P-12

Prekindergarten through Grade 12 Education


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RFQ #20-002

Teacher and Principal Evaluation: Qualifications for Assessments to Be Used by New York State School Districts and BOCES in Teacher and Principal Evaluations


RFP Documents

Application in PDF Adobe PDF | Application in Word Word document
Questions and Answers – Posted 1/22/20

Application Period

Continuous and Ongoing

1.0 General Information
1.1 Program Summary

To implement the provisions of Education Law §3012-d as amended by Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019 relating to annual professional performance reviews (“educator evaluation”) of classroom teachers and building principals, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is soliciting applications for assessments that will be used as measures of student growth used with a student learning objective (SLO) (see definition below) that will generate a growth target for one year of expected growth for use in the Required Student Performance subcomponent, and/or as a State-designed supplemental assessment (“supplemental assessment”) for use in the Optional Student Performance subcomponent.

Please note, per Education Law §3012-d and Subpart 30-3 of the Rules of the Board of Regents, “supplemental assessments” may include assessments that have been developed or designed by the State, in addition to those that have been purchased or acquired by the State from (i) another state; (ii) an institution of higher education; or (iii) a commercial or not-for-profit entity; provided that such entity must be objective and may not have a conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest. Supplemental assessments may also be tests or assessments that have been previously designed or acquired by local educational agencies (LEAs). 

THIS SOLICITATION WILL NOT RESULT IN A CONTRACT WITH THE NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT.

On April 13, 2015, the Assembly and Senate passed the New York State Budget for 2015-16 and signed into law a revised educator evaluation system for teachers and principals as Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2015, which created Education Law §3012-d.  Education Law §3012-d was amended by the Legislature in Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019 and signed by the Governor on April 12, 2019.

The amended law retains the requirement from the original §3012-d that teachers and principals be evaluated based on two categories: the Student Performance category and the Observation/School Visit category. The former is made up of two subcomponents, the Required Student Performance subcomponent and the Optional Student Performance subcomponent.  Section 30-3.8 of the Rules of the Board of Regents requires the Commissioner to evaluate student assessments for use in the Required and/or Optional Student Performance subcomponents based on the criteria outlined in this RFQ.  Please note: all assessments approved for use with Education Law §3012-d under RFQ #15-001 are available for use with Education Law §3012-d as amended by the Laws of 2019. Assessment providers seeking to have one or more assessments placed on the Approved Assessment List after the release of RFQ #20-002, or assessment providers who wish to resubmit a previously approved assessment for expanded use, must apply to this RFQ in order to be approved for use under Education Law §3012-d as amended by the Laws of 2019.

All assessments submitted through this RFQ must be approved in conjunction with a target setting process aligned with one-year expected academic growth (for use with SLOs) or as a second measure of student growth or achievement (for use with a supplemental assessment) that shall be either:

  1. A second SLO provided that the SLO is different than that used in the Required Student Performance subcomponent;
  2. A growth score based on a statistical growth model, where available, for either a State-created or -administered or a State-designed supplemental assessment;
  3. A measure of student growth, other than an SLO, based on a State-created or
    -administered assessments or State-designed supplemental assessment;
  4. A performance index based on State-created or -administered assessments or approved student assessments;
  5. An achievement benchmark on State-created or -administered assessments or approved student assessments; or
  6. Any other collectively bargained measure of student growth or achievement included in an LEA’s approved evaluation plan.

In accordance with New York State’s teacher and principal evaluation legislation, one category of an educator’s evaluation shall be based on student performance, which shall include one mandatory subcomponent and one optional subcomponent:

  1. Required Student Performance subcomponent.

The required subcomponent of the Student Performance category for all teachers is a Student Learning Objective (SLO). SLOs are developed locally, consistent with a goal-setting process that is developed by the Commissioner. Principals will have either an SLO or an input model for the required Student Performance category. As required by the Education Law, the selection and use of the assessment as the underlying evidence for the SLO is subject to collective bargaining and must be based on the following options:

  • State-created or -administered assessments;
  • State-approved LEA, regional, or BOCES-developed assessments; or
  • State-approved third-party assessments.

