IT is new mexico public education department’s (NMPED) intent to acquire services from metametrics that: project 1: will provide lexile reading and quantile mathematics measures for students in grades 3-8 and high school (1 english language arts and

New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), through Region 9 Education Cooperative, is acquiring assessment and research services from MetaMetrics under a sole-source determination, with the notice posted August 17, 2026 and responses due September 10, 2026. This is a restricted procurement: MetaMetrics holds exclusive proprietary rights to both the Lexile Framework for Reading and the Quantile Framework for Mathematics, and NMPED has determined no alternative provider can satisfy the scope.

The contract encompasses two projects. Project 1 delivers Lexile reading and Quantile mathematics measures aligned with NM-MSSA summative assessments for students in grades 3–8 and high school (one ELA assessment and one mathematics assessment) for school years 2025–2026 and 2026–2027. Project 2 conducts a Comparability Research Study leveraging direct links between the Lexile and Quantile frameworks to perform statistical analyses comparing New Mexico student outcomes with similar grade-level students in other states. MetaMetrics' exclusive capabilities cited in the determination include access to linking studies across multiple states, proprietary psychometric alignment methodologies, maintenance of scale integrity and validity, and exclusive authority to issue certified comparability determinations.

The contract term is 12 months, July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, at a prospective value of $400,000 before tax. NMPED's sole-source justification includes documented due diligence: research of industry publications, outreach to alternative providers (Center for Assessment and Cognia), and review of practices in Indiana, North Dakota, and West Virginia. Veronica Wadley, Agency Chief Procurement Officer, and Bryan Dooley signed the determination on August 11, 2026.