Attachment A STATEMENT OF WORK Administrative Records Development A. INTRODUCTION The Surveys and Cooperative Systems Group of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the US Department of Education has a requirement improve the quality, comparability and accessibility of data reported by state and local education agencies. This will encourage state and local agencies to adopt the standards and use the technical assistance available from NCES. It will identify emerging needs and potential uses for the data these agencies collect. Widespread use of the data standards, products and services will in turn further goals for a national data system developed jointly by the Department of Education and the states under the National Cooperative Education Statistics System. B. BACKGROUND A series of inter-related projects between the Federal government and the state education agencies has developed elementary/secondary education record systems to the point that now requires the support described in this statement of work. The work described herein is a logical continuation of successful efforts over the past 12 years. EARLY WORK TO IMPROVE DATA COMPARABILITY In the mid 1980's, NCES contracted to collaborate work to improve the uniformity, timeliness and accuracy of data collected on public elementary/secondary education. This work aimed to establish consensus on the definitions, and resulting uniformity in the data complying with them, for the Common Core of Data (CCD) surveys. CCD data are reported by state education agencies from their own administrative record systems, those that collect and maintain the information needed by the state to manage its own public education operations. While the use of existing administrative records is cost-effective and adds a minimal amount of reporting burden to the respondents, differences in the structure and quality of state data systems make it difficult to convert these data to a uniform, accurate national data base. A second project sponsored by NCES through the contractor produced individual agreements with state education agencies about the changes needed to bring their CCD reporting in line with the definitions and data collection standards (e.g., error tolerance, timeliness) agreed to in the prior project. LATER WORK WITH THE COOPERATIVE SYSTEM The Hawkins-Stafford Education Improvement Amendments of 1988 (Public Law 100-297) directed NCES to establish a cooperative system that would "produce and maintain, with the cooperation of the states, comparable and uniform education statistics." (The Cooperative System is currently authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments of 1994; a copy of the enabling legislation is included in Attachment B.) To assist in meeting this 1988 mandate, NCES established the National Forum on Education Statistics. This group is composed of representatives of the state and outlying area education agencie and of Federal agencies and national professional associations with an interest in elementary/secondary education data. The Forum continues to operate today. With the assistance available through a third project with the encumbent contractor, Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and through individual task order contracts with the states, NCES worked collaboratively with the Forum to develop key products in support of the Cooperative System's goals. These included: customized software that translated states' financial reports into conformity with the CCD's National Public Education Finance Survey; the document, Standards for Education Data Collection and Reporting; the Staff Data Handbook and Student Data Handbook; the format for transmitting student transcript data electronically, SPEEDE/ExPRESS (Standards for Postsecondary Education Electronic Data Exchange/Exchange of Permanent Records Electronically for Students and Schools). In addition, both the state contracts and work contracted through CCSSO offered assistance in adopting these new standards and products through activities such as site visits to assess state needs for automating their data systems, task orders for states to develop feasibility plans to improve data automation, and personnel exchanges that allowed staff from one state to serve as consultants, or agencies to serve as demonstration sites, for other states. A fourth project, begun in the summer of 1994, has continued to assist NCES and other members of the Forum in the development of products and standards that are necessary to the capacity for a national data system. These have included the standards of the Guidelines for Protecting the Privacy of Student Records, with an accompanying brochure for parents explaining their rights concerning the privacy of their children's education records. The project has also resulted in the identification of Basic Data Elements for Elementary and Secondary Education Data Systems, a core of information that should be defined consistently at all levels of record keeping. Further work included an analysis of the contents of major federal education data collections, and plans for such salient education indicators as a national high school graduation rate. PRESENT AND ANTICIPATED NEEDS In July, 1996 the Forum on Education Statistics began to review the Strategic