The Department believes that the development of SLOs should encourage educators to focus and align instruction with district, BOCES, and school priorities, goals, and academic improvement plans. Setting long‐term goals allows educators to plan backwards from a vision of student success, and research indicates that setting rigorous and ambitious learning goals, combined with the purposeful use of data through both formal and informal assessments, leads to improved academic outcomes for students.

The SLO process developed by the Department is aligned with best practices in instructional goal setting and is intended to have significant instructional benefit by encouraging educators to be systematic and strategic in their instructional decisions. Done thoughtfully, the SLO process will lead to an increase in the quality of discussions happening in LEAs, schools, and classrooms that focus on student growth and learning, clearer indications of when and how to adjust instruction to meet students’ needs, and more targeted professional learning efforts.

In an input model, effectiveness is measured by the actions educators take to improve student performance and to achieve set goals. In the case of the principal input model for the Required Student Performance category, principals are evaluated based on evidence of principal practice related to the Leadership Standards that impacts student growth. SLOs for principals, on the other hand, tie principal evaluation results directly to student growth outcomes on assessments.

  1. Optional Student Performance subcomponent. Under the Education Law, LEAs must locally negotiate as to whether to utilize the optional subcomponent of the Student Performance Category and which of the allowable options will be utilized. The law further requires that the same locally selected measure(s) be applied in a consistent manner across all classrooms in the same grade/subject in the LEA to the extent practicable. Any assessment submitted through this RFQ for approval and use in the Optional Student Performance subcomponent is considered a supplemental assessment.

In determining whether to use multiple student performance measures, LEA administrators and their collective bargaining representatives should consider how using additional measures can contribute to providing a more complete picture of teacher and/or principal practice and school, district, or individual goals. Teaching and school leadership are complex, multi-dimensional professions and no single measure of educator practice or student outcomes is likely to fully capture the range of knowledge, skills, and abilities employed by educators to support student success.

Through this RFQ, New York State seeks to further build an “Approved Assessment List” from which LEAs can choose for the Required and/or Optional Student Performance subcomponent(s).    The list will constitute approved assessments for certain grades and subjects if they meet the State’s criteria and are consistent with Commissioner’s regulations for the Optional and/or Required Student Performance subcomponents (i.e., a list of assessments that can be used for #1 and #2 above).1  Assessments previously designed or acquired by an LEA may be submitted to the Department for approval through this process as well.

NYSED will use the objective criteria specified within this RFQ to review such applications for inclusion on the list of approved assessments for the purposes of educator evaluation.

This is not a competitive procurement.  All submitted assessments that meet the criteria specified in this RFQ will be included on the applicable list. The list will be maintained by NYSED and will indicate approved assessments that may be selected by LEAs for use in teacher and principal evaluations in conjunction with either SLOs through a target setting process aligned with one-year expected academic growth or with a second measure of student growth or achievement for use in the Optional Student Performance subcomponent. No funding is directly associated with this application for approval.

The list will be updated on a rolling basis.  On a continual basis, there is the opportunity for applicants to demonstrate that their submitted assessment for use with an SLO or as a supplemental assessment meets the requirements for inclusion on the list.  Assessments may be removed from the approved list for cause (as outlined in Section 2.2, Termination of Approval of an Assessment) or upon request by the provider.

1Assessments approved for grades K-2 shall not include “Traditional Standardized Assessments” as defined below in the section “Definitions of Key Terms Used in this RFQ.”

1.2 Background

1.2(A) Background Information: New York State, NYSED, and Teacher Evaluation

The New York State school system is one of the most comprehensive educational systems in the country. It comprises 689 school districts, 37 BOCES, over 7,000 public/private elementary and secondary schools including 246 charter schools and serves the educational needs of over 3.1 million students. Additionally, there are currently over 220,000 certified public-school teachers and administrators employed by New York State schools who directly support the educational needs and achievement of our student population.

