Statement of Work Cross-cutting Education Data Analysis I. Introduction The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is Congressionally mandated to "collect, analyze, and disseminate statistics and other information related to education in the United States and in other nations?" (20 U.S.C. 9003). Within NCES, the Data Development and Longitudinal Studies Group (DDLSG) is responsible for cross-cutting analyses of data from surveys conducted by NCES. These surveys are described in two NCES publications: Programs and Plans of the National Center for Education Statistics and The Digest of Education Statistics. (Accessible on the NCES Website at http://NCES.ed.gov/) Cross-cutting data research and analysis require complementary data from a variety of sources to be gathered together into a single report on a issue of special interest. Examples of such issues are differences in student achievement, the effects of preschool education, vocational education participation, the cost of postsecondary education, and teaching quality. The DDLSG also has responsibility for providing education information and analyses to U.S. Department of Education officials; Congress; State and local education agency officials; and others on a quick turnaround basis. Information is requested on a wide range of programs and policy issues that relate to all levels of education from preschool to postsecondary. The information must be collected, analyzed, evaluated, summarized, and prepared for release within 60 working days. Previously, DDLSG acquired these requirements under a Cost Reimbursable Time and Materials Contract on a task order basis. This successor contract will be a Time and Materials/Task Order Contract also DDLSG will continue to use task orders as the vehicle to acquire necessary products. However, these task orders will be performance based and will be restricted to the acquisition of outcomes where the period of performance and scope will be limited to work and products that can be well defined and priced. In no event will open-ended tasks be issued which lack discrete objectives or deliverables. II. Purpose and Scope of Work The purpose of this contract is to meet DDLSG's requirements for cross-cutting education data research and analysis and for rapid responses to requests for education program and policy information. Task orders and quick-turnaround work requests will be issued under this contract to acquire services using education data at all levels of schooling from preschool through postsecondary, including vocational and special education programs. They will focus on national education data and issues, with emphasis on the data collected in NCES' surveys. These surveys include data on public and private schools, school districts, school staff, students, dropouts, and parents of students. The areas or issues to be addressed with these data include: _ Access to, participation in, and progress through school or alternative education programs; _ Student achievement and attainment; _ Instructional curriculum and practices; _ Economic and other outcomes of education; _ Size, growth, and output of educational institutions; _ School climate, quality, and characteristics; _ Human and financial resources of educational institutions. Under these task orders and work requests, the Contractor shall: ?Plan and conduct research; ?Develop and test data collection instruments; ?Obtain information from experts; ?Obtain and maintain data for secondary analysis; ?Analyze data and prepare reports. This Statement of Work describes the range of work to be carried out and the level and complexity of the work to be performed by the Contractor. Specific task orders issued by the Contracting Officer (CO) will describe the objectives of a task, the work to be performed, the deliverables, and the deliverable schedule. Quick-turnaround work requests with the same information will also be issued by the CO to the Contractor for work to be performed under short deadlines. NCES anticipates a need for approximately 5 to 10 task orders and around 10 work requests per year for a 5-year period; i.e. a base year and four option years. The number of task orders per year is dependent on the availability of funds and the scope and complexity of the tasks. Previous tasks ranged in cost from about $50,000 to $350,000. III. Task Order Requirements The types of activities that will be required in a task to address the areas previously identified in Section II are described below. Task orders may include one or a combination of the following types of activities. All of the specific activities that the Contractor shall be required to undertake are not specified in the five main activities listed below. The Contractor shall perform the required activities detailed in the specific task orders that will be issued under this contract. Three task orders are attached to this Statement of Work. Activity 1: Planning and conducting research The Contractor shall plan and conduct research that provides NCES with information to address the education areas previously listed (Section II). This shall include one or more of the following activities: ? conducting literature searches for articles and studies related to these education areas. This may include preparing lists of documents to be reviewed, annotated research bibliographies, and synopses of articles and studies. ? reviewing, evaluating, and synthesizing materials on these topics prepared by others and prepare papers or oral briefings on the materials with commentary if appropriate. Briefings shall be in person or by telephone and revisions to papers shall be made as requested. ? assisting NCES in the preparation for education research (including qualitative studies), surveys, and assessments. This may include assisting in defining the study objectives and preparing the study design, operational procedures, instruments, and sampling, analysis, and reporting plans. It may also include designing and selecting judgmental and nationally-representative samples of persons or institutions. Activity 2: Developing and testing data collection instruments The Contractor shall develop and test data collection instruments, including mail and telephone questionnaires, protocols for case studies, instruments for qualitative studies, and other related instructional or procedural materials that address the areas previously identified in Section II. Activities may include but are not limited to: ? reviewing background information and consulting with subject matter experts, government officials, and others to help develop relevant questions. ? drafting the questions and related materials. ? testing instruments using small samples of respondents; e.g., persons, focus groups, or institutions such as schools at sites throughout the U.S. This may require preparing written plans and procedures for collecting and processing the data, reproducing the materials, distributing or administering the materials, and implementing a quality control system to ensure the accuracy of the data collected. ? following data collection standards and regulations documented in OMB's Paperwork Reduction Act and directive 5 CFR 1320 which requires obtaining OMB clearance approval prior to conducting tests that include 10 or more respondents. OMB clearance approval shall require preparing multiple copies of the forms clearance materials for NCES to submit to