Plan under which it had worked for several years. A copy of this plan is included as Attachment B. The review process will examine progress to date on the original long-range goals and objectives, and changes in the education information environment that warrant new or modified objectives. The review will look closely at the extent to which the work of the Cooperative System has been adopted by state (and now local) education agencies, and the impact of this adoption on the quality and efficiency of data systems. NCES' role in achieving this strategic plan is two-fold. First, the agency must ensure that its primary administrative records data collection, the CCD, supports the goals of the Cooperative System. Second, NCES must continue to support improvement among the state education agencies that provide administrative records data. Ensuring that the accomplishments of the Cooperative System have an impact on the national data system, and that they continue to do so, requires complex and specialized work in three major areas. These are improving adherence to current data standards and definitions, particularly in the CCD; identifying emerging information needs that can be met through state and local administrative records; and promoting wide adoption of products and standards that will improve state and local data systems. Improving CCD quality and comparability. The CCD is useful to the extent that it reflects valid and comparable information from all of its reporting states. To achieve this quality, NCES must determine whether the states are complying in a standard fashion with the surveys' definitions, and must provide technical assistance to those states that are not in compliance. NCES must also involve the states in determining information needs that can be met through possible revisions to the CCD, and the feasibility of implementing such revisions. Developing standards and indicators. The Forum has developed a number of data improvement products, as described in earlier sections, and will continue to identify and meet data improvement needs. NCES must assist the Forum in its current work in two areas of data standards: school finance data and education facilities data. In the future, attention must be turned to developing a data agenda (information needs and ways to meet these) that will further the Forum's strategic plan. Promoting data use. NCES is also aware that the current products of the Cooperative System are not its sole contribution to a national data system. The data improvement projects carried out over the past 12 years have resulted in better and more comparable data reported by the states to NCES. As might be expected, these improvements have led to demand for a greater quantity, and even higher quality, of education data from administrative records. Promoting the use of data and standards involves several tasks. First, the standards must be presented in a way that makes them usable to a wide range of audiences. The technical manual that is appropriate for a computer systems specialist may be unusable to a local school board that could also profit from the information. Second, activities to encourage the adoption of Cooperative System standards and products must include strategies that uncover the need for new products. If the Cooperative System does not have a reliable means for "scanning its environment," external changes will soon make its accomplishments obsolete. C. SCOPE OF WORK The goal of this project is to promote the growth of a national elementary/secondary data system through increased adoption of the data collection, transmission, and reporting standards and the products to facilitate data collection and use that have been developed by NCES and the states through the Cooperative System. Since this growth is a continuing process, the project must also identify emerging technical innovations and program and policy issues that affect the developing data system. The end result of these efforts will be improved capacity of local, state and Federal education agencies to support a strong, interwoven network of data sharing for education purposes, while reducing the data reporting burden placed on local educators and ensuring that issues of confidentiality, access, security and the like are adequately maintained. However, this broad goal must be accomplished through specific tasks. The work described in this statement will promote state and local adoption of data standards by improving compliance with the definitions and reporting conventions of the CCD, which represents data from every public school and local education agency in the United States. The work will also provide technical standards, guidelines, and other technical assistance tools in policy-relevant data that may not be reflected in the CCD. It will ensure that the improvement effort is ongoing by developing products to make these standards useful to a wide range of audiences and by continuing to scan the education environment for emerging information needs. D. TASKS MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES A.1 Within two weeks following the initial planning meeting, the contractor shall submit a detailed management plan to the Contracting Officer (CO) and Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR). The