ESBD_387429_1737655172754_24-021 ADDENDA 1.pdf

RFQ 701-24-021, PREK-12 TIER 1

OER SOURCED CONTENT,

CUSTOM BUILT PREK-12 TIER 1

OER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS,

AND CONTINUOUS

IMPROVEMENT OF PREK-12 TIER 1

DEVELOPED CORE &

SUPPLEMENTAL OER

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Summary The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting responses from contractors for three unique projects in this procurement cycle.

1. Project 1 is requesting responses from contractors who have existing content to support the procurement, sourcing, development, and customization of fully developed grade appropriate HQIM.

2. Project 2 is requesting responses from contractors to develop custom built high-quality Tier 1 instructional materials.

3. Project 3 is requesting responses from contractors to review and customize already developed Core and Supplemental Tier 1 Instructional Materials for Texas students on a rolling basis to be part of OER Tier 1 HQIM for PreK-12 in accordance with TEA-determined priorities and timelines.

Authorized by:

House Bill 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.

Responses are due February 18, 2025 - 2:00 P.M. Central Time

TEA Contracts and Purchasing Division TEASolicitations@tea.texas.gov

Kristi Nichols-Arnold mailto:TEASolicitations@tea.texas.gov

Table of Contents

1. Purpose, Background, and Scope of Work

1.1. Purpose

1.2. Background and Defined Terms

1.3. TEA Mission and Procurement Authority

1.4. Anticipated Schedule of Events

1.5. Contract Term

1.6. Budget

1.7. Scope of Work, Project Description, and Project Requirements

1.8. Project Deliverables and Milestones

1.9. Collaboration

1.10. Contract Monitoring and Dispute Resolution Procedures

2. Submission Process and Instructions

2.1. Response Format

2.2. Electronic Submission Process

2.3. Communication

2.4. Response Requirements

2.5. Conflict of Interest

3. Response Format and Content

3.1. Response Checklist

3.2. Understanding of the Project, Methodology, and Technical Components

3.3. Management Plan, Experience, and Qualifications

3.4. Task, Activity, and Deliverable Plan

3.5. Contractor’s Financial Capability

4. Response Review and Evaluation

4.1. Response Review

4.2. Evaluation Criteria

5. Contractual Requirements

5.1. Incorporation and Order of Precedence

ATTACHMENT A: NOTICE OF INTENT TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE

ATTACHMENT B: CONTRACT TERMS & CONDITIONS, RESPONSE PREFERENCES, AND EXECUTION OF OFFER. 39

ATTACHMENT C: HISTORICALLY UNDERUTILIZED BUSINESS SUBCONTRACTING PLAN

ATTACHMENT D: RESPONSE COVER PAGE QUESTIONNAIRE AND CHECKLIST

ATTACHMENT E: TASK, ACTIVITY, AND DELIVERABLE PLAN

ATTACHMENT E: BUDGET PLAN

ATTACHMENT G: CONFLICT OF INTEREST ANALYSIS FORM

ATTACHMENT H: INFORMATION SECURITY REVIEW

ATTACHMENT I: DATA CENTER SERVICES (DCS) INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS

ATTACHMENT F: RUBRIC

knichols Highlight knichols Highlight

1. Purpose, Background, and Scope of Work

1.1. Purpose

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting responses from contractors for three projects.

Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content.

Contractors who have existing content to support the procurement, sourcing, development, and customization of fully developed, grade-appropriate Open Education Resources (OER) Tier 1 High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) for PreK-12 in accordance with TEA-determined priorities and timelines. TEA is currently prioritizing developed texts and/or media for Reading Language Arts (RLA) grades 6-8 that may be developed as part of unit-level studies around TEKS-aligned novels or full-length texts.

For example, contractors may submit content in a variety of lengths and formats, including reading passages, videos, audio, and full courses.

For the avoidance of doubt, contractors who respond to Project 1 and wish to work with TEA on continuous improvement of their product should also respond to Project 3.

Project 2: Custom Built PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Instructional Materials.

Contractors develop and create custom-built HQIM that will be offered as OER for grades PreK-12 in accordance with TEA-determined priorities and timelines. Currently TEA is seeking qualifications of contractors to create courses and products in English and Spanish for 6-8 RLA.

For the avoidance of doubt, all custom-built instructional materials purchased by TEA will be owned by TEA as a work for hire with no residual ownership by Contractors.

Project 3: Continuous Improvement of PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials.

Contractors to customize already developed OER Instructional Materials for Texas students on a rolling basis to be part of OER HQIM for grades PreK-12 in accordance with TEA-determined priorities and timelines. TEA is currently seeking contractor’s qualifications for continuously improving 6 - 8 math and 9 - 12 math instructional materials, including grades 6 and 7 accelerated math courses in English, grade 6 accelerated math course in Spanish, Algebra II and geometry.