OMB to obtain approval for such testing, making revisions to the materials as requested by NCES or OMB, and meeting with NCES/OMB staff as requested to discuss the clearance package and its revisions. ? coding, analyzing, and presenting the data collection results in a report of findings and making revisions as requested by NCES. Reports shall include documentation of the methodology used, the data, and interpretation of the results. Activity 3: Obtaining information from experts The Contractor shall convene special expert panels for the purpose of obtaining information on the development of plans for activities or analytical reports on the areas previously listed (Section II). Expert panels will report to and advise the Contractor, not NCES. For each panel, the Contractor shall be responsible for all arrangements, including but not limited to: ? proposing members for a panel and preparing, for NCES approval, letters of invitation to join a panel; ? preparing and disseminating, in consultation with NCES staff, meeting agendas, background issue materials, and option papers outlining various approaches or perspectives to be discussed; ? preparing synthesis reports of proceedings; ? editing proceedings and issue papers for publication; ? making and paying for the logistical arrangements including meeting space and materials, transportation, lodgings, meals, honarariums, and on-site assistance; The Contractor shall commission papers, reviews of papers, or briefings from experts in the areas previously listed (Section II). The Contractor shall: ? communicate the specifications for the paper or briefing to the expert, including the purpose, content, format, revision requirements, and deadline; ? arrange for review of papers by other experts; ? arrange for reproduction and distribution of papers; ? process and pay for the expert's expenses within 4 weeks of receipt of the claim. All logistical arrangements and fees associated with the requested services shall be the responsibility of the Contractor. Activity 4: Obtaining and maintaining data for secondary analysis The Contractor shall obtain and maintain data as requested in a task for research and analysis on the areas previously listed (Section II). This shall include one or more of the following: ? obtaining statistical data from another agency or organization, reviewing the data for accuracy, developing and implementing edit procedures, and developing a data base; ? extracting or merging subsets of computerized data bases for analysis; ? obtaining publications which will assist NCES and/or the Contractor in developing data bases, analyzing data, or responding to information requests; ? retrieving, verifying, editing, and documenting existing data bases; ? developing composite variables, recoding variables, and providing full specifications for all derived variables including weights to be used in an analysis; Activity 5: Analyzing data and preparing reports The Contractor shall analyze data and prepare written reports of findings on the areas previously listed (Section II). Task orders may include but are not limited to the following requirements. ? preparing a review of the available relevant literature on the issues. ? developing an analysis plan that includes a discussion of the research questions to be addressed, data sources, data quality, the selected variables, definitions of the variables, descriptions of analytic techniques and tests to be performed, table shells, and an outline of the report. Frequency distributions or simple preliminary tables shall be required in some cases to determine which variables should be included in an analysis. ? obtaining data to be analyzed from NCES or other sources such as the U.S. Bureau of the Census or the Bureau of Labor Statistics as necessary to perform the task. The Contractor shall be fully responsible for maintaining the security of confidential data in accordance with NCES standards. ? preparing an introduction for a report, including a discussion of the major research questions addressed and/or an overview of the report. ? preparing an executive summary and one or two pages of highlights from the data for reports that are longer than 20 pages. Longer reports may also require an index. ? preparing technical appendices that describe data sources, variables and composites created for the tables, sampling and nonsampling errors, and design effects for all variables. ? preparing the analysis section of a report describing trends and statistically significant differences between variables in a style suitable for the intended audience. The Contractor shall use univariate or multivariate analysis techniques as appropriate with weighted data to account for differential sample representation. Types of multivariate analyses anticipated might include, but are not limited to, multiple regression, logistic regression, categorical data analysis, cluster analyses, discriminant analysis, and analysis of covariance. Modelling shall also be considered where appropriate. When comparisons are made, tests of statistical significance shall be performed. When multiple comparison tests are to be made, Bonferroni or other appropriate types of adjustments shall be made to the significance tests in consultation with NCES staff. Whenever possible analyses shall be conducted using statistical software commonly used by NCES such as SPSS, SAS, SUDDAN, WESVAR, S-Plus, etc. in either or both DOS and the Microsoft Office 97 environment. ? providing programming support for data analysis and manipulation that exceed the capacity of existing software. ? preparing data tables, charts, and graphs to accompany and highlight the analysis text. ? calculating standard errors in accordance with techniques appropriate for complex sample designs when required or appropriate. ? collecting and performing qualitative analyses of education-related documents and data. This may include but not be limited to systematic collection and analysis of various categories of education materials, such as textbooks, examinations, observations, interviews, etc. The Contractor shall select or develop appropriate methodologies for analyzing these materials, and report the data in descriptive format, either alone or as a supplement to quantitative analyses. ? submitting tabulations and the results of analyses to NCES for review prior to preparation of a final report (see Section VI. 4 for NCES review requirements). Prior to submission, the Contractor shall ensure that the report meets the highest quality standards. IV. Task Order Deliverables Because of the nature of the work, deliverables will be specified in each individual task order. The major types of deliverables that will be required in task orders are: A. Task Management Plan. Includes a description of the specific activities that shall be undertaken in the task, where and when they shall be carried out, and by whom, and a clear description of how staff will be managed and the working relationship among staff. Contractor, subcontractor, and consultant expert. B. Presentations and Briefings. Includes presentations and briefings to the COTR and others on preliminary findings, on accessing and using data bases for a particular task, and on the status of the work under a task order. Materials that might be needed for these briefings include visuals, Powerpoint displays, agendas, etc. Most briefings shall be by telephone or