STATE OF MAINE

Department of Education Office of Federal Programs

RFP# 202606107

Statewide Reading & Mathematics Assessment in Grades 3-8 and High School

RFP Coordinator

Submitted Questions Due Date

August 26, 2026, no later than 4:00 p.m., local time

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

A. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND

B. GENERAL PROVISIONS

C. CONTRACT TERM

D. NUMBER OF AWARDS

A. VENDOR SELF SERVICE SYSTEM (VSS)

B. QUESTIONS

C. AMENDMENTS

D. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

A. EVALUATION PROCESS – GENERAL INFORMATION

B. SCORING WEIGHTS AND PROCESS

C. NEGOTIATIONS

D. SELECTION AND AWARD

E. APPEAL OF CONTRACT AWARDS

A. CONTRACT DOCUMENT

B. STANDARD STATE CONTRACT PROVISIONS

APPENDIX A – PROPOSAL COVER PAGE

APPENDIX B – RESPONSIBLE BIDDER CERTIFICATION

APPENDIX C – QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE FORM

APPENDIX D – SUBCONTRACTORS FORM

APPENDIX E – TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT FORM

APPENDIX F – PROPOSED SERVICES FORM

APPENDIX G – GENERAL/TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FORM

APPENDIX H – COST PROPOSAL FORM

APPENDIX I – SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT

APPENDIX J – CONFIDENTIALITY AND NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT

PUBLIC NOTICE

State of Maine Department of Education

RFP# 202606107

Statewide Reading & Mathematics Assessment in Grades 3 through 8 and High School

The State of Maine is seeking proposals for a statewide reading and mathematics assessment in grades 3 through 8 and high school for implementation beginning with the fall administration in the 2027-28 school year.

A copy of the RFP and all related documents can be obtained through Vendor Self Service (VSS): https://mevss.hostams.com/PRDVSS1X1/AltSelfService

Proposals must be submitted to the Office of State Procurement Services, via Vendor Self Service (VSS). Proposal submissions must be received no later than 4:00 p.m., local time, on September 9, 2026. Proposals will be opened the following business day.

RFP TERMS/ACRONYMS with DEFINITIONS

The following terms and acronyms, as referenced in the RFP, have the meanings indicated below:

A. A municipal school unit;

B. A regional school unit formed pursuant to chapter 103‑A C. An alternative organizational structure as approved by the commissioner and approved by the voters;

D. A school administrative district that does not provide public education for the entire span of kindergarten to grade 12 that has not reorganized as a regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103‑A E. A community school district that has not reorganized as a regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103‑A;

F. A municipal or quasi-municipal district responsible for operating public schools that has not reorganized as a regional school unit pursuant to chapter 103‑A;

G. A municipal school unit, school administrative district, community school district, regional school unit or any other quasi-municipal district responsible for operating public schools that forms a part of an alternative organizational structure approved by the commissioner; and A public charter school authorized under chapter 112 by an entity other than a local school board.

(20-A M.R.S.A. §1, 26)

State of Maine Department of Education Office of Federal Programs / Assessment

RFP# 202606107

Statewide Reading & Mathematics Assessment in Grades 3-8 and High School

PART I INTRODUCTION

A. Purpose and Background

The Maine Department of Education’s Office of Federal Programs Assessment Team is seeking statewide reading and mathematics assessments in grades 3 through 8 and high school as defined in this Request for Proposal (RFP) document. This document provides instructions for submitting proposals, the procedure, and criteria by which the awarded Bidder will be selected, and the contractual terms which will govern the relationship between the State of Maine and the awarded Bidder.

The Department currently has a contract with NWEA to provide students in grades 3 through8 and the second year of high school an assessment for mathematics and reading, delivered through the Acacia platform. The Through Year Assessment is computer-based and adaptive, adjusting the difficulty level of the questions presented to the student based upon student response. Student achievement is measured both according to grade-level Common Core State Standards as well as according to a RIT score which allows for comparisons of academic growth across students and time.

In school year 2025-2026, the assessment was administered:

· Fall (Required): September 15, 2025 - October 24, 2025

· Winter (Optional): January 5, 2026 - February 13, 2026

· Spring (Required): April 13, 2026 - May 29, 2026

All items on the Maine Through Year Assessment are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and comply with federal and state statutes, regulations, rules and/or policies that govern Maine’s state assessment system.

