New York State High School Equivalency Testing Program

The Request for Procurement (RFP) is posted at: https://www.nysed.gov/funding-opportunities/rfp-303-new-york-state-high-school-equivalency-testing-program The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Special Education and ACCES-Adult Career and Continuing Education Services is seeking proposals for the New York State High School Equivalency Testing Program. The proposal will be for a program which can develop and deliver a computer-based (CBT) and paper-based test (PBT) which meets the standards of the New York State High School Equivalency (NYS HSE) exam, available for delivery in both English and Spanish. Major provisions for this RFP include: Provision of a New York State High School Equivalency test Specific customizations needed to meet NYSED regulations and policy requirements For computer-based tests (CBT), provision of a system-agnostic test administration platform to administer the test at New York State’s NYSED-approved local testing locations that meet technical specifications For paper-based tests (PBT), provision of test administration to be delivered within secure settings and select private NYSED-approved test centers and as a testing accommodation for candidates with documentation to support PBT. System that scores, records, and reports outcomes for candidate test events, including at least one written essay response Provision for a contractor-developed process, which meets ADA compliance, to manage and render decisions on accommodations requests for candidates with disabilities System that provides candidates access to test scheduling and examinee records, including assistive tools and practice questions Direct support and service including onboarding of new test centers and test center staff, training for test center and NYSED staff, individual case handling and resolution, support services to assist users in system navigation and troubleshooting, and ongoing communication with NYSED Provision of information security across all systems including systematized record transfer to the NYSED Access to detailed analysis of systems data including targeted research within core reporting services Provision to support supplemental test delivery in accordance with NYSED needs and approval The NYS HSE Testing Program must be available for implementation by January 1, 2027. However, the vendor must begin necessary preparatory work by November 1, 2026. CBT delivery has been steadily increasing since its launch in 2014. It remains a goal of the NYS HSE Testing Program to fully expand CBT statewide, continuing to shift from PBT to CBT administration for all public testing sites. In 2024 CBT testing accounted for approximately 87% of overall test delivery in NYS. The contractor must provide a plan that is sufficiently flexible to support statewide test centers in delivery of CBT and PBT testing. Currently, correctional facilities and a limited number of private not-for-profit entities and public organizations administer PBT. The contractor must ensure that the test can be accessed by the existing computers and infrastructure available in New York State’s HSE test centers that are identified by NYSED. The contractor will provide a tool, utility, or process for test centers to use to verify the capacity of their technical infrastructure for conducting CBTs that use the contractor’s test administration platform. Eligible applicants are for-profit or not-for-profit entities, including large testing companies and/or educational organizations. Eligible applicants will have demonstrated capacity to complete all required services for large-scale assessments and demonstrated experience in educational measurement, scaling and equating, score collection, standard setting, data analysis, technical reporting, CBT administration and the ability to either administer tests fully remotely, or subcontract for such. Subcontracting will be limited to thirty percent (30%) of the total contract budget. Subcontracting is defined as non-employee direct personal services and related incidental expenses, including travel. Bidders are required to comply with NYSED’s Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) participation goals for this RFP through one of three methods. Compliance methods are discussed in detail in the Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Participation Goals section below. Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: GED Testing Service LLC Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) SDVOB Goal: 6.00% Minority / Women Business Enterprise contracting goals (MWBE) MBE Goal: 17.00% WBE Goal: 13.00% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise contracting goals (DBE) DBE Goal: 0.00%