plan shall include, at a minimum, a detailed staffing plan that shows the responsibilities and time commitment of project staff, by name, for the first (award) year, a list of potential subcontractors or consultants who may be required to carry out some part of the first year's work; a detailed timeline for tasks and deliverables during the first year; and a description of budget, production, and staffing control procedures to be employed throughout the duration of the project. No less than 60 days before the end of the first year, the contractor shall submit to the COTR a detailed management plan for the first option year. The contents and review process shall be the same as those for the award year's plan. The same procedure shall be followed for all subsequent option years in which work is awarded. A.2 The contractor shall submit a bi-monthly management reports to the COTR describing activities and budget summaries indicating projected and actual expenditures for the month, by task; and actual expenditures and anticipated total cost to complete, by task. The report shall follow the NCES-approved format shown in Attachment C. BASE YEAR - TASK 1. IMPROVING CCD QUALITY AND COMPARABILITY 1.1 The contractor shall convene three technical review panels, each consisting of 8 state education agency members; 2 individuals from local school districts; and 4 individuals from the Department of Education or professional education associations. NCES shall approve the contractor's nominees to these review panels. Each review panel shall meet for 1.5 days and shall discuss how the members interpret and report CCD data items. Items shall include, but not be limited to, free-lunch eligible counts; special education IEP counts; and racial/ethnic counts. 1.2 The contractor shall review the definitions for up to 15 items on the CCD surveys and shall develop, with the cooperation of NCES and state education agency CCD staff, any changes needed to improve the accuracy and understandability of the definitions. NCES shall approve the list of items to be reviewed. BASE YEAR - TASK 2. DEVELOPING STANDARDS AND INDICATORS 2.1 The contractor shall assist the Finance Data Elements Task Force of the National Forum on Education Statistics in identifying basic finance data elements to be maintained in records at all levels and for all purposes. The assistance shall include participating in 4 two-day meetings of the Task Force; preparing and distributing lists and descriptions of finance data elements collected by state and local school systems and used in education indicator reports; preparing and distributing reports from each Task Force meeting. 2.2 The contractor shall assist the Facilities Data Elements Task Force of National Forum on Education Statistics in identifying basic school facilities data elements to be maintained in records at all levels and for all purposes. The assistance shall include participating in 4 two-day meetings of the Task Force; preparing and distributing lists and descriptions of facility data items collected by state and local school systems and used in education indicator reports; preparing and distributing reports from each Task Force meeting. BASE YEAR - TASK 3. PROMOTING DATA USE 3.1 The contractor shall confer with NCES and the Forum on Education Statistics to determine potential audiences for the guidelines in Basic Data Elements for Elementary and Secondary Education. The contractor shall then prepare materials to adapt or promote these guidelines for use among audiences including, but not limited to, local school district central office staff and school board members. Materials shall include, but need not be limited to, a descriptive brochure; and an introduction/overview to be added to the NCES Web page. 3.2 The contractor shall operate a Personnel Exchange that will support up to 10 on-site visits by teams of 3 state or local education agency personnel. The purpose of the exchange shall be to provide guidance from peers to a requesting state or local agency, or to allow staff from a requesting agency to observe practices at another site, in any area related to the goals and agenda of the National Forum on Education Statistics. Visits shall be for no more than 3 days each. The contractor shall advertise the program; review applicants and recommend approval by NCES; reimburse travel, lodging and meal expenses; and review the participants' report to ensure that the purpose of the exchange was met. 3.3 The contractor shall establish a Policy Review Group to provide guidance on the usefulness of activities of the Cooperative System and to identify emerging issues or information needs in information policy in which the Cooperative System could assist. The contractor shall nominate members to be approved by the Commissioner for Education Statistics. The Group shall consist of 12 members, including no fewer than four Chief State School Officers; two local school district Superintendents; one representative of the National Education Goals Panel; a representative of one Department of Education program office; one education researcher; and the current Chairperson of the Forum. 