Continuation of the Development, Administration, and Reporting of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Testing Program

The RFP and associated documents are posted on NYSED's Procurement website. The RFP has been updated to remove references to CPO2-Confidential: Contractor’s Data Privacy and Security Plan. Applicants should refer to Attachment F when drafting their data and security plan. - Updated 2/13/2026 The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Office of Teacher and Leader Development is seeking proposals for the continued implementation of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) Testing Program. Services include revision, enhancement, development, administration, and reporting of all educator certification assessments, as well as additional instruments deemed necessary by NYSED for the certification of New York State teachers, teaching assistants, school counselors, and educational leaders. Chart 1: New York State Teacher Certification Examinations in Section 1.3.2 of the RFP lists NYSTCE component tests for which the contractor will be responsible for the length of the contract. These examinations are required pursuant to Part 80 of Chapter II (Regulations of the Commissioner of Education), in Title 8 (of the Education Law) of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules, and Regulations of the State of New York (8 NYCRR) published by the Department of State. These examinations implement the Commissioner’s regulations, which require prospective New York State educators to pass designated tests as a requirement for receiving State certification pursuant to the New York Consolidated Education Laws §3001 and §3003. New York State teachers, teaching assistants, educational leaders, and pupil personnel service providers are required to hold a New York State certificate in order to be employed in the State’s public schools. The certificates are issued by the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) and certify that an individual has met certain requirements. The NYSTCE program includes tests for teacher, teaching assistant, school counselor, and educational leadership certification, in addition to the Bilingual Education Assessments (BEA) and the Communication and Quantitative Skills Test (CQST). The NYSTCE program also provides a NYSTCE portfolio assessment (“NYSTCE Flex”), responsive to the February 2025 adopted amendments to Part 80-1.5 of the Commissioner’s regulations. The contractor must submit a valid, complete, and comprehensive five-year work plan with a timeline that provides an in-depth description of how the assessment development, administration, and related activities required in the RFP will be conducted. The contractor must be willing and able to adjust the initial work plan to accommodate possible changes in state and Federal reporting requirements. 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. NYSED will award one (1) contract pursuant to this RFP. The contract resulting from this RFP will be for a term anticipated to begin September 1, 2026, and to end August 31, 2031. The RFP, all documents and any updates will will be posted to https://www.nysed.gov/funding-opportunities/competitive-service-contract-procurements. Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: NCS Pearson