OET26006798 Solicitation Specifications.pdf

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SOLICITATION SPECIFICATIONS

OET26006798 – OPEN ENROLLMENT TECHNICAL

TITLE: MPA 589 PK-12 SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND STRATEGIC SUPPORT

SERVICES

SECTION A: BACKGROUND

Under Rhode Island’s ESSA State Plan, schools and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) that are repeatedly identified as low performing are required to engage in comprehensive support and improvement (CSI) and, when warranted, school redesign. Additionally, Rhode Island’s Education Accountability Act outlines requirements for district and school improvement efforts and plans. These state and federal requirements reflect the need for systemic, evidence-based approaches that address the root causes of underperformance at both the school and district levels. In many cases, sustained improvement depends on aligning school-level efforts with coherent district systems, including leadership development, instructional improvement, accountability, and community engagement.

Accordingly, the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) has initiated this solicitation to identify qualified organizations to provide school and district improvement, turnaround, and redesign support services. RIDE seeks service provider(s) capable of partnering with LEAs to:

1. Create or strengthen district systems that enable continuous improvement; and

2. Design, plan, and support the implementation of school improvement and/or redesign strategies for schools.

Qualified organizations may respond to either or both bodies of work, which may include a range of evidence-based improvement services, such as:

• School and district improvement frameworks aligned to accountability requirements

• Continuous improvement planning and progress monitoring

• Governance, policy, and performance management support

• Leadership and talent development strategies

• Instructional improvement

• School culture, climate, and student experience supports

• Community and family engagement strategies

• On-the-ground implementation and support

• If applicable, student-centered redesign

All school improvement and redesign efforts are expected to align with research-based turnaround practices, including those reflected in WestEd’s Center for School Turnaround (CSTI) framework, with an emphasis on RIDE priority areas, such as:

• Reducing chronic absenteeism

• Postsecondary success

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• High-quality teaching and learning

• Opportunity gaps supporting differently abled and multilingual learners

School redesign, as defined within Rhode Island’s accountability system, requires a fundamental shift in how a school operates, which may include changes to instructional models, governance structures, staffing patterns, scheduling, and student supports. Effective redesign must be grounded in a clear vision for student success, informed by a robust assessment of needs and assets, and supported by strong district systems.

Over the next several years, multiple schools are projected to undertake redesign or intensive improvement efforts. RIDE seeks service provider(s) with demonstrated success supporting complex change processes in low-performing schools and districts, particularly in historically underserved communities. Preference will be given to organizations with a proven track record in turnaround, redesign, and sustained improvement.

The selected service provider(s) will work closely with LEAs and RIDE as partners in improvement, supporting informed decision-making about redesign strategies, implementation supports, and long-term sustainability. The overarching goal of this work is to ensure that every Rhode Island student has access to a high-quality, equitable, and student-centered learning environment.

The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reserves the right to accept or reject, without prejudice, any or all submissions to promote the best interests of the children of Rhode Island.

SECTION B: SCOPE OF WORK AND REQUIREMENTS

RIDE seeks service provider(s) with demonstrated expertise in school and district improvement, turnaround, and school redesign, aligned to practices reflected in WestEd’s Center for School Turnaround (CSTI) framework. Service provider(s) may propose expertise in some, any, or all the following domains:

• Establish improvement- and redesign-focused models, processes, and structures, and communicate a shared improvement and redesign vision, in partnership with school leaders, students, families, and LEA administrators, to support successful planning and implementation.

• Develop and provide a coherent framework and work plan to drive school and district improvement and possible redesign efforts, including planning, implementation, and continuous improvement cycles, and provide ongoing support to ensure initiatives are aligned and systematically executed.

• Collaborate with other service providers, state agency staff, and LEA partners to ensure coordination, coherence, and alignment of improvement and redesign efforts.

• Provide leadership coaching to build the instructional leadership capacity of school and district leaders.

• Identify, design, and support strategies to achieve key goals, milestones, and performance targets, including interventions, policy development, evidence-based school redesign models, research-based best practices, and exemplars aligned with CSTI.

• In partnership with school leaders, LEA administrators, and school communities, develop inclusive decision-making strategies and processes to ensure equitable community voice and shared ownership throughout improvement and redesign efforts.