The statewide reading and mathematics assessment is administered to approximately 95,000 students in grades 3 to 8, and high school. There are currently 558 schools in 261 school administrative units (SAUs) in the State.

1. Student Population and Demographics State and Local Education Agency (LEA) statistics (as of 2025/26 school year)

· 558 Maine public schools in 261 SAUs

*Excluding schools without typical grade ranges Additional organization and demographic data available in the Data Warehouse: https://www.maine.gov/doe/data-reporting/warehouse.

B. General Provisions

1. From the time the RFP is issued until award notification is made, all contact with the State regarding the RFP must be made through the RFP Coordinator. No other person/State employee is empowered to make binding statements regarding the RFP. Violation of this provision may lead to disqualification from the bidding process, at the State’s discretion.

2. Issuance of the RFP does not commit the Department to issue an award or to pay expenses incurred by a Bidder in the preparation of a response to the RFP. This includes attendance at personal interviews or other meetings and software or system demonstrations, where applicable.

3. All proposals must adhere to the instructions and format requirements outlined in the RFP and all written supplements and amendments (such as the Summary of Questions and Answers), issued by the Department. Proposals must follow the format and respond to all questions and instructions specified below in the “Proposal Submission Requirements” section of the RFP.

4. Bidders will take careful note that in evaluating a proposal submitted in response to the RFP, the Department will consider materials provided in the proposal, information obtained through interviews/presentations (if any), and internal Departmental information of previous contract history with the Bidder (if any). The Department also reserves the right to consider other reliable references and publicly available information in evaluating a Bidder’s experience and capabilities.

5. The proposal must be signed by a person authorized to legally bind the Bidder and must contain a statement that the proposal and the pricing contained therein will remain valid and binding for a period of 180 days from the date and time of the bid opening.

6. The RFP and the awarded Bidder’s proposal, including all appendices or attachments, will be the basis for the final contract, as determined by the Department.

7. Following announcement of an award decision, all records and documents regarding this RFP, including bid submissions, will be public records, available for public inspection pursuant to 5 M.R.S. §1825 B (6 &15) and the State of Maine Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) (1 M.R.S. § 401 et seq.). State contracts and information related to contracts, including all records, documents, supporting documents, and bid submissions, are public records unless otherwise excepted by statute (Id).

8. Subject to the above and pursuant to applicable law, in the event that a Bidder believes any information that it submits in response to this RFP is confidential, it must mark that information accordingly, and include citation to legal authority in support of the Bidder’s claim of confidentiality. In the event that the Department receives a FOAA request that includes submissions marked as confidential, the Department shall evaluate the information and any legal authority from the Bidder to determine whether the information is an exception to FOAA’s definition of public record. If the Department determines to release information that a Bidder has marked confidential, it shall provide advance notice to the Bidder to allow for them to seek legal relief.

9. The Department, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to recognize and waive minor informalities and irregularities found in proposals received in response to the RFP.

10. ACCESSIBILITY: All IT applications are required to comply with the Digital Accessibility Policy. In addition, all IT applications and content delivered through web browsers are required to comply with the State Web Standards.

11. STATE IT POLICIES: All IT products and services delivered as part of this Agreement shall conform to the State IT policies, standards, and procedures effective at the time this RFP is published.

12. If awarded a contract resulting from this RFP, vendors shall be required to disclose, in writing and in accordance with applicable Maine law, any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Such disclosure must include any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could give rise to a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest. Failure to disclose a known conflict or appearance of conflict may result in disqualification, contract termination, or other remedies as provided by law.

13. All applicable laws, whether or not herein contained, are included by this reference. It is the Bidder’s responsibility to determine the applicability and requirements of any such laws and to abide by them.

C. Contract Term

The Department is seeking cost-efficient proposals to provide services, as defined in this RFP, for the anticipated contract period defined in the table below. The dates below are estimated and may be adjusted, as necessary, in order to comply with all procedural requirements associated with the RFP and the contracting process. The actual contract start date will be established by a completed and approved contract.

Contract Renewal: Following the initial term of the contract, the Department may renew the contract for two (2) renewal periods, as shown in the table below, and subject to continued availability of funding and satisfactory performance.