For the avoidance of doubt, contractors who respond to Project 1 and wish to work with TEA on continuous improvement of their product should also apply to Project 3.

Responses should be submitted separately and not exceed 50 pages for each project and all required attachments should be submitted separately in Bonfire. Each project response should be able to standalone as TEA may choose not to award more than one project to the same contractor.

Responses should demonstrate the contractors’ ability to meet the following development criteria:

Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content – Contractor’s ability to:

- Develop quality, grade-appropriate complex texts

- Communicate the qualitative and quantitative text complexity factors of each submitted text

- Draw connections between texts and state standards, skills, and RBIS

- Provide a license for the relevant content that meets all state of Texas OER requirements. Can be found at Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711.

Project 2: Custom Built PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Instructional Materials – Contractor’s ability to:

- Create and/or develop high-quality instructional materials aligned to state standards and RBIS that meet each indicator in the Instructional Materials and Review Quality and Suitability rubrics.

- Transadapt/transcreate Spanish HQIM.

- Recruit and manage reviewers work groups for content development, revision, and adoption.

- Leading stakeholder engagement for the dissemination of information, for creating buy-in, and for the implementation of materials.

- Adhering to the review process designed by TEA, including modifying materials to align with the Texas

Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and other state standards, as applicable.

- Develop effective grade-level recommendations for implementation and assessment guidance.

Project 3: Continuous Improvement of PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials – Contractor’s ability to:

- Edit and revise instructional materials to ensure alignment to state guidelines and standards, RBIS, and the Instructional Materials and Review Quality and Suitability rubrics.

- Transadapt/transcreate Spanish HQIM.

- Recruit and manage reviewers work groups for content development, revision, and adoption.

- Leading stakeholder engagement for the dissemination of information, for creating buy-in, and for the implementation of materials.

- Adhering to the review process designed by TEA, including modifying materials to align with the TEKS and other state standards, as applicable.

- Develop effective grade-level recommendations for implementation and assessment guidance.

For all projects, provide contractors experience with:

High-Level Budget that is broken down to demonstrate:

- Annual minimum project management costs

- Fixed price deliverables

- For work that will be subcontracted, cost plus margin proposal.

Research and evaluation:

- Conducting qualitative (use case studies) and quantitative (Lexile metrics, etc.) original research, including obtaining, systematizing, and analyzing data.

- Evaluating project success based on parameters set by a third party.

Project management:

- Successfully managing complex projects.

- Collaboration with third parties to design and revise product roadmaps.

- Ability to rapidly scale-up at peak times and scale-down at non-peak times https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.31.htm

- Monitoring the success of a project and each product, including quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.

- Ability and capacity to complete the work on an aggressive timeline, including expediently responding to lesson-level feedback for multiple units at one time.

Contractors may demonstrate the ability to sub-contract to meet the evaluation criteria for any of the items above.

1.2. Background and Defined Terms

Instructional materials are one of the most important tools educators use in the classroom to improve and support student achievement. A growing body of research points to the positive impact that HQIM has on student learning. TEA’s OER Division develops, reviews, edits, and publishes TEKS and ELPS-aligned HQIM that resides in the public domain and supports students with academic grade-level achievement in courses that constitute the bulk of a student’s schedule.

The OER Division strives to ensure that these resources support Texas educators in content knowledge acquisition and in strong and effective implementation with the goals of increasing student outcomes and providing districts, schools, and teachers with high-quality and customizable curricular materials.

TEA continuously improves the OER products based on data collected from educator focus groups, user feedback, and other stakeholder reviews. With the recent passage of HB 1605, which specified the ongoing development, improvement, and expansion of OER products, the continuous improvement process will include securing rolling procurement for existing content to support the procurement, sourcing, development, and customization of fully developed, grade-appropriate OER Tier 1 HQIM for PreK-12, developing custom-built HQIM that will be offered as OER for grades PreK-12, and to review and customize already developed OER Instructional Materials for Texas students. The materials will support the current and future OER Tier 1 products to ensure that all OER materials accurately and effectively reflect the needs of Texas students.

TEA has determined that combining these projects into one solicitation and sourcing these materials on an ongoing basis will enable TEA to obtain HQIM and maximize vendor competition, all while securing the best value for the State of Texas. This solicitation will be posted quarterly, allowing separate procurements for new materials as needed.

For more information about the full suite of OER instructional materials, supplemental materials and additional supports available please see: TEA website.

As used in this solicitation, the following capitalized terms shall have the meaning as specified below:

https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/tea-available-materials/tea-available-instructional-materials

Term Definition BY Attribution Creative Commons License. This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator.

