PWS PISA 2029 - DRAFT.pdf

ATTACHMENT 1 – PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 29)

I. INTRODUCTION

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has the following mission:

1. to collect and analyze education information and statistics in a manner that meets the highest methodological standards;

2. to report education information and statistics in a timely manner; and

3. to collect, analyze, and report education information and statistics in a manner that:

a. is objective, secular, neutral, and non-ideological and is free of partisan political influence and racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias; and

b. is relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.

P.L. 107-279, Part C, Sec. 151(b); H.R. 3801, Part C, Sec. 151(b), 2002.

NCES participates in international student assessments in order to provide comparable indicators on student performance and schooling practices across countries in order to benchmark U.S.

student performance. To fulfill this purpose, the United States must follow through with well-organized and well-executed data gathering activities within our national boundaries. These efforts will allow NCES to provide policy-relevant data for comparisons of the U.S. education system with education systems in other countries not only related to characteristics of the education system, but also as the outcome of the education process related to participation in further education and training, readiness for the work force, and participation in society more generally. High quality data of this kind will help to inform decision making on the part of national, state, and local policy makers.

A. Purpose of this Procurement NCES has a requirement to participate in and gather data from The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Details on the purpose, conduct, and the international sponsoring organization (OECD) follow.

B. Legislative Authority

The authority for these studies can be found in NCES’ longstanding mission to “collect, and analyze and disseminate statistics and other information related to education in the United States and in other nations” (stated in section 406 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1221e-1) and in the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (P.L. 279-107, Part C, Sec. 153):

(a) GENERAL DUTIES.-The Statistics Center shall collect, report, analyze, and disseminate statistical data related to education in the United States and in other nations, including…(6) acquiring and disseminating data on educational activities and student achievement (such as the Third International Math Study) in the United States compared with foreign nations.

(See http://www.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/leg/PL107-279.pdf for the full Education Sciences Reform Act.)

http://www.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/leg/PL107-279.pdf

C. Quality Control

NCES is firmly committed to determining how well each project meets 1) the project goals, 2) the quality of data collected, and 3) implications for future projects. Project quality control should be integrated into every phase of the project. For instance, potential problems should be identified early so that possible solutions are tested as part of the field test. Item reliability and validity tests for questionnaires and student cognitive tests must be built into the data collection efforts, and results from these tests shall inform data collection and processing. Nonresponse analyses shall be conducted as part of the final weighting process, and survey methodology and sample design effects shall be documented for use by all data users. Thus, as in other NCES projects, statistical quality control shall be incorporated into each stage of this project as appropriate.

Quality control also includes (1) managing staff in the field to ensure the high quality of their performance; (2) instituting procedures relevant to confidentiality and protection of data (including the secure transmittal of confidential data); and (3) ensuring deliverables are submitted on time and are of sufficient quality (in terms of accuracy, coherence, clarity, and comprehensiveness) to meet NCES statistical standards, OECD/PISA standards, professional standards, and NCES and IES style guidelines.

D. NCES Standards NCES standards set guidelines to ensure the quality of NCES surveys, data, data products, and statistics. All work conducted under this contract must, at minimum, meet the standards and guidelines set forth in the most currently available statistical standards and guidelines for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and as amended by standards implemented since that time. The NCES Standards can be accessed at https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/.

Publication style guidelines for IES products shall also be followed. The guidelines can be accessed at https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/style.asp.

All final deliverables that are to be assigned a NCES publication number or that will be made public through the NCES website as a product will be delivered in PDF format (or another appropriate format approved by NCES) in accordance with the NCES web publishing requirements (available at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/secureweb/ch_2.asp), and must adhere to Section 508 requirements for accessibility. All final deliverables that are to be made public through the NCES website as webpages or in a web-based reporting format must also adhere to to Section 508 requirements for accessibility. More information on accessibility is available through the Federal IT Accessibility Initiative at: http://www.section508.gov.

E. Confidentiality Appendix B provides a guide to issues of confidentiality.

F. Contract Type The contract type is Firm Fixed Price.

G. Period of Performance The anticipated total period of performance for this contract is 48 months.

• Base Period : 12 months https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/ https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/style.asp http://www.section508.gov/

• Option Periods: Additional three 12-month periods.