The term of the anticipated contract, resulting from the RFP, is defined as follows:

D. Number of Awards

The Department anticipates making one (1) award for a statewide mathematics and reading assessment as a result of this RFP process. The Department is looking for a similar or more cost-effective solution to our current annual contract amount of approximately $5 million.

PART II SCOPE OF SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED

The Department’s Assessment Team is seeking proposals to provide an online, student-centered mathematics and reading assessment system in grades 3 through 8 and high school that will support student learning and inform instructional decision making, while also providing essential summative information and student results data for a fall-to-spring academic progress indicator. The solution must be cloud-hosted with security requirements and features as detailed in the requirements and Maine IT policies.

A. Balanced Assessment System

A.1 Combined Interim and Summative Assessment System The Department Assessment Team seeks to implement a balanced assessment system that combines valid, useful, and reliable interim and summative assessment components and supports a fall-to-spring academic progress indicator as part of Maine’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) State Accountability Plan.

The assessment will be administered to students in grades 3 through 8 and one (1) year of high school (The current state assessment is administered to students in the second year of high school). There will be three (3) administrations: fall administration, winter administration, and spring administration.

To support a successful fall-to-spring academic progress indicator, the assessment system must include fall and spring administrations which produce scores on the same scale for direct comparisons in student achievement within the same academic year.

The Department is willing to consider Bidder proposed solutions to meet the need for a fall-to-spring progress indicator, for example:

1. An assessment model with a single score scale, in which the fall interim assessment is a “mini summative” assessment:

2. An assessment model with separate interim and summative assessment score scales:

Spring Summative Assessment

The Department is open to other Bidder-developed solutions that produce fall and spring scores on the same scale to allow for direct comparisons.

The Department desires that the interim and summative assessments be as cohesive as possible and encourages innovative proposals to accomplish this goal.

A.2 Summative Assessment

A.2.a Summative Assessment Purposes, Uses, and Claims The summative assessment is intended to provide information about student performance in relation to state content and performance standards. Student performance will be aggregated into student population, school, LEA, and state levels. Reports will be used by students, families, educators, and policy makers to understand performance within LEAs and across the state. A primary use will be to fulfill the state’s school accountability plans that satisfy federal accountability requirements. Claims based on the end of year summative assessment must include student proficiency, At or Above State Expectations. Four (4) performance levels will be distinguished, with accompanying Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs). For examples, please see Maine’s current ALDs.

The summative assessment must also meet United States Department of Education (US ED) peer review requirements: https://www.ed.gov/sites/ed/files/2020/07/assessmentpeerreview.pdf

A.2.b Standard Setting It will be necessary to set new performance standards for the summative assessments covered in this RFP. The Awarded Bidder must deploy an approach that meets professional standards and federal peer review requirements.

The awarded Bidder must produce a comprehensive initial standard setting study plan and documentation. The plan will be reviewed with the Department and the Maine Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) prior to implementation.

Subsequent standards validation or validations may become necessary at the determination of the Department. Standards validation may become necessary periodically through events such as, but not limited to:

1. changes to the achievement level descriptors

2. updates to academic content standards, and

3. fluctuations in the item pool.

A.2.c Technical Documentation The awarded Bidder is responsible for developing a comprehensive technical report following each summative assessment administration. The technical report must be clear and well organized addressing all requirements of US ED peer review elements.

A.3 Interim Assessment Purposes, Uses, and Claims The interim assessments provide immediate, actionable information to support instruction multiple times during the year. Interim assessments must be designed to support enhanced student learning towards meeting state expectations on the state content standards. The results will also be useful to informing program evaluation and other uses from year to year.

In addition, interim assessments are an essential component of the fall-to-spring academic progress indicator, as described in Section A.1.

B. Assessment Design and Development Maine requires that the assessments be valid, reliable, and useful. The awarded Bidder must use principles of evidence‐centered design (ECD) or similar validation‐oriented processes.