Education Law §3012-d as amended by the Laws of 2019 retains the requirement from the original §3012-d that teachers and principals be evaluated based on two categories: the Student Performance category and the Observation/School Visit category. Under the amended law, New York State continues to differentiate teacher and principal effectiveness using four rating categories – Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, and Ineffective (HEDI). Education Law §3012-d requires educator evaluations to result in a single overall teacher or principal effectiveness rating that incorporates multiple measures of effectiveness. As in the past, the results of the evaluations shall be a significant factor in employment decisions, including but not limited to promotion, retention, tenure determination, termination, and supplemental compensation, as well as teacher and principal professional learning (including coaching, induction support, and differentiated professional learning).

As a result of the newly amended legislation, during the October 2019 meeting of the Board of Regents, Subpart 30-2 was amended, and a new Subpart 30-3 of the Rules of the Board of Regents was added as an emergency adoption in order to implement Education Law §3012-d.

For additional information on New York State’s evaluation system, including information on the Commissioner’s regulations, see the NYSED website.

1.2(B) Background Information: The Approved Assessment List

This RFQ is soliciting supplemental assessments, as defined earlier in this document, and assessments to be used with SLOs that include a target setting process aligned with one-year expected academic growth that are consistent with the Testing Standards (see definition below), and are consistent with the standards set forth in Education Law §3012‑d as amended by the Laws of 2019.

NYSED will review and evaluate the submitted assessments for use with SLOs and the supplemental assessments on the degree to which they meet criteria established in this RFQ and the Commissioner’s regulations. Applicants and Providers of approved assessments will be notified and placed on the Approved Assessment List. Once approved, assessments will be on the Approved Assessment List unless the assessment is disqualified, or approval is terminated by NYSED according to the specifications set forth within the Commissioner’s regulations and this RFQ (refer to Section 2.2 for additional information), or upon the request of a provider for removal from the list.

Once the Approved Assessment List is established, LEAs will have the opportunity to select assessments for use with SLOs in the Required Student Performance category or supplemental assessments for use in the Optional Student Performance category from the Approved Assessment List and may enter into an agreement with the Assessment Provider for services within the terms and conditions cited in State law and regulations, and this RFQ. If approved, LEAs are not required to provide their assessments to other LEAs. As noted in Section 1.1., any third party assessments approved for use pursuant to RFQ 15-001 will remain available for use by LEAs consistent with the terms of the original approval. However, if an assessment provider would like to expand the use of the approved assessment (e.g., to cover additional grades/subjects, to be used in a different subcomponent, to be used with additional measures of growth or achievement in the optional subcomponent), the assessment provider must submit a new application through this RFQ.

Though NYSED is approving assessments for use in teacher and principal evaluation, the Approved Assessment List is not an endorsement of any of the Assessment Providers. LEAs should verify the capabilities of the Assessment Providers prior to entering into any agreements. NYSED reviews the applications solely based on the criteria stipulated in this RFQ and Subpart 30-3 of the Rules of the Board of Regents.

1.3 Definitions of Key Terms Used in this RFQ2

Term

Definition

Applicant

The entity submitting the application. The Applicant may, in some cases, not be the Copyright Owner, the Assessment Representative, or the Assessment Provider. See Section 2.1 for more information.

Approved Assessment List

Applications to this RFQ that meet the requirements for use with supplemental assessments and/or with Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). Assessments that are approved are placed on the Approved Assessment List. 

Assessment

A measure of a student’s skills or understanding of concepts.

Assessment Provider

The person or entity providing the assessment and/or related services to the LEA. The Assessment Provider may be the Copyright Owner or the Assessment Representative.

Assessment Representative

For the purposes of this RFQ, the Assessment Representative is assumed to be legally authorized by the Copyright Owner to provide the assessment and/or any related assessment services. The Assessment Representative would provide products and/or services to an LEA, but this RFQ does not authorize the provision of any products and/or services to NYSED.

