Hillsborough County Public Schools has received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships to Empowering Effective Teachers Grant. As outlined by the grant, the district will purchase and implement an exempt instructional purchase with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One of the district's stated goals has been to engage a partner with a great deal of experience in value-added measures. The University of Wisconsin team is one of the most respected groups in the country and currently contracts with the public school systems of Milwaukee, Chicago, and New York City, among others, to deliver student gains calculations. The university is to be the district's partner in creating the mathematical calculations of student progress for our teacher evaluations. The term of the licensed software and documentation is perpetual.

* Align financial resources to support the district’s strategic goals, * Demonstrate best financial practices

This project is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Intensive Partnerships to Empowering Effective Teachers Grant. The total cost over the seven-year period is approximately $3,423,097.

Contract administration or evaluation is performed by the Project Manager (end user) and Purchasing Agent, who function as a team. Reviews are conducted face to face, typically quarterly, or by utilizing an online vendor performance report. Prior to soliciting a new contract, the Contract Administration team must first give consideration to the specifications and supporting data of the expiring contract.