electronic mail, but some task orders may require on-site briefings at the NCES facility in Washington D.C. or elsewhere. C. Research Materials. Includes annotated bibliographies, synopses, study plans and schedules, analysis plans, and report outlines. D. Tables, Graphs, etc. Includes paper and electronic versions of tables along with documentation of the known data limitations; e.g., the sources of error, and preliminary analyses of the data. Also includes graphs, charts, slides, or overhead transparencies to supplement the data tables. Tables, graphs, etc. shall be prepared using Microsoft Office 97 unless specified otherwise in a task. E. Draft and Final Papers and Reports. Includes paper and electronic versions of draft and final papers and reports. Each task will specify the number of copies of drafts and final products to be submitted to the COTR. The Contractor shall submit one paper copy of final products to the CO. Unless otherwise specified in a task order, paper copies of reports shall be submitted in unbound double-spaced manuscript copy in Microsoft Word 6.0 or higher format with text tables formatted as requested. For some tasks, the paper manuscript shall be in a format suitable for publication by the Government Printing Office. The Contractor shall submit an IBM-compatible diskette or CD-ROM with the final report to the COTR in addition to paper copies. It shall be clearly marked with the title, author, and software packages used. In addition, all final versions of text and tables shall be delivered in PDF format for use on the Internet. For some tasks, the Contractor shall submit the final product to the COTR in an HTML file or other format suitable for placing on the NCES Website. The HTML document must be able to be viewed with commonly available WEB browsers, at this time Netscape 3.0 for windows or later and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for windows or later. Graphics might also be requested as GIF files for World Wide Web dissemination. As technology changes, the above software requirements may change, and other types of software standards may be implemented at anytime during the contract. The contractor shall adapt to these changes as they are implemented at NCES so that information and data transmissions between NCES and the contractor are fully compatible. F. Data Files, Documentation, and Software. Includes microcomputer data files on diskettes or CD-ROMs, containing text, data bases, spreadsheets, graphs, and other types of files in IBM compatible format documented copies of computer programs used to analyze data. The Contractor shall use commonly used software such as EXCEL or SAS when possible. G. Data Collection Instruments and Related Materials. Includes data collection instruments, forms clearance materials, test plans and procedures, sampling plans, lists of respondents, raw data, databases on a microcomputer diskette or CD-ROM, draft and final reports on test results. H. Meeting Materials and Summaries. Includes letters of invitation, background materials for meetings, agendas, minutes, verbatim transcripts, or summary reports of a meeting, commissioned papers, reviews, and briefings. V. Progress/Compliance for Task Orders Milestone Reports. The Contractor shall reach an agreement with the COTR on milestones for each task and the amount of time/money that shall be expended to reach the milestones. At each milestone, the Contractor shall submit a written report on how much effort actually has been expended in proportion to the estimated amount of effort and whether delays or problems are expected in meeting future milestones. Each month the Contractor shall submit the following expenditure information in spreadsheet format for each task: Amount budgeted for the previous month Actual amount spent previous month Cumulative amount budgeted to date and % this amount is of the total budget Cumulative amount spent to date and % this is of the total budget Total budget for the task Estimated cost to complete task and % over or under budget Start and end dates Each month the Contractor shall verbally report on the progress or problems with each of the tasks in the contract either in a meeting or by phone. If at any point during a task the Contractor has reasons to believe there are or will be problems such as significant delays in the completion of the tasks or cost overruns, the Contractor shall immediately notify the COTR. VI. Other Contract Requirements 1. Contractor capabilities The contractor shall have the capabilities and resources to carry out the objectives of this statement of work to provide NCES with data analyses, research, expert opinions, and small-scale data collection. The contractor shall possess the competencies to: ? develop, document, retrieve, process, augment, and analyze large complex survey data files; ? review, evaluate, and synthesize statistical and education research literature; ? develop working data files by performing limited data input and/or combining data elements from various files; ? employ state-of-the-art statistical techniques appropriate to complex sample surveys; ? conduct analyses ranging from descriptive studies using chi-squared procedures and t-tests with Bonferroni adjustments to model development and testing using procedures such as hierarchical linear models, loglinear models, and various regression techniques; ? prepare graphic displays and tabulations of data; ? prepare written reports based on data analyses in a style suitable for the intended audience; ? conduct limited data collection activities including developing survey forms, survey designs, and clearance documentation; ? obtain and report on expert opinions. Much of the work involved in this contract will utilize NCES data bases which are large, complex, and varied with respect to methodology and content. As a result, the contractor shall have considerable technical expertise in selecting and applying complex statistical tests and resolving methodological issues arising from survey and questionnaire design survey and procedures. Additionally, considerable substantive expertise is crucial to interpreting, formulating conclusions, and making recommendations based on the outcomes of in-depth analyses and many of the other types of tasks described in this statement of work. 2. Project Staffing The Contractor shall designate a Project Director who shall oversee all tasks issued under this procurement, including handling all administrative responsibilities, serving as liaison with the NCES COTR, reporting on the progress of tasks, ensuring that tasks are completed on time and within budget, and reviewing all deliverables before submission to NCES. On specific tasks, the Project Director shall also perform some of the duties of a Senior Researcher. The Project Director shall be able to commit in excess of 50 percent of his or her time (including both Project Director and Senior Researcher activities) to this contract. The Contractor's staff shall work with designated NCES staff throughout the conduct of each task. For each task, the Contractor shall designate a task leader who will coordinate Contractor personnel involved in the task and Contractor interaction with the COTR and other NCES staff. The Contractor must be able to furnish staff that meet the specific requirements of each task order. The activities in each task order may require diverse and specialized