Job Corps National High School Diploma Initiative

Synopsis: Request for Information - Nationwide High School Diploma Synopsis: The United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration is conducting market research for a potential upcoming procurement requirement. This is NOT a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the availability and capability of any qualified sources to provide DOL, Office of Job Corps (OJC), with an efficient and effective high school diploma program. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this request is 611110. Eligible respondents are companies and/or educational organizations, for profit or non-profit, with demonstrated experience in delivering the services described in this document. Background The Job Corps program, housed within the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor, provides a holistic career development training approach which integrates the teaching of academic, vocational, employability skills, and social competencies through a combination of classroom and practical learning experiences. The program operates a 24 hour-a-day residential environment to prepare at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 for stable, long-term, high-paying jobs. While traditional high school programs operate on a 180-instructional day schedule, Job Corps instructional programs operate 365-days a year. Job Corps is the nation's largest residential educational and career training program for youth ages 16 through 24. Each year the program serves approximately 40,000 young men and women at 123 centers across the country and in Puerto Rico. Established in 1964, Job Corps is currently authorized under Title I-C of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, and is administered by the National Office of Job Corps with oversight of Job Corps centers conducted through its regional offices located in Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; and San Francisco, CA. The primary mission of Job Corps is to provide young adults with the tools necessary to attain meaningful jobs that lead to career growth. On July 24, 2018, DOL-ETA released a Sources Sought Notice DOL-ETA-1630DC-18-N-00030, in FedBizOps, requesting information on products and services to deliver a national high school diploma (HSD) program. Few responses were received so Job Corps is seeking additional sources of services through this announcement. Objective Providing efficient and effective high school diploma programming is key to Job Corps realizing its purpose. Approximately 65% of youth enter Job Corps without a high school diploma. Based on a variety of factors such as student need and center partnerships with educational providers, students enroll in one or more of a variety of high school diploma programs. These include high school equivalency, credit recovery, traditional public high school or adult high school, public charter school, and/or national private online school. In order to ensure consistency in standards between and among high school diploma providers and to align instruction across all of its academic programs, Job Corps is seeking to establish a national high school diploma program for issuance of accredited diplomas throughout all 123 of its centers. The contracted high school may be an online, private, or public high school programs, including charters. The provider curriculum must ensure students earn high school diplomas that prepare them to meet the following purposes set forth in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA), Subtitle C, Section 141: - Enter employment that pays a living wage and provides opportunity for advancement; - Enter an apprenticeship program; - Enter postsecondary education at the community college level without remediation requirements; or - Enter the Armed Forces. Capabilities Job Corps seeks to identify a company and/or educational organizations with demonstrated experience in designing and administering large-scale HSD programs to operate or develop a high school program that includes both teacher-led and blended instruction. Examples include a public charter school program that has an online learning component and awards a state-issued diploma. Irrespective of design, the description should include the following characteristics: - Service volume: Job Corps currently trains approximately 40,000 students annually at 123 centers nationwide. Approximately 20,000 of those students are working to obtain a high school diploma. - License: Holds state board licensing in state of operation. - Accreditation: Possesses the appropriate regional or state accreditation; and, if technology-based, an additional accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). - Delivery system: Irrespective of a site-based or technology-based delivery format, the program is facilitated by certified teachers and supported by classroom instructors or instructional coaches at Job Corps Centers. Provides material, services, professional development and all necessary qualified personnel to deliver the program. - Contract period: Five years, one base year and four option years. - Content: Coursework is based on the academic standards in the state in which the program services are being delivered. Standards and curricula are updated as new state standards are adopted. - HSD Program Requirements: Coursework meets graduation requirements in the state in which the program services are being delivered. Provider arranges for: o Program accreditation in all 50 states and Puerto Rico o Regional accreditation by the appropriate regional agency; and if technology-based, national accreditation by Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) o State accreditation, or a viable alternative, in states that only recognize high school diplomas from state accredited programs for admission to state- operated community colleges o Highly qualified staff certified in their area of instruction to serve as course instructors o Ongoing professional development for course instructors and instructors that support student entry into high school diploma programs (e.g., foundation course instructors and basic skills instructors in reading and math) o Customized courses designed to prepare students for college and career o Use of evidence-based instructional strategies o Support courses to ensure success for struggling students o Learning accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including a process for approving accommodations requests o Instructional content and coursework that uses applied academic and technical standards to teach the academic skills needed for career technical tasks and to create relevancy in the curriculum o Specific content and services for Limited English Proficient students o An electronic system (portfolio) to track and organize completed course materials. - Provider offers the following support services and materials: o Registration o Scheduling o On-center and virtual staffing with highly qualified teachers in a ratio appropriate to support student success o Instruction/coaching to support students in passing the state high school exit exam, if such a requirement exists in the state granting the diploma o Scoring of all assignments and assessments o Score reporting to the Job Corps Data Center o Transcripts (both initial and re-orders) o Issuance of a state-certified high school diploma o Testing materials and training for "third party" test administrative staff. Test administrators will not be employed by Job Corps centers; they will come from other education and training or community-based organizations (such as community colleges or other adult education programs) o End-of-course exams with randomized test questions o Required course audits to ensure students have completed curricula appropriately o A monitoring plan to ensure accessibility for all students o Secure delivery system with robust servers and disaster recovery Questions - Is your company/organization currently providing a high school diploma program that aligns with the objectives and all of the capabilities specified in this RFI? ? If so: - What is the estimated preparation time required to implement the program in all of Job Corps' 123 centers? - Is data available on average hours needed for students to complete core courses? ? If not: - What additional services, curriculum, etc. would need to be developed and what total preparation time would be needed? - Is there an alternative design your company/organization would propose? If yes, please provide the framework. - If any portion of the curriculum is online, what level of technology-hardware, software and bandwidth--will Job Corps centers need to access the program? - Will textbooks be required in addition to program-provided materials? - To what extent will Job Corps instructors and academic supervisors be able to access student enrollment, progress, and completion information? - What is the per-pupil cost associated with providing a high school diploma that meets the specified requirements or alternative design, if proposed? All interested parties are invited to submit in writing, by the closing date indicated below for receipt of responses, a package entitled "Capability Statement - High School Diploma" (which must include the contractor's indication of their ability to fulfill requirements). The response must be specific to each of the capability requirements listed above and include a description of the responder's organizational structure. The submittals shall not exceed 15 pages, TOTAL. The capabilities statement package may be transmitted via email to the primary point of contact listed in this notice and must cite the following information at a minimum: 1. Subject: Capability Statement - High School Diploma 2. Company Name, Address, and Company Point of Contact 3. DUNS Number 4. Business Size Standard/Classification and socio-economic status under the listed NAICS The closing date for the receipt of responses is November 8, 2019 at 2pm, Eastern Time. Send your responses to montague.vera@dol.gov. PLEASE NOTE: THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL MUST STATE: ": Capability Statement - High School Diploma". No telephone questions will be accepted in connection with this notice. Contracting Office Address: 200 Constitution Avenue, NW N-4649 Washington, District of Columbia 20210 Unit