Board of Regents

The Board of Regents is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the State, presiding over The University of the State of New York and the New York State Education Department.

BOCES

Boards of Cooperative Educational Services. There are 37 BOCES in the State of New York that serve as shared service providers to school districts in the State of New York.

Classroom Teacher

Classroom teacher or teacher shall mean a teacher in the classroom teaching service who is a teacher of record as defined §30-3.2 of the Rules of the Board of Regents, except evening school teachers of adults enrolled in nonacademic, vocational subjects, and supplemental school personnel (i.e., teaching assistants, teacher aides, pupil personnel providers).

Commissioner, The

The Commissioner is the chief executive officer of the New York State Education Department and president of the University of the State of New York.

Commissioner’s Regulations, The

Regulations in Title 8 of the New York Code of Rules and Regulations adopted by the Board of Regents, and, in particular, the regulations pertaining to New York State’s teacher and principal evaluation system to implement Education Law §3012-d as amended by Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2019. 

Copyright Owner

The person or entity that is the owner of the copyright of a particular assessment that is being submitted for approval through the RFQ process.

CTE

Career and Technical Education.  Additional information on New York State’s Career and Technical Education programs is available on the NYSED website.

Educator(s)

Teachers and Principals.

Growth Model

One of a variety of statistical models that can be used to make inferences about student growth.  Categories of growth models include, but are not limited to, gain score models, growth-to-proficiency models, student growth percentiles, projection models, and value-added models.  For the purposes of this RFQ, the growth model must control for prior academic history, poverty, students with disabilities, English language learners, and any additional factors approved by the Commissioner to measure student growth, either directly within the model or in conjunction with the model through a process to aggregate to an individual teacher’s or principal’s effectiveness score.  For definitions of each type of growth model, see Appendix C: Definitions of Growth Models. 

Local Educational Agency/Agencies (LEA/s)

For purposes of this RFQ, one of the approximately 700+ school districts or BOCES in the State of New York. Note that in some instances a BOCES may procure services on behalf of one or more school districts.

NYSED

The New York State Education Department

New York State Learning Standards

The learning standards approved by the Board of Regents, specific to the State of New York.  A list of New York State Learning Standards is available in Appendix A: New York State Learning Standards. 

Principal or Building Principal

Principal shall mean a building principal, or an administrator in charge of an instructional program of a board of cooperative educational services.

RFQ

A “Request for Qualification” is a procurement tool used by the State Education Department to identify one or more providers who meet a specified set of requirements.

School Representative

An LEA that has been authorized to submit an application to this RFQ for an assessment that the LEA uses, or plans to use, on behalf of the Copyright Owner or Assessment Representative. 

Supplemental Assessments

A selection of assessments developed or designed by the State Education Department, or that the State Education Department purchased or acquired from (i) another state; (ii) an institution of higher education; or (iii) a commercial or not-for-profit entity, provided that such entity must be objective and may not have a conflict of interest or appearance of a conflict of interest; such definition may include tests or assessments that have been previously designed or acquired by  local districts,  but  only  if  the  state education department significantly modifies growth targets or scoring bands for such tests  or  assessments or  otherwise  adapts  the  test  or  assessment  to the state education department's requirements.

Student Learning Objective (SLO)

An SLO is an instructional planning tool developed at the start of an educator’s course or building principal’s school year that include expectations for student growth. It represents important learning that is aligned to national or state standards, as well as any other school and LEA priorities. The goals included in the SLO must be specific, measurable, and based on available prior student learning data. The SLO process asks educators to reflect on who their students are, what they already know, and what they are going to learn during the interval of instruction. In this context, rigorous yet attainable targets are set that define what success looks like for each student and considers their longer-term trajectory toward college, career, and citizenship readiness. Educators’ scores are then based upon the degree to which the goals were attained, as evidenced by student academic performance at the end of the course. See Appendix A: New York State Learning Standards for a list of all content areas in New York State for which there are standards.

