Update of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Frameworks for Mathematics, Reading, and Other Subjects

Synopsis: The National Assessment Governing Board (hereafter referred to as Governing Board) has a requirement for updates to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Frameworks for Mathematics, Reading, and Other Subjects, pursuant to its legislatively mandated responsibilities in Public Law 107-279. The Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan organization that sets policy for NAEP, commonly known as The Nation's Report Card. The 26 members of the Governing Board include governors, state legislators, state and local school officials, educators, researchers, business representatives, and members of the general public, who are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The Governing Board's policy roles align with the purpose of NAEP, which is to provide fair and accurate measurement of student academic achievement. Since its creation by Congress in 1988, the Governing Board has overseen and set policy for NAEP by identifying subjects to be tested, determining and approving the assessment content, setting achievement levels for each assessment (i.e., Basic, Proficient, and Advanced), improving the reporting of results, and planning and executing initial releases of NAEP Report Cards. NAEP makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers and the public for the nation, states, and the 27 local school districts in the NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment. More information on the Governing Board can be found at https://www.nagb.gov. Requirements: In accordance with congressional mandates and Board policies, the Governing Board has a direct role in setting the content of NAEP assessments, ensuring NAEP assessments are valid and reliable, and assuring that the frameworks that outline the content of NAEP assessments are based on widely accepted professional standards for educational assessment. The Governing Board ensures that framework development and updates adhere to the highest standards for test development, thereby supporting the validity of educational inferences made using NAEP data. The Board also has final authority on the appropriateness of all assessment items. The Governing Board has long engaged a broad spectrum of stakeholders in developing recommendations for the knowledge and skills NAEP should assess in various grades and subject areas. From this comprehensive and deliberative process, the Governing Board develops a framework to outline the content and format for each NAEP assessment at grades 4, 8, and 12. The Governing Board's Framework Development Policy (see https://www.nagb.gov/content/nagb/assets/documents/policies/framework-development.pdf) supports stable measurement of student achievement, with periodic Board reviews of whether to conduct an update or develop a new framework for an existing NAEP assessment. Factors for these Board deliberations include new research on teaching and learning, changes in state and local curricula and assessments, and other factors.The Governing Board, through its Assessment Development Committee (ADC), monitors all framework updates as part of the Board's ongoing policy oversight of NAEP. Board reviews of existing frameworks determine whether an update is needed to continue valid and reliable measurement of the content and cognitive processes reflected in evolving expectations of students. At least once every 10 years, the Governing Board, through the ADC, reviews the relevance of assessments and their underlying frameworks. In the review, the ADC solicits input from experts to determine if changes are warranted, while making clear the potential risk of changing frameworks to trends and assessment of educational progress. The Board may decide based on stakeholder input that the framework does not require revision, or that the framework may require minor or major updates. In initiating a framework update, the Governing Board seeks to maintain a balance to achieve stable reporting of student achievement trends. In considering when and how an adopted framework update will be implemented, the Board also considers the NAEP Assessment Schedule, cost and technical issues, and research and innovations to support possibilities for continuous trend reporting. Request for Proposals: The Request for Proposals (RFP) is being issued under full and open competition. A subcontracting plan is required if offerors are large businesses. Proposals are due by 2:00 pm EST on Thursday, June 28, 2018. Contract award will be made on a Firm Fixed Price basis. There is no incumbent for the requirement. The Department will accept clarification questions from potential offerors. Clarification questions are due no later than 10:00 am EST Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Please submit clarification questions via email only to the point of contact listed. Detailed instructions can be found in Attachment C to the RFP. The contract award is projected to be made prior to August 25, 2018. The contract period of performance is 36 months -- 24 months for the base period, with an additional option period of 12 months.