ED-VAE-13-R-0025
03/12/2013
Improving Adult English Language Instruction
Performance Work Statement (PWS)
U.S. Department of Education (ED)
Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)
Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL)
A. Background:
Adult English Language Learners (ELLs) represent a significant proportion of the adult
education student population in the United States. The Office of Vocational and Adult Education
(OVAE) in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) serves almost two million adult learners,
nationwide. According to data from the National Reporting System (NRS)1, in program year
2011 - 2012, English as a Second Language (ESL) students comprised approximately 41% of the
population enrolled in state adult education programs.
Further, federal initiatives, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)2 and
comprehensive immigration reform3 will likely increase demand for high-quality adult ESL
instruction, and concomitantly, greater urgency for an adult education teaching force that is
prepared to meet the cultural, linguistic and academic needs of immigrants who are learning
English as a Second Language.
Many of these adult English Language Learners are undereducated, lack native language
proficiency, and have limited skills and thus limited educational and career opportunities.
Therefore, meeting the needs of adult ELLs is an important component of services funded
through the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). OVAE’s resources for teachers
of adult English language learners can help to meet this demand for high-quality instruction and
well-prepared teachers.
There is tremendous diversity in the adult ESL population. Learners come from divergent
linguistic and educational backgrounds and experiences. They vary in their literacy levels in their
native language and vary in their educational backgrounds: Some adult learners are immigrant
professionals with limited English proficiency; others are refugees with little formal education in
their home countries; others are Generation 1.5 (born in another country and came to the U.S. old
enough to speak a language other than English, yet young enough to have received the majority
of their education in U.S. K-12 schools); or are heritage language learners (born in the U.S. but
raised in homes where a language other than English is spoken).
Additionally, while many adult ELLs are enrolled in ESL classes, they also fill the ranks of other
adult education classes. In order to improve their academic skills, many adults who speak
English as Second Language also enroll in Adult Basic Education (ABE) or Adult Secondary
1
The National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS) is the accountability system for federally funded adult
basic education, adult secondary education, and English as a Second Language (ESL) education in the United States.
See www.nrsweb.org.
2
See http://www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals
3
See http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration
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Education (ASE) courses. Therefore, all adult education teachers need to know effective
practices for working with culturally and linguistically diverse learners.
All learners, especially struggling learners, need qualified teachers. A qualified teaching staff
and the professional development experiences of teachers are significantly related to student
outcomes.4 Although the urgent need for professionalization of the nation’s adult education
teaching force has been documented,5 the quality of the adult education teaching force remains
varied for many reasons, such as unevenness in state requirements, the lack of availability of
both pre- and in-service teacher preparation, and professional development opportunities.
Historically, OVAE has responded to the need to improve the adult English Language
instructional workforce through its initiatives, such as ELL-U, LINCS, TELL, CAELA Network,
Teacher Effectiveness, and Immigrant Integration. Through these efforts, OVAE has helped
states to better address the diverse challenges adults face when learning English, has helped the
field identify what teachers of adult ELLs need to know, and has started to develop and collect
professional development resources. These professional development resources are evidencebased and have benefitted many teachers. However, these resources could be used much more
widely.
This new three-year initiative will build on, and extend, OVAE’s previous investments6 to
improve the knowledge, skills and abilities of teachers working with adult ELLs by providing
collaborative, evidence-based, and technology-enhanced professional development opportunities.
First, this new initiative will update previous OVAE efforts by compiling, revising and
increasing awareness of resources from across previous key initiatives related to adult ELLs.7
Secondly, this new initiative will encourage innovative uses of these resources by and with
exemplary classroom teachers by establishing a Teacher User Group. The Teacher User Group
will review on-line, practitioner-oriented resources for their efficacy in working with ELLs in the
adult education classroom. In so doing, this initiative will support the Department’s goal to
support Open Education Resources (OER) for improving teaching and learning. By utilizing
OERs in adult education and providing professional development to teachers on their use and
assessment, this effort seeks to pair pedagogical content knowledge with resources, a
combination recognized as critical to successful and scale-able implementation of technologybased learning.8
4
(AIR, in progress).
Smith, C., & Gomez, R. (2011). Certifying adult education staff and faculty. New York: Council for Advancement
of Adult Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.caalusa.org/certteach.pdf.
6
See projects such as ELL-U (ED-VAE-10-C-0039, LINCS (LINCS resource collection: ED-VAE-11-C-0048;
LINCS portal: ED-VAE-11-O-0083; Regional Professional Development Centers,
http://lincs.ed.gov/lincs/regionalresources/regional_centers.html), TELL (ED CONTRACT # ED-04-CO-0025),
CAELA (ED-04-CO-0041), Teacher Effectiveness (ED-CFO-10-A-0066/0002), College and Career Readiness
Standards in Adult Education (ED-CFO-10-A-0117/0001), Designing Instruction for Career Pathways (ED-CFO-10A-0072/0001), and Immigrant Integration (ED-VAE-12-R-0058).
7
Ibid.
8
Carey T. & Hanley, G. (2008). Extending the Impact of Open Educational Resources through alignment with
pedagogical content knowledge and institutional strategy: Lessons learned from the MERLOT community
experience. In T. Iiyoshi &M.S. Vijay Kumar (Eds.) Opening up education p. 181-193. Cambridge, MA:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press. Available at
http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12366.