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• Support the alignment of academic programming and graduation requirements with college and career readiness, including instructional redesign, curricular scope and sequence adjustments, scheduling structures, and tiered student support systems.

• Support school leaders, LEA administrators, and school communities in developing local, actionable school improvement and redesign plans, inclusive of policies and practices for budgeting, partnerships, scheduling, staffing, curriculum, professional learning, and leadership.

• Build and strengthen a leadership and talent development pipeline to support turnaround and redesign, including recruitment, onboarding, and development of school leaders and educators.

• Support and improve outcomes for low performing student subgroups, specifically those identified as in need of Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) especially differently abled and multilingual learners.

• Organize, monitor, and communicate progress through a regular cadence of improvement reviews, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making among school leaders, LEA administrators, stakeholders, and communities.

• Create and implement a coordinated community and family engagement strategy to build capacity for authentic partnership in improvement and redesign efforts.

• Provide on-the-ground and virtual project management, implementation support, and technical assistance to support fidelity of implementation and sustainability.

• Collaborate with RIDE staff, including the Division of System Transformation, to design and implement monitoring, and evaluation processes that assess effectiveness, impact, and continuous improvement of school and district initiatives.

SECTION C: PROPOSAL

1. Technical Proposal

Vendors must submit a technical proposal which addresses each of the following elements and is limited to 12 pages (this excludes any appendices and as appropriate, resumes of key staff that will provide services covered by this request):

A. Staff Qualifications – Provide staff resumes/CV and describe qualifications and experience of key staff who will be involved in this project, including their experience in: School and district improvement and planning, Support of low-performing schools and LEAs, School redesign initiatives, PK–12 education systems, particularly in high-poverty or historically underserved communities , and Leadership coaching and implementation support.

B. Capability, Capacity, and Qualifications of the Vendor – Provide a detailed description of the Vendor’s experience as a support organization with a demonstrated track record of success in school and district improvement, turnaround, and redesign. Responses should highlight: Alignment to evidence-based frameworks such as CSTI, Experience supporting SEAs, LEAs, and school leadership teams, and Organizational capacity to manage complex improvement efforts. List a minimum of three (3) relevant client references, to include client names, addresses, contact names with emails and phone numbers, dates of service and type(s) of service(s) provided.

C. Work Plan – Describe in detail, the framework within which requested school and district improvement and school redesign services will be performed. The following elements should be included:

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a. The organization’s improvement and redesign theory of action

b. Strategies for building buy-in and collaborative culture

c. Methods for stakeholder engagement across schools and communities

d. Approaches to data use, monitoring, and continuous improvement

e. Processes to ensure fidelity of implementation and alignment with Rhode

Island’s HQCM implementation efforts

f. Support for designing and executing robust improvement and redesign plans

g. A detailed operational plan aligned to Section B

h. Understanding of school culture, climate, and belonging in improvement efforts

i. Recruitment, onboarding, and development plans for leaders and staff

D. Approach/Methodology – Define the methodology and approach to executing the

Scope of Work. Responses may address the following guiding questions:

a. What is the organization’s philosophy and approach to school and district improvement and redesign?

b. How does the approach align with evidence-based turnaround practices

(e.g., CSTI)?

c. What are the major phases of work and key deliverables?

d. What systems will be used to monitor progress and inform course correction?

e. How will improvement and redesign plans be used as accountability structures?

f. What implementation risks are anticipated and how will they be mitigated?

g. How will leadership development, instructional improvement, and systems alignment be supported?

h. How will families, students, and community members be engaged as partners?

i. How will impact be evaluated and progress reported to RIDE and LEAs?

SECTION D: EVALUATION AND SELECTION

Technical proposals must receive a minimum of 80 (80%) out of a maximum of 100 points to advance to the qualified vendor list. Technical proposals scoring less than 80 points shall not receive further consideration.

Proposals shall be reviewed and scored based upon the following criteria:

Criteria Possible Points

Staff Qualifications 30 Points

Capability, Capacity, and Qualifications of the Vendor 20 Points

Work Plan 30 Points

Approach/Methodology 20 Points

Total Possible Technical Points 100 Points

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NOTE: See the “Requirements” tab of this solicitation for additional information on the evaluation and selection process in the “OE Standard Specifications-Technical Proposal” section.

SECTION D: EVALUATION AND SELECTION