Attachment_7_Questions_and_Answers.pdf

Question # Question Answer 1 Is this a new requirement? If no, who is the contract incumbent? This is not a new requirement and the current vendor is New Tech Solutions

Please confirm that 100% of the proficiency and performance assessments to support DoDEA’s secondary world language instruction are web based and if “not”, what percentage of the annual assessments are anticipated to be delivered on a live rated basis.

The assessments' administration must be 100% web based. A portion of a student response may be rated live (synchronously), such as parts or all of the reading and writing portions of the test, and another portion by human raters within a reasonable, stated delay (asynchronously), such as part or all of the speaking portion of the assessments. In their proposal, the vendor will state what are the specific percentages of live rate to delayed rate. The examples are provided for illustration purposes.

3 When is the anticipated date of award? On or about 11SEP19

Please confirm that DoDEA will be issuing a “single-award” The government intends on issuing a single award, but reserves the right to issue multiple awards for this requirement if doing so will be more advantageous to the government

What are the expected turnaround times for results regarding Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing?

Annual summary report that describes and compares the overall performance of students to the annual performance and proficiency targets, per PWS 1.3, no later than six weeks after the assessment window closes each school year.

It appears that students ranging from “a very small number of elementary students” through Grade 12 (mostly 6-12) will be taking the same assessments. Cognitively, this is a huge range. Is it safe to assume that the content of Level I and Level II tests will be geared toward the younger end of the range, while Levels III and IV will be mostly used by high school-aged students? Assesments will be offered to students based on their course enrollment (grades 6-12).

For the “interpersonal communication” component what is the expected interaction for the students? Will the students interact with a live rater, or is the test scored by a teacher, or will this be assessed by a web-based platform without any direct human interaction?

The interpersonal communication component of the world language performance and proficiency assessments will be assessed by a web-based platform without direct human interaction. The test is scored by the vendor.

Will the microsite be used as a source of information on programs, or will enrollments be managed through the site as well?

The Performance Work Statement (PWS) does not state a requirement for a "microsite". The PWS does describe two different types of websites: a stakeholder website (for parents and students) and an internal DoDEA website for teachers and administrators. Please refer to the PWS for this solicitation. Specifically, Tasks 3, 4, and 5 requirements. .

Who is the audience of the microsite? Parents? Agencies?

The Performance Work Statement (PWS) does not state a requirement for a "microsite". The PWS does state a required website. Please refer to Tasks 3, 4 and specifically, 5.5: 5.5: "Task #4: Dedicated Website for Stakeholders—The Contractor shall provide a dedicated website for DoDEA stakeholders (e.g. students, [parents, teachers, test administrators) to obtain updates, resources, and specific information regarding the assessment system. Resources include the following:

5.5.1 Communication tools that can be used by DoDEA to inform parents, staff, policymakers, and senior leadership about the assessment system and results,

5.5.2 Digital assessment coordinator’s manual and an assessment examiner manual which includes notes and scripts for the provision of accommodations that are updated within six weeks of changes.

5.5.3 Digital technical manual that documents all technical components of each assessment, including but not limited reliability and validity of individual and group scores, reliability of classification categories and year-to-year changes in performance, and a glossary of terms.

5.5.4 Web-based portal that allows teachers and administrators access to the formative assessments in order to inform instruction and to view student assessment submissions and results.

5.5.5 Exporting student assessment results from the Contractor’s website." Vendors must understand that the web-based portals (the parent-accessible website and the DoDEA-facing website) described in 5.5 and elsewhere in the PWS should include security features as those described in our response to question #10, below, which were are described in the PWS.

Are there any security requirements? Contractor shall comply with all website security requirements described in the PWS, such as, but not limited by: "5.11.5 Privacy: Ensure that individual user accounts require have unique usernames and passwords, and that user accounts do not require personally identifiable information (PII)—first and last name and any other unique personal information—to access online content. The Contractor shall abide by all security industry standards that will allow the vendor to comply with Technical Exhibit 3 (page 16) of the PWS, including 4.5.4 Ensure any portion of the Contractor's solution that involves Internet access by DoDEA students complies with the relevant requirements of the Children's Internet Protection Act, Pub.L. 106-554, § 1(a)(4) [Div. B, Title XVII, § 1701], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A-335." We suggest that potential contractors submitting responses to the procurement carefully review all of these requirements above, which include, explicitly or implicitly, that the contractor must propose appropriate website and online assessment security features in order to comply with all the requirements described in the PWS.