Attachment_6-Student_Assessment_-_Questions_and_Answers_6-28-2018.pdf

Attachment 6-HE125418R0014-Student Assessment - Questions and Answers-6-28-18

# Question Answer

DoDEA’s Student Assessment System issued as a RFP on June 15, 2018. Would you kindly confirm if this is an entirely new effort or is there an incumbent currently providing these services? If so, would you kindly provide the incumbent contract details (contractor name, contract number)?

This is a new requirement

Does the Combined Synopsis/Solicitation posted as solicitation number HE125418R0014 on FBO contain requirements similar to a existing contract or will this be a new requirement?

This is a new requirement

Can you please confirm that the Summative assessments in ELA and mathematics will require operational delivery under this new contract in spring of 2019?

The summative assessments in ELA and mathematics will require operational delivery/administration under this new contract in spring of 2019.

Can you also please confirm that the Interim and Formative assessments in ELA and mathematics will require operational delivery under this new contract, beginning in fall of 2018?

The Interim and Formative assessments in ELA and mathematics will require operational delivery under this new contract, beginning in fall of 2018.

Can you also please identify the vendor that has been contracted to provide the items and test forms for ELA and mathematics?

The name of the vendor that has been contracted to provide the items and test forms for ELA and mathematics summative assessments will be identified post-award.

Would DoDEA consider extending the response time by two weeks, through August 2nd, to allow for adequate time for the requested clarifications to be properly incorporated into the solution?

DoDEA will not extend the response time.

Vendors will adjust their schedules to meet the timeline for this requirement.

p. 29-30 Clauses incorporated by reference and V.2: 2.0: 5.5.6;

pg. 82 - Assessment vendors use proprietary systems and software to deliver, score and report assessments for customers. These systems and software are developed over many years and at significant expense to the vendor. In the performance of a contract for assessment services, the vendor will utilize these systems and software to deliver the services.

However, the vendor does not transfer any rights of ownership or license to the underlying systems and software.

1. The RFP cites DFAR 252.227-7013 (“Rights in Technical Data – Noncommercial Items”) and DFAR 252.227-7015 (“Technical Data – Commercial Items”) In addition, the RFP Section 5.5.6, Ownership, sets forth language related to the grant of a perpetual license to use software. These clauses seem to contradict one another. Can DoDEA explain their intention for ownership of any data created under an agreement resulting from this RFP and which of these clauses will control?

2. Based on the significant investments assessment vendors have made in the systems and software used to deliver online and paper-based assessments, we presume that the vendor will retain ownership of all pre-existing intellectual property and any derivatives thereof. Please confirm that our assumption is correct. If not, please explain.

3. Based on the standard industry practices, it’s unlikely that an assessment vendor would provide a perpetual license to software used to deliver the services in the RFP as requested in Section 5.5.6 of the RFP. Does DoDEA understand and agree that vendor-owned software would be used to deliver the assessments during the contract term, but that DoDEA would not receive a perpetual license to use such underlying software after the term of the Agreement? If not, please explain.

1. DoDEA will own all deliverables, including test items, test forms, and all associated resources developed under this contract.

Software systems including test delivery platforms, scoring engines, and item bank systems will be owned and updated as needed by the contractor.

2. DoDEA will own all deliverables developed under this contract. DoDEA will own all test items and associated derivatives purchased through this contract. The contractor will provide the test items per Table 8, Appendix C. DoDEA will purchase these items as specified in Table 8, Appendix C. The contractor will not license pre-existing items to DoDEA under this contract.

3. DoDEA will not own software systems, including assessment platforms, scoring engines, and item bank systems. DoDEA will own all the test items, tests, and associated derivatives purchased and developed under this contract.

3.0/4.0 pg. 37 - Section 3.5 indicates “[p]age limitations include all text, graphs, pictures, appendices…” Section 4.0 indicates “…120 pages total (excluding cover page, table of content, glossary and appendix.” Can you confirm the appendix is not a part of the 120 page limit?

Yes. The appendix is not part of 120 page limit.

