Arizona Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) - Arizona Science Test (AzSCI) Grades 3 - 8

The Arizona Department of Education is requesting proposals for the Arizona Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) – Arizona Science Test (AzSCI) for Grades 3–8, a statewide summative assessment program, with proposals due August 18, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Arizona time through the Arizona Procurement Portal. The contract term spans seven years beginning Spring 2028. No set-asides or preferences are identified.

The scope encompasses comprehensive assessment services: test development, item banking, test administration in computer-based and paper-based formats, scoring, scaling and equating, reporting, and support services. The contractor must accommodate approximately 80,000 students per grade across 2,000 schools and 650 local education agencies annually, with approximately 85,000 students in AzSCI. Specialized versions must include Braille, large print, and American Sign Language formats, with 10–15% of students requiring paper-based materials. Key deliverables include annual test forms by November 15, practice test materials by September 15, technical reports by December 31, training resources by November 30, and online/paper reports by May 15–25. The contractor must maintain a Service Level Agreement providing 99.95% uptime during testing windows (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday–Friday) and support simultaneous testing for 200,000 Arizona students. All test items, data, and materials will be owned exclusively by the state; upon contract conclusion, the contractor must destroy all data and transition responsibilities to a successor.

Evaluation prioritizes Method of Approach, Experience/Capability/Reliability, and Cost in that order, with cost evaluated as the total extended cost across all seven years. The State reserves the right to conduct oral presentations and request Best and Final Offers. Offerors must comply with GovRAMP or enroll in the GovRAMP Progressing Snapshot program within 60 days of award. Insurance requirements include Commercial General Liability ($2 million general aggregate, $1 million per occurrence), Workers' Compensation at statutory levels, Professional Liability ($5 million per claim), and Technology Errors & Omissions ($2 million per claim). Questions are due at least seven business days before the bid deadline. Proposals are irrevocable for 180 days following submission.