skills that shall require a team approach or the very specialized knowledge or skills of specific individuals. Thus, the use of subcontractors and consultants is strongly encouraged. All personnel, including subcontractors' staff and consultants, utilized by the Contractor shall collectively possess the qualifications specified below. Qualifications of additional or replacement personnel needed throughout the duration of the contract must be equal to or exceed the qualifications stated for each labor category. For each task order, the Contractor shall submit a staffing plan showing the names of personnel to be assigned to the task. For each task that will involve outside parties, the Contractor must also submit the resume of the proposed expert or subcontractor, along with the budget proposal, to the CO for approval upon the recommendation of the NCES COTR. All personnel proposed for staffing a task shall be approved by the Contracting Officer prior to the performance of work on the task. A. Project Director (Key Staff). The Project Director must have experience in managing contracts with multiple tasks and in producing high quality deliverables on time and within budget. This experience must include directing staff with a wide range of expertise. This position also requires knowledge of the education research, data, and issues identified in Section II and of NCES survey data bases and experience with statistical analyses of survey data on computerized data files. This person must have experience authoring accurate, well-written papers and reports based on complex statistical analyses of cross-cutting education data. This person's resume shall include the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of three Federal COTRs for whom he/she has worked. B. Senior Researchers (Key Staff) . Senior Researchers should have a PhD or equivalent level of education or experience to conduct complicated statistical analyses of complex sample survey data and present such analyses in written and oral form. This position requires a working knowledge of NCES survey data bases and substantive knowledge of the education research, data, and issues identified in Section II of the RFP. Senior Researchers need to have experience in analyzing data from large scale surveys. They must possess demonstrated ability to produce reports based on complex statistical data analysis, including short-turnaround analysis. They must have the expertise to address statistical issues such as weighting, imputations, analysis of variance, and variance estimation for complex sample designs. In addition, they must have experience with the use of Microsoft Office 97 and other microcomputer software packages and the ability to work with programmers (senior and junior analysts). Senior Researchers must be able to serve as a team leader, to direct the work of consultants or research assistants and analysts, and to review/edit the work of others to produce accurate, well written, documents. They also must be able to summarize analytic findings in oral presentations. C. Research Assistants. Research Assistants must be familiar with statistical data analysis methods and possess demonstrated ability to conduct short-turnaround analyses and to support more complex analytic work. They must be able to do literature and data documentation searches and reviews. They must be able to present the results of analyses in clear written form. They must be able to use Microsoft Office 97 and other microcomputer software packages and to work with senior researchers and programmers (senior and junior analysts). They should have the experience or education to understand education issues and statistical studies. D. Senior Analysts. Senior Analysts must have experience with data analysis methods used to report statistical findings drawn from nationally representative surveys and advanced data analysis techniques such as Hierarchical Linear Modeling and other multivariate methods. They must be familiar with Microsoft Office 97 and microcomputer software packages like SAS or SPASS in both DOS and WINDOWS environment, and with troubleshooting typical hardware and software problems. Experience with software packages for balanced repeated replication, Taylor series approximations, and jacknifing is also required. In addition, they must have demonstrated experience in processing large, complex data files (e.g., longitudinal or hierarchical with or without complex sample designs) and assisting in the analysis of data. A senior analyst must be able to direct the work of junior analysts. E. Junior Analysts. Junior Analysts shall have enough experience to understand the work of and be of assistance to Senior Analysts. They should have experience in producing statistical tables, charts, and graphs with Microsoft Office 97 software. F. Operations Researchers. Operations Researchers shall have a PhD or equivalent level of education or experience in a field directly related to the requirements of this contract Operations Researchers must have experience in designing, conducting, and documenting methodological research projects and/or data collection projects. They shall have demonstrated experience with a wide variety of research methodologies and statistical techniques appropriate for small-scale projects including methods for collecting quantitative and qualitative data. They shall have a familiarity with the education research, data, and issues previously identified in Section II. They must be able to direct the work of teams conducting such studies. G. Editors Editors shall have skills necessary to review written reports for clarity of presentation and consistency with the OERI Publications Guide and Government Printing Office Style Manual. H. Administrative Assistant. Administrative assistants shall have the skills and experience to perform logistical and office support functions and to use Microsoft Office 97. I. Secretaries. Secretaries must have experience in utilizing word processing equipment to produce reports, papers, and memoranda, which may include graphics and tables. They must be able produce documents using Microsoft Office 97. 3. Equipment and Services The Contractor shall provide and maintain all necessary equipment and programs for transferring data to be analyzed between their facility and NCES. The Contractor shall maintain all programs and final results of analyses and reports in machine-readable form. The Contractor shall make working copies of the data files and software used for analyses. The Contractor shall also develop a system for storing and retrieving files to facilitate accurate and fast access to these data by both the Contractor staff and designated NCES staff. The contractor shall periodically ensure that data sets being used are current and clean. The Contractor shall have available suitable data and word processing equipment and peripherals for accomplishing task orders under this contract. The equipment shall include multmedia IBM compatible computers, modems suitable for working off-site, laser printers, and high resolutions graphics capability. The Contractor shall have available or make available FAX and electronic mail capabilities which can be interfaced with CCMAIL to ensure rapid exchange of information with the COTR. NCES expects the contractor to make frequent contacts with the COTR and other staff to discuss progress and potential project problems. In addition, the Contractor shall provide courier service as required for the transportation of material used in the contract. 