Alternate assessment

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) through the State Fiscal Accountability Authority is procuring a comprehensive statewide summative alternate assessment system for students with significant cognitive disabilities. The solicitation seeks a contractor to develop, produce, administer, score, and report assessments across English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies for grades 3-8 and specific high school courses, including English II, Algebra 1, Biology, and US History and the Constitution. The contract requires providing computer-adaptive and paper-based test delivery platforms, item development, secure materials management, district personnel training, scoring services, and technical reporting. Proposals were due by July 15, 2021, at 11:00 AM, with a question submission deadline of July 2, 2021, at 11:00 AM. The contract term is initially three years with four optional one-year renewals, spanning from September 1, 2021, to August 31, 2028, with the first test administration scheduled for spring 2022. Key contractor requirements include maintaining a dedicated project manager and lead psychometrician, establishing secure websites for data management, providing help desk support, and ensuring all materials meet federal accessibility standards.

The solicitation does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types. The contractor must maintain cybersecurity insurance with minimum coverage of five million dollars per occurrence and ten million dollars aggregate. The state anticipates assessing approximately 3,000-3,500 students annually, with a projected 5% annual growth factor. Pricing is fixed for the initial three-year term, with potential Consumer Price Index adjustments for renewal years subject to procurement officer approval. All test materials, item banks, student data, and assessment products will become the exclusive property of SCDE upon contract conclusion. The assessment system must utilize an adaptive testing platform compatible with the Smarter Balanced assessment system's linear-on-the-fly algorithm. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly detailed, the solicitation includes a comprehensive Excel pricing template requiring bidders to submit base and optional costs across multiple grade levels and subject areas for the seven-year contract period.