SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Job Corps National High School Diploma Initiative
- Notice Date
- 7/24/2018
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541611
— Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Labor, Employment Training Administration, Office of Contracts Management (National), 200 Constitution Avenue, NW, N-4649, Washington, District of Columbia, 20210, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20210
- Solicitation Number
- 1630DC-18-N-00030
- Archive Date
- 8/16/2018
- Point of Contact
- Vera R. Montague, Phone: 2026933318, Eric F. Vogt, Phone: 2026933771
- E-Mail Address
-
montague.vera@dol.gov, vogt.eric@dol.gov
(montague.vera@dol.gov, vogt.eric@dol.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- Request for Information National High School Diploma Request for Information (RFI) DOL-ETA-1630DC-18-N-00030 From the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Office of Job Corps (OJC) Synopsis: The United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration is conducting market research for an 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 all qualified sources to provide DOL, Office of Job Corps (OJC), with services to provide efficient and effective high school diploma program. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this request is 541611, with a size standard of $6.5M. Eligible contractors 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. 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 60,000 young men and women at 125 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 Dec 3, 2015, DOL-ETA released a Sources Sought Notice DOL-ETA-N-00013, in FedBizOps, requesting information on products and services to deliver a national high school diploma (HSD) program. Comments were received, and the initial requirements revised. DOL-ETA is now requesting comments on the revised version of the requirements, prior to proceeding with a procurement. 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 technology-based high school diploma program for issuance of accredited diplomas throughout all 125 of its centers. The contracted high school provider must provide curriculum that meets the specific content requirements delineated below and allows students with high school diplomas earned through the program to: • 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 technology-based high school program with the following characteristics: • Service volume: Job Corps currently trains approximately 60,000 students annually at 125 centers nationwide. Approximately 40,000 of those students are working to obtain a high school diploma. • License: Holds state board licensing in state of operation. • Accreditation: Possesses Accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and the appropriate regional or state accreditation agency. • Delivery system: Uses computer-based delivery format facilitated by certified teachers and supported by classroom instructors at Job Corps Centers. Provides material, services, professional development and al necessary qualified personnel to deliver the program. • Contract period: Five years, one base year and four option years. • Content: Reflects all Program Requirements listed below and aligns with Job Corps' Academic Standards ; the academic standards in the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed. Standards shall be updated as new state standards are adopted. • Technology-Based HSD Program Requirements Provider arranges for: • Program accreditation in all 50 states and Puerto Rico • Regional accreditation by the appropriate regional agency and national accreditation by Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) • 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 • Highly qualified staff certified in their area of instruction to serve as course instructors • 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) • Customized courses designed to prepare students for college and career through contextualized instruction in applied standards adopted by the state in which the program operates, and Job Corps Academic and Applied Standards • Use of evidence-based instructional strategies • Support courses to ensure success for struggling students • Learning accommodations for individuals with disabilities, including a process for approving accommodations requests • Instructional content that: o Uses Job Corps Applied Standards to teach the academic skills needed for career technical tasks and create relevancy in the curriculum o Reflects the high school diploma requirements listed below • Specific content and services for Limited English Proficient students • An electronic system (portfolio) to track and organize completed course materials. Provider offers a high school diploma that includes, at a minimum: • A requirement for 22 credits, any number of which may be transferred in from an accredited traditional or charter high school; credits may also be transferred from an online high school for the first six months of operation • Curriculum aligned to and reflective of grade-appropriate standards in the core content areas adopted by the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed and other discipline standards that may be adopted by the majority of states. • 4 years of English incorporating grade 9-12 state-adopted content standards in the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed • 3 years of mathematics, at least 2 of which must be Algebra 1 and Geometry, incorporating grade 9-12 state-adopted content standards in the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed • 3 years of social studies, including at least one year of American History and one semester of civics incorporating grade 9-12 state-adopted content standards in the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed • 3 years of science, incorporating grade 9-12 state-adopted content standards in the state in which the provider is located, registered or licensed, including at least 1 laboratory course (defined as laboratory activities designed as 20% minimally of all class time and may utilize virtual labs recognized by state university systems, although "wet labs" are preferred) • Credit may be offered for completion of sections of high school equivalency exams as follows: • 1 year of English (passing score on official GED 2014 RLA subject test satisfies two credits); passing score on an official HiSET or TASC Reading subject test satisfies one credit; passing score on an official HiSET or TASC Writing subject test satisfies one credit), • 1 year of mathematics (not Algebra I nor geometry), • 1 year of science (not lab science), and • 1 year of social science (not American history nor civics/government) • A maximum of 2 credits may be offered for completion of a Job Corps Career Technical Training Program Area (TPA), 1 credit per TPA. Provider offers the following support services: • Registration • Scheduling • On-center and virtual staffing with highly qualified teachers in a ratio appropriate to support student success • Provision of instruction/coaching to support students in passing the state high school exit exam, if such a requirement exists in the state granting the diploma • Scoring of all assignments and assessments • Score reporting to the Job Corps Data Center • Transcripts (both initial and re-orders) • Issuance of a state-certified high school diploma • Provision of 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) • End-of-course exams with randomized test questions • Required course audits to ensure students have completed curricula appropriately • A monitoring plan to ensure accessibility for all students • Secure delivery system with robust servers and disaster recovery Questions • Is your company/organization currently providing a high school diploma program like that described above in Technology-Based HSD Program Requirements? If so, what is the estimated preparation time required to implement the program in all of Job Corps' 125 centers? If not, what additional services, curriculum, etc. would need to be developed and what total preparation time would be needed? • If the program currently exists, is data available on average hours needed to complete core courses? • What level of technology-hardware, software and bandwidth--will Job Corps centers need to access the program? • Will each Job Corps center need to provide an academic teacher to guide student learning in the classroom and interface with the provider's teacher? • Will textbooks be required in addition to program-provided materials? • Will student transcripts be provided? • To what extent will Job Corps instructors and academic supervisors be able to access student enrollment, progress, and completion information? • What costs are associated with procuring a technology-based high school diploma that meets the specified requirements? All interested parties are invited to submit in writing, by the closing date indicated below for receipt of responses, a package entitled "Statement of Qualifications/Capabilities Statement" (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 must be transmitted under a cover letter and must cite the following information at a minimum: 1. Response to RFI Number 1630DC-18-N-00030 2. Company Name, Address, and Company Point of Contact 3. DUNS Number 4. Business Size Standard/Classification and socio-economic status, if applicable 5. NAICS code certifications The closing date for the receipt of responses is Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 2pm, Eastern Standard Time. Send your responses to montague.vera@dol.gov. PLEASE NOTE: THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL MUST STATE: "Response to Sources" 1630DC-18-N-00030. No questions in connection with this notice will be accepted.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOL/ETA/OJC/1630DC-18-N-00030/listing.html)
- Record
- SN05004400-W 20180726/180724230929-4783c4df3343599dd48171af6098e15f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |