Approve the Contract with Scantron for Request for Proposal #4781-TS - Formative Assessment System (Business Division)

The Information and Technology Division completed the negotiations with Scantron that were authorized by the Board on June 13, 2006. Scantron was the highest ranked firm that resulted from an extensive evaluation process by a diverse committee of stakeholders including teachers, principals, and district-level personnel. The contract with Scantron is a five-year contract that will provide instructional personnel access to test item banks, capabilities to build their own tests and electronic scanners to facilitate inputting data into the system. Each school will receive one to three new scanners. The system will allow schools and district offices to input their own items and tests. The new system will support the Continuous Improvement Model and the goals of the District to increase student achievement. Attachment A is the proposed contract to include equipment pricing structure. The initial term of the contract shall be for a five-year period with an effective date of July 26, 2006. This item has been reviewed by the School Board Attorney.

As stated in OPPAGA report: "Efficient purchasing and warehousing requires that management processes be in place to ensure that supplies, equipment and services vital to the school's education mission are purchased from a competitive source, in the right quantity, delivered timely to the correct location, and stored in a secure location. These criteria should be met for each purchase without sacrificing quality." Additionally, this acquisition will address Academic Goals 1-4 (including all Critical Success Factors) for reading, mathematics, science, and writing.

The total cost for five years will be $3,078,728. The five-year funding projection is attached.

The success of the Formative Assessment System (FAS) can only be measured if teachers use the system and report ease of use. If the FAS is used, then Student Achievement should improve. Multiple year data is kept on every school and will be reported to the School Board in August 2007. Instructional personnel will be surveyed at least twice after training. These results will also be given to the appropriate decision maker(s).