Testing Standards, The

Any reference in this RFQ to “the Testing Standards” shall mean the “Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing” (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, & National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014—available at the Office of Counsel, State Education Department, State Education Building, Room 148, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York, 12234).

Traditional Standardized Assessments

Traditional standardized assessments are defined by NYSED for the purposes of Education Law 3012-d as amended by the Laws of 2019 and the Commissioner’s regulations as a systematic method of gathering information from objectively scored items that allow the test taker to select one or more of the given options or choices as their response. Examples include multiple-choice, true-false, and matching items. NYSED defines this term to focus specifically on those assessments that require the student (and not the examiner/assessor) to directly use a "bubble" answer sheet.

Effective March 2, 2014, the Department removed traditional standardized assessments for use in grades K-2 from the list of State-approved assessments for use in educator evaluation plans for the 2014-15 school year and thereafter.

Valid and Reliable

A method is considered valid if it accurately measures what it is intended to measure.

A method is considered reliable if the same result can be consistently achieved by using the same methods under the same circumstances.

Please see the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing for complete definitions of valid and reliable.

 



2Further definitions of key terms related to educator evaluation can be found in the Educator Evaluation Glossary.

1.4 Reservation of Rights

NYSED reserves the right to: (1) reject any or all applications received in response to the RFQ; (2) withdraw the RFQ at any time, at the agency’s sole discretion; (3) disqualify any provider whose conduct and/or application fails to conform to the requirements of the RFQ and/or any applicable laws or regulations; (4) seek clarifications of applications; (5) use application information obtained through the State’s investigation of a provider’s qualifications, experience, ability, or financial standing, and any material or information submitted by the provider in response to the agency’s request for clarifying information in the course of evaluation and/or selection under the RFQ; (6) during the application period, amend the RFQ specifications to correct errors or oversights, or to supply additional information, as it becomes available; (7) during the application period, direct providers to submit application modifications addressing subsequent RFQ amendments; (8) change any of the scheduled dates; (9) waive any requirements that are not material; (10) negotiate with the successful provider within the scope of the RFQ in the best interests of the state; (11) require clarification at any time during the qualification process and/or require correction of arithmetic or other apparent errors for the purpose of assuring a full and complete understanding of a provider’s application and/or to determine a provider’s compliance with the requirements of the RFQ; and (12)  request accurate and current estimates of provider costs. 

2.0 Specifications

2.1 ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

The following sections describe the entities that qualify as eligible applicants and who therefore may submit applications in response to this Request for Qualifications.

2.1(A) Eligible Applicants Include LEAs as the Owners of the Supplemental Assessment or Assessment to Be Used With an SLO

For supplemental assessments or assessments to be used with an SLO, districts are eligible to submit an application for this RFQ as the Owner of an assessment that has been designed by such district without sponsorship by a BOCES. Additionally, BOCES may submit an application for this RFQ as the Owner of an assessment that has been designed by such BOCES without need for any sponsorship.

An assessment submitted by an LEA, if approved and placed on the applicable Approved Assessment List, has the option of being available for use by any LEA.

2.1(B) Eligible Applicants Include Copyright Owners or Assessment Representatives of the Assessment Being Proposed as the Owners of the Supplemental Assessment or Assessment to Be Used With an SLO

To the extent authorized by law, entities eligible to apply to provide educator evaluation assessment services include:

  • Private for-profit companies, including but not limited to, test publishers and research organizations;
  • Nonprofit organizations;
  • Institutions of Higher Education; or
  • Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Each approved Copyright Owner or Assessment Representative will be responsible for meeting the terms of its agreement with the LEA.

2.1(C) Eligible Applicants Include LEAs That Are Authorized to Submit an Application on Behalf of the Copyright Owner / Assessment Representative of a Supplemental Assessment or Assessment to Be Used with an SLO

LEAs are eligible to submit an application for this RFQ on behalf of the Copyright Owner of an assessment and/or an Assessment Representative for an assessment used or planned to be used in their schools, provided that the LEA receives approval from the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative to submit an application for the assessment for this RFQ, and the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative is an eligible entity listed in 2.1(B), above.

