Develop Online Data Collection system
This Request for Proposal ("RFP") is being issued by the State of Idaho, Department of Administration, Division of Purchasing (Purchasing) on behalf of the State of Idaho, Board of Education (SBE) to solicit proposals from interested firms to provide data collection and reporting for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program in Idaho (GEAR UP Idaho).
GEAR UP is an early intervention program for middle school students, starting at the seventh grade. Enacted in 1998, GEAR UP is a federal program intended to encourage low-income students to develop an academic skills plan and influence their educational choices early on in their schooling. GEAR UP provides funding to the SBE through a grant that is renewed annually (the GEAR Up Grant).
GEAR UP encompasses a wide range of activities for students, parents and school personnel, including academic enrichment, college awareness programs and professional development. GEAR UP Idaho, administered by the SBE now serves thirty nine (39) middle and high schools in Idaho. In the fall of 2007, GEAR UP Idaho will serve nearly 4300 students. Twenty-two (22) Site Coordinators will assist the GEAR UP Idaho staff within the SBE in providing general oversight for program activities in designated schools across the state. Each Site Coordinator maintains a School Team that consists of at least three (3) members from each GEAR UP school, and three (3) from the high school where the majority of the GEAR UP students will attend. The team may include: principals; teachers; counselors; parents; or community volunteers.
GEAR UP Grant requirements include significant data collection, matching funds contributions and evaluation requirements for state projects. These requirements include:
Collecting demographic, performance and participation data on GEAR UP Idaho students.
Collect data on matching contributions to Gear Up Idaho.
Administering opinion surveys.
Tracking the involvement of parents and school personnel in GEAR UP Idaho activities.
Submitting an annual performance report (due in April) to GEAR UP. The GEAR UP Annual Performance Report for State Programs, Program Year 2007-2008 is attached to this RFP as Exhibit 1 and incorporated herein by this Reference.
In addition to the above requirements, GEAR UP emphasizes formative evaluation and continuous reporting of results, both to federal authorities and to GEAR UP Idaho participants. To meet federal reporting requirements and program evaluation needs, this RFP requires that the successful Vendor develop a GEAR UP Idaho online data collection system as the data collection tool for all participating schools. GEAR UP Idaho personnel, including SBE staff, Site Coordinators, school staff and School Teams will also participate in data collection and/or evaluation activities. The services required under this RFP are more particularly described in Section 3, Scope of Work.