B.1 Content Maine’s accountability standards in reading and mathematics, the Common Core State Standards, currently defined in the following sections of Chapter 131 (Common Core State Standards), must be addressed in both the interim and summative assessments:

1. Reading, Grades 3-5: Section II-A parts 1.1 and 1.4.1 standards L.4-L.6

2. Reading, Grades 6-8 and High School: Section II-A parts 2.1, 2.4.1 standards L.4-L.6, and 3.1

3. Mathematics, Grades 3-8 and High School: Section II-B

During the term of the contract, the State may revise, update, or replace Maine’s accountability standards through rulemaking or policy action. The assessment system must be designed to align to the most current adopted standards. The awarded Bidder will be responsible for updating assessment blueprints, item banks and alignment, and reporting to reflect any such revisions or successor standards without disruption to assessment administration.

Maine is not seeking a state assessment system that includes writing or extended performance tasks at this time.

B.2 Items The assessment will contain a variety of high-quality items aligned to Maine’s accountability standards, the Common Core State Standards in reading and mathematics, currently defined in Chapter 131, and any subsequently adopted revisions or successor standards.

The awarded Bidder’s item development plan will include:

1. Item-level and assessment-level psychometrics and related item statistics for all interim and summative items.

2. Documentation of item refresh rate including the assessment item development cycle and process, and associated costs.

3. An account of the security of the assessment items, assessment forms, and instances of concern and/or breach prior to, during, and in conclusion of the applicable assessment windows.

4. A plan for ongoing standards alignment, including crosswalks, reclassification of existing items, and development of new items as needed to maintain alignment with revised or successor standards.

The item bank must be sufficiently large enough to support an adaptive assessment, as described in section B.6. The Department does not currently own assessment items and does not seek ownership of items developed under this contract.

B.2.a Released Items Annually, approximately five (5) items will be released to the educator workforce from each grade level and content area. The released items must provide, at a minimum, information regarding the standards alignment; additional information must include, but is not limited to, scoring information, achievement level alignment, and student performance statistics.

B.3 Scoring and Scaling The awarded Bidder will establish and maintain the scoring and scaling for the assessment. If any of the scoring (e.g., automated scoring training), scaling, or equating involves more than Maine students, the awarded Bidder must ensure the intended interpretations and uses by Maine users are appropriate.

To meet the requirements for a successful fall-to-spring academic progress indicator, the assessments must have clear attemptedness criteria for the generation of all scores, both interim and summative, across all administrations that can be achieved by all students within a reasonable amount of time (e.g., not exceeding two hours). Currently, Maine uses an attemptedness criterion for the general summative assessments that requires a student to answer 25 percent of the operational items in order to receive a scale score. The Department is open to other attemptedness criteria proposed by the awarded Bidder, and the attemptedness criteria may be different for the interim and summative assessments depending on the overall length and time of each assessment.

B.4 Educator Involvement The Department strongly values the inclusion of educators across all assessed grade levels in assessment and item development and review. The awarded Bidder will offer multiple opportunities for Maine educators to be involved in processes, including, but not limited to:

1. Review and revision of range achievement level descriptors

2. Standard setting for the summative assessment

3. Item review

a. Content and bias review

b. Post field-testing data review

c. Rangefinding for constructed response items, if applicable to the Bidder’s proposed assessment design

4. Forms review (test construction)

5. Alignment study

6. Bridging study, if needed

7. Standard setting validation, if needed

The intent is educator involvement in assessment and item development and review for both the interim and summative components of the assessment system. If an existing item bank is proposed, verification of item alignment to Maine’s academic content standards will be required. With the development of future items to refresh and grow the bank for both the interim and summative items, the involvement of Maine educators in the item review process for content alignment and bias will be necessary.

The daily stipend rate for educators is $200 per day, in addition to the cost of a substitute being reimbursed to the educator’s Maine LEA. The cost of a substitute teacher to the LEA is between $175-$200 per day. Bidders’ proposals must include the cost of stipends to educators and reimbursements for substitutes to the Maine LEA.

B.5 Accessibility Maine’s state assessments must be built on a framework of accessibility for all learners and be developed and designed with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frameworks in mind. It is imperative that all students be provided equitable opportunities to participate by utilizing the tools and accommodations necessary. In addition, this is an area of assessment in which innovations continue to be made, and the awarded Bidder will ensure diverse student needs and evolving technologies are incorporated.

Assessments must be appropriate for and accessible to Maine students, reflecting the state’s geographic, racial/ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity. The awarded Bidder will ensure future assessment items will be developed and reviewed to ensure continued appropriateness for Maine.