V.2: 2.0: 9.5, pg. 88 - Is Pilot Testing required or would a Training Environment as needed be appropriate? If a Training Environment is sufficient, can the scoring requirements in this section be revised? If Pilot Testing is required, please confirm when this would occur (frequency and timeline) and what the student volume would be.

Pilot testing will be needed for all new assessments developed under this contract.

Pilot test samples will be determined and approved by DoDEA post award, as needed, and as new assessments are developed.

Scoring will not be required for attempts using the training platform.

V.2:2.0: 9.6, pg. 88-89 - Is Field Testing going to occur for ELA and Math? What volume of scoring should be assumed:

§ Number of items § Number of responses to be scored

Stand-alone field testing for summative assessments in ELA and mathematics will not be performed under this contract. Test items may be embedded in existing test forms, and field tested, as needed. Field testing will be performed for all new assessments developed under this contract.

Table 1.2; pg. 64 - It is noted in Table 1.2 (page 65), that formative assessments should be developed for science in grades K-12. Would it be acceptable for a vendor to respond with formative tools for a subset of grade levels within the range?

Vendors will respond to the requirement as specified in the performance work statement.

The vendor will provide the test items to be used in formative assessment processes per Table 8, Appendix C. DoDEA will purchase these items. Once these items are purchased by DoDEA and become DoDEA's property, the items will then be used on specific formative testing grade levels as approved by DoDEA post award.

Table 1.2, pg. 65 -Would it be acceptable for a vendor to respond with an interim and formative solution for some, but not all requested content areas?

Vendors will respond to the requirement as specificed in the performance work statement. DoDEA is seeking for a single integrated system/platform that can administer formative, interim, and summative assessments for ELA, mathematics, science, and history/social studies.

1.C; pg. 69- It is noted within “Systemwide Student Assessment System: DoDEA requires the following” section C, that Interim assessments shall be aligned to DoDEA’s annual instructional scope and sequence. Is this scope and sequence available for vendors to review?

DoDEA's annual instructional scope and sequence will be shared post-award.

V.2: 2.0: 5.2.5/5.2.6; pg. 79- It is noted within Task 5: Item/Test Bank System that test items, clusters, or packages for implementing the assessment shall occur within 30 days of the post-award conference. Is it the expectation of DoDEA that Interim Assessments be completed and delivered within 30 days of the post-award conference?

DoDEA requires interim assessments to be administered beginning fall of 2018. DoDEA will approve the implementation timeline post award.

V.2: 2.0: 5.3.6.2; pg. 81 - Item 5.3.6.2 indicates that the item/test bank must contain multiple versions of items for alternate formats, such as Braille, multiple technology delivery platforms, and alternate text for screen readers. Is this expected of the Interim and Formative assessments in addition to the Summative assessments?

Test versions available for interim assessments will mirror test versions for summative assessments, including special versions, such as Braille, Large Print, text-to-speech, etc.

V.2: 2.0: 5.5.1.2; pg. 82 - Item 5.5.1.2 within Administration Procedures Item/Test Bank Transfer states that at the end of the period of performance. The turnover should transfer all copyrights and permissions to DoDEA and/or a new contractor.

If a business model does not allow the DoDEA to access or own content in perpetuity following completion of a contract, would it be acceptable to continue use of content only through the extension of an annual licensing agreement?

DoDEA will not license test items, tests, and associated derivatives. DoDEA will purchase and own all test items, tests, and associated derivatives purchased and developed under this contract. DoDEA will not own software systems, such as test delivery platforms.

V.2: 2.0: 10.1, pg. 91 - Is it the expectation of the DoDEA that paper versions of interim and summative assessments would be printed locally at each school site where they are needed?

The vendor will provide/develop paper test versions for summative assessments and ship them to schools as needed. The vendor will provide a print on demand option for interim assessment test versions for schools to print as needed.

V.2, 2.0, 10.1.4, pg.91 Item 10.1.4 states that vendors must provide and facilitate the administration of formative assessments. What is the expectation for facilitating administration of formative assessments?

