MathSIP_HE1254RFI0005_081424.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION - HE125424RFI0005

Middle School Math (6-8) Strategic Intervention Program

1.0 Description

1.1 The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) seeks information on how an interested contractor could provide a strategic mathematics intervention program (individual, small group, and/or whole group instruction to meet student needs) with the goal of building proficiency levels from below grade level to the expected grade level performance for struggling student mathematicians.

1.2 DoDEA expects to make one award. The solicitation will be posted on SAM.gov in the March-April 2025 timeframe. The anticipated period of performance is 01 Jul 25 – 30 Jun 31.

1.3 This request for information (RFI) is issued solely for information and planning and does not constitute a request for quote (RFQ) or a promise to issue an RFQ in the future.

The Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI;

i.e., all costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely the responder’s responsibility.

Not responding to the RFI does not preclude a contractor from responding to a future RFQ/RFP. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the SAM.gov website. Potential responders are responsible to monitor the relevant site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

2.0 Overview

2.1 Agency: For school year 2024-25, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) will provide PK-12 instruction in 161 schools to approximately 67,000 dependents of active-duty military and civilian employees. In the Americas, DoDEA operates 50 schools located in seven states, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In Europe and the Middle East, DoDEA operates 64 schools located in Germany, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Bahrain. In the Pacific, DoDEA operates 46 schools located in Korea, Japan (mainland and Okinawa), and Guam. DoDEA also operates a fully accredited virtual high school with teaching hubs in each DoDEA region.

DoDEA's curriculum, resources and student achievement scores on standardized assessments compare favorably to those of high-performing US public school systems.

2.2 Standards: DoDEA has adopted College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS) in mathematics, literacy, the arts, social studies, and science, which are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

2.3 Schools, Enrollment, and Target Students by Region

Categories 6-8 Schools

6-8 Enrollment*

Target Students Teachers

Americas 15 3,524

4,500 200 Europe 25 5,624 Pacific 18 4,690 Totals 58 13,838

* Based on SY24-25 Enrollment Projections

2.4 Background: Per Federal regulations, DoDEA must recompete our expiring middle school mathematics intervention contract.

2.5 Requirements: DoDEA requires a commercially available, off-the-shelf (COTS) mathematics strategic intervention resource (Tier 2) that supplements, not supplants, our core instruction. The proposed solution shall include related professional learning and technical support.

Supporting Tasks: The tasks below are to help the Contractor gain a better understanding of the requirements to successfully meet the objective. They are not all inclusive, so the Contractor is expected to develop the total solution to meet all the requirements in accordance with a performance-based approach.

2.5.1 Instructional Resources and Assessments

2.5.1.1 The proposed solution shall possess the following characteristics:

1) Be based on the most current research for mathematics intervention instruction and is aligned to CCSS-Mathematics.

2) Provide thorough guidance for teachers towards differentiated and/or customizable instruction to meet the needs of all learners, including multilingual learners (MLs) and students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

3) Align with the progressions of learning for mathematics and the content for each grade level.

4) Embed the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP) in most activities.

5) Provide a variety of assessments to monitor student progress.

6) Include a web-based data collection tools and report system that shows information on each student which can be viewed at the teacher, school, district, region, and system levels.

7) Provide materials designed to be used with any grade combinations within 6-8.

2.5.1.2 Student Instructional Resources—The Contractor shall:

1) Provide 5-year and preferably 6-year licenses for student and teacher instructional resources. Note: No print or physical materials will be purchased.

2) Provide hands-on and/or interactive activities that develop conceptual understanding using visuals, models and real-world examples, if digital, with hints and/or feedback to students.

3) Provide a solution that allows teachers to assign content to individual students.

2.5.1.3 Teacher Resources—The Contractor shall include:

1) Digital guides and supplemental resources that support the student resources.

2) Comprehensive and detailed teacher lessons

3) Teaching strategies based on evidence-based best practices and student assessment results and that can accommodate the needs of special needs students and MLs.