The estimated years within the period of performance covered by each task and subtask in the PWS are shown in Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 1. Estimated Years Covering the Period of Performance for All Tasks

Years Study or Activity 1 2 3 4

Task 1: Project management 1.1: Post-Award Project Meeting X 1.2: Ongoing project management X X X X 1.3: Data Security Plan and Staff Security Requirements X X X X Task 2: Obtaining Office of Management and Budget Clearances X X Task 3: International Meetings and Communications X X X X

Task 4: Adapting, preparing, testing and producing instruments Collection

4.1 Assessment instruments for the field test X X

4.2 Assessment instruments for the main study X X

Task 5: Sampling

5.1 Sampling for the field test X

5.2 Sampling for the main study X

Task 6: Data collection

6.1 Field trial data collection X X

6.2 Main Study data collection X X

6.3 Main Study data processing and disclosure risk review X

Task 7: Human scoring of cognitive items and coding of responses to questionnaire items

7.1 Human scoring of the field test cognitive items X

7.2 Scoring of the main study cognitive items X

7.3 Coding responses to fill-in item in questionnaires X

Task 8: Teacher Questionnaires X X Task 9. Main study electronic data files and user’s guides X Task 10. Teacher Questionnaire electronic data files and user’s guides X

II. SCOPE

Independently and not as an agent of the United States Government, the contractor shall provide all personnel, materials, services, and facilities necessary for the various studies and perform the tasks as described below.

The purpose of this contract is to implement the 2029 cycle of U.S. participation in PISA. The overall goal for the procurement is data collection and reporting in the United States that meets all international and NCES guidelines and that makes available on a timely basis high-quality internationally comparative survey and assessment data.

The Scope of Work for the contract also includes two optional tasks, which may alter or add to the work specified above.

The contractor shall be clear that NCES is the sole authority to manage the study in the United States and to negotiate with the international consortium on any issues related to the study. The contractor shall not use the items for any other purpose without NCES’ written consent. Under no circumstances shall the contractor conduct any activities related to PISA including conducting the assessment in sub-national jurisdictions (e.g., states or school districts), without permission from NCES.

H. Requirements This section provides a description of the contract requirements (tasks) and a list of deliverables associated with each task. References herein to “the project” refer to the 2029 PISA study.

A preliminary timeline for the 2029 PISA study, with major events and activities, is in Table 1 below. The PISA 2029 Tentative Schedule and Background Information for National Preparations, provided by the OECD, is in Appendix A. Note that the U.S. will participate in the core domains of Mathematics, Reading and Science, as well as the innovative domain (Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy) in 2029. In addition, the U.S. plans to participate in the following national options: Financial Literacy assessment and the Teacher Questionnaire.

The contractor shall report all activities for this contract and activities related to this study to (a) the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), who will be responsible for assisting the Contracting Officer (CO) oversee the entire project.

All data, publications, and products of the study are the sole property of the U.S.

government, and shall be provided to it as specified below and upon request. Under no circumstances will the contractor, or any subcontractors, distribute or release any data, publications, or products of the study in any form to any individual or party without prior permission of the COR.

The contractor shall work through the COR in all relationships and discussions with the OECD, international contractors, foreign governments, foreign education professionals, and all other agencies and individuals related to the study. The contractor shall not convey to any of these entities information that may be construed as NCES, IES, or Department of Education policy, except where related to technical aspects of the study or where given explicit permission by the COR.

Task 1. Project management

Under this task, the contractor shall support NCES in establishing the PISA 2029 US National Center (NC) and provide project management to complete all tasks within this procurement. At the direction of the National Project Manager (NPM) for the study, the NC will act as the liaison to the OECD and carry out all national tasks required for successful implementation of the study. The NPM is the project leader for PISA at NCES. Table 1 below shows the major activities for PISA 2029.

Table 1. Schedule of major activities for PISA 2029

All dates and activities are tentative. The final schedule will be confirmed in 2026 as part of the NPM manual.

Phase Period (approximate) Tasks for PISA National Centres Development phase Jan-26 to Dec-26 Establish PISA National Centre and appoint National Project

Manager Participate in item development workshop (optional) Contribute ideas for new test items (optional) Review new test items

Field Trial preparation

Jan-27 to Jan-28 Translate and adapt test instruments and manuals Review and test national version of Field Trial instruments Sampling and recruitment of schools for the Field Trial Recruitment and training of test administrators Coder training

Field Trial data collection

Data collection period:

1 February to 15 September 2028

Feb-28 to Sep-28

Support schools to prepare and plan for testing Co-ordinate activities of test administrators Distribute materials to schools Organise and monitor data collection Coding of responses Data management and data submission

Field Trial review phase

Aug-28 to Oct-28 Review Field Trial data analysis reports Review Field Trial materials and request changes to errors Review operational procedures

Main Survey material preparation

Jun-28 to Sep-28 Main Survey - Translate and adapt test instruments

Main Survey operational preparation

Oct-28 to Jan-29 Preparation of manuals and school-level materials Review and test national version of Main Survey instruments Sampling and recruitment of schools for the Main Survey Recruitment and training of test administrators Coder training

Main Survey data

Data collection period:

1 February to 14 September 2029

Feb-29 to Sep-29 Support schools to prepare and plan for testing Co-ordinate activities of test administrators Distribute materials to schools Organise and monitor data collection Coding of responses Data management and data submission

Report preparation phase

Sep-29 to Aug-30 Review national databases Review international databases Analyse national data and prepare national report Prepare dissemination of results

Subtask 1.1 Post-Award Project Meeting

Within the first week after contract award, the contractor shall hold a meeting with the COR and other appropriate NCES staff to review the overall contract tasks, and to refine the proposed plans for Project management, Staffing and succession, Data security, Invoicing, and the master project schedule. These refinements are not to alter the specifications of the contract, but to provide management information for use by both the contractor and the government in monitoring the work to be performed. This meeting will also provide the opportunity for ED staff to share project experience and materials with the contractor.

