Statewide Reading & Mathematics Assessment Grades 3-8, HS

The Maine Department of Education, Office of Federal Programs, is requesting proposals for a statewide reading and mathematics assessment system for grades 3 through 8 and one year of high school, with proposals due September 9, 2026, and questions due August 26, 2026. The Department anticipates awarding a single contract.

The scope covers an online, cloud-hosted assessment platform combining interim and summative components aligned to Maine's ESSA State Accountability Plan and Common Core State Standards. The system will serve approximately 95,000 students across 558 public schools in 261 school administrative units with three annual administrations (fall mid-September, winter early January, spring mid-to-late April), each spanning 4 to 6 school weeks. The platform must support accommodations including paper-and-pencil formats (standard print, large print, braille), universal design for learning frameworks, text-to-speech functionality, and bilingual word-to-word glossaries in the ten most frequently used languages of Maine students.

Bidders must demonstrate experience with large-scale assessment contracts and work with Local Education Agencies; proposals must include a Project Manager with large-scale assessment management experience who will be 100 percent dedicated to the Maine program.

The initial contract period runs November 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030, with two optional renewal periods: July 1, 2030, through June 30, 2035, and July 1, 2035, through June 30, 2040. The Department anticipates annual costs comparable to approximately $5 million and requires cost proposals covering the initial performance period with all implementation and operational costs itemized and justified through detailed cost narrative.

Evaluation uses a 100-point scale: 20 points for Organization Qualifications and Experience, 50 points for Proposed Services, and 30 points for Cost Proposal (25 points for cost, 5 points for cost narrative quality). The Department reserves the right to conduct interviews, request clarifications, and negotiate with the highest-ranked bidder; if negotiations fail, it may proceed with the next-ranked bidder or cancel the RFP entirely. Proposals are submitted via the Vendor Self Service System (VSS).