4) Progression of learning that makes connections to prerequisite standards/skills, ensuring the major content of the grade level are full addressed as designated by the Achieve the Core: Focus by Grade Level – Major Clusters, which may be found at the following URL: https://achievethecore.org/category/774/mathematics-focus-by-grade-level

2.5.1.4 Assessment Resources—The Contractor shall provide assessments that:

1) Include informal assessment strategies to enable teachers to determine each child’s developmental progress and use that information to differentiate instruction.

2) Measure student progress on a continuum based on CCSS-Mathematics mastery.

3) Include a variety of items that assess conceptual understanding, procedural skill, fluency, and application.

4) Provide an assortment of formative and summative assessment strategies to support and monitor the success of intervention. If assessments are digital, they shall provide feedback to students after being graded. If assessments are not digital, they shall be in a form that teachers can easily print.

2.5.1.5 Licenses: The Contractor shall provide the contracting officer’s representative the number of licenses shown in the table below. The numbers below are based on the assumption that the licenses are generic in nature and therefore transferable to other students due to transferring out of DoDEA, moving up to high school, or testing out of the program.

Categories 6-Year Licenses*

5-Year Licenses

4-Year Licenses

3-Year Licenses

2-Year Licenses

1-Year Licenses

Target Students 4500 150 150 150 150 150 Teachers 200 10 10 10 10 10

Above-School Level 20 0 0 0 0 0

* Assumes that 6-year licenses will be proposed. If not, in the final contract year, 4,500- 4,950 1-year licenses will be required for students, 200-250 for teachers, and 20 for SMEs.

The 150 licenses each year after the first year are for potentially for new students;

however, the exact number cannot be known.

**Above-school-level subject matter experts.

2.5.2 Professional Learning: The proposed professional learning resources shall be (1) based on current research regarding best practices in mathematics instruction, aligned with CCRS and the SMP, and

(2) focused on the organization of the component parts of the programs and the way the resource materials align to the CCRS-Mathematics and each other.

Summary Table 6-8 Strategic Mathematics Instruction Professional Learning

Above-School-Level Educators Mode Hours/

Region Total Hours

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 1)

Synchronous webinar -- 3

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 2)

Synchronous webinar -- 9

Teachers Mode Hours/ Region

Total Hours

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 1)

Digital Modules -- 6

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 1)

Synchronous webinar 3 9

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 2)

Synchronous webinar 6 18

Teachers and Administrators Mode Hours/

Region Total Hours

Strategic Intervention (Base Year 1)

Digital Module +-- 2

2.5.3 Above-School-Level Professional Learning: The Contractor shall provide training on strategic intervention resources training so that above-school-level leaders can better support teachers with the resources. Provide synchronous webinars using software/web extensions that are subscription-free to DoDEA. The above-school level professional learning shall:

2.5.3.1 Cover, at a minimum, the following eight topics: (1) overview/exploration of instructional resources, (2) use and implementation of resources to plan and facilitate interventions, (3) best practices for classroom implementation, (4) gathering student data to document progress and inform instruction utilizing the components of the Contractor’s product intentionally and purposefully, (5) instructional leadership, (6) classroom walkthroughs using the module’s observation guide, (7) guiding questions to support facilitation of program and instruction of content to all stakeholders, and (8) data analysis and progress monitoring tools to track student improvement and make informed instructional decisions.

2.5.3.2 Provide a total of three hours of professional learning in Base Year 1 contact hours and six hours in Base Year 2. The exact scheduling of the professional learning shall be done post-award. Notes: Six contact hours is one day of professional learning. The Government, in consultation with the Contractor, may schedule days of varying lengths, e.g., half-days or hourly blocks.

2.5.3.3 Provide an accompanying digital module for all professional learning that can be used by DoDEA staff to conduct face-to-face professional learning.

2.5.3.4 Provide a draft facilitator guide for all live and module-based professional learning and a classroom observation guide and implementation monitoring tool with coaching strategies designed for administrators, which will be finalized based on written feedback from COR.

2.5.3.5 Draft professional learning evaluation for participants upon completion of the professional learning. Note: DoDEA will finalize and administer the session evaluation.