Deliverable:

1.1.1 Minutes and attendee list from post-award meeting focusing on action items and key decisions

1.2 Ongoing project management

Within the first two weeks after contract award, the contractor shall hold a meeting with NCES staff to review the overall contract tasks. The Contractor shall also meet with the NPM, on average, every other week focusing on major decisions and action items.

The Contractor shall deliver a master schedule of project activities within one month of the initiation of the project as well as quarterly study progress and financial reports describing the activities completed during the previous month, addressing any challenges, and explaining what measures have been implemented to resolve them.

Deliverables:

1.2.1 Post-award project planning meeting agenda and materials

1.2.2 Monthly IT report

1.2.3 Master schedule

1.2.4 Quarterly study progress and financial report

1.2.5 Agenda for and brief notes following biweekly meetings

1.3 Data Security Plan and Staff Security Requirements

The contractor shall prepare and submit a data security plan submitted to the COR no later than 2 weeks after the start of the contract. See Appendix B for a detailed discussion of the data security requirements of the contract, including the required monthly deliverables under “Implementation of Data Security Plan”(B.4j). The contractor shall ensure that all contractor-led operations, including those of subcontractors, adhere to federal laws and standards in this regard.

In addition, all contractor staff working on the project for 30 days or more must complete a series of security forms and undergo a federal background check per OMB requirements, with higher levels of security clearance required for those who visit schools or who may come in contact with confidential data. The contractor shall ensure that all staff who may come in contact with confidential data shall

(a) be trained in the proper handling of confidential data, and

(b) first sign and then notarize an affidavit of nondisclosure before having access to any data with confidential information.

The contractor shall execute these affidavits of nondisclosure, retain them in a secure location and provide a list to the COR of all the individuals who have signed affidavits within 4 weeks of the award of the contract. As new persons are assigned to the project, the security forms shall be filled out and an affidavit shall be executed for them on the first working day of assignment to the study and an updated list provided to the COR, no less than on a monthly basis. The contractor shall notify the COR if any contractor staff leave the project. The contractor shall be aware of and comply with all contractor personnel security regulations and all Department IT security policy requirements, as described in Appendix B.

Deliverables:

1.3.1 Draft data security plan

1.3.2 Final data security plan

1.3.3 List of all personnel with signed Affidavits of Nondisclosure

Task 2. Obtaining Office of Management and Budget Clearances

The contractor shall prepare a clearance package for obtaining Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the study’s field trial and main study; all non-cognitive survey instruments to be used in the study; and any other materials that (a) will be distributed to participants (e.g., schools, students, and teachers), and (b) will be used to promote or endorse the study (e.g., informational letters to state officials, endorsement request letters) in accordance with current OMB, ED, and NCES requirements for such packages.

Failure to submit the OMB clearance package by the deadline may result in the contractor being unable to collect data in a timely manner.

The contractor shall prepare a draft OMB clearance package for the field trial and the main study data collection activities no later than 9 months prior to the field trial data collection, and preferably earlier. The clearance package approval process, described at https://digital.gov/guides/pra/pra-approval-process#content-start, is expected to involve the following series of steps:

• Contractor shall provide a draft package to the COR (based on the last OMB-approved equivalent package for the study incorporating relevant revisions from other recent NCES study clearance packages) and shall revise it within 5 business days of receiving the COR’s comments (2.3.1.1).

• The COR provides the package to the NCES OMB liaison, and the contractor shall revise the package according to comments received within 5 business days.

• The NCES OMB liaison provides the package to the ED information collection clearance office, which oversees ED’s internal review, and the contractor shall revise the package within 5 business days according to comments received.

https://digital.gov/guides/pra/pra-approval-process#content-start

• Substantive public comments may be received during the first (60-day) public comment period, in which case the contractor shall provide draft responses to the public comment and any needed revisions to the package materials within 5 business days.

• ED publishes a second (30-day) public comment period notice and submits the package to OMB. Substantive public comments may be received during the second public comment period, in which case the contractor shall provide draft responses to the public comments and any needed revisions to the package materials within 5 business days. The contractor shall also answer any OMB questions within 5 business days and revise the package according to final comments received within 3 business days

• In the event that the any substantive changes to any non-cognitive instruments or study procedures are introduced after the second comment period has begun, the contractor shall provide revised package materials for posting for an additional 30-day comment period and subject to OMB’s review and approval.