B.5.a Universal Tools for All Students Universal tools are available to all students participating in the assessment. These supports are either embedded in the online assessment or provided by an assessment administrator at the local level during the assessment (i.e., scratch paper). Universal tools do not affect the construct being measured on the assessment. Examples include, but are not limited to:

1. Answer eliminator/masking

2. Highlighter

3. Color contrast

4. Keyboard navigation

5. Guideline

6. Notepad

7. Zoom

8. Calculator, for applicable items

B.5.b Accommodations for Students with Disabilities The interim and summative assessments must provide appropriate accommodations suitable to supporting the validity of the intended interpretations and the inclusion of all students. The Department requires a computer‐adaptive design for the assessment that will provide reliable estimates of student ability across the ability continuum. However, paper‐and‐pencil accommodated versions in standard print, large print, and braille must be available for all interim and summative administrations for those students who cannot participate online. The braille forms will utilize contracted full Unified English Braille (UEB), in UEB Technical for Math, and when necessary other braille forms and codes. Approximate anticipated counts for students requiring paper-based forms for each administration are the following, per grade level:

1. Standard print: 40

2. Large print: 15

3. Braille: 5

Paper-based forms must be shipped to the school from the publishing vendor in a secure manner, and completed forms will be shipped back to the vendor for processing.

Text-to-speech will be available for all items embedded within the platform and must emulate human speech. The Department will be provided with the opportunity to review text-to-speech for items and require revisions when necessary.

B.5.c Accommodations for Multilingual Learners As Maine’s multilingual population increases, the number of speakers of languages other than English also increases. Currently, the state assessment in mathematics and reading is not available in any language other than English. Maine continues, however, to monitor growth towards the threshold established and identified in Maine’s approved ESSA consolidated state plan. According to the plan, should any population meet or exceed the threshold, Maine will explore the provision of the assessment in a language other than English. The awarded Bidder must be prepared to address this potential need. In the interim, bilingual word-to-word glossaries without definitions must be embedded within the proposed platform in the ten (10) most frequently used languages of Maine students other than English. If the awarded Bidder is unable to provide bilingual glossaries within the assessment platform, paper-based glossaries must be developed and provided by the awarded Bidder with a plan for development of platform-based glossaries.

B.6 Adaptivity The Department is seeking an adaptive assessment system that prioritizes item alignment to grade-level content while allowing for off-grade adaptivity as necessary. The assessment can be either item-by-item or multi-stage adaptive. Importantly, the adaptivity of the assessment must not result in a fragmented or disjointed student assessment experience; for example, multiple questions associated with a single reading passage or scenario must be sequenced in a manner that flows logically.

B.7 Psychometric Analyses The awarded Bidder must provide the following psychometric analyses:

1. Ongoing monitoring of scores and score trends, including provisional score updates to the Department before the finalization of scores

2. Simulation studies prior to each administration

3. Data validation processes to ensure valid, accurate and reliable, data

4. Analyses to meet requirements of the US ED peer review process

5. Ad hoc analyses, as per TAC recommendation or Department request

C. Administration

C.1 Schedule The assessment administrations must result in minimal interruption to classroom instruction and the school year. Each assessment administration window must be at least four (4) and no more than six (6) school weeks, with the fall administration beginning mid-September, the winter administration beginning in early-January, and the spring administration beginning in mid- to late-April (and concluding before June 1). To the greatest extent possible, the assessment schedule must allow for flexibility in the local administration, for example including the ability to separate the administration into separate sessions.

C.2 Administration Mode The Department is committed to continuing with a computer‐based assessment for the long term. However, Maine faces challenges with technology that require expertise and creative problem solving. LEAs across the state have widely varying access to both Internet connectivity and expertise to establish and maintain school technology systems. Some LEAs have dedicated, experienced information technology (IT) teams, while many have little or no IT on‐site support. The Department does not have staff dedicated to technology support for LEAs. Some LEAs will require a local caching server option or another solution for unpredictable or low bandwidth. Many LEAs also require on‐demand technical support for solving simple and complex technology issues. Maine is seeking responses that demonstrate an understanding of specific issues facing Maine with computer‐based assessment.