1. Quality Assurance Technical quality control is an integral aspect of all activities carried out under the contract. The Contractor shall ensure that all deliverables, including draft materials are technically correct and adhere to the NCES Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021) accessible on the NCES Website at http://nces.ed.gov/. The contractor shall design and establish a formal procedure for examination and review of all deliverables to NCES to ensure that they are of high quality. Each report submitted by the Contractor that is scheduled to be an NCES publication shall undergo NCES' adjudication process. This process may take from 12 to 24 weeks from the date of receipt by NCES depending on the quality of the draft submitted to NCES. The process includes the following steps. ? The review draft is reviewed and approved by the NCES COTR or his/her designee. The Contractor shall make changes requested. ? The draft is reviewed and approved by the program and groups for which the work was performed. The Contractor shall make changes requested. ? The draft is submitted to the Office of the Commissioner (OC) for peer review distribution approval and dissemination to the Department's Principal Operating Components (POCs) for information and comment. ? The draft is sent out for review to a peer review adjudication panel comprised of from 3 to 8 individuals. Peer reviewers have the opportunity to comment on the draft in writing and/or at an adjudication panel meeting conducted by NCES. The contractor may be requested to attend the adjudication panel meeting. The group decisions at this meeting provide a buffer between the authors and the many reviewers who occasionally have conflicting or contradictory advice about what changes are necessary. The Contractor shall make changes to the draft based on the panel's recommendations or indicate why certain recommendations were not incorporated into the draft. The Contractor shall summarize both changes to the draft report and recommendations that were not implemented in an adjudication memo to the NCES COTR. During the review process, NCES will evaluate final reports on: Adherence to the NCES Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021). Adherence to the OERI Publications Guide. Technical accuracy. Completeness of coverage. Clarity of textual material. Clarity of tables, graph, figures. Organization of the report. Suitability for the intended audience. These criteria are part of the Surveillance Plan for this contract (included elsewhere in the RFP). 5. Other Requirements The Contractor also shall ensure that all NCES data are kept confidential according to the Department of Education Security Manual, Handbook Number 6 and NCES guidelines. NCES assures participating individuals and institutions that any data collected under its educational programs shall conform to NCES' standards for protecting the privacy of individuals. As part of that effort to ensure privacy, NCES issues both public-use and restricted data sets. The Contractor shall obtain and maintain an NCES site license for obtaining and using restricted data. The Contractor shall be responsible for obtaining access to any restricted data it may need for a task and for adhering to all procedures and requirements of the license. I Government Furnished Property No Government property will be furnished to complete the requirements of this statement of work. Task 1. Quick-Turnaround Work Requests In addition to task orders, quick-turnaround work requests shall be issued during the contract period to obtain technical support that will enable NCES to respond rapidly to requests for information in the areas previously identified in Section II. Work requests may include one or a combination of the task activities such as, but not limited to: ? Producing tabulations including estimates, unweighted sample sizes, and standard errors that are calculated by the method of balanced repeated replication (e.g. WESVAR) or by Taylor approximations (e.g. SUDDAN). ? Preparing spreadsheets, tables, charts, graphs, or other data displays; ? Providing on-site or telephone briefings to NCES staff and other organizations working with NCES; ? Preparing speeches and papers; ? Providing comments on reports, sampling plans, questionnaires, and other documents prepared by various groups; ? Entering data onto forms; ? Identifying and providing data sources to answer brief questions; ? Obtaining expert opinion through meetings, phone conversations, or emails and summarizing it; ? Attending and preparing materials for and summaries of meetings. These activities will be conducted on an as-needed basis during the period of the contract. The COTR will complete a work request form (attached) and forward it to the Contracting Officer for approval. The Contracting Officer will direct the Contractor to conduct the specified activities. All work requests shall be within the scope of this work statement, subject to the terms and conditions of this contract, and completed within 60 working days. The Contractor shall be required to submit a copy of each work request with the completion date, along with their invoice, in order to be paid for that request. WORK REQUEST CONTRACT NUMBER 1. Work Request Number: 2. Project Title and Description: 3. Deliverable(s)and Due Date(60 working days or less): 4. The Estimated Not-to-Exceed Hours: Labor Category Hours Rate Est Cost Project Director Senior Researcher Research Assistant Senior Analyst Junior Analyst Operations Researcher Editor Administrative Assistant Secretary 5. The total estimated other direct costs: Other (Copying, computer use, supplies) Travel G & A 6. The estimated total not-to-exceed cost including other direct costs is: 7. Approval: _____________________________ Dawn Nelson/COTR Date 8. Completion Date: _________ _____________________________ Contractor's Signature ______________________________ Helen Chang/CO Date Acceptance Date: _________ _____________________________ Dawn Nelson/COTR _____________________________ Helen Chang/CO Date Task 2: Preparation of Indicators for The Condition of Education 1999 I. Background The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) gathers and publishes information on the status and progress of education in the United States. The federal authorization (enacted in 1974, but with antecedents to 1867) for these activities states that the Center will "collect, collate, and from time to time, report full and complete statistics on the conditions of education in the United States." In 1975, The Condition of Education was created in response to this mandate. The Condition is an "indicators" volume that publishes data on a limited number of indicators describing major topics of interest and concern in education today. An indicator is not the same as a statistic because it is carefully designed to allow comparison, either over time, across countries, between groups, between sectors of education, or so forth. The Condition of Education provides a means to report where progress in being made in the education system and where it is not, to draw attention to emerging issues, and to inform the ongoing policy debate. The Condition of Education is a flagship publication of NCES. It contains elements from a variety