The contractor staff shall be prepared to join the COR in person or via conference call for a review of the materials with ED and OMB staff. Note that the field trial clearance package may include main study preliminary activity and recruitment materials (the inclusion of which will affect the timing of the main study clearance package).

The contractor shall ensure that authorization by OMB has been obtained before any contact is made and data collection begins. All data collection forms will bear the approval number and expiration date assigned by OMB.

Following approval, NCES will provide the contractor with an electronic copy of OMB’s official approval for the study and the final version of the approved clearance package documents. The contractor must use the final OMB-approved versions of study procedures and materials and is responsible to produce a copy of the official approval for the study upon request.

An amendment to the OMB package might be needed if changes are needed for the main study instruments and procedures based on the field trial results. If such changes are needed, the Contractor shall prepare a change memo describing any revisions made in instruments or procedures from the field trial to the main study.

Deliverables:

2.1 Draft OMB clearance package;

2.2 Revised OMB clearance package to be published to the Federal Register for comment (60-day notice)

2.3 Revised OMB clearance package following public comments from 60-day notice and Draft responses to the public comments

2.4 Responses to OMB questions on package published to the Federal Register for public comment (30-day notice)

Task 3. International Meetings and Communications)

Under this task, the contractor shall

• maintain ongoing communication with the international contractors (Table 2), and

• participate in NPM meetings (Table 3).

Table 2. OECD contractors for the three core components

Timeline (approximate) Meeting and format

Core A: Main contractor for the development, implementation and co-ordination

ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) in a consortium with cApStAn and HallStat

Core B: Innovative domain development ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research)

Core C: Sampling IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement)

Table 3. Tentative schedule of NPM and training meetings

March 2027 NPM Meeting 1 (in person) September/October 2027 NPM Meeting 2 (in person) September/October 2028 NPM Meeting 3 (in person)

Note that the OECD is expected to provide participating countries a document titled “Working with the ACER consortium” in May of 2026 that will outline the Core A contractors’ organizational structure and roles and specify the consortium’s intended working relationships with NPMs and the national centers. The contractor should assume one staff member to attend each of the three in-person meetings listed in Table 3. Within one week of the conclusion of each meeting, the contractor shall submit a brief NPM meeting trip reports highlighting decisions and action items.

Deliverables

3.1 Brief NPM meeting trip reports highlighting decisions and action items (up to 4 pages)

Task 4. Adapting, preparing, testing and producing instruments

International versions of study instruments (typically, noncognitive “background” questionnaires and cognitive questions or “items”) will be developed by international contractors and will be provided to the contractor by the NCES. The contractor shall adapt these instruments for use in the United States (e.g., by converting British-English terms to American-English or metric measures to imperial measures). NCES regularly adds additional items of national interest to the questionnaires, such as questions related to student race/ethnicity and participation in the federal free or reduced-price lunch program. The contractor shall incorporate all such national options, as approved by the NPM for the background questionnaires.

All the instruments to be used in each study’s field test and main study must be reviewed and revised at several levels before they can be reproduced (cloned or printed) and distributed for use by respondents. The contractor shall incorporate into its production schedule all of the following steps for review and revision of the study instruments for each study prior to the production of the study instruments. (The levels of review indicated here are subject to change.)

• Contractor revises instruments with national adaptations and national options.

• All national adaptations and national options to instruments are submitted to OECD for review and approval.

• Contractor revises instruments based on feedback obtained in steps 3 until instruments are approved by OECD and NCES.

• The OECD-approved, nationally adapted versions of non-cognitive instruments

(questionnaires) are submitted to OMB for review and comment.

• Contractor revises instruments based on feedback from OMB. Revisions suggested by

OMB may require the contractor to resubmit study instruments to the OECD for re-approval. [Note: OMB has rarely required changes to study instruments.]

• Contractor finalizes nationally adapted instruments for production.

• Contractor tests all final versions of instruments in their digital-based formats for usability, reliability, and security on the computer equipment or online server that will be used for administering the study in the United States.

• Assembled instruments undergo final optical check by NCES and, if required, by the

OECD

• Instruments approved and finalized for production.

The contractor is responsible for (a) reviewing the forms provided by the international contractor and ensuring they are complete and correct (e.g., reflect all agreed-upon adaptations, include all items in the correct place), and (b) any mistakes in study instruments made after final approval for production, including costs associated with the correcting the problem to the satisfaction of NCES.

All online data collection must be arranged by the contractor with the IES website team, which also has specific requirements for apps to be hosted on the NCES website. Under no circumstances may online data collection be performed by the contractor using servers that do not meet IES security standards.