The online assessment management system and test player must all comply with the technical requirements described in Appendix G. General/Technical Requirements. In response to Appendix G section 1.10 Technical Architecture, Bidders must include technical architecture diagram(s) and descriptions for the online assessment management system and test player.

C.3 Preventing and Responding to Irregularities The awarded Bidder must provide:

Systems to anticipate, thwart, and prevent potential online administration system disruptions or irregularities such as load testing and monitoring.

Procedures and protocols regarding security of assessment content and student, school, or district data including internal security policies, audit procedures, and procedures to protect data in transit.

Approach to responding to potential online administration system disruptions or irregularities to include communication with the Department and affected partner and efforts to address, contain, and remedy the problem.

D. Reporting

D.1 Types of Reports Both LEA staff and Department staff must have the ability to extract and export data from the online reporting system in a variety of reports and formats within increased granularity. The results of the assessments must be reported at various levels:

1. Individual student

2. Class/group, including aggregated student performance data

3. School, including aggregated student performance data by grade level and student population

4. School Administrative Unit, including aggregated student performance data by school and student population

5. State

The reports must demonstrate differentiation of content, reporting format, and information dependent upon the audience. Aggregated reports must provide the ability for a user to filter/sort and report on data using multiple criteria (e.g., scale score, achievement level, subscore, student name, time to complete assessment).

Both LEA staff and Department staff must have the ability to review current and prior year(s) assessment data from within the user interface. Department staff must have access to student assessment results data with the same or greater breadth and depth as received by LEAs within the same timeframe.

The relevant reports must be provided to the Department, LEAs, and schools at least as electronic files. A secure, role-based, permissioned online dynamic reporting system must be established for LEA and school personnel to access the report information which they have been authorized to receive.

In addition to reports available via the secure, role-based, permissioned online dynamic reporting system, the awarded Bidder must provide suppressed, printable report options at the school and LEA level that provide maximal information while preserving student confidentiality. Due to the small size of Maine’s student population – including at the school, grade, and student population levels – suppression rules must be applied to assessment results to prevent the identification of an assessment result to a specific student. Assessment results are never publicly reported when fewer than five (5) students at a school complete an assessment. Also, exact counts and percentages are not reported when students are distributed in certain ways among achievement levels.

Additional requirements for the Individual Student Reports and the Student Score Data File are described below.

D.1.a Individual Student Report (ISR) The Awarded Bidder must develop Individual Student Reports for families that provide information about the assessment and the student’s assessment results in an understandable and uniform format. The ISR will be a two-page PDF for each student and available for bulk download and printing, with both combined PDF and zip folder options. The Awarded Bidder must provide ISR template translations in the ten (10) most frequently used languages of Maine students other than English.

D.1.b Student Score Data File After data validation is complete, the Awarded Bidder must provide a comprehensive student score data CSV file at the school, LEA, and state levels. Data will include, but is not limited to, the following student score information:

1. Administration name or code

2. LEA and School names and organization ID numbers

3. Student identifying information (e.g., SSID, name, grade level)

4. Test completion date

5. Time for completion of assessment

6. Student scale score in reading and math

7. Student scale score standard error of measurement (SEM)

8. Student achievement level classification in reading and math

9. Student subscores

10. Students subscores SEMs

11. Supports and accommodations assigned to the test event

D.2 Skill-Specific Feedback Reports must provide skill-specific feedback that can be used to directly inform classroom instructional planning. For each assessment, reports identify specific skills as areas of strength or areas for improvement for each student.

D.3 Timeline for Reports Maine assessment system reports must provide immediate feedback on student performance to students, educators, families, building leaders, and designated individuals at the Department. Reports will be provided within seventy-two (72) hours of students completing the assessment. For the summative assessment, these reports must include preliminary results if clearly indicated as such.

D.4 Reports Development Bidders must propose a process to partner with the Department to produce innovative reports and reporting resources to communicate individual and aggregate results in a clear, useful, technically defensible manner.

If proposing to use an existing assessment instrument’s report, Bidders must provide sample reports. If a Bidder proposes customizing reports to Maine users, Bidders must propose a process for finalizing report design in partnership with the Department and its constituents. Bidders must propose supporting materials to help guide appropriate and effective use of the report information, and to help avoid misinterpretation or misuse.