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Thirdly, this new initiative will encourage innovative uses of these resources by and with
exemplary teacher educators in the professional development community. This initiative will
support state’s efforts toward improving adult ELL teacher effectiveness by infusing OVAEsponsored resources into state teacher training initiatives. In so doing, this initiative will help
states to increase capacity to prepare teachers to meet the needs of adult ELLs and to help all
ELLs achieve the educational outcomes that will lead to academic and career success.
Finally, the three main aspects of this new initiative will be firmly based in the research literature
of best practices for helping adult ELLs meet the language demands of new learning, as well as
firmly based in the research literature of best practices for preparing teachers to meet the
linguistic and academic needs of ELLs.
B. Purpose and Objectives
Thus, the purpose of this new initiative is to contribute to the Department’s ongoing efforts
toward building teacher effectiveness by supporting state-based teacher professional
development and training efforts through the provision of high quality, on-demand, evidencebased instructional support for teachers of adult learners who are learning English.
To achieve the primary purposes of this contract, in collaboration with OVAE, the contractor
shall meet the following objectives:
1. Manage the project to ensure accountability and successful outcomes.
2. Identify topics and create Contemporary Trends and Issues materials to serve as a
lens for the design and implementation of the subsequent tasks.
3. Update, adapt and promote existing resources to ensure an increased awareness of
existing resources.
4. Establish a Teacher User Group that will expand the use of open educational
resources.
5. Design and implement a strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan to ensure that
each of the products from all of the project tasks are promoted and disseminated
throughout the fields of adult education and second language education.
6. Design and deliver technical assistance to states that will encourage inventive
professional development approaches and comprehensive use of OVAE resources for
improving ELL teacher training efforts.
C. Legislative Authority
This activity is authorized under Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), of
the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Public Law 105-220, Section 243, National Leadership
Activities. Section 243 allows the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out a program of
national leadership activities to enhance the quality of adult education and literacy programs
nationwide.
D. Scope of Work and Period of Performance
The contractor shall be responsible for carrying out all phases of work. The period of
performance of this contract is a base year with two (2) option years from the award date.
The contractor is required to provide the services described in section E. Tasks (see below) of
this PWS. All tasks are to be interpreted with reference to the information provided in this PWS.
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The contractor shall work in coordination with Department of Education leadership and staff,
especially the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), during the development phases of all
tasks; and the COR will review and approve all deliverables. The contractor shall submit one
electronic copy by email of each draft and final deliverable to the COR and the Contract
Specialist (CS).
E. Tasks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Manage the project.
Identify topics and create Contemporary Trends and Issues materials.
Update, adapt and promote existing resources.
Establish a Teacher User Group.
Design and implement an Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
Design and deliver technical assistance.
Task 1. Manage the Project
Task 1 is comprised of two subtasks that support overall project management:
1.1: Conduct regular monthly meetings, including an initial project kick-off meeting with
the Department; and
1.2: Ensure accountability through reporting.
The contractor shall be responsible for the following project management duties and functions:
Subtask 1.1: Conduct meetings.
The contractor shall organize, facilitate and participate in meetings with Department personnel to
ensure coordination in the accomplishment of the Tasks.
A) For the Initial Kick-off Meeting: The contractor shall meet with the COR, the
Contracting Officer (CO), Contract Specialist (CS), and other Department staff at
Department facilities in the Washington, DC area within fifteen business days following
the award date of this performance-based contract. The purpose of the meeting is to
discuss upcoming tasks and the goals and phases of this project, review key target dates
and deliverables, and the scheduling of activities and other issues related to the conduct
of work. The COR will identify the date, time and place for the meeting and will assume
responsibility for inviting relevant Department staff. The contractor shall submit a draft
agenda to the COR to five business days before the kick-off meeting. The COR shall
review the draft agenda and provide feedback to the contractor within three business
days. The contractor shall submit to the COR a summary of the meeting within five days
of the meeting. The summary shall include the revised COR-approved agenda, meeting
notes, and the schedule of deliverables with hard calendar dates as well as any other items
discussed and agreed upon during the meeting. The COR shall review the meeting
summary materials and provide feedback to the contractor within five business days.
B) Monthly Progress Meetings: The contractor shall set up monthly conference calls with
the COR and other relevant staff to discuss upcoming tasks and the goals and phases of
this project, review key target dates and deliverables, discuss issues and challenges, and
the scheduling of activities. The contractor shall send the COR agenda items within two
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business days of the meetings. Notes and follow-up items from the monthly meetings
shall be sent to the COR within three days of the meeting.
Subtask 1.2: Ensure accountability through reporting.
Through regular communication and reporting, the contractor shall ensure that the Department
understands the status of the contractor’s progress, provide the status of deliverables, and address
challenges that arise. The COR will review each report (see below) and provide comments to the
contractor within ten business days of receipt.
Quarterly Progress Reports: The contractor shall prepare quarterly progress reports,
between 8 and 12 pages, plus references or appendices, due to the COR, within ten
business days of the end of each quarter. The quarterly progress reports shall:

Provide a summary of the major activities and accomplishments for the reporting period;

Document progress of the agreed-upon schedule to-date, specifying the extent to which
the project is on schedule;

Identify and discuss significant challenges that arose, significant deviations or problems
that were encountered and how they were addressed, as well as lessons learned;

Append state action plans as approved and provide updates on state technical assistance
efforts; and

Provide a brief highlight of the activities planned for the next reporting period.

Furthermore, the quarterly progress reports shall identify and discuss any guidance that
may be needed from the COR. If there are no problems/issues, the report shall state that
there are no problems/issues. If there are problems/issues with the schedule of activities
or deliverables, the contractor shall describe the plan for solving the problems.
Should a significant problem arise, at any time, the contractor shall notify the COR
within two business days to provide an update and discuss actions that shall be taken.
Final Report: The contractor shall prepare a final summary report describing the
activities and tasks that have occurred over the three years of the contract. The final
report shall be written documentation of the project and shall be between 30 and 35
pages. The page limit does not include references, resources or appendices. This report
can be submitted in place of the final quarterly progress report.
The final report also shall include the following information:

Purpose of the project;

A summary of the project accomplishments, evaluation metrics, and findings,
according to Task;

Challenges encountered and how they were addressed and resolved, as well as
lessons learned; and

Recommendations for future extensions of the effort.
The contractor shall submit a draft of the final report to the COR for feedback within two
months prior to the end of the contract. The COR will provide feedback within ten
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business days of receipt of the draft. The contractor shall revise the draft based upon the
COR’s feedback and submit a final report to the COR after receipt of the COR’s
feedback on the preliminary draft, which shall be no later than one month prior to the end
of the contract.
Task 1 Deliverables:
a) Draft agenda for the kick-off planning meeting
b) Summary of the kick-off planning meeting
c) Monthly meeting agenda items
d) Notes from monthly meetings
e) Eleven quarterly progress reports
f) Draft of the final report
g) Final report
Task 2. Identify topics and create Contemporary Trends and Issues materials.
Task 2 will support the creation of three Contemporary Trends and Issues materials that will
serve as a theoretical lens for the design and implementation of the subsequent project tasks.
Task 2 is comprised of three subtasks:
2.1: Identify five trends or issues, with appropriate SMEs for each;
2.2: Create the materials; and
2.3: Coordinate with the Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
Subtask 2.1: Identify five trends or issues and appropriate SMEs.
The contractor will work with OVAE on identifying topical issues that will provide a theoretical
lens for the subsequent tasks, such as standards in teaching adult ELLs; language demands
embedded in content standards; best practices for effective professional development and learner
outcomes; effective instructional practices for different groups of language learners; promising
practices for transitioning adult ELs to postsecondary education; and/or integration of language
development with content instruction.
The contractor shall ensure that subject matter experts are used throughout this task. Subject
matter experts shall not only have relevant graduate degrees and professional experience in adult
education and TESOL, but should also have the knowledge and ability to write on the particular
topical issue, as demonstrated by a record of peer-reviewed publications and peer-reviewed
national or international professional presentations directly related to the topic.
The contractor shall develop and submit to the COR, within 12 weeks of award, at least five
separate recommended topics. For each recommendation, the contractor shall submit the
following: a summary of the contemporary trend or issue to be explored in the material; a