Both before each field test and before each main study, the contractor shall test all instruments in their digital-based formats for usability, reliability, and security on the computer equipment or online server that will be used for administering the study in the United States.

The contractor shall be aware that final non-cognitive instruments must display the OMB approval number, expiration date, and federal paperwork reduction act notice, a final copy of which is submitted to OMB for filing.

The contractor shall be familiar with the requirements of the Government Printing Office for reproduction; all reproductions shall be done in accordance with government printing regulations https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CPUB-101spub9/pdf/GPO-CPUB-101spub9.pdf and with international guidelines.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CPUB-101spub9/pdf/GPO-CPUB-101spub9.pdf

The contractor shall protect the proprietary rights of all copyrighted instruments used in the study. Individual instrument data and individual item data shall not be released or shared without the permission of NCES/ED.

The contractor shall adhere to and implement NCES data security and confidentiality procedures that may affect the production, distribution, and processing of all survey instruments. The contractor must review the important detailed information on these and other topics included in Appendix B and C.

Under this task, the contractor shall

• review field test and main study assessment instruments and questionnaires in the online deployment system1.

• Make necessary adaptations to the assessment instruments and questionnaires following protocols provided by OECD and/or NCES.

Note that the assessment instruments and student and teacher questionnaires are developed in English, only minor adaptations or revisions are expected for these. Adapting and preparing the instruments involves both national options (country-specific questions added to background questionnaires such as race/ethnicity and participation in the federal free or reduced-price lunch program) and adaptations to the international versions of study instruments. Once approved by NCES, the contractor shall not alter the instruments without approval from the COR.

4.1 Assessment instruments for the field test

Under this subtask, the contractor shall review field test assessment instruments and student and teacher questionnaires in the online deployment system and make necessary adaptations to the assessment instruments and questionnaires.

Deliverables

4.1.1 Proofs or final electronic versions of field test instruments (both cognitive and non-cognitive) for submission to OECD upon NCES approval

4.2 Assessment instruments for the main study

Under this subtask, the contractor shall review field test assessment instruments and student and teacher questionnaires in the online deployment system and make necessary adaptations to the assessment instruments and questionnaires.

Deliverables

4.2.1 Proofs or final electronic versions of the main study instruments (both cognitive and non-cognitive) for submission to OECD upon NCES approval

1 For a description of the technical aspects of the online assessment system, please see https://schoolsupport.acer.org/hc/en-au/articles/20296676534169-Technical-requirements#01H8VC4YGMV3R5RZRJ9CXQ1SFY https://schoolsupport.acer.org/hc/en-au/articles/20296676534169-Technical-requirements#01H8VC4YGMV3R5RZRJ9CXQ1SFY https://schoolsupport.acer.org/hc/en-au/articles/20296676534169-Technical-requirements#01H8VC4YGMV3R5RZRJ9CXQ1SFY

Task 5. Sampling

Under this task, the contractor shall manage all sampling-related activities for the field test and main study based on the proposed approach and methodology in its accepted offer in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards.

5.1 Sampling for the field test

Under this task, the contractor shall prepare a field study sampling plan and draw a selects a convenience sample. Although not a probability sample, the sample should represent students with varying degrees of achievement in target constructs to the degree possible. As a reference, for the 2025 field trial a sample of 60 schools (54 public and six private) were selected across eight states. Up to 52 students were sampled in each school. The anticipated number of assessed students is 1,100 (one thousand one hundred) for the 2029 field trial.

Deliverables:

5.1.1 Draft U.S. field test sampling plan

5.1.2 Final U.S. field test sampling plan

5.1.3 U.S. field test sampling frame, forms, and required data and documentation for submission to the International Sampling Contractor (Core C, Table 3)

5.2 Sampling for the main study

Under this task, the contractor shall prepare a main study sampling plan and fulfill school- and student-level sampling activities described below for the main study including the preparation of U.S. main study sampling frame, forms, and required data and documentation for submission to the International Sampling Contractor (Core C, Table 3). The sampling plan should describe the methodology for drawing the complex stratified sample for the main study.

For school-level sampling, the contractor shall

• work closely with the International Sampling Contractor (Core C, Table 3) to ensure that the school sample design meets all requirements

• provide the school sampling frame (a comprehensive file of schools that includes the entire PISA student population, built from NCES’ Common Core of Data (CCD) and Private School Universe Survey (PSS)) to the International Core C sampling contractor.

For student-level sampling, the contractor shall

• participate in the sampling training sessions

• obtain the lists of PISA-eligible students from each participating school and conducting quality control and plausibility checks

• use the within-school sampling software provided by the International Contractor to select the student sample in each school

• monitor the school and student participation

• acknowledge receipt of sampling queries from the International Contractor within one working day and respond to such queries within 5 working days.