If a Bidder proposes using an existing interim assessment that has been purchased by Maine school(s) or LEA(s) in Maine in the past two (2) years, the Bidder must identify the reports and services that have been purchased or provided for a fee by the Bidder.

E. Training and Support The Awarded Bidder will develop and implement a training plan, including the elements described below. The training plan must detail the strategy to develop, implement, and deliver training to Department identified individuals and identify the role-based modules, tailored materials, learning on-demand opportunities, and refresher trainings to meet the distinctive needs of each stakeholder group.

E.1 Ancillary Support Materials It is important to Maine that ancillary support materials such as assessment administration documents, interpretive guides, training materials, practice assessments, etc. are of high quality and that a vendor have an editorial review and revision process that includes multiple opportunities for input by Department staff. Department staff will partner with the vendor to provide assessment administration training to LEAs, including resources and support from the vendor. Training and administration support includes but is not limited to:

1. Test administration manuals for school and LEA staff that address:

a. Roles and responsibilities of personnel responsible for assessment administration

b. Early preparation procedures

c. Detailed assessment administration procedures

d. Procedures for maintaining assessment security

e. Procedures for responding to disruptions and irregularities

2. Electronic user guides and support resources for interacting with the assessment administration platform (e.g., procedures for rostering students, scheduling assessments, accessing reports etc.)

E.2 Professional Development The awarded Bidder will provide professional development plans for LEA, school, and classroom staff that include:

1. Timelines, format, duration, and frequency of professional development offerings.

2. Differentiated sessions based upon implementation and audience.

3. Synchronous and asynchronous professional learning opportunities

a. Content and state specific professional learning sessions

b. Pre-established and pre-recorded sessions tailored and adapted to meet the needs of Maine’s educators where applicable.

c. Webinars and interactive live professional development opportunities

4. Additional professional learning and development supports in the form of assessment literacy, assessment development, scoring, utilization of data, etc.

The professional development plan and materials will be reviewed and approved by the Department prior to implementation.

E.3 Practice Tests The assessment system must include a fully functional site for access to practice items so that students can experience an authentic assessment experience, and teachers can see how their students interact with the assessment administration platform. A unique practice test must be provided for each grade level and content area. Sample items must provide information regarding standards alignment.

In addition, paper-based practice tests should be developed for students requiring an accommodated paper-based form in standard print, large print, and braille.

F. Technical Assessment:

The State of Maine requires Bidders to demonstrate they have the appropriate security controls in place to protect the State’s sensitive and/or confidential information. Bidders are required to explain their compliance with the security requirements listed in the Technical Assessment Form attached in Appendix E.

G. Project Management and Work Plan The awarded Bidder will be required to utilize a formalized approach to project management which, at a minimum, will be compliant with the Project Management Institute (PMI) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide).

1. Project Methodology: The awarded Bidder must structure and follow a project management approach for planning, organizing, and managing the staff and activities throughout the life of the project. The Bidder's project management approach must facilitate open and timely communication with the Department and a strong working relationship to achieve the overall goal of completed system design performance that meets or exceeds user needs on time and within budget.

The awarded Bidder must provide evidence of successful implementation of large‐scale assessment contracts.

2. Project Manager: The awarded Bidder will be required to assign an experienced Project Manager for the project. It is required that the awarded Bidder’s Project Manager be knowledgeable with the awarded Bidder’s proposed solution. The awarded Bidder’s Project Manager must be one hundred (100) percent dedicated to Maine’s assessment program and have demonstrated previous experience with managing a large‐scale assessment. It is preferred that the awarded Bidder’s Project Manager be Project Management Professional (PMP) certified. The awarded Bidder’s Project Manager will be responsible for the successful completion of all work tasks as defined within the project work plan and will work under the direction of the Department’s Assessment Coordinator. The Department reserves the right to require the awarded Bidder to replace their Project Manager at any time during the course of the project.

3. Change Management: The awarded Bidder’s Project Manager will be required to formally document and track all changes to the functional design, technical design, and/or to approved deliverables. For each potential change, the awarded Bidder’s Project Manager will work closely with the Department’s Assessment Coordinator to define and document the change, its benefits, and if necessary, its impact to the project schedule and budget. No work associated with a documented change will begin without first receiving written authorization from the Department’s Assessment Coordinator.

