be submitted if the deliverable is due on disk or CD-ROM.

· Final versions of all electronic files shall contain the exact same content as the final printed deliverable, including any galley proof changes.

· Deliverables shall include a printed or electronic plain text document accompanying the electronic files that includes the following information: 1) title and description of the product; 2) file name and format for each file, including embedded charts, tables, and images; 3) if multiple files, explanation of component pieces and how they fit together to form the complete product; and 4) contact information, including name, email address, and telephone number.

Deliverables that are created specifically for the Web and do not have published counterparts in print form shall follow the same guidelines. Hardcopy shall be submitted along with the electronic files through appropriate Department of Education clearance and sign-off requirements, which will be the same as or equivalent to those for publications. Deliverables shall meet the requirements for posting on ED.gov stated in the “ED.gov Management and Publishing Policies."

H. Government Furnished Information.

Under separate cover, the government will provide documents that the contractor shall consider relative to Tasks 3 and 4. The four files furnished contain the Standards-in-Action materials that focus on the requirements of scaling up and sustaining standards-based improvements and professional development (referenced on pages 3-4 of this PWS).

I. Schedule of Deliverables

Tasks

Summaries of status meetings

Draft annual reports

Final annual reports

Within five days following the meeting

Within three business days following the meeting

Within one month of the end of each calendar year

Within ten business days of receipt of OVAE comments

Final list of standards trainers/experts

Draft Task 2 plan with milestone schedule

Second draft Task 2 plan with milestone schedule

Final Task 2 plan with milestone schedule

Report of recommendations

Within three weeks of the contract award

Within one week of receipt of OVAE comments

Within five weeks of the contract award date Within seven weeks of the contract award date

Within nine weeks of the contract award date

Within three weeks of completing the initial, trainer endorsement process

Final invitational materials

Draft institute materials and related documents

Final institute materials and related documents

Summary of participant evaluations

Draft new materials for new materials for online modules

Final new materials for new materials for online modules

Within eight weeks after the contract award date Within two weeks of receipt of ED comments

Within ten weeks of the initial institute

Within three weeks of the initial institute

Within one week of each institute

Within eight weeks of the final institute in the first series of institutes

Within three weeks of receipt of ED comments

Task 4. Organize Targeted Training, Technical Assistance and Leadership Activities

First draft Task 4 plan with milestone schedule

Second draft Task 4 plan with milestone schedule

Final Task 4 plan Within sixteen weeks of the contract award date

Within two weeks of receipt of ED comments Within one week of ED comments

Task 5. Assemble Online Resources

Draft plan to create/identify online materials with milestone schedule

Final plan to create/identify online materials with milestone schedule

Draft plan to maintain/modify the AECSW Website with milestone schedule

Final plan to maintain/modify the AECSW Website with milestone schedule

Within 25 weeks of the contract award date

Within two weeks of receipt of ED comments

Within 58 weeks of the contract award date

Within ten business days of receipt of ED comments

Task 6. Convene Sessions at National Meetings for Adult Education State Directors

Session description(s)

Draft session outline(s)

Final session outline(s)

Draft meeting materials

Final meeting materials

Within 12 weeks of each meeting

Within ten weeks of each meeting

Within five business days of receipt of ED comments

Within five weeks of each meeting

Within ten days of receipt of ED comments

� A Process Guide for Establishing Adult Education Content Standards is located at: [� HYPERLINK "http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/howto.asp" �http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/howto.asp�]; the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Website [� HYPERLINK "http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/" ��http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/�]; the Standards-in-Action Innovations for Standards-Based Education are located at: [� HYPERLINK "http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/standardsInAction.asp" ��http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/standardsInAction.asp�].

� The College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education are located at: [� HYPERLINK "https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf" ��https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf]�

� LINCS is located at: [� HYPERLINK "http://lincs.ed.gov/" ��http://lincs.ed.gov/�].

� The Department expects the reauthorization of AEFLA to require states to develop rigorous content standards for their adult education programs that reflect accepted standards for college and career readiness, and that are aligned with college and career ready standards the state develops and implements in compliance with section 14006(d)(4) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

� Standards-in-Action Innovations for Standards-based Education: [http://www.adultedcontentstandards.ed.gov/standardsInAction.asp].

� � HYPERLINK "http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/e-gov/" �http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/e-gov/