In short, the contractor will provide the school sampling frame to the International Core C sampling contractor, the Core C sampling contractor will sample the schools to participate in the study and provide the list of sampled schools the NC and the NC contract will then select the student sample in each sampled school.

Note that PISA 2029 will introduce a balanced design to provide more robust results and better trend measures across the three core domains of reading, mathematics and science. The design was decided as part of the change from a 3- to a 4-year cycle for PISA. The balanced design involves an equal allocation of testing time among the three core domains. The balanced design requires an increase of the sample by 20 schools per country/economy. This means the minimum number of participating schools increases from 150 in previous cycles to 170 in PISA 2029.

A non-response bias analysis might be required if the achieved response rates for original sampled schools or respondents does not meet the PISA Technical Standards and NCES Statistical Standards. Under this task monitor the contractor shall conduct a non-response bias analysis, if required, based on the proposed approach and methodology in its accepted offer in accordance with these standards.

Deliverables:

5.2.1 Final U.S. main study sampling plan

5.2.2 Final U.S. main study sampling plan

5.2.3 U.S. main study sampling frame, forms, and required data and documentation for submission to the International Sampling Contractor (Core C, Table 3)

5.2.4 Draft non-response bias analysis plan

5.2.5 Final non-response bias analysis plan

5.2.6 Draft non-response bias analysis report

5.2.7 Final non-response bias analysis report

Task 6. Data collection

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and work with School Coordinators and a team of Test Administrators to implement data collection for both the field trial and the main study.

The School Coordinator (SC) is a school staff member (who might be a deputy principal, teacher or administrator) who handles all communication to coordinate the school’s participation in PISA. The SC should have access to complete school student records and the authority to schedule testing sessions. The work of SCs is guided by the School Coordinator’s Manual, prepared by the International Contractors with some minor adaptation needed for data collection in the U.S.

See Appendix D for the 2025 PISA Computer Based Assessment Preparation Manual. The following manuals (developed by OECD to be provided to the contractor) will give detailed information that schools, and test administrators will need to implement in the field trial, and eventually the main survey:

• PISA 2029 Field Operations Manual

• PISA 2029 School Coordination Manual

• PISA 2029 School Associate Manual

• PISA 2029 Test Administration Manual

• PISA 2029 Test-taker Delivery System Manual

Note that NCES is planning to collect data using school devices for the PISA 2029 cycle, starting with the field trial. Given the continued challenges in participation rates in 2025, and the additional demand on school staff due to use of school devices NCES is considering increasing school and student incentives as follows for 2029:

• each school = up to $1500 ($250 in 2025 cycle)

• each school coordinator =Up to $500 ($200 in 2025 cycle)

• each student = Up to $80 ($25 in 2025 cycle) and 4 hours of volunteer time.

6.1 Field trial data collection

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and work with School Coordinators (one per school), recruit and train a sufficient number of Test Administrators proposed in its accepted offer and implement data collection for the field trial that will take place in Spring of 2028 in the U.S.

using school devices (online or offline modes). The contractor shall conduct school readiness checks using the School Readiness Tool that will be provided by the OECD (see Appendix E for PISA 2025 School Readiness Tool User Guide).

As a reference, as noted in 4.1 above, for the 2025 field trial a sample of 60 schools (54 public and six private) were selected across eight states. Up to 52 students were assessed in each school.

As noted in 5.1, the field trial sample will be a convenience sample.

Deliverables:

6.1.1 Draft recruitment and training materials for the field trial

6.1.2 Final recruitment and training materials for the field trial

6.1.3 Draft data collection plan for the field trial

6.1.4 Final data collection plan for the field trial

6.1.5 Summary of school readiness checks based on School Readiness Tool

6.1.6 Summary of data collection activities for the field trial

6.2 Main Study data collection

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and work with School Coordinators (one per school), recruit and train a sufficient number of Test Administrators proposed in its accepted offer and implement data collection for the main study that will take place in Spring of 2029 in the U.S.

using school devices (online or offline modes). As a reference, 300 schools were sampled in 2025 to exceed the minimum requirement of 150 schools. As noted in 5.2 above, the minimum requirement is 170 schools for 2029 assessments. Up to 52 students will be assessed in each school.