3.4 The contractor shall convene a yearly meeting of the Policy Review Group in Washington, DC. The purpose of the meeting shall be to inform the Group of current work by the Cooperative System and secure the members' guidance as to emerging issues that could affect future work under the Cooperative System. 3.5 The contractor shall disseminate information about the products and activities of the Cooperative System by writing articles for the house journals of associations that belong to the Forum on Education Statistics; preparing materials to be published on the NCES Web page; and making presentations at two professional research or association meetings each year. OPTION YEAR TASKS OPTION YEAR - TASK 1. Improving CCD Quality and Comparability. 1.3 In Option Years 1 through 4, the contractor shall convene technical review panels as described in Base Year Task 1.1. 1.4 In Option Year 1, the contractor shall determine the extent to which states are complying with the reporting requirements added to the CCD for the 1998-99 school year. These will include, pending OMB approval, counts of high school completers by race/ethnicity and sex; counts of students with special education individual education programs, by race/ethnicity; counts of migrant students served at the school district level; and designation of charter and magnet schools. 1.5 In Option Years 2 through 4, the contractor shall provide technical assistance to states that are not complying with CCD reporting standards. Assistance shall include, but need not be limited to, telephone conferencing; arranging Personnel Exchanges; and providing written instructions in problem areas. 1.6 In Option Year 2, the contractor shall assist NCES in identifying information needs that could lead to revisions in the CCD surveys. This assistance shall take the form of convening up to 3 meetings of 15 persons each, all from the Washington, DC area. The meetings will include representatives from Department of Education program offices and professional associations that are users of CCD data. The contractor shall nominate participants; secure NCES approval of the participants; make all arrangements necessary to conduct the meeting; and write a summary report of each meeting's discussion. 1.7 In Option Year 3, the contractor shall assess the feasibility of changes to the CCD that were recommended as a result of Option Year Task 1.6. The assessment shall include a customer service survey of all state CCD Coordinators. The contractor also shall arrange for review of these proposed changes by appropriate program offices within the Department of Education; state CCD Coordinators; and the Education Information Advisory Committee of CCSSO. The review shall determine the availability and estimate the burden of any additional data items proposed. 1.8 In Option Year 4, the contractor shall determine the extent to which states are complying with the requirements of the revised CCD surveys. This determination shall identify states that are not reporting, or are reporting in a nonstandard manner, the revised or added CCD items; describe how the misreported items differ from NCES standards; and determine when and how each state might come into agreement with the reporting requirements. OPTION YEARS - TASK 2. Developing Standards and Indicators. 2.3 In Option Year 1, the contractor shall assist the Finance Data Elements Task Force as described in Base Year Task 2.1. 2.4 In Option Year 1, the contractor shall assist the Facilities Data Elements Task Force as described in Base Year Task 2.2. 2.5 In Option Year 2, the contractor shall identify education indicators that will inform the data agenda for the Forum on Education Statistics. The contractor shall conduct a literature review of education policy and interview representatives from professional associations, appointed boards, and other groups that have an active interest in measuring the condition or progress of elementary/secondary education. The contractor shall synthesize the results of this research into a written document identifying key indicators and the data needed to report them. 2.6 In Option Year 3, the contractor shall develop a data agenda for approval by the Forum on Education statistics, recommending means for reporting information that is not readily available, but is needed to produce the indicators identified in Option Year Task 2.5. This data agenda shall be presented for approval by NCES and the Forum. OPTION YEARS TASK 3. Promoting Data Use. 3.6 In Option Years 1 through 4 the contractor shall continue to convene the Policy Review Group as described in Base Year Task 3.4. 3.7 In Option Years 1 through 4 the contractor shall continue to operate the Personnel Exchange as described in Base Year Task 3.2. 3.8 In Option Years 1 through 4 the contractor shall continue dissemination activities as described in Base Year Task 3.5. 3.9 In Option Year 1 the contractor shall develop user materials for the product of the facilities Data Task Force, in the same manner as described in Base Year Task 3.1. 3.10 In Option Year 2, the contractor shall develop user materials for the products of the Finance Data Elements Task Force, in the same manner as described in Base Year Task 3.1. 3.11 In Option Years 3 and 4 the contractor shall develop user materials for products of Forum Task Forces (not yet identified), in the same manner as described in Base Year Task 3.1.