4. Workplan: The awarded Bidder’s Project Manager will be required to maintain a detailed project work plan, with content to be approved by the Department Assessment Coordinator, through the full term of the contract. The Department desires that the assessment system be operational by the fall administration of the 2027-28 school year.

The workplan must include, but not be limited to, the following:

a. In‐person kick‐off meeting upon execution of the contract

b. Virtual status meetings, occurring at least weekly

c. Coordination (including payments and expenses) of meetings with Maine’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) twice annually (with one in-person meeting in Maine), including, but not limited to:

i. collaborative development of agendas and presentations

ii. provision of materials to the TAC at least two (2) weeks in advance of the meeting

iii. compilation of TAC suggestions for review, prioritization, and implementation

d. Monthly project reports

e. As‐needed communication via email, phone, virtual meeting, etc.

The awarded Bidder’s Project Manager will be required to submit an updated work plan to the Department’s Project Manager on a date and time that will be determined during contract negotiations. The work plan will be incorporated into the contract between the Department and the awarded Bidder and will be made a part thereof. The work plan must include appropriate detail to provide project status, dependencies, and risk/mitigation, as well as corrective actions when necessary. The project work plan will be updated and submitted to the Department’s Assessment Coordinator on a weekly basis. The work plan preferably will be created and maintained with an automated project management tool.

5. The awarded Bidder will work collaboratively with the Department Assessment Team, including:

a. Working with the Department Assessment Team to ensure meeting US ED’s peer review requirements, as described in peer review guidance.

b. Collaboration regarding the development of public notices, communication, and resources in advance of release.

c. Implementation of project management, professional development and learning, and technology focused meetings.

H. Quality Assurance and Acceptance Project Quality Management ensures that the project satisfies the needs for which it was undertaken. The awarded Bidder must develop a plan for the overall system and user acceptance testing.

1. Testing: Prior to moving the proposed system to the production environment, the awarded Bidder will test all aspects of the solution in accordance with the Department’s Deployment Certification Policy for Major Application Projects. The awarded Bidder must provide testing results prior to the State making a Go-No-Go decision to introduce system changes into its software production environment.

a. The awarded Bidder must have annual audits in accordance with Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) Reporting on Controls at a Service Organization (SOC), including SOC 2 Type II, performed on its operations.

b. SOC 2 Type II report to be provided annually based upon the services provided, the State and the awarded Bidder will determine which of the five (5) trust service principles will be included (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality and Privacy). Additionally, the State and the awarded Bidder will establish an agreed-upon timeline for the initial SOC audit and report deliverable. A copy of the audit and plan of action for remediation of any deficiencies will be provided to the Department’s Assessment Coordinator and the Office of Information Technology, Information Security.

2. Test Plan: The awarded Bidder, in cooperation with the Department, will create a test plan including all tests required in accordance with providing and operating a fully certified system.

a. The awarded Bidder will describe its strategy for ensuring that new systems and all interfaces function properly when releasing new versions of any software application.

b. The awarded Bidder will indicate at what point in a new release the Department will receive access to new versions of software or applications.

c. All components of the application must be tested in a non-production environment to ensure that the application test responses represent the exact behavior that will be expected of the application in the production environment.

3. Test Execution: The awarded Bidder will be responsible for scheduling and coordinating all testing activities to ensure that each of the tests are prepared for and performed in accordance with the test plan.

a. The awarded Bidder will train Department personnel as appropriate to participate in the testing effort.

b. Unless specified otherwise within the test plan, the Awarded Bidder will be required to provide all tools, testing materials, and resources necessary to effectively perform the required tests.

c. The awarded Bidder is responsible for and must certify their system to be fully secure for all work provided under this procurement.

4. Acceptance: The assessment system must allow for User Acceptance Testing (UAT) by the Department. System acceptance of the solution will occur following system implementation and awarded Bidder’s demonstration that the system successfully provides all the functionality required by the Department; the system meets or exceeds the performance standards in the contract. The Department must provide written approval of system functionality prior to the release of the production environment.

I. Implementation The awarded Bidder will be responsible for implementing the solution within the Production Environment and will work with the Department to help transition users to…