Deliverables:

6.2.1 Draft recruitment and training materials for the main study

6.2.2 Final recruitment and training materials for the main study

6.2.3 Draft data collection plan for the field trial

6.2.4 Final data collection plan for the field trial

6.2.5 Summary of school readiness checks based on School Readiness Tool

6.2.6 Summary of data collection activities for the main study

6.3 Main Study data processing and disclosure risk review

Before the main study data can be delivered to the OECD, NCES requires that the complete set of data files undergo a disclosure risk review (see appendix C for more details). The contractor shall be aware of and implement the disclosure risk review requirements established by NCES and IES, and prepare a disclosure review plan for review by the IES DRB. The purpose of the disclosure risk review is to identify cases that, due to unique responses, present a high likelihood of respondent identification without some form of data perturbation. The COR or NPM will provide the contractor with an example disclosure risk review document to guide the contractor’s efforts. Once the IES DRB has approved the proposed disclosure risk review plan, the contractor shall implement the data perturbations (e.g., swapping, masking) required by the DRB. Only the DRB-approved version of the main study data file may be transferred to the OECD.

In addition, the contractor will be responsible for preparing and completing any OECD information requests about the study, data collection, data files, U.S. operations and procedures, or the U.S. education system, including for states.

6.3.1 Draft Disclosure Avoidance Plan for the main study

6.3.2 Final Disclosure Avoidance Plan for the main study

6.3.3 Draft Disclosure Avoidance Report for the main study

6.3.4 Final Disclosure Avoidance Report for the main study

Task 7. Human scoring of cognitive items and coding of responses to questionnaire items

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and train scorers and score open-ended (constructed-response) cognitive items that cannot be computer-scored in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards. For each of the domains a Lead Scorer is needed. The Lead Scorer receives training from the International Contractors and are responsible for managing and quality assurance of coding in accordance with this and the domain-specific Coding Guide, which the International Contractors develop.

The contractor shall recruit and hire staff to complete scoring no later than 1 month before scoring begins and establish and document rigorous procedures to achieve high scoring reliability in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards. The contractor shall give special consideration to recruiting staff with prior experience in similar efforts, particularly in comparable international assessments or NAEP mathematics, science, and reading assessments.

The contractor should also make an effort to recruit and work with the same scorers in both the Field Trial and Main Survey to benefit from their Field Trial experience.

7.1 Human scoring of the field test cognitive items

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and train a sufficient number of scorers proposed in its accepted offer and score open-ended (constructed-response) field trial items that cannot be computer-scored in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards. The scoring training is tentatively scheduled to take place in person in January 2028. Table 6 shows the anticipated number of items to be hand scored in the field trial.

Table 6. Anticipated number of open-ended field trial items to be scored

Domain Anticipated number of items Mathematics 35 [all trend items] Reading 90 [45-50 items will be trend items] Science 55 [all trend items] Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy 10 [all new items] Financial Literacy 24 [16 items will be trend items]

The contractor shall deliver the scored data to the international contractor (Core A) in accordance with the timeline specified by OECD or the international contractor. As a reference, twelve coders were recruited for the PISA 2025 field trial.

Deliverables:

7.1.1 Final scored data and documentation for the field trial to be submitted to the International Sampling Contractor (Core A, Table 3)

7.2 Scoring of the main study cognitive items

Under this task, the contractor shall recruit and train a sufficient number of scorers proposed in its accepted offer and score open-ended (constructed-response) main study items that cannot be computer-scored in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards. The scoring training is tentatively scheduled to take place virtually in January 2029. Table 7 shows the anticipated number of items to be human scored.

Table 7. Anticipated number of open-ended main study items to be scored

Domain Anticipated number of items Mathematics 35 Reading 77 Science 55 Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy 5 Financial Literacy 16

The contractor shall deliver the scored data to the international contractor (Core A) in accordance with the timeline specified by OECD or the international contractor. As a reference, thirty-four coders were recruited for the PISA 2025 main study.

Deliverables:

7.2.1 Final scored data and documentation for the main study to be submitted to the International Sampling Contractor (Core A, Table 3)

7.3 Coding responses to fill-in item in questionnaires

Under this task, the contractor shall code students’ responses to the fill-in questions about their parents’ occupation (for mother, father, parent/guardian #1 and parent/guardian #2) based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)-08 classification system. As a reference, responses to these questions both the field trial and the main study U.S. data were human coded by three coders in 2025 cycle, with 25% of the responses double coded for reliability checks.

Deliverables:

7.3.1 Final coded student questionnaire data for the field trial to be submitted to the International Sampling Contractor

7.3.2 Final coded student questionnaire data for the main study to be submitted to the International Sampling Contractor

Task 8. Teacher Questionnaires (Optional)

Under this task, the contractor shall conduct all sampling and data collection activities for the Teacher Questionnaire based on the proposed approach and methodology in its accepted offer in accordance with the PISA Technical Standards. More specifically, the contract shall

• complete sampling forms related to the teacher target population

• collect information on eligible teachers in the schools (teacher lists), and upload the information to the sampling platform provided by the international contractor or OECD

• prepare materials to inform teachers about the questionnaire to encourage maximum participation

• provide teachers with online links along with their access codes

• monitor participation rate and implement survey operation procedures

• conduct data cleaning and processing post administration, including steps necessary to avoid disclosure risk

The Teacher Questionnaire will be administered to all eligible teachers in the schools that are sampled to participate in PISA (no within-school sampling of teachers). The questionnaire will be highly focused and shorter than in previous cycles (around 15-20 minutes) to facilitate higher response rates. The questionnaire will be computer-based and administered online.