The vendor will provide resources and procedures for formative assessment administration, including how to access the platform, how to create test sessions, how to register students into test sessions, how to monitor the test sessions, how to access scores, and how to interprete formative assessment scores.

V.2, 2.0, 10.7, pg. 94 Special Versions: this section lists transadapted forms and associated scripts. Which languages does DoDEA need supported?

English only.

V.2: 2.0: 11.2.1.1; pg. 95 Item 11.2.1.1 notes that vendors are required to facilitate range meetings for content specialists. Is this requirement specifically for Summative Assessment field testing only?

The vendors will facilitate range finding meetings for summative assessments only, as needed.

52.212-3 - In what volume should bidders include our response to the Offeror Representations and Certifications?

Volume 4, Price

Table 1.2 - Who is the separate licensing contractor? Also, please confirm that the bidder does not need to include costs for the licensed content for the ELA and math summative assessments to be provided by the separate licensing contractor. Also, please confirm that this content will be used for all contract years for the ELA and math summative assessments.

The name of the vendor that has been contracted to provide the items and test forms for ELA and mathematics summative assessments will be identified post-award.

The vendor for this contract will not need to include costs to license test items/forms for the ELA and mathematics summative assessments.

E. Formative Assessments -This section states that the assessment and administration of formative assessments for all four content areas [emphasis added] should be made available beginning in September 2018. However, Table 1.2 indicates that formative assessments for Science and Social Studies may be developed under a timeline agreed up with DODEA during the contract. Please confirm that formative assessments for Science and Social Studies are not required for the initial contract year.

The vendor will provide test items for all 4 content areas for purchase by DoDEA in the initial contract year as specified in Table 8, Appendix C. These items will be used in formative assessment processes based on an implementation timeline for formative assessments for science and history/social studies as approved by DoDEA post award.

Table 2.4B - Can the number of estimated paper-based test takers be provided by region to better calculate shipping costs for paper materials?

Please see Tab 2 (Counts by Region) for estimated computer-based and paper-based, by region. Paper version counts include regular paper tests and special versions, such as Braille and Large Print.

Table 2.4B - In regards to the note about the one percent reduction per year, does this pertain to just paper-based tests, or overall test numbers?

The one percent reduction pertains to both computer-based and paper-based tests.

9.2.2 and 12.1.2 - Please provide more direction on the desire for norm-referenced test items. Is this desired for all content areas, even for ELA and math with the content coming from the separate licensing contractor?

Norm-referenced test items only pertain to ELA and mathematics summative assessment use. The vendor will develop norm-referenced test items as needed.

10.7 - What quantity of Braille and Large print versions should be provided for each summative assessment, by region? What format of Braille should be provided (EBAE, UEB, etc.)? What quantity of Braille and large print versions should be provided for the interim assessments, by region?

Special versions will be included as a part of the paper test versions for this contract.

Specific quantities of Braille and Large Print to deliver to schools will be provided post award, as needed. The paper version counts included in Tab 2 (Counts by Region) are total counts for regular and special versions.

Appendix C, Table 8 - The title of table 8 indicates these are test items required for 2018-19. Please confirm that Science and Social Studies items are not actually required in the first year and will be developed on a schedule agreed upon with

DODEA.

Test items for all 4 content areas (ELA, mathematics, science, and history/social studies) are required for 2018-19 per Table 8, Appendix C.

Appendix C, Table 8 - For high school science and social studies, is DODEA expecting that separate tests will be developed and administered for the course areas noted in the footnotes below the table (e.g., Biology, US History, etc.)?

DODEA expects that separate tests will be developed (using pre-developed, purchased test items or newly-developed test items) and administered for the course areas noted in the footnotes below the table (e.g., Biology, US History, etc.). The implementation timeline for summative tests will be approved by DoDEA post award.

Region/District /School

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total (Com puter-based

8% (Paper, includi ng reglar and special version s)

DoDEA Americas

425 18940 1520

DoDEA Europe 23

1381 26585 2130

DoDEA Pacific 21

983 21565 1730

Grand Total 70

2789 67090 5380