REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR RFI Florida Digital Tool Certificates

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR RFI Florida Digital Tool Certificates I. INTRODUCTION The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE, Department) is requesting information regarding the availability of industry certifications and industry certificates to be designated by the Department as Florida Digital Tool Certificates in accordance with the provisions of sections and , Florida Statutes. The statutory definition of industry certification is provided in s : A voluntary process through which students are assessed by an independent, third-party certifying entity using predetermined standards for knowledge, skills and competencies, resulting in the award of a credential that is nationally recognized and must be at least one of the following: (a) Within an industry that addresses a critical local or statewide economic need; (b) Linked to an occupation that is included in the workforce system's targeted occupation list; or (c) Linked to an occupation that is identified as emerging. CAPE Digital Tool certificates are described in s : Targeted skills to be mastered for the certificate include digital skills that are necessary to the student s academic work and skills the student may need in future employment. The FLDOE is considering items for the recommendations to the State Board of Education. II. BACKGROUND The FLDOE is responsible for identifying up to fifteen CAPE Digital Tool certificates for the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List in the areas of word processing; spreadsheets; sound, motion, and color presentations; digital arts; cyber security; and coding. These certificates will be made available to students in elementary and middle grades. For the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List, the State Board of Education approved the following thirteen certificates for the academic year: Apple Certified Pro - Aperture 3 Level One (Apple, Inc.) Apple Certified Pro Pages (Apple, Inc.) Apple Certified Pro Numbers (Apple, Inc.) IC3 Digital Literacy Certification (Certiport) IC3 Spark (Certiport) AGSPACE Certification for GIS Beginners (DigitalQuest Inc.) Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Office Excel (Microsoft Corporation) Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Office Word (Microsoft Corporation) ICT Database Essentials (Certification Partners) ICT Gaming Essentials (Certification Partners) ICT Multimedia Essentials (Certification Partners) ICT Programming & Logic Essentials (Certification Partners) ICT Web Design Essentials (Certification Partners)

2 The above listed certificates should not be submitted for this request and already under consideration by the Department for the list. III. TECHNICAL PARAMETERS The Department is seeking technical (not marketing) information from vendors regarding available certifications and certificates. The following are suggested high-level parameters associated with the components of the design: 1. Validity, reliability and consistency of the assessment instrument, including content and construct validity, administration and scoring, and diagnostic reports that provide meaningful information for educators and other stakeholders. 2. The assessment has cultural validity, and fairness and bias issues have been addressed, the assessment is accessible to this population, considers minimizing language load and testing time, and the format is not a barrier to student performance. 3. The assessment demonstrates a standardization of materials and procedures for administration. 4. The assessment must be user friendly. The effort and time students need to participate in the assessment is reasonable and balanced with respect to information provided from the results. The test delivery must be completed in a proctored environment and the certifications/certificate must be appropriate for students in elementary and middle grades. IV. RESPONSE FORMAT Respondents are asked to provide an information sheet on each industry certification or industry certificate in a Word document format, using the following table layout. A separate table should be provided for each certification/certificate. Information Sheet Template SUMMARY INFORMATION ON THE CERTIFICATION/CERTIFICATE Name/Title of Issued Credential Certifying Agency Brief Description of the Certification/Certificate Summary of the requirements to earn the certification/certificate including specific exam numbers, if available Summary of the skills assessed on the exam from the certifying agency test blueprint If applicable, provide information on different versions of the exam that are available (example: Office 2010 or Office 2013) Florida Digital Tool certificate content area (See list on page 4 of this RFI for the eligible areas.

3 List all that apply) Number of test questions and information on performance levels required to earn the certification/certificate Testing time for a test administration (indicate whether it is a timed test or the expected amount of time for an average candidate to complete the test) TEST FORMAT FOR PAPER-BASED DELIVERY Number of test forms that are available Specify how often the tests are updated/revised by the certifying agency TEST FORMAT FOR COMPUTER-BASED DELIVERY Specify whether the test questions are from an item bank (resulting in randomized test versions) or are standard test forms If standard test forms are used, how many test forms are available? Specify how often are standard test forms updated/revised or for test questions in an item bank and how often are questions updated/revised by the certifying agency. TEST PROCTORING Is the test required to be proctored? (Yes/No) Specify who is eligible to proctor the test Is training available to the proctors? If yes, does the certifying agency require proctors complete a formal training provided by the agency prior to administering exams? Does an agreement or oath have to be signed by the proctor? If yes, provide a brief description. Does an agreement or oath have to be signed by the student? If yes, provide a brief description. Specify whether any test administration manuals are available and how they are accessed TEST SECURITY AND RELIABILITY/VALIDITY Describe how the written tests are graded/scored

4 Provide information on who has access to the written tests prior to, during, and after the test administration. If paper-based, how far in advance are tests distributed to the proctor and how long may the proctor keep the tests before returning them to the grading entity? How many times does the certifying agency allow a candidate to retake the test? Is there a required waiting period between retakes? If so, please specify. Will the student receive a new version of the test each time he/she retakes the test? What are the certifying agency s procedures for invalidating scores should cheating or test irregularities be discovered?

5 OTHER Describe the unit cost for each administration of the test to a candidate or the pricing structure for exam delivery. Provide information on supplemental instructional materials available for preparation (course descriptions, lesson plans, curriculum maps, formative assessments/readiness exams). Describe any hardware/software requirements for test administration. Describe the approximate number of instructional hours required in order for students to be prepared to sit for the exam. Does the certifying agency train (in-person or virtual) elementary and middle school teachers on how to infuse performance content/standards into existing curriculum? If so, please describe. Are testing modifications/accommodations available for students with disabilities? If so, please describe. Provide any additional relevant information on the certification/certificate. Florida Digital Tool Certificate Content Areas Word processing Spreadsheets Presentations including sound, motion, and color presentations Digital arts Cyber security Coding V. PROCESS Responses to this request will be reviewed for informational purposes only and will not result in the award of a contract. VI. RESPONSE FORMAT Respondents are asked to provide all of the following in their response in a Word document: 1. Point of contact information, including representative name and alternative, if available, telephone number(s), and address(es);

6 2. Web site where information on the industry certifications/certificates is currently, or will be, available. 3. Information Sheet for each industry certification/certificate. VIII: SCHEDULE OF EVENTS A. Time Schedule The following timetable shows the approximate dates for this Request for Information. All times indicated are Eastern Time (ET). Request for Information Issued 04/30/2015 Questions due no later than 05/ by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Answers to Respondents on or before 05/14/2015 Deadline to submit responses (via ) 05/19/2015 by 2:00 p.m. Eastern B. Questions and Restrictions PLEASE PROVIDE RESPONSES VIA The FDOE may be contacted via or fax regarding submission of questions concerning this RFI. Any Respondent s questions must be submitted in writing and received by the Department on or before the specified due date at the following address or fax: Please deliver questions to: Florida Department of Education Attn: Voncelia Dixon 325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 332 Tallahassee, Florida Fax Number: Telephone number: Voncelia.Dixon@fldoe.org The Department will provide written answers to all questions that Respondents submit by the specified due date. Questions and Answers and notice of changes (addenda) will be posted on the Florida Vendor Bid System (VBS) at (click on Business & Industry, under Doing Business with the State of Florida, click on State Purchasing, click on Everything for Vendors and Customers, the Vendor Bid System and Search Advertisement, select the Department of Education in the Agency window and initiate search), under this RFI number. It is the responsibility of all Respondents to monitor this site for any changing information prior to submitting a response.