Before the Teacher Questionnaire data can be delivered to the OECD, NCES requires that the complete set of data files undergo a disclosure risk review (see NCES Statistical Standards available at https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/). The contractor shall be aware of and implement the disclosure risk review requirements established by NCES and IES and prepare a disclosure avoidance plan for review by the IES Disclosure Review Board. The COR or NPM will provide the contractor with an example Disclosure Avoidance Plan (DAP) to guide the contractor’s https://nces.ed.gov/statprog/2012/ efforts. Once the IES DRB has approved the proposed disclosure risk review plan, the contractor shall implement the data perturbations (e.g., swapping, masking) required by the DRB. The contractor shall also prepare a report summarizing the results of the data perturbations in a Disclosure Avoidance Report. Only the DRB-approved version of the main study data file may be transferred to the OECD.

Deliverables:

8.1 U.S. Teacher Questionnaire sampling frame, forms, and required data and documentation for submission to the International Sampling Contractor (Core C, Table 3)

8.2 Draft recruitment materials for the U.S. Teacher Questionnaire data collection

8.3 Final recruitment materials for the U.S. Teacher Questionnaire data collection

8.4 Draft Disclosure Avoidance Plan

8.5 Final Disclosure Avoidance Plan

8.6 Draft Disclosure Avoidance Report

8.7 Final Disclosure Avoidance Report

8.8 Summary of U.S. Teacher Questionnaire data collection activities

Task 9. Main study electronic data files and user’s guides

For purposes of disseminating data for the study, the contractor shall prepare and deliver an electronic package with the main study U.S. data containing:

• The U.S. dataset in restricted-use form, with internationally restricted variables and additional U.S.-specific variables included (such as race/ethnicity, or other variables not included in the international dataset), in ASCII, so that it can be read into any statistical analysis software.

• READ.ME files that provide guidelines for accessing the data files and that describe the data files included in the released package.

• Variable codebooks that provide a comprehensive list of every variable in the data file(s).

• Record layout files to assist data users with quickly locating the variable(s) of interest in the data files.

The contractor shall produce a U.S.-version of the restricted-use datasets for release through NCES. The construction of these dataset files will be modeled after those files previously released for the study. The datasets produced under this task must make use of the dataset approved by the NCES Data Review Board (DRB).

Deliverables:

9.1 Draft restricted-use main study data file package

9.2 Final restricted-use main study data file package

Task10. Teacher Questionnaire electronic data files and user’s guides (Optional)

For purposes of disseminating data for the study, the contractor shall prepare and deliver an electronic package with the Teacher Questionnaire data containing U.S. dataset in restricted-use form along with READ.ME files, a codebook and record layout file, all similar to those listed under Task 9.

Deliverables:

10.1 Draft restricted-use Teacher Questionnaire data file package

10.2 Final restricted-use Teacher Questionnaire data file package

Appendix A. PISA 2029 Tentative Schedule and Background Information for National Preparations

1. This document aims to support national preparations and resource allocation for PISA 2029. The information in the document is tentative and subject to change as the international preparations continue during 2025 and 2026.

2. The document builds on the PISA Governing Board’s decisions regarding PISA 2029, in particular the change to a balanced design with the change to a 4-year cycle, as agreed at the 54th PGB meeting, the strategy for international options in PISA that sets out which options to offer in this cycle, as agreed at the 47th PGB meeting, and the PISA long-term strategy for 2024-33.

Assessment domains

3. PISA 2029 will continue to focus on three core domains: reading, mathematics and science. Reading will be the “focal domain”, which is similar to the previous “major domain”, except that it will not be given a larger share of the sample allocation than the other two domains, as PISA is moving to a balanced design. The framework and test items will be updated for reading, the contextual questionnaires will focus on questions related to the teaching and learning of reading, and the international reports will focus on analysing the relationships between contextual factors and student performance in reading.

4. The innovative domain for PISA 2029 is Media and Artificial Intelligence Literacy (MAIL). It is currently defined as the set of competencies to interact with digital content and platforms effectively, ethically and responsibly. The goals of the assessment are to strengthen our understanding of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students need to effectively and responsibly consume and produce digital content, and to obtain internationally comparable data on how students use digital content and AI platforms, and whether they reflect on their actions before making decisions in digital spaces.

Survey and sample design

5. PISA 2029 will introduce a balanced design to provide more robust results and better trend measures across the three core domains of reading, mathematics and science. The design was decided as part of the change from a 3- to a 4-year cycle for PISA.