If an entity is submitting an application on behalf of the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative of the assessment, Form F: Approval to Submit on Behalf of Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative (located in this RFQ), must be included in the RFQ application. This form must be signed by the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative for the assessment being proposed. See Form F and Section 3.5: Application Package Checklist for more information.

An assessment submitted by an LEA, if approved and placed on the applicable Approved Assessment List, may be available for use by any LEA, so long as there is an agreement with the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative and/or Assessment Provider.

2.2 TERMINATION OF APPROVAL OF A SUPPLEMENTAL ASSESSMENT OR AN ASSESSMENT FOR USE WITH AN SLO

  1. Approval shall be withdrawn for good cause, including, but not limited to, a determination by the commissioner that:
    1. the assessment does not comply with one or more of the criteria for approval set forth in this RFQ;
    2. the Department determines that the assessment is not identifying meaningful and/or observable differences in performance levels across schools and classrooms; and/or
    3. high-quality academic research calls into question the correlation between high performance on the assessment and positive student learning outcomes.
  2. Termination of a student assessment from the approved list shall be conducted in accordance with the following procedures:
    1. The commissioner or his/her designee shall notify the provider and/or applicant of the approved assessment in writing of the intent to terminate approval at least 30 calendar days prior to the effective date of the termination, including a list of the identified deficiencies.
    2. The provider may reply in writing within 10 calendar days of receipt of the commissioner's notification, addressing the commissioner's statement of reasons, indicating whether deficiencies and/or violations exist, what steps have been taken to correct conceded deficiencies and/or violations, and the time period and steps by which deficiencies and/or violations will be corrected. If no reply is received, termination and removal from the list will become effective 30 calendar days from the date of receipt of the commissioner's notification.
    3. Within three business days of receipt of the commissioner's notification, the provider may request oral argument before the commissioner or his/her designee.
    4. After consideration of any written response and of any oral argument, the Commissioner or his or her designee shall make a determination as to whether approval shall be terminated. Notice of such determination shall be provided in writing to the provider and/or applicant.

3.0 Application Procedures

3.1 APPLICATION TIMELINE

All applicants shall submit all required materials as follows.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in the order in which they are submitted and will continue as needed. Vendors and LEAs should assume a minimum of a two-month review window between submission and approval or denial of an application.  The Department does not guarantee that such assessments will be reviewed and/or approved through this RFQ in time for inclusion in any particular school year.

NYSED reserves the right to update RFQ requirements at any time for any reason. 

3.2 APPLICATION SUBMISSION METHOD

Applicants must adhere to the submission method detailed below.

Acceptable Submission Method:

Applicants may either:

  1. Submit electronically by emailing an application packet containing a copy of the full application in Microsoft Office (.doc(x), .xls(x), .ppt(x)) and/or portable document format (.pdf). Scanned documents should be clear and legible. Also, if possible, include a single PDF containing all application materials / appendices / attachment to ASSESSRFQ@nysed.gov; or 
  2. Address or hand-deliver an application packet containing:
    1. one (1) original;
    2. one (1) electronic storage device containing a copy of the full application in Microsoft Office (.doc(x), .xls(x), .ppt(x)) and/or portable document format (.pdf). Also, if possible, include a single PDF containing all application materials / appendices / attachments.

to the following address:
New York State Education Department
Office of Educator Quality and Professional Development
89 Washington Ave, 360 EBA
Albany, NY  12234
AttN: Assessment RFQ

Questions
Questions concerning this RFQ may be emailed to: ASSESSRFQ@nysed.gov. Questions received by January 16, 2020 and responses thereto will be posted here on January 30, 2020. No individual responses will be provided. Questions received after the deadline will be answered on the web site above as deemed appropriate by NYSED on a rolling basis. 

