REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) CTE Emerging Educators Textbook/Curriculum

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)

CTE Emerging Educators Textbook/Curriculum

Issuance Date:

Submission Date:

1. High-Level Summary Of Needs And Buyer Background

This Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks applicants who can provide comprehensive teacher preparation textbooks/e-books and curricula influenced by the most-up-to date teaching principles for students in grades 10-12 that meet the following criteria: research-based, evidence-based, culturally-relevant, student-centered, and engaging. Course management guide (teacher edition textbook, lesson plans, lesson materials, assessment tools, and interactive student resources) will be needed.

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit one or more established providers of secondary instructional materials to provide the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) with an evidence-based, researched, and reviewed curricula and materials in teaching preparation that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards adopted by the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards (the “State Standards”) as well as PDE task list and Career, Education, and Work Standards for grades 9-12.

The Pittsburgh Public School District is the largest of 43 school districts in Allegheny County and the second largest in Pennsylvania. The district serves approximately 20,000 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. There are approximately 4,236 students in grades 6-8 and 5,875 students in grades 9-12. The CTE Division provides Approved Program of Study coursework to students in grades 10-12. 17 programs are offered in 6 PPS high schools.

Adopted materials will be implemented during the 2024-25 school year and physical materials will need to be delivered by July 31, 2024.

2. Scope of Services

In this RFP, we are looking for curriculum materials, textbooks/ebooks, teacher resources, assessment tools, online instructional resources for the Emerging Educators program. The materials will be used in a program to prepare high school students for careers as teachers at the elementary and secondary education levels

The primary criteria for the selection of instructional materials are to address the needs of students enrolled in the Emerging Educators Program (CIP 13.0101). All instructional materials and supplementary materials shall reflect in both narrative and illustration a diverse American society and shall provide equal representation of African American and other cultural and ethnic groups. Adopted instructional materials should avoid stereotyped images based on race and gender. Instructional materials should reflect gender and ethnic minorities participating in leadership roles in all aspects of society.

3. Components Requested

• Embedded principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

• Instructional materials must include resources that support the teaching and learning of students needing remediation, enrichment and/or acceleration.

• Digital materials that include opportunities for teachers to extend learning, to personalize learning for all students, and use adaptive or other technological innovations.

• Provide accessible digitally available student-facing, teacher-facing, and parent/guardian-facing materials and resources in multiple languages.

• Include digital and hard-bound print formats.

• Overarching questions, essential questions for each unit, with daily learning targets/objectives are included.

• Technology based enhancements should be easily accessible through a variety of devices.

• The materials include exemplars or models of student work.

• The materials include opportunities for real world connections with civic engagement opportunities.

• The student materials include opportunities for student choice and decision-making.

• The materials provide instruction to accommodate individual differences in cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural, and behavioral aspects of learning.

• The materials support the preparation of our students for college, career, and life.

• Allow for flexibility in meeting the needs of a wide range of students and include accommodations for special populations, including English Language Learners, students with disabilities, including students who are visually impaired and/or deaf or hard of hearing, those with print disabilities, and students with significant cognitive disabilities, and students identified as gifted and talented.

• Lessons for whole group, small group, and independent instruction should be included.

• Culturally Relevant Materials Include culturally relevant materials and culturally responsive teaching and instructional practices that are inclusive of a variety of cultures and ethnicities and are free from bias in the portrayal of ethnic groups, gender, age, cultures, religion, and people with exceptionalities.

• The instructional materials are organized in a systematic way that is comprehensive and clear.

• The instructional materials include resources that teachers may edit, adapt, or enrich.

• The instructional materials provide teacher guidance with useful annotations and suggestions for how to enact the student materials.

• The instructional materials provide a comprehensive list of supplies needed to support instructional activities, including but not limited to student-centered hands-on investigations.

• The instructional materials include a system of assessments identifying how materials provide tools, guidance, and support for teachers to collect, interpret, and act on data.

• The instructional materials provide data dashboards at the teacher, school, and District level for monitoring usage and performance.

• The instructional materials provide specific guidelines for instruction so digital learning is not solely dependent on student independent work.

• Parent/Guardian Engagement

o The instructional materials include printable parent/guardian letters for sharing data and progress monitoring with families.

o Parent/guardian materials or any home/school connections (digital and print) must be provided in multiple languages to increase access for non-English speakers.

• Technology/Clever Integration

o Is your online platform compatible with Clever?

o Does your program have a method of effective use within blended learning to remote independent work and teach direct instruction for large and small groups?

o Does your platform provide real-time data reporting in a dashboard with progress reports at the standard and skill level?

o Can your online program be customized to a variety of student proficiency levels?

o Is this a web-based application or would the product need to be installed on premises?

o What browsers are compatible with this product?

o Do you support nightly automated loads to and from your system (we have high mobility and systems must reflect at least a day-behind state)? If not, how do you reflect current student assignment and provide teachers/educators with appropriate access to student data.

o Can rosters and data import into your system?

• Training and Professional Development Overview

o The proposal shall describe the initial training and professional development necessary to begin implementation of the proposed instructional materials. The training plan should include mechanisms to train district teachers including the availability of digital professional learning tools.

o Describe the cost and how often research shows that refresher training is required.

4. Legal Disclosures

• Has the company been declared in default of any contract within the past five years? If so, please list the educational entity involved, the nature of the dispute and the resolution.

• Has the company been party to any litigation in the past five years? If so, please provide the Court, the relevant case information, and the disposition of the matter.

5. Evaluation and Submission Criteria

• All proposals must be submitted electronically to Angela Mike (amike1@pghschools.org) by 5:00 PM EST on May 24, 2024, with “CTE Emerging Educators Curriculum Materials” as the subject line. Proposals, including any/all attachments and cover letters, should be submitted as a single PDF document.

• In addition, digital access to all program materials must be provided along with hard copy sample instructional materials and proposal packet that should be mailed directly to:

Angela Mike, CTE Executive Director

Pittsburgh Public Schools

1101 N. Murtland Street – Suite 058

Pittsburgh, PA 15208

• Proposals should be submitted in accordance with the proposal guidelines outlined in this RFP. Pittsburgh Public Schools reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, waive irregularities, and to select the proposal that is determined to be the most advantageous to the school district. Late proposals will not be accepted.

Proposal Format:

1. Proposal Introduction

2. Cover Letter: Provide the name, mailing address, e-mail address, and telephone number of the firm submitting the proposal.

3. Table of Contents: Clearly identify material contained in the proposal by section and page number.

4. Introduction: Provide an overview of the company and its products as they relate to this RFP. Share relevant data-based evidence of impact, outcomes from prior and current school districts with similar demographics.

5. Program Overview: Provide an overview of the program and its core components as well as total cost (initial cost and annual fees).

6. Independent External Evaluations: Provide access to findings from independent external evaluations, conducted by non-profit organizations.

6. RFP Timeline

The Pittsburgh Public Schools is requesting proposals from experienced and qualified firms to provide the services described herein. Selection of the firm will be made based upon proposals submitted. There may also be presentations or interviews. A timetable for the selection process is provided below:

RFP Issued	Week of May 6, 2024
Proposals Due	May 24, 2024
Presentations (If requested)	June 3-4, 2024
Approval by the Board of Directors	June 26, 2024
Applicant Finalist Receives Notification of Board Recommendation	By June 30, 2024
Delivery of Materials to Buyer	July 30, 2024