of data sources including NCES, non-NCES Departmental sources, governmental sources outside the Department of Education, and non-governmental sources including educational organizations and associations. In addition to the diversity of data sources, the volume contains data on issues across a wide spectrum of education issues; from preprimary to post-graduate education. The publication is widely and frequently cited in education journals, newsletters, and a variety of other educational and general news media. II. Purpose The purpose of this task is to prepare approximately 15 new indicators and one overview essay for The Condition of Education 1999. The indicators shall be organized like those in The Condition of Education 1997, with an explanatory paragraph, bullets highlighting the key findings, a table appropriate for the text page, graphics for the chart page, supplemental tables, notes, and standard errors. The essay shall summarize the available data on several policy relevant issues. A copy of this publication is available on the NCES Website at http://nces.ed.gov/ III. Activities III. A. Activity 1: Prepare introductory paragraph, bullets, tables, draft charts, and supplemental notes For each of the 15 indicators identified by NCES, the contractor shall prepare an introductory paragraph, bullets, tables, draft charts, and supplemental notes. Below is a brief description of these components. The indicators shall be carefully reviewed by the contractor for accuracy and adherence to all NCES and OERI statistical and publication standards prior to sending to NCES. In particular, the tables shall be checked for accuracy against published tables when possible. All spreadsheets used to create the indicators shall be given to NCES on 3 1/2 inch (or metric equivalent) disks to facilitate review. III. A. 1. Introductory Paragraph The contractor shall prepare an introductory paragraph for each indicator. The introductory paragraph for the indicator shall contain the first element discussed below, and the other two elements if appropriate. The first element of the paragraph shall indicate why this topic has been selected as an indicator; i.e., what makes this an important indicator for education, and/or the education policy and research communities. Citations of current research or other pertinent information indicating the relevance of the data may be included. The second element of the paragraph should explain why the particular measure(s) and comparison(s) used in this indicator were chosen. For example, with NAEP indicators, the contractor might want to explain why scale scores and not proficiency scales were presented in the table. For some indicators it might be important to note why comparisons were presented among some groups but not others. The third element of this paragraph should point out the limitations, if any, of the data. For example, notifying the reader of an indicator on the Graduate Record Examination that data limitations create difficulties in comparisons is vital information that aids in the interpretation of the indicator. III. A. 2. Bullets or Highlights The contractor shall prepare bullets for each indicator. The bullets shall contain textual data on the most salient information in the indicator. Bullets shall be brief and succinct statements of the major findings from the data and shall be presented in a structured but readable format. That is, the indicator shall contain all the elements of statistical rigor necessary, but be presented in a "user friendly" format. The bullets may contain important policy information but shall not make policy conclusions or policy recommendations. Statements in the bullets shall most often be drawn directly from the text table(s) found in the indicators (see below). Occasionally, important highlights shall be drawn from supplemental tables. In no situation shall data for bullets come from a source outside of the Condition. For important categories, bullets should usually contain actual numbers or percentages drawn from the table. If a percentage is used, the contractor shall use the rounded whole number, instead of the percentage with a decimal place. The most frequent statements found in bullets are comparisons, typically across race/ethnic, sex, age, education sectors, locale, or income groups. However, a comparison cannot be cited unless it is statistically significant. All comparisons cited in the bullets must be statistically significant at the .05 level. The test typically employed to assess statistical significance is the t test. However, when multiple comparisons are cited, a Bonferroni adjustment to the significance level shall be made. When other tests are used, (including multiple regression) they shall be described in a note to NCES. The bullets shall be organized in a hierarchical manner. The first bullet shall generally contain global observations about the data (e.g., 80 percent of eighth graders indicated they were not fearful of an attack in school. No discussion of crime on the various race or ethnic groups is presented here.) After this initial bullet, breakouts shall be presented if appropriate. In most indicators, the most recent data shall be presented first and chronologically thereafter. For example, discussion of high school graduates in 1997 would precede a discussion of high school graduates in 1973. Bullets shall also contain data which might seem contrary to popular perception. For example, popular belief might be that crime in schools is centered primarily in inner-city schools. Data which contradicts that perception should be highlighted in an indicator bullet. III. A. 3. Text Table(s) The contractor shall prepare text tables for each indicator. Text tables shall contain the data to be highlighted for the indicator. Other important related data shall be included in supplemental tables to the indicator. The contractor shall develop at least one text table, although more than one table might be necessary. III. A. 4. Draft Chart(s) The contractor shall prepare one or more charts for each indicator. The contractor shall develop a draft of at least one chart for each indicator. The chart(s) shall capture succinctly the most educationally- and policy-relevant aspects of the data contained in the indicator. Charts can contain lines, bars, stacked bars, pies, maps, or other types, or a combination of these. Charts may be presented vertically or horizontally, depending on which view enhances the presentation. Charts may be complex or rudimentary, but must be understandable by the general public. III. A. 5. Supplemental Tables The contractor shall prepare supplemental tables for each indicator. There shall be at least two kinds of supplemental tables: 1) Standard error tables - All data drawn from a sample survey require a corresponding standard error table in order to calculate the variability of the estimates. However, tables drawn from a census do not. Standard errors shall be obtained either from a published source such as the NAEP documents or shall be calculated by the contractor. All standard errors shall be expressed to one decimal place. If standard errors need to be calculated, the contractor shall follow precisely Standard III-04-92 in NCES Statistical Standards. In particular, the contractor shall give important consideration to the complex sampling nature of NCES surveys (i.e., simple random samples are typically not used). 