CC Creative Commons CMBL Centralized Master Bidders List Contractor “Contractor” refers to entities who desire to do business with TEA.

ELPS English Language Proficiency Standards ESBD Electronic State Business Daily ESC Education Service Centers HQIM High-Quality Instructional Materials HSP Historically Underutilized Business Subcontracting Plan HUB Historically Underutilized Business as defined in Texas Government Code

§ 2161.001 IMRA Instructional Materials Review and Approval LEA Lead Education Agency NIGP National Institute of Governmental Purchasing OER Open Education Resources PAR Progress Assessment Report QAP Quality Assessment Plan QTI Question and Test Interoperability RBIS Research Based Instructional Strategies Re-soliciting This solicitation will be posted quarterly for new materials as needed.

SBOE State Board of Education SLT Senior Leadership Team State or Texas State of Texas TADP Task, Activity and Deliverable Plan TAC Texas Administrative Code TEA Texas Education Agency TEA Procurement Staff TEA procurement professional(s) responsible for leading the planning, solicitation, and contract formation processes.

TEA Project Manager, TEA Program Staff, or TEA Contract Manager

TEA staff members who are the subject matter experts concerning this solicitation, one or more of whom will manage the contract(s) resulting from this solicitation.

TEKS Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Tier 1 All core subject instructional materials. This includes all student and teacher facing materials that are needed for a regular classroom instructional block that all students receive, such as for RLA and math.

TGC Texas Government Code TPG Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines VPTS Vendor Performance Tracking System WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2161.htm https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2161.htm

1.3. TEA Mission and Procurement Authority

TEA is the state agency responsible for overseeing primary and secondary public education in Texas. TEA’s mission is to improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

TEA has adopted a strategic plan comprised of four strategic priorities built upon five key actions identified below. These may be updated in the future and can be found on the TEA website located here, https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/welcome-and-overview/tea-strategic-plan:

• Strategic Priorities o Recruit, support and retain teachers and principals o Build a foundation for reading and math o Connect high school to career and college o Improve low-performing schools

• Key Actions (Continuous Improvement) o Supported Educators o Ready Students o Rigorous Engagement o Aligned Systems o Actionable Goal-setting https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/welcome-and-overview/tea-strategic-plan

This procurement supports TEA’s strategic plan by directly supporting the agency priorities through the key action of Rigorous Engagement.

This procurement is authorized by House Bill 1605, 88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.

Pursuant to Texas Government Code §§2151.004(d) and 2155.131, The Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts has delegated authority to TEA to conduct this solicitation and to award a contract for the purposes stated herein.

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2151.htm https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.2155.htm

1.4. Anticipated Schedule of Events

DATE EVENT

December 20, 2024 Publication of solicitation in the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) at:

http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd Contractors must have an account at Bonfire to submit a response to TEA.

HUB-related questions must be directed to the HUB Office at HUBOffice@tea.texas.gov.

January 9, 2025 Last day to submit written questions about this solicitation no later than 2:00 P.M.

Central Time. Submit questions via Vendor Discussion in the Bonfire portal.

January 16, 2025 Final publication of questions and answers

January 21, 2025 TEA preferred date to receive Notice of Intent to submit a response.

February 18, 2025 Response(s) due no later than 2:00 P.M. Central Time February 2025 – April

Response Check-In, Evaluations, and Oral Presentations (if required)

April 2025 – May 2025 Commencement of contract negotiations with selected contractor(s) July 2025 – August

Anticipated start date of contract

1.5. Contract Term

The contract term is for a total of five state fiscal years commencing from contract execution or an agreed-upon contract start date. Any period starting at contract execution or agreed upon contract start date that is less than a state fiscal year will not count toward the total number of state fiscal years. All contracts are subject to appropriation of funds by the Texas Legislature.

Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content

• Contract will commence on contract signature and will convey rights in the product to TEA in alignment with Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711 as applicable.

Project 2: PreK-12 Tier 1 Custom Built Open Education Resources Instructional Materials

• Term of years to customize products, conveying rights in the product to TEA in alignment with Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711 as applicable.

Project 3: PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials

• Term of years (3-5) as a continuous improvement vendor.

Contractors must not perform work before both parties have signed a contract. TEA will not pay for services the contractor performs for TEA prior to contract execution.

http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbd https://tea.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities mailto:HUBOffice@tea.texas.gov

1.6. Budget

TEA may award one or more contracts for each of the projects included in this solicitation. TEA reserves the right not to award any contracts from this solicitation. Each contractor will be evaluated solely on the firm’s experience, technical competence, capability to perform, past performance, and other relevant factors submitted in the response to this RFQ. The proposed budget will not be a determining factor for evaluating responses but will be negotiated once a contractor is qualified.

Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content

• Contractors must provide proposed costs to convey rights in the product to TEA in alignment with Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711 as applicable.

Project 2: PreK-12 Tier 1 Custom Built Open Education Resources Instructional Materials

• Contractors must provide a TADP to cover customization.

o Contractors should be advised that the contract must be deliverable based, and budgets should reflect deliverable costs.

Project 3: PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials

• Contractors must provide a TADP to cover continuous improvement work.

o Contractors should be advised that the contract must be deliverable based, and budgets should reflect deliverable costs.

Contractors must include a detailed Task, Activity, and Deliverable Plan, as described elsewhere in this solicitation and in Attachment E. A separate Budget Plan, Attachment F, should be uploaded but will not be a part of the evaluation process, however, it will be used during contract negotiations. TEA will not accept separate indirect cost rate calculations for this procurement. The proposed budget and payments to a contractor must be based on satisfactory completion and TEA acceptance of deliverables. The Budget Plan must clearly identify proposed prices related to each proposed task, subtask, and deliverable for each fiscal year of the contract.

TEA will establish monthly invoicing procedures for the awarded contract(s) aligned to completion and acceptance of the deliverables. TEA will pay invoices upon satisfactory performance of services, receipt and acceptance of specified deliverables, and receipt of properly prepared invoices and supporting documentation.

1.7. Scope of Work, Project Description, and Project Requirements

Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content The goal of this project is to procure on a rolling basis existing content to support the procurement, sourcing, development, and customization of fully developed, grade-appropriate OER Tier 1 HQIM for PreK-12 with sufficient intellectual property rights (as defined in Texas Education Code Chapter 31). For example, contractors may submit content in a variety of lengths and formats, including reading passages, videos, audio, and full courses.

The awarded contractors will be responsible for providing TEA with a license to use materials in compliance with Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711 as applicable. TEA is interested in texts in English and Spanish to be used in one or more of the following courses:

• 6-8 RLA in Spanish

TEA reserves the right to add or remove subjects and grade levels in future iterations of this procurement. The contractor may be asked to customize their content to align with Texas-specific contexts and OER’s product-specific requirements.

The developed sourced content may be embedded in the current or future suite of OER materials.

The TEA courses described above are knowledge-building programs and include texts that reflect a wide range of genres and content areas. Contractors are encouraged to provide standards-aligned sourced content that is developed as both stand-alone content and as part of text painting or set. Sources content may vary in:

• Length, such as short passages, long passages, chapters, and full-length literary works

• Format, including videos, audio, decodable readers, young-reader texts, full courses, and reading passages

• Genres, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction

• Cross-curricular topics such as: science, social studies, fine arts, literature, etc.

These works must be aligned to grade and developmental-levels, state suitability criteria and must be customizable for Texas. Contractors who submit text sets must provide information on the text pairing, including, but not limited to the:

• Intended anchor text

• Genre of each developed text

• Grade-level TEKS and/or skills that best align with the text, and

• Information on the quantitative and qualitative text complexity factors of each submission

Contractors of the sourced content must provide TEA with a license to use materials in compliance with Texas Education Code 31.07101 and 31.0711. Compliance with TEC 31.07101 and 31.0711 are non-negotiable and texts out of compliance will not be considered. OER instructional materials are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of the resource with others.

Awarded contractors will partner with TEA OER product leads and other TEA stakeholders, such as the SLT to procure this content on a rolling basis as needed. Sourced content will be part of a review process that could include educators, parents, and other stakeholders, including third-party reviewers. The review process is dynamic, ongoing, and part of TEA’s commitment to continuously improve the full suite of OER products. The contractor may be asked to customize their content to align with Texas-specific contexts and OER’s product-specific requirements. In addition, content will undergo third-party review and may be customized to align with Texas-specific contexts and OER’s product-specific requirements by TEA and/or the third-party review contractor.

Contractors that are interested in qualifying under Project 1 (PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content) must submit evidence of:

• Contractor’s ability to provide TEA with access and licenses to existing fully developed content in compliance with Texas Education Code Chapter 31.

• Research-based grade and age-appropriateness of the materials, supported by quantitative or qualitative targets.

PROJECT 2: PreK-12 Tier 1 Custom Built Open Education Resources Instructional Materials The goal of this project is to find a contractor to develop, on a rolling basis, custom-built high-quality Tier 1 instructional materials to be part of OER HQIM for each grade in English and Spanish including intellectual property rights.

Instructional materials should be custom-built to be aligned with the TEKS and, if applicable, the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (TPGs). Products should be grounded in RBIS. RBIS are evidence and research-based practices that have been shown to have an effective outcome for students when implemented with fidelity.