2.5.4 Teacher Professional Learning: The Contractor shall provide training for teachers to use the resources effectively. The Contractor shall ensure that synchronous webinars are accessible using software/web extensions that are subscription-free to DoDEA and require no additional hardware or software for operation. The teacher's professional learning shall:

2.5.4.1 Cover, at a minimum, the following ten topics: (1) overview and exploration of instructional resources, (2) use and implementation of resources to intentionally and purposefully plan and facilitate interventions, (3) best practices for classroom implementation, (4) gathering student data to document progress and inform instruction utilizing the components of the Contractor’s product intentionally and purposefully, (5) family support and communication, (6) best practices and materials needed for redelivery, (7) differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs, (8) integrating intervention resources with core curriculum, (9) techniques for fostering student engagement and motivation, and (10) methods for assessing and addressing social-emotional needs of students within the intervention program

2.5.4.2 Provide three hours of professional learning per region in Base Year 1—a total of nine contact hours and six hours per region in Base Year 2—a total of 18 contact hours. The professional learning shall occur during normal business hours for each DoDEA region (US, Europe, and Pacific). The professional learning shall occur during normal business hours for each DoDEA region (US, Europe, and Pacific): three hours shall be delivered to each region. The exact scheduling of the professional learning shall be done post-award.

Notes: Six contact hours is one day of professional learning. The Government, in consultation with the Contractor, may schedule days of varying lengths, e.g., half-days or hourly blocks.

2.5.4.3 All professional learning must have an accompanying module that can be used for face-to-face professional learning systemically.

2.5.4.4 Provide a draft facilitator guide for all live and module-based professional learning and a classroom observation guide and implementation monitoring tool with coaching strategies designed for administrators, which will be finalized based on written feedback from COR.

2.5.4.5 Draft professional learning evaluation for participants upon completion of the professional learning. Note: DoDEA will finalize and administer the session evaluation.

2.5.5 Teachers and School-Based Strategic Instructional Support Specialists: The Contractor shall provide a digital module. The equivalent of six hours of professional learning will be provided in Base Year 1 only. All modules shall be housed on the DoDEA LMS. Note: Six contact hours is one day of professional learning. The Government in consultation with the Contractor, post-award, may schedule modules of varying lengths, e.g., half-days or hourly blocks.

2.5.6 Teacher and Administrator Professional Learning: The Contractor shall provide two digital modules approved by DoDEA on the strategic intervention resources. One of the digital modules will be for teachers/school-based specialists and one for administrators and above-school-level staff and specialists. Both sets of modules shall (1) include facilitator guides, (2) be designed and presented by experienced subject matter experts, and (3) be housed on DoDEA’s LMS. The asynchronous interactive modules shall:

2.5.6.1 Provide six hours of training that covers, at a minimum, the following topics for teachers and school-based specialists: (1) overview and exploration of instructional resources and

(2) Creating a new class, (3) assignments and assessment overview, (4) use and implementation of resources to intentionally and purposefully plan and facilitate interventions, (5) best practices for classroom implementation, (6) gathering student data to document progress and inform instruction utilizing the components of the Contractor’s product intentionally and purposefully, (7) best practices and materials needed for redelivery, (8) differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs, (9) techniques for fostering student engagement and motivation, and (10) methods for assessing and addressing social-emotional needs of students within the intervention program. Include a draft digital facilitator guide that will be finalized based on written feedback from the COR.

2.5.6.2 Provide one hour of training that covers, at a minimum, the following topics for the administrator and above-school-level staff and specialists: (l) strategies for effective instructional leadership, (2) perform classroom walk-throughs using the module's observation guide, (3) guiding questions to support facilitation of program and instruction of content to all stakeholders, (4) family support and communication, and (5) data analysis and progress monitoring tools to track student improvement and make informed instructional decisions from a school level. Include a draft classroom observation guide designed for administrators that shall be finalized based on written feedback from the COR.

2.5.6.3 A summary table is provided below to reflect the professional learning required:

2.5.7 All Professional Learning

2.5.7.1 Present all professional learning, including facilitator guides, virtually as a dry run to

DoDEA HQ personnel. Finalize all guides based on the feedback from the COR.

2.5.7.2 Provide a digital archive of the professional learning (Video or SCORM package) for asynchronous viewing for participants who are unable to attend the live professional learning. Note: The Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1322.26 mandates that modules comply with the latest version of SCORM®. More information may be found at https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/132226_dodi_2017.p df?ver=2017-10-05-073235-400.

2.5.7.3 Ensure the modules for the asynchronous professional learning are SCORM®-compliant.

2.5.7.4 Design and deliver in multiple formats to include mobile platforms and all digital assets

(HTML web pages, video components, and all related stock images). Two sets of module files, a master set and a low bandwidth set shall be delivered as a completed course. The master set shall contain modules with rich media elements; the low bandwidth set shall contain duplicate modules in plain text.

2.5.7.5 Deliver virtual resources via the internet, such as simulations, games, scenarios, case studies, role playing, and opportunities. Interactive elements shall be inserted, not embedded, into the lesson as user-initiated links. All video assets shall be differentiated from text objects in the web folder structure with no streaming video services required for proper video delivery.

2.5.7.6 Ensure that all handouts and resources for all the professional learning sessions and modules are subscription-free and require no additional hardware or software for operation except those identified in Technical Exhibit #2.

2.5.7.7 Provide a draft session evaluation to be given to participants upon completion of the professional learning. Note: DoDEA will finalize and administer the session evaluation.

3.0 Responses

3.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI using Microsoft Word or a compatible format. We fully realize that you will be able to give a much more refined answer once the solicitation is released, but we hope you can provide some general information in this regard based on your experience. In that regard, please include the following information:

3.1.1 Administration & Subcontracting

1) Company name, DBA name (if applicable), mailing address, and CAGE code

2) Company’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes

3) Designated point of contact name, title, phone number, and email address.

4) Business type based upon the NAICS codes your business uses to provide the requested services, e.g., large business, small business, 8(a)-certified business, etc. (Refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation 19 for additional information on small business size standards.)

5) Describe, if applicable, any subcontracting possibilities. Note: The prime must perform at least 51 percent of the work.

3.1.2 Capability: Briefly describe your organization’s capability to provide the digital instructional resources and required virtual professional learning.

3.1.3 Approach: Describe your approach to addressing DoDEA’s needs to include the composition and estimated time commitments of your team.

3.1.4 Professional Learning: Briefly describe your experience providing virtual professional learning on this topic. If available, please provide a link to professional learning examples (asynchronous webinars and/or digital modules).

3.1.5 Pricing: Provide a non-binding price estimate or estimated range—that will be kept confidential.

Please use the attached Excel spreadsheet. If the breakdown that is provided does not fit your solution, please revise the spreadsheet as needed.

3.1.6 Recommendations: Please provide any recommendations you believe might improve the Government’s performance work statement.

3.2 Please limit responses—not including pricing information—to ten pages.

3.3 Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and be clearly marked. Please segregate the proprietary information. Note: All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

4.0 Industry Discussions

DoDEA representatives may or may not choose to speak with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get greater clarification on such things as capability and pricing.

5.0 Questions

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted by email to the Contract Specialist, Krista Chamberlain and Contracting Officer, Mr. Alim Koroma at krista.chamberlain@dodea.edu and alim.koroma@dodea.edu, respectively. Verbal questions will not be accepted. Questions will be answered via email and will not contain proprietary or classified information. The Government does not guarantee questions received after Wednesday, August 21, 2024 will be answered.

6.0 Summary

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning and does not constitute an RFQ/RFP. The information herein is subject to change and not binding on the Government. Release of this RFI is not a commitment that DoDEA will issue an RFQ/RFP in the future or that it authorizes costs to be incurred for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

SUSPENSE: Submit your RFI response no later than 1PM EST on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Please email your responses to the Contract Specialist, Krista Chamberlain and Contracting Officer, Mr. Alim Koroma at krista.chamberlain@dodea.edu and alim.koroma@dodea.edu, respectively.