2) Tables which supplement the existing data in the indicator - Supporting data related to the indicator which was not deemed important enough to be included in the body of the indicator shall be included in supplemental tables. Since space is limited, the contractor shall limit the number of supplemental tables to only those tables which inject valuable or timely related data into the indicator. For example, the text table of an indicator might contain data from the population without any breakouts by race or ethnicity. The supplemental tables, therefore, would contain those breakouts. Another situation might be that data are important but no room is available in the body of the indicator. In some indicators, space is limited for the text table data to such an extent that every other year is included in the stub. In that case the contractor shall put the full table in a supplemental table to the indicator. All data presented in a text table shall be presented in the supplemental table, and the additional data shall be included as well. III. A. 6. Supplemental Notes The contractor shall prepare supplemental notes as necessary. Supplemental notes are extended notes about the data, calculations, or other items which could influence the interpretation of the data or aid in data analysis, but are too detailed to fit in the body of the indicator. Typically, supplemental notes are referenced in a note in the body of the indicator. The tables, text, and graphics for each indicator (Deliverable 1) shall be delivered to NCES on a flow basis between weeks 4 and 14. NCES shall comment on the introductory paragraph, bullets, tables, draft charts, and supplemental notes and the contractor shall incorporate the comments. NCES will schedule and conduct the adjudication of the Condition of Education 1999. NCES will gather comments and present them to the contractor in a telephone briefing. The contractor shall revise calculations, and/or text in response to peer reviewer comments. III. B. Activity 2: Write One ?Issue in Focus? essay based on the final indicators to be included in the Condition of Education 1999 The contractor shall prepare one Issue in Focus essay to be included in The Condition of Education 1999. The topics for this essay shall be determined in consultation with appropriate NCES staff. The essay shall use information from The Condition of Education 1999, in addition to information found in other NCES publications (e.g. The Digest of Education Statistics). It shall contain charts and tables to highlight the relevant points emphasized in the text. It shall be similar in structure and style to the essays included in The Condition of Education 1997. Drafts of the Issue in Focus essay (Deliverable 2) shall be due 18 weeks after award. III .C. Activity 3: Editing the entire manuscript of the Condition of Education 1999 The contractor shall edit the text, graphics, and tables in the draft manuscript of The Condition of Education 1999 and submit as Deliverable 4 by 30 weeks after award. This edit shall correct for grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and format consistency. This edit will also correct the manuscript for adherence to NCES and OERI style, logic, wordiness, transitions, consistency of data, and, accuracy of references. III. D. Activity 4: Formatting overview essay for separate publication in the ?Findings from The Condition of Education? series The contractor shall re-format the text, graphics, and tables from the Issue in Focus essay in The Condition of Education 1999 and prepare it for publication as a pamphlet in the ?Findings from The Condition of Education? series. The pamphlet shall be similar in structure and style to the pamphlets prepared for the series ?Findings from The Condition of Education 1997?. The pamphlet shall be given to NCES on 3 1/2 inch (or metric equivalent) disks in an electronic format suitable for printing by GPO as Deliverable 5 by 40 weeks after award. The contractor shall also prepare the pamphlet for publication on the NCES World Wide Web site, in both HTML and PDF formats as Deliverable 6 by 42 weeks after award. III. E. Activity 5: Planning for The Condition of Education 2000 The contractor shall prepare a list of 15 to 20 possible indicators on current policy relevant education topics for inclusion in the 2000 edition of The Condition of Education. This list shall contain the title of the indicator; the source(s) of the data; the measures(s) to be used (i.e., percents quartiles, average proficiency scores, standard deviation units, etc.) comparisons to be made (i.e., across years, race/ethnic groups, etc.); and the policy relevance of the indicator. This list of indicator (Deliverable 7) shall be due 46 weeks after award. IV. Period of Performance The period of performance shall be 46 weeks. V. Deliverables The deliverables shall be provided on 3.5 inch (or metric equivalent) disks using Microsoft Office 97 software (except where noted above) and suitable for use on an IBM compatible PC, and shall include hard copy print-out of the task products. Deliverable Schedule Date due 1. Introductory paragraph, bullets, tables, draft charts, and supplemental notes for the indicators 4-14 2. Draft of Issue in Focus essay 18 3. Final Issue in Focus essay 22 4. Edit of The Condition of Education 1999 manuscript 30 5. Issue in Focus essay formatted for publication by GPO 40 6. Issue in Focus essay formatted for publication on NCES WWW site 42 7. List of indicator ideas for The Condition of Education 2000 46 Task 3. Vocational Education Issues Technical Review Panel I. Background and Purpose NCES' vocational education program requires input from a number of individuals and organizations in order to address the data needs of policy makers and of those performing policy studies and educational research. The Contractor shall form and work with a Technical Review Panel (TRP) on vocational education issues. The Contractor shall ensure that the TRP provides the Contractor with review and comment on such matters as data collection practices and policy and research topics that are appropriate for the vocational education program and other technical and policy matters that arise from time to time. The Contractor shall ensure that the TRP plays an active role in the vocational education program by reviewing and commenting on overall research priorities, identifying policy and research questions, providing input about questionnaire and assessment instrument content, proposing analytical models and methods, reviewing work plans and their implementation, and reviewing and suggesting modifications to draft reports. The Contractor shall not ask the TRP to function as a consensus group. Instead, the Contractor shall ask the individuals on the panel to review and respond to matters concerning the vocational education program and to offer their individual opinions and evaluations on such matters. It is the responsibility of the Contractor to compile and weigh these different opinions and recommendations, and to provide a recommended course of action to NCES. II. Activities Activity 1: The Contractor's responsibilities related to the TRP shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following: 1. Identify and recruit up to 10 non-government members for the TRP and 1 or 2 representatives from each of the governmental agencies sponsoring surveys that produce vocational education data. Members shall be national authorities in those substantive and methodological areas critical to the conduct of NCES' vocational education program. Within three weeks of task award, the Contractor shall identify, in writing, individuals with the needed expertise for possible membership on the TRP. The Contractor shall identify the institutional affiliation of each nominee and provide a short biographical sketch highlighting expertise and prior work related to vocational education. Following NCES review of the list of individuals nominated for membership, which shall take no more than four weeks, the Contractor shall contact each individual to solicit and finalize his/her participation. 