These strategies support interested districts in providing differentiated instruction for students based on their unique academic needs while still providing access to Tier 1 grade-level instruction, the core program of instruction used with all students in each classroom.

Contractor qualifications should include the ability for subsequent custom-built products to be provided as OER services and products for use by Local Education Agencies (LEAs) as openly available and free to download and licensed to be reused.

OER instructional materials are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of the resource with others. The awarded contractors will develop custom-built Tier 1 instructional materials with the purpose of securing the underlying intellectual property (such as CC BY) to be either owned by the state of Texas or freely used and modified by the state in perpetuity. Additionally, materials must be made available in perpetuity in digital form with the option to print so that Texas school districts and educators can use and modify the texts as they see fit.

The awarded contractors may be responsible for developing and custom-building high-quality Tier 1 instructional materials in English and Spanish for a variety of subjects and grades in the full suite of OER materials. The priority for this procurement cycle will be in the following subjects:

• 6-8 RLA

Subsequent procurement cycles for developing and custom-building Tier 1 may be a part of and support other OER products and courses in the full suite of subjects and grades. TEA’s priority subjects will be posted with each procurement cycle.

While TEA intends to pursue the procurement of a full suite of materials for a variety of subjects and grades, TEA will be prioritizing the acceptance of 6-8 RLA for this procurement cycle, although TEA will reserve the right to issue contracts for any instructional materials subject matter under this solicitation. Contractors who have expertise in 6-8 RLA Instructional Materials are especially encouraged to submit their qualifications for evaluation. TEA will indicate on all future solicitation cycles what grades and subjects will be prioritized.

Contractors with expertise in specific content areas or grade levels are highly encouraged to submit their credentials portfolio for review. The awarded contractors will partner with TEA OER product leaders and other TEA stakeholders, such as the SLT to custom build materials on a rolling basis as needed. Contractors will be responsible for submitting developed and revised instructional materials to a third-party review process (review contractor to be determined and secured by TEA) and implementing all third –party review vendor identified revisions before submitting for TEA approval.

Leveraging TEA review rubrics, the awarded contractors will align with and meet the review rubrics for each product and its subcomponents and submit them for TEA approval. Review rubrics specify the exact scope of the review contractor’s work. Review contractors will be instructional experts in the content areas and grade bands they will be reviewing. All components of every product must undergo the TEA IMRA process that includes standards, process, and suitability reviews, as well as a third-party review before publishing, including products that have been previously approved and later revised.

When contractors are submitting examples of previous work, submit only samples that show the contractor's qualifications to meet the requirements as outlined above. Contractors should submit no more than 4 sample units of study. Include sample units across different grade levels and genres (as applicable). Each unit should include daily lesson plans, formative and summative assessments and should be annotated in a way that calls out the connections to the IMRA quality indicators for that particular sample’s subject and grade. See evaluation criteria for further examples of potential sample materials.

See list of IMRA quality and suitability rubrics here:

o IMRA Math Rubric K-12 o IMRA K-3 ELA Rubric o IMRA ELA Rubric 4-8 o IMRA K-3 SLA Rubric o IMRA SLA Rubric 4-6 o Instructional Materials Review and Approval: Suitability Rubric

The awarded contractors will be responsible for submitting the revised instructional materials to a review process that could include educators, parents, and other stakeholders.

Action from the contractor should include:

• Project Management and Operations. Management of the overall project and project operations.

Examples of project management actions include but are not limited to:

o Developing and maintaining the project work plan and related project documentation o Developing and maintaining ongoing strategic plans and communications o Planning and facilitation of project meetings https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-approved-imra-k-12-math-rubric.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-approved-imra-k-12-math-rubric.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-8-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-8-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-6-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-6-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-suitability-rubric-approved-2-2-24.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-suitability-rubric-approved-2-2-24.pdf

• Material Development and Improvement. Develop, improve, and review materials to support the OER HQIM for grades PK-12. Examples of criteria to be used in the development, improvement, and revision of the materials include but are not limited to:

o TEKS and ELPS alignment o Approval by the state designated review process for quality, suitability, and standards alignment o Intellectual property rights o Research-based grade and age appropriateness o Support of lessons and units in the OER HQIM

• Stakeholder Engagement. Engage stakeholders as needed by TEA for review and feedback. Examples of stakeholders include but are not limited to:

o School district staff such as principals, superintendents, and other administrators, educators, instructional coaches, campus, and district leaders o ESC staff o Other external stakeholders o Parents and caregivers

Project 3: Continuous Improvement of PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials The goal of this project is for contractors to review and customize already developed OER Instructional Materials for Texas students on a rolling basis to be part of OER HQIM for grades PreK-12 in accordance with TEA-determined priorities and timelines. Currently TEA is prioritizing 6-8 math, and 9-12 math.

The awarded contractors will be responsible for reviewing and customizing already developed Core and Supplemental Tier 1 Instructional Materials in English and Spanish to be aligned to state learning standards TEKS (and TPGs as applicable) to provide students with rigorous, grade-level instruction. The instructional materials are designed to be coherent through the grade levels so that students build on their knowledge and skills from year to year.

This cycle of review and customization of Tier 1 materials will be prioritized to be a part of and support the already developed OER products in the following subjects and grades:

• 6-8 Math

• 9-12 Math

Subsequent review and customization cycles for Tier 1 content may be a part of and support the already developed OER products in the following subjects and grades:

• K-12 Reading Language Arts

• K-12 Math

• K-5 Science

• K-5 Social Studies

• Assessments and other core and supplementary products, as needed.

While TEA intends to pursue the procurement of a full suite of materials in the mentioned subjects and grades, TEA will be prioritizing the acceptance of continuous improvement of instructional materials in 6-8 math and 9-12 math for this procurement cycle, although TEA will reserve the right to issue contracts for any instructional materials subject matter continuous improvement under this solicitation. Contractors who have expertise in 6-8 math and 9-12 math instructional materials are especially encouraged to submit their qualifications for evaluation. TEA will indicate on all future solicitation cycles what grades and subjects will be prioritized.

OER instructional materials are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits the free use, reuse, modification, and sharing of the resource with others. The awarded contractors will review and customize Tier 1 materials to be part of OER HQIM.

The awarded contractors will partner with TEA OER product leads and other TEA stakeholders, such as the SLT to review and customize these instructional materials on a rolling basis as needed. Contractors will be responsible for submitting revised instructional materials to a third-party review process and implementing all revisions identified by the third-party review contractor before submitting to TEA for approval.

When contractors are submitting examples of previous work, submit only samples that show the contractor's qualifications to meet the requirements as outlined above. Contractors should submit no more than 4 sample units of study. Include sample units across different grade levels. Each unit should include daily lesson plans, formative and summative assessments and should be annotated in a way that calls out the connections to the IMRA quality indicators for that sample’s subject and grade. See evaluation criteria for further examples of potential sample materials.

See list of IMRA quality and suitability rubrics here:

o IMRA Math Rubric K-12 o IMRA K-3 ELA Rubric o IMRA ELA Rubric 4-8 o IMRA K-3 SLA Rubric o IMRA SLA Rubric 4-6 o Instructional Materials Review and Approval: Suitability Rubric

The awarded contractors will be responsible for submitting the revised instructional materials to a review process that could include educators, parents, and other stakeholders.

Actions from the contractor should include:

o Project Management and Operations. Management of the overall project and project operations.

Examples of project management actions include but are not limited to:

o Developing, and maintaining the project work plan and related project documentation o Developing, and maintaining ongoing strategic plans and communications o Planning and facilitation of project meetings https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-approved-imra-k-12-math-rubric.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-approved-imra-k-12-math-rubric.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-8-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-8-ela-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-k-3-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-6-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/imra-4-6-sla-rubric-sboe-approved.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-suitability-rubric-approved-2-2-24.pdf https://tea.texas.gov/academics/instructional-materials/house-bill-1605/sboe-suitability-rubric-approved-2-2-24.pdf o Share regular updates on findings and project plan status in weekly, monthly, quarterly meetings.

Meet project plan milestones in reviewing and customizing Tier 1 Instructional Materials by grade level.

o Stakeholder engagement. Continuous improvement of existing materials and development of new supports for measuring and monitoring fidelity of implementation and outcomes. Examples of stakeholder engagement includes but is not limited to:

o Grade level stakeholder feedback.

o Customize fully developed materials. Content and overall vision such as:

o Instructional blueprint and programmatic approach, etc.

o Scope and sequence for the materials like list course themes, etc.

o Teacher materials unit lesson/plans, teacher guides, and projectable lessons o Student materials such as activity books, student readers, and writer’s journals o Formative assessments, overall design, mid/end of unit checkpoint/quiz o Digital and interactive tools such as quizzes, content videos parent, videos, etc.

1.8. Project Deliverables and Milestones

This solicitation will be posted quarterly and is a rolling procurement so that new materials are qualified on an ongoing basis as needed.

Project 1: Project 1: PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content.

Deliverables:

• Existing content such as reading passages, videos, audio, and full courses to support the procurement, sourcing, development, and customization of OER Tier 1 HQIM for PreK-12.

• To ensure TEA has unlimited authority to modify, delete, combine, or add content to the instructional materials after purchase (in alignment with TEC 31.07101(c)), the agency must work closely with content contractors to obtain materials in the appropriate document formats.