Questions and Answers – Posted 1/22/20

For an assessment to be accepted and placed on the Approved Assessment List an Applicant must present all the information required in this RFQ. All assurances on Form G must be checked and the form must be signed by the appropriate parties.

3.3 Applicant Responsibility Questionnaire

Applicants must file the required Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire (VRQ) online via the New York State VendRep System or may choose to complete and submit a paper questionnaire. School districts, Charter Schools, BOCES, public colleges and universities, public libraries, and the Research Foundation for SUNY and CUNY are some of the entities exempt from filing the VRQ.  (See The Office of the New York State Comptroller’s website for a complete list of exempted entities.)  Please note that if a district or BOCES is submitting the application on behalf of the Copyright Owner or Assessment Representative, the Copyright Owner or Assessment Representative must complete the VRQ. 

NYSED recommends that vendors file the required Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire online via the New York State VendRep System.  To enroll in and use the New York State VendRep System, see the VendRep System instructions or go directly to the VendRep System online

Vendors should also refer to the VendRep System checklist.

For direct VendRep System user assistance, the OSC Help Desk may be reached at 866-370-4672 or 518-408-4672 or by email at helpdesk@osc.state.ny.us

Applicants opting to file a paper questionnaire can obtain the appropriate questionnaire from the VendRep website or may contact the State Education Department or the OSC Help Desk for a copy of the paper form.

Note: Applicants must include their method of filing the questionnaire in the application Transmittal Letter or indicate whether they are exempt.

3.4 Application Package Format

  • Type size should be no smaller than 9 pt.
  • Applicants seeking approval for more than one assessment to be used with an SLO or as a supplemental assessment should submit separate Forms B and C for each proposed assessment. Applicants should specify the applicable grades and subjects on Form B.
  • All information should be submitted in the order indicated on the Application Package Checklist.
  • Appendices/attachments may contain letters of reference, printed brochures describing the services provided, certificates of incorporation or other legal documents authorizing the Assessment Provider to provide supplemental educational services in New York, tables, charts, graphs, scanned images, or photocopies, as requested in this RFQ or referenced within the application. It is expected that technical and administration manuals are included in the appendices.
  • Additional appendices/attachments, such as CD presentations, videotapes or other multimedia productions should not be included.
  • All attachments should contain document footers with your entity name and page numbers, wherever possible.

PLEASE NOTE:  Any documentation submitted by an Applicant that is considered by the Applicant to be a trade secret, or for which disclosure to third parties would result in a competitive disadvantage to the Applicant in the marketplace, should be specifically identified as such in the application package using Form E, and a justification must be provided for each such item as to why it should not be disclosed to third parties. Form E must be submitted with every application package; if an Applicant does not have trade secrets or materials that should not be disclosed, “N/A” should be written on Form E.

3.5 Application Package Checklist

Please use the checklist below to ensure that you have submitted all required materials in the required format. An application must present all information requested and required in this RFQ in order to be considered for approval and placed on NYSED’s Approved Assessment List. Applicants that fail to submit all required information will have five business days from notice of incompletion to submit the requested information. Applications that fail to adhere to this deadline will not be approved.

Submitted?

Component

Requirement/Format

Checkbox

Transmittal Letter

An authorized individual must write a brief Transmittal Letter to formally submit/transmit the application, and other materials, on behalf of the Applicant, to the New York State Education Department. The transmittal letter must be signed and dated by the authorized Applicant and, if applicable, the Copyright Owner/Assessment Representative.

 Checkbox

Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire (VRQ)

A completed VendRep Questionnaire must be included with the application or completed online, unless applicant is exempt.

Checkbox

Form A

The Applicant must complete an Application Cover Page.

Checkbox

Form B

The Applicant must complete an Assessment Information Page.

Checkbox

Form C

The Applicant must prepare a Publicly-Available Service Summary that will be posted to the Office of Educator Quality and Professional Developments website if the application is approved and available for download.

