Leaning Into Literacy: Building Statewide Capacity through Literacy Training

Page 1 of 22 STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Request for Proposal Leaning Into Literacy: Building Statewide Capacity through Literacy Training RFP LS-2022-001 The New Hampshire Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, national/ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or disability in its programs, activities and employment practices. This statement is a reflection of the Department of Education and refers to, but is not limited to, the provisions of the following laws: Title IV, VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964-race color, national origin, The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, The Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX)-sex, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)- disability, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)-disability, and NH Law against discrimination (RSA 354-A).Auxiliary aids and services are

available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Page 2 of 22 SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW AND SCHEDULE Executive Summary The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) through the Division of Learner Support is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified Vendors for capacity building literacy training for adults engaged in raising, working with or teaching New Hampshire children to be successful readers. The purpose of these trainings is to increase capacity for providing and overseeing reading instruction and structured literacy based on the science of how children learn to read. The objective of this training is improved student outcomes and overall academic achievement through prevention of and intervention for reading difficulties, and to identify pupils who struggle to read. Among other benefits of the training, it will prepare individuals with knowledge to help them complete the Pearson exam, Foundations of Reading, and the ETS Praxis exam, Reading Specialist. The training will assist teachers who received credentials prior to 2014 when the Foundations of Reading exam was first established as a requirement for relevant endorsement areas. It is anticipated that services will be provided under contracted service arrangements, upon Governor and Council approval through September 30, 2024 with the option for a 1-year renewal should funds be available. Targeted Training The following chart provides information on the anticipated number of participants to be trained over a one-year period, replicated in year two. Targeted Group Cohort 1 Est. Number (2022-2023) Initial Training Cohort 1 Est. Number (2022-2023) Follow-up Training Cohort 2 Est. Number (2022-2023) Initial Training Cohort 2 Est. Number (2022-2023) Follow-up Training Cohort 3 Est. Number (2022-2023) Initial Training Cohort 3 Est. Number (2022-2023) Follow-up Training Literacy Training Strand 1,500 ibid. 1,500 ibid. 1,500 ibid. Literacy Leadership Strand 75 ibid. 75 ibid. 75 ibid. Page 3 of 27 Eligible participants for the Literacy Training Strand include parents and guardians raising children, those who work with children and New Hampshire certified educators with the goal of building broad capacity across New Hampshire to help students become successful readers. Data gleaned from the NH Bureau of Credentialing shows that about 9,000 licensed teachers were certified in key areas prior to 2014 when the Foundations of Reading exam became a requirement for specific endorsement areas. The goal is to train 4,500 individuals/year for two years. Eligibility for the Literacy Leadership Strand is available to New Hampshire certified educators, with preference to those in leadership positions. With approximately 700 elementary and middle schools in the state (public and private) the Literacy Leadership Strand number of trainees reflects a significant rate of educational leaders in our state. The successful bidder will determine the specific schedule of training sessions with the goal of starting no later than September 1, 2022 and scheduling the trainings to maximize participation across those eligible. Schedule The following table provides a Schedule of Events for this RFP through contract finalization and approval. The Agency reserves the right to amend this Schedule at its sole discretion and at any time through a published Addendum posted on the same web site that contains this RFP. The Agency will not attempt to contact bidders regarding the posting of schedule changes. It is the responsibility of each bidder to visit the RFP web site regularly to obtain any alterations. EVENT DATE LOCAL TIME RFP Released to Proposers (Advertisement) 3/28/22 Proposer Inquiry Period Ends 4/13/22 4:00 pm ET Final Agency Responses to Proposer Inquiries 4/21/22 4:00 pm ET Proposers Submit Proposals 4/29/22 4:00 pm ET Estimated Notification of Selection and Begin Contract Negotiations 5/11/22 Contract finalized for internal processing 5/25/22 4:00 pm ET Contract closing date deadline for G & C meeting on 6/29/22 6/15/22 10:00 am Governor and Council votes on contract 6/29/22 9:00 am Page 4 of 27 SECTION 2 – DESCRIPTION OF AGENCY/PROGRAM ISSUING THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) Division of Learner Support serves school districts by providing resources and professional development in academic areas and assessment through the Bureau of Instructional Support, program of Academics and Assessment. In our commitment to provide meaningful access to quality professional development the agency is seeking proposals from qualified and experienced Vendors to provide training in the Science of Reading and Literacy Leadership. Science of Reading is defined in this RFP as evidence-based reading instruction practices that prioritizes the acquisition of language, including phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension that can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students including, but not limited to: • Evidence-based reading and writing instructional practice recommendations from the Institute for Education Sciences, What Works ClearinghouseTM publication Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, and other supporting evidence. • Instructional practices that rely on brain-based research and thus espouse instruction that explicitly builds neural networks in the teaching of reading. • Instruction that explicitly and systematically entwines and scaffolds language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge) and word recognition (phonological/phonemic awareness, decoding, and sight recognition). Literacy Leadership is defined in this RFP as educational leaders who coach, oversee, monitor, or instruct in-service or pre-service teachers in New Hampshire schools and institutions including but not limited to NHDOE program consultants, school administrators, curriculum coordinators, reading and writing specialists, literacy coaches, and faculty at our institutes of higher education. SECTION 3 – PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES AND REQUIREMENTS The New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) through the Division of Learner Support is seeking proposals for: Page 5 of 27 • Literacy Training Strand based on the Science of Reading for adults engaged in raising, working with or teaching New Hampshire children to be successful readers, and • Literacy Leadership Strand for teachers, school administrators, curriculum coordinators, reading and writing specialists, literacy coaches, and faculty at our institutes of higher education, as well as NHDOE program consultants, beginning during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. The selected Vendor will determine the specific schedule of training sessions with the goal of starting no later than September 1, 2022 and scheduling the trainings to maximize participation across those eligible. The following describes the scope of services and performance standards that the selected Vendor will be expected to meet. Applicants should have the experience and demonstrated success in providing the full scope of services described in this RFP. Proposals should indicate how the service provider will meet these expectations. The training must be an existing structure that is grounded in the “Science of Reading” and is a proven existing model which is already developed and requires minimal modifications based on the needs of New Hampshire. Training may include in-person, hybrid or virtual models of delivery. Modifications of the professional development will be determined by the NHDOE after the Vendor is selected. Absolute Priority #1 The training must include coverage of the following areas: • Phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language, and comprehension that can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students. Priority #1 • Preparation of trainees to achieve a passing score on the Pearson exam, Foundations of Reading and ETS Reading Specialist exams. Priority #2 The training must include a Literacy Leadership Strand of professional learning for educational leaders that includes the following: • a review of the science behind the “Science of Reading”; • methods for evaluating effective instructional practices in structured literacy; and Page 6 of 27 • strategies and mechanisms for ensuring “Science of Reading” program sustainability. Priority #3 • a system for registering trainees, tracking attendance, participation, and achievement of learning outcomes; • a system to pay New Hampshire certified teachers a pre-determined stipend based on meeting the following criteria: o teacher attends 90% of all learning sessions; o teacher enrolls in and takes the Pearson Foundations of Reading exam; and o teacher receives a passing score on the above named exam. Priority #4 • provide all participants with one set of selected materials and/or tools necessary to apply the training, including but not limited to decodable texts/readers, letter tiles, and/or manipulatives for instructional use within the classroom. Priority #5 • Proposals will be scored on a cost summary basis. Cost summary details outlined in #3, Additional Application Requirements. Contractor Deliverables The contractor shall be responsible for all tasks and deliverables required to complete the project as described in the Scope of Work. It is anticipated that this shall include but not be limited to expectations below. Vendors will: • Coordinate and communicate with NHDOE throughout the contractual period. • Adjust delivery of content and/or internal processes and systems as needed based on participant feedback and NHDOE input. • Provide one person who will be responsible for all activities required to fulfill said contract and who will be vested with the authority to make decisions and commitments on behalf of the contracted party during the contractual period.