• Contractors that are interested in qualifying under Project 1 (PreK-12 Tier 1 Open Education Resources Sourced Content) must submit evidence of:

o Provide TEA with access and licenses to existing fully developed HQIM in compliance with Texas Education Code Chapter 31; and o Provide research-based grade and age-appropriateness of the materials, supported by quantitative or qualitative targets, such as Lexile levels.

• Suitability and third-party reviews

• English and Spanish content

Estimated Milestones:

• July-August 2025: Contract Kickoff

Project 2: PreK-12 Tier 1 Custom Built Open Education Resources Instructional Materials Deliverables:

• Fully developed, custom-built materials in English and Spanish, including:

o Student facing materials.

o Teaching facing materials.

o Assessments (in the instructional materials and formatted for QTI ingestion)

• To ensure TEA has unlimited authority to modify, delete, combine, or add content to the instructional materials after purchase (in alignment with TEC 31.07101(c)), the agency must work closely with content contractors to obtain materials in the appropriate document formats.

• Non-Negotiable Criteria:

Materials are:

o Logically organized with a clear document nomenclature and/or file structure o Adherent to the TEA’s Product Development Guidelines and Style Guide o Available in an editable print format (e.g., Word, unlocked PDF with InDesign files, freely accessible CMS, etc.).

o WCAG and 508 compliant (see https://www.section508.gov/create for additional guidance) o Delivery of customized instructional materials in English and Spanish, designed to be delivered in traditional, remote, and hybrid learning environments and supporting a full school year of instructional days, currently a minimum of 165 days of instruction. The number of instructional days is subject to change based on legislation.

• Priority Criteria for materials are:

o Available both digitally and in print

Estimated Milestones:

• July-August 2025: Contract Kickoff

Project 3: Continuous Improvement of PreK-12 Tier 1 Developed Core & Supplemental Open Education Resources Instructional Materials Deliverables:

• Review and customize existing materials in English and Spanish, including:

o Student facing materials.

o Teaching facing materials.

o Assessments (in the instructional materials and formatted for QTI ingestion)

• Non-Negotiable Criteria:

Materials are:

o Logically organized with a clear document nomenclature and/or file structure o Adherent to the TEA’s Product Development Guidelines and Style Guide o Available in an editable print format (e.g., Word, unlocked PDF with InDesign files, freely accessible CMS, etc.).

o WCAG and 508 compliant (see https://www.section508.gov/create for additional guidance) o Delivery of customized instructional materials in English and Spanish, designed to be delivered in traditional, remote, and hybrid learning environments and supporting a full school year of instructional days, currently a minimum of 165 days of instruction. The number of instructional days is subject to change based on legislation.

• Priority Criteria for materials are:

o Available both digitally and in print https://www.section508.gov/create https://www.section508.gov/create

Estimated Milestones:

• July-August 2025: Contract Kickoff

1.9. Collaboration

The awarded contractor(s) will collaborate closely with TEA staff for this project. These responsibilities include, for example:

Awarded Contractor Responsibilities:

- Engaging in ongoing, responsive communication about the project(s);

- Participating in scheduled project meetings;

- Working continuously on the project, including during summer months;

- Adhering to the TADP or other schedules for deliverables as specified by TEA after consultation with the awarded contractor, including proposed deadlines for draft work products;

- Notifying TEA within 24 hours of project-related issues that negatively impact timelines;

- Obtaining advance written approval from TEA prior to any staffing changes or additions, especially changes to key staff members assigned to this project;

- Producing high-quality drafts of all submitted work products, reports, evaluation plans, analysis plans, and instruments, etc. with minimal typos and in alignment with applicable guidelines (branding, accessibility, reading level, etc.);

- Responding within 24 hours to all requests for feedback on evaluation plans, methodology, analysis plans, instruments, data manipulation, analysis results, reports, etc.;

- Responding within 24 hours to inquiries regarding invoicing and document requests (as in the case of an audit);

- Adhering to policies and procedures regarding use of confidential data and data collection procedures;

- Adhering to policies and procedures regarding fingerprinting and criminal background checks prior to conducting any school visits, as applicable; and

- Adhering to all terms and conditions of the contract with TEA, for example, following the change management process for contract revisions; informing TEA of changes in ownership, key staff, or subcontractors; and immediately reporting actual or potential conflicts of interest to TEA.