rationale as to the significance of the topic as related to the purpose of this new initiative
described in this PWS; the recommended format, such as a written brief, a video demonstration,
a webinar or other format; a draft outline; the curriculum vitae of the proposed SME; plan for
SME’s involvement; and commitment letter from SME.
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The COR will provide feedback within fifteen business days. If the COR selects three topics
from those submitted, the contractor shall incorporate the feedback and submit to the COR three
revised recommendations within ten business days of receiving feedback. The contractor will
incorporate this feedback into the subsequent creation of the materials (See subtask 2.2). If the
COR does not select three topics from those submitted, the contractor will work with the COR to
identify three acceptable topics for development. The contractor shall submit recommendations
to the COR and revise according to feedback until a total of three topics have been selected. The
contractor shall respond to the COR’s feedback regarding final selection of SMEs.
Throughout all the tasks of this contract, if a SME needs to withdraw participation, the contractor
shall propose a replacement within 10 business days of the SMEs withdrawal by submitting the
recommended individual’s curriculum vitae to the COR. The COR will provide feedback to the
contractor within seven business days. The COR has final approval of SMEs.
Subtask 2.2: Create the materials.
The purpose of the Contemporary Trends and Issues materials is to provide a theoretical
foundation for the conceptualization, development and implementation of updating and
extending the use of previous OVAE investments. The materials should represent a rigorous
examination of the trend or issue by citing the most relevant research and theoretical literature, as
well as by discussing specific, field-based implications. By 20 weeks after award, the contractor
shall submit to the COR a plan with milestones and timeline for completion of each of the three
materials. The COR will provide feedback to the plan within ten business days. The contractor
shall incorporate the feedback and submit to the COR the final plan for completion of the
materials no later than 15 business days after receiving feedback. The completion of each of the
three materials will follow according to the accepted plan.
Subtask 2.3: Coordinate with the Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
After receiving final approval from the COR, the contractor shall ensure that references to and
the findings of the Contemporary Trends and Issues materials will be infused throughout all of
the project tasks and project products. The materials should be formatted and designed as
attractive, 508-compliant, web-based documents, as appropriate to their format that will be
disseminated through the LINCS repository and network. Within five business days after final
approval from the COR and clearance by the Department, the contractor shall promote and
disseminate the final materials to the field, according to the specifications set forth in the
Outreach and Dissemination Plan (See Task 5).
Task 2 Deliverables:
a) Five topic recommendations
b) Three revised topic recommendation
c) Draft plan for completion of the materials
d) Final plan for completion of the materials
e) Three completed materials
Task 3: Update, adapt and promote existing resources
The purpose of this task is to ensure that the LINCS Collection of Adult English Language
Learners materials is current, relevant, and well-organized for use by the field. The contractor
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shall work with OVAE and the LINCS contractors to review the existing Collection as well as
resources from key ELL-related OVAE initiatives, such as CAELA Network, ELL-U, Immigrant
Integration, College and Career Ready Standards, and EL/Civics Online9. Additionally, it is the
intention of OVAE to ensure that any updated online courses will be added to the National
Training and Education Resource (NTER)10 platform, an open-source course sharing and
development platform and learning management system. The contractor shall recommend
resources to be added, updated, adapted and/or revised. The contractor shall also recommend the
best format for