Checkbox

Form D

The Assessment Representative/Provider must complete an Assurances and Signature page that must be signed and dated by an authorized individual.

Checkbox

Form E

The Applicant must complete a Request for Exemption from Disclosure Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law, identifying any proprietary material submitted in the application for which exemption from FOIL is requested, or write “N/A” on the form, if the application does not include any proprietary material.

Checkbox

Form F

If the applicant is NOT the Copyright Owner / Assessment Representative, then a completed Approval to Submit on Behalf of Assessment Copyright Owner / Assessment Representative form MUST be submitted. 

Checkbox

Form G

The Assessment Representative/Provider must complete an Applicant Certification Form – Supplemental Assessments and Assessments for Use with SLOs that must be signed and dated by an authorized individual. For co-submitted applications, both applicants must submit a complete, signed and dated Certification Form.

Checkbox

Appendices / Attachments

The Applicant must provide appropriate Appendices/Attachments.

  • Technical/administration manuals as required in this RFQ.
  • Supporting documentation (Graphs or charts demonstrating achievement, certificates of incorporation, etc.).

3.6 Application Evaluation

All applications received by NYSED will be reviewed by appropriately trained and qualified individuals.  Applicants must ensure that all components of this application request have been addressed and all forms have been completed. The RFQ Response Categories listed below summarize the elements the application reviewers will consider when evaluating applications. All evidence submitted in conjunction with an application must be referenced within the application for use by the application reviewers if it is to be used in the evaluation of the application. Please refer to specific page numbers within a document or manual when referencing them in the application. The evaluations will be guided by the Testing Standards. NYSED reserves the right to request additional written material in support of an application.

Applicants must provide responses to all items. Assessments will only be placed on the Approved Assessment Listif all certifications and required responsesare sufficient.

4.0 Application

In the Application, Applicants must describe in detail the assessment that they are qualified to deliver, or if the Applicant is a School Representative, the assessment that they are submitting for approval, and submit empirical data and other evidence that the assessment and associated services have been effective in improving instruction and the professional achievement of teachers and/or principals through the provision of data that yields valid inferences about student learning.

The Application is divided into seven forms:

Form A: Application Cover Page
In this section, the Applicant must include their contact information and, if the Applicant is a School Representative, contact information for the Assessment Provider (see definitions in Section 1.3 for more information), in addition to the tax identification number and any associated information for the Assessment Provider.

Form B: Assessment Information Page
In this section, the Applicant must include the grade(s) and subject area(s) for which the assessment is intended to be used.

Form C: Publicly-Available Service Summary
The applicant must provide a Service Summary of the information outlined in the Application. This form will be made publicly available for all approved applications.

Form D: Assurance and Signature Page
The Assessment Representative/Provider must complete an Assurances and Signature page that must be signed and dated by an authorized individual.

Form E: Request for Exemption from Disclosure Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law Page
The Applicant must complete a Request for Exemption from Disclosure Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law page, identifying any proprietary materials submitted as part of, or in support of, the application which the Applicant considers confidential or otherwise excepted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law. If no material is identified as proprietary, this form should be submitted with “N/A” written on it.

Form F: Approval to Submit on Behalf of Authorized Legal Representative Page
If the Applicant is not the Copyright Owner, the Applicant must complete and submit an Approval to Submit on Behalf of Authorized Legal Representative page. This form must be signed and dated by an authorized individual.

Form G: Applicant Certification Form
The Assessment Representative/Provider must complete an Applicant Certification Form that must be signed and dated by an authorized individual. For co-submitted applications, both applicants must submit a complete, signed and dated Certification Form.

Appendices
The applicant must provide any supporting documentation that has been requested in this RFQ, or which the applicant has referenced in Forms A-G that will aid the reviewers in inferring the degree to which the assessment meets the needs outlined herein. 

RFP Documents

Application in PDF Adobe PDF | Application in Word Word document
Questions and Answers – Posted 1/22/20

Last Updated: March 11, 2022