TEA Responsibilities:

- Providing awarded contractors and any subcontractors information on changes in legislation, reporting needs, or any other activities that may impact the project(s);

- Collaborating with the awarded contractors to address unforeseen developments, identify issues, and propose solutions;

- Coordinating support and resources for the project;

- Providing necessary data and documentation;

- Reviewing and approving the contractor’s evaluation and analysis plans, including all qualitative and quantitative methodologies and data analyses;

- Reviewing use of data, data sources, data manipulation, data processing business rules, and analytic results;

- Monitoring the awarded contractor’s progress, as outlined in contractor-submitted monthly progress reports to ensure compliance with contract terms;

- Reviewing and approving monthly invoices (including disputing invoices as necessary and working with contractors to resolve disputes);

- Providing and coordinating feedback on all submitted reports;

- Monitoring the awarded contractor’s performance and compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract, including following the change management policy for all amendments and budget revisions;

- Coordinating on-site presentations as needed based on TEA’s priorities and timelines; and

- Monitoring proper transmission and destruction of data.

1.10. Contract Monitoring and Dispute Resolution Procedures

TEA monitors its contracts to ensure contractors adhere to the terms and conditions of their TEA contracts and to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. TEA Contract Managers carefully review invoices to verify the following:

- Goods and/or services provided are included in the contract;

- Charges match the contract budget and pricing clearly ties to the task plan;

- Invoice charges are within scope, allowable, and reasonable;

- Invoice amounts are tied to specific contract tasks with enough supporting documentation to show that goods and/or services were received and were of acceptable quality; and

- Each invoice shows the contract number, purchase order number, dates of service, tasks, and pricing.

All activities must have documentation to support their completion. TEA reserves the right to reject goods or services which do not address the deliverables stated in the contract and do not meet TEA quality review.

In addition to carefully reviewing invoices prior to authorizing payment, TEA Contract Managers conduct ongoing contract monitoring activities depending on the nature and risk factors associated with the contract.

Examples of standard contract monitoring activities include:

- Monitoring the contractor’s progress and performance to ensure goods and services conform to the contract requirements;

- Managing, approving, and documenting any changes to the contract through the change management process authorized by the terms of the contract;

- Maintaining documentation verifying those goods and/or services were reviewed and accepted;

- Monitoring the contract budget to ensure sufficient funds are available throughout the term of the contract;

- Identifying and resolving disputes with the contractor promptly;

- Exercising legal remedies, as appropriate, when a contractor’s performance is deficient; and

- Confirming all goods and/or services have been delivered and delivery is completed prior to the expiration date of the contract.

TEA will determine whether a contract should be subject to enhanced monitoring, an increased level of monitoring. For example, a contractor who has access to sensitive data or contact with students may be subject to enhanced monitoring. In addition to the responsibilities that come with standard contract monitoring, Contract Managers may implement any of the following examples of enhanced monitoring measures:

- Developing a Quality Assessment Plan (QAP) to document contract monitoring activities;

- Conducting site visits to a contractor’s facility;

- Holding regular project management meetings with contractors to ensure the project is meeting established milestones and deadlines;

- Reviewing contractor-prepared progress reports;

- Reviewing satisfaction surveys from training attendees or other quality assurance reports;

- Implementing a corrective action plan if contractor is not meeting contract performance expectations;

- Monitoring contractor performance and invoking applicable remedies for contract breaches (for example, liquidated damages assessed for service level agreement breaches); and

- Monitoring contractor’s access to sensitive data and ensuring data is handled properly and returned or destroyed at the end of the contract, as appropriate.

TEA expects contractors to support these monitoring efforts including responding promptly to requests for documentation and working together in good faith to resolve disputes.

In the event of a dispute, TEA will make every effort to resolve the issue(s) with contractor’s project staff before escalating to executive-level management. Throughout the dispute resolution process, the parties should make a good faith effort to work together toward a mutually beneficial resolution. Resolution may include corrective action plans, substitutions, liquidated damages, or other remedies, as appropriate.

2. Submission Process and Instructions

2.1. Response Format

Contractors must submit a complete response and follow all instructions contained within this solicitation.

Responses with conditional clauses, alterations, or irregularities are subject to rejection by TEA in its sole discretion. Contractors must submit Responses electronically and ensure TEA receives them no later than the deadline stated in the Anticipated Schedule of Events. TEA will not accept late responses.

Response Format and Requirements:

- Contractor must download all files under Public Files to prepare your submission.

- Complete and upload all required documents listed under the Requested Information section in

Bonfire.

- Responses should be submitted separately and not exceed 50 pages for each project and all required attachments should be uploaded separately in Bonfire.

- The file name should be short but descriptive and avoid special characters. Use capital letters, hyphens, or underscores instead of spaces or periods. (i.e., 24-021_CompanyName_Response).

- Contractors must ensure an authorized representative sign all required forms and those signatures are included in the electronic file (digital signatures or scanned ink signatures are both acceptable).

- The contractor must sign the Execution of Offer contained within…