2. Prepare all materials and correspondence required for TRP consideration and review. After NCES review and approval, the Contractor shall share materials with the TRP for review and comment. E-mail shall be used as much as possible for communications with TRP members. 3. Schedule two meetings with panel members. The first panel meeting shall occur within 16 weeks of task award. The second meeting shall be scheduled at least 24 weeks in advance. The Contractor shall hold all meetings in Washington, D.C. at a site accessible by disabled persons and by Metro subway service unless otherwise approved by the COTR. 4. Arrange for TRP meetings (e.g., meeting space and accommodations) and pay all associated expenses. Non-government panelists shall be paid an honorarium plus per diem and travel expenses. Government participants and guests at the TRP meetings will usually include 8-10 staff from NCES and 1-2 staff from each of the government agencies sponsoring surveys that produce vocational education data. 5. Prepare and submit an agenda and progress report on NCES' vocational education program to NCES at least 4 weeks prior to each meeting. The Contractor shall deliver the agenda, progress report, and any other materials that will be used by panel members for discussion at the meetings to panel members at least 1 week prior to the meeting. 6. Prepare minutes of the meetings. The contractor shall tape record the meetings and submit a written summary to NCES within two weeks of each meeting. The minutes shall include a summary of the discussions (There is no requirement for a verbatim transcript) and activities that took place during the meeting, highlighting major issues that were raised and decisions made. The minutes shall identify actions (long-term and immediate) the Contractor will take to respond to issues that were raised and not resolved during these meetings. The minutes of the meeting shall be distributed to panel members and invited guests within three weeks of each meeting after NCES review. 7. Arrange and pay for specific work products not tied to a meeting. For example, TRP members might be asked to review and comment on a particular draft paper. Again, non-government panelists shall be paid an honorarium. 8. Supply NCES with copies of all correspondence and other materials exchanged with panelists. Activity 2: In addition to the Contractor's TRP, other special review panels may be required. For example, the NCES has used a group of vocational education specialists to review plans for future publications. If such panels of consultants are used, the Contractor shall have the same responsibilities for these panels as are outlined for the Contractor=s TRP (see Activity 1 above). The Contractor shall assume that one special group comprised of up to 6 non-federal members will be convened for a one-day meeting in Washington, D.C. during the period of this task. III. Period of Performance The period of performance shall be 52 weeks. IV. Deliverables Weeks after award Proposed TRP membership list 3 Materials for first TRP meeting 12 Minutes of first TRP meeting 18 Materials for second TRP meeting 4 weeks before meeting Minutes of second TRP meeting 2 weeks after meeting . Surveillance Plan The work performed on this contract is subject to the technical review of the COTR. In general, the work will be evaluated in terms of how well the requirements of each task are satisfied and the extent to which the work performed met the time schedule for each task. At the discretion of the COTR or the Contracting Officer or Specialist, other government officials approved by the Contracting Officer or Specialist may be asked to evaluate a particular deliverable or set of deliverables. The Contractor's performance will be evaluated annually in terms of the performance standards set forth below. Only the final product from tasks that have been completed during the annual evaluation period will be evaluated; interim products leading to the final product will be evaluated in terms of their contribution to the final product, but not separately. The performance standards will allow the Government to make an objective assessment of the Contractor's performance based on the quality, completeness, and timeliness of its technical work. ACTIVITY 1: Final products resulting from Planning and Conducting Research such as annotated research bibliographies, synopses of articles and studies, papers or oral briefings on synthesized materials, and study or sample designs. STANDARD: The Contractor shall adhere to NCES' Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021) and shall provide, by the due date, adequate materials that are acceptable for the intended audience and require only minor revisions. ACTIVITY 2: Final products resulting from Developing and Testing Data Collection Instruments such as the data collection instrument and procedures, OMB clearance materials, and reports on data collection results. STANDARD: The Contractor shall adhere to NCES' Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021) and OMB's directive 5 CFR 1320 and shall provide, by the due date, adequate materials that are acceptable for the intended audience and require only minor revisions. ACTIVITY 3: Final products resulting from Obtaining Information from Experts such as meeting arrangements, syntheses of meeting proceedings, arrangements made for commissioned papers, reviews or briefings. STANDARD: By the due date, the contractor shall make the arrangements specified in the task, provide meeting materials as needed, and prepare adequate materials that are acceptable for the intended audience and require only minor revisions. The meeting sites are accessible by disabled persons and accessible by Metro subway if held in Washington, DC. ACTIVITY 4: Final products resulting from Obtaining and Maintaining Data for Secondary Analysis such as a data base, a merged subset of computerized data bases for analysis, data base documentation, composite or recoded variables with specifications. STANDARD: The Contractor shall adhere to NCES' Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021) and shall provide, by the due date, adequate materials that are acceptable for the intended audience and require only minor revisions. ACTIVITY 5: Final products resulting from Analyzing and Preparing Reports such as a final report for publication. STANDARD: The Contractor shall prepare reports that: Adhere to the NCES Statistical Standards (NCES 92-021). Adhere to the OERI Publications Guide. Contain adequate, technically accurate text, tables, graphs, and figures that are acceptable for the intended audience and require only minor revisions. Are delivered by the due date. 1 14 25