SOW.docx

Statement of Work

Secondary Education Specialist (Republic of Georgia and other countries)

A. Background

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a Federal Corporation created under Title VI of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004. MCC’s mission is to reduce poverty around the world through the promotion of sustainable economic growth based on the principle that aid is most effective when it strengthens good governance, economic freedom and investments in people. In July 2014, MCC and the government of Georgia entered a Compact to improve the quality and relevance of general education with a particular emphasis on rural schools, English, Math and Science and Technology education. MCC is in need of a Secondary Education Specialist with broad experience to help monitor the implementation of this program.

B. Overview

The Improving General Education Quality project is managed by Millennium Challenge Account-Georgia (MCA-Georgia) and consists of three activities that target areas where the Georgian education sector needs the most support: physical environment, secondary school teacher subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, school management capacity, continuous professional development systems and education assessments.

Training Educators for Excellence Activity – This activity will train up to 23,400 math, science, ICT, and English teachers in student-centered pedagogy, up to 2,000 school-based professional development coordinators to support adoption of new knowledge and good teaching practices, and up to 2,000 public school principals in instructional leadership and improved management. A detailed program design has been submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES), but an implementation and supervision strategy is still in development. The Teacher Professional Development Center (TPDC), a MoES agency, is the implementing entity for this activity. Compact funding will support capacity building for TPDC, the development and provision of training materials and equipment, and implementation of training courses.

Education Assessment Support Activity – The National Assessment and Examination Center is the implementing entity and a direct beneficiary for this activity. The MCC investment is supporting NAEC to prepare and carry out six national assessments, including secondary school mathematics and selected sciences; participation in international PISA, TIMSS and TALIS; and to develop classroom assessments of student learning, with a focus on using the results for improving the quality of general education. This system will build upon current USAID work in classroom assessment tools for primary school teachers under USAID’s G-PRIED project.

Improved Learning Environment Infrastructure Activity – This MCC investment involves the full internal and external rehabilitation of up to 130 selected school facilities, utility upgrades, and provision of science laboratories to complement efforts to improve learning outcomes in Secondary Science fields. MCA and Educational and Scientific Infrastructure Development Agency (ESIDA) have entered an Implementing Entity Agreement. The provision of science lab equipment for teachers is anticipated immediately prior to start of teacher training.

C. Country

Georgia and any other MCC eligible country, if needed.

D. Scope

MCC is requesting technical assistance from a Secondary Education Specialist with broad experience in teacher and principal professional development, continuous professional development systems, assessment, and improving learning environments to monitor the quality of MCA’s Improving General Education Quality program implementation. Consultant support will primarily focus on the Training Educators for Excellence activity, and efforts by MCA to tie these activities to broader policy reform efforts.

The Consultant shall provide advisory support to MCC, reporting to the Human and Community Development (HCD) unit at MCA-DC Headquarters Office and liaising with MCC’s Georgia Resident Country Mission as necessary to set objectives, arrange for in-country work and to provide mission briefs. The Consultant shall not engage in implementation of MCA-Georgia’s programs but rather provide technical support to HCD’s oversight of the programs.

E. Objectives

The objective is to conduct in-country and desk reviews to provide assurance that program activities are on track to meet agreed-upon specifications, schedules, milestones, and budgets of the Improving General Education Quality project in Georgia. Additionally, the Consultant shall assist in identifying potential unforeseen implementation problems and provide recommendations for resolution.

The Consultant may be requested to provide support on other MCC-eligible countries in Compact development or implementation stage with similar technical content.

F. Tasks

The Consultant shall carry out the following functional responsibilities, liaising as needed with the MCA-Georgia Improving General Education Quality project team, Implementing Entities and MCA Contractors. Tasks shall include:

1. Assess revised Implementation Plans and milestones created by MCA-Georgia for the Training Educators for Excellence Activity, including the related gender integration strategy;

1. Conduct yearly performance reviews of the Implementing Entity for the Training Educators for Excellence Activity;

1. Review and recommend necessary changes to Implementing Entity Agreement submitted by MCA-G for the Training Educators for Excellence Activity, including budget, deliverables schedule, roles/responsibilities and staffing plans;

1. Review and recommend any necessary changes to task orders for Program Management Consultant for the Training Educators for Excellence Activity, as requested;

1. Review plans to support recurrent operational costs associated with MCC investments in the Training Educators for Excellence and Education Assessment Support activities;

1. Assess implementation of proposed certification schemes for teachers and principals in terms of their integration with the MCA project;

1. Assess quality of implementation of MCA’s private sector engagement strategy for the Improving General Education Quality project;

1. Contribute to MCC research questions for impact evaluation of the Training Educators for Excellence activity, review evaluators’ design report and baseline study, and support adherence to impact evaluation requirements as needed;

1. Assess progress against approved work plans, disbursement plans, and monitoring and evaluation plans, as requested;

1. Conduct project risk assessment to inform quarterly MCC portfolio reviews; and

1. Other due diligence tasks, as requested.

The Consultant may carry out other advisory tasks related to due diligence of Compact development and Implementation in other MCC-eligible countries as requested by MCC.

G. Deliverables

The consultant’s assignments will include the following:

· Work plans for each mission;

· External review of MCA’s implementation plan for Educators for Excellence sub-Activity, ensuring it includes key milestones, and noting any key gaps related to project start-up, counterpart contribution, coordination and technical assistance arrangements to implementing partners;

· Review and recommend clearance on select Contractor and Implementing Entity deliverables;

· Project risk assessments submitted on a quarterly schedule provided by MCC;

· Presentations and ad hoc reports as required by COR/PM related to the scope and more specific tasks.

All reports are to be submitted in English by electronic copy using WINDOWS based MS-Office 2010 products including WORD for text, data tables in EXCEL, and appropriate MS-Office 2010 programs for exhibits. Digital photo files should be submitted in JPG format. Presentations should be prepared with PowerPoint. All work files shall be submitted to MCC along with PDF files.

H. Period and Place of Performance

The base period is for 4 years.

The estimated level of effort required under this contract is up to 700 hours per year. Consultant must be willing to travel up to four times per year.

MCC anticipates this level of effort but does not guarantee it, as it may decrease depending on eligible countries and proposed projects.

The consultant will work from a home office and/or MCC headquarters and in Georgia and other countries as assigned.

I. Evaluation Criteria

1. M.A in education or economics (emphasis on education), PhD preferred;

2. At least 10 years’ experience in education-related issues in developing or transitional countries is required;

3. At least 7 years’ experience required conducting appraisal or program design work for projects funded by a bi-lateral or multi-lateral donor or other major funding body;

4. Demonstrated experience as an advisor in at least three of the following areas is preferred:

· Teacher and principal professional development

· Standardized and/or classroom-based assessment

· Curriculum development

· Institutional capacity building

· Program evaluation

5. Demonstrated knowledge of Georgia’s education system is preferred; and

6. Experience designing or overseeing projects with an impact evaluation component is highly desirable.

J. Other requirements:

International travel will be required. The Consultant will be expected to be available for a mission to Georgia as August 2016, with up to four missions in one year. A mission may be up to 3 weeks in length. The Consultant may be requested to mobilize on a short notice and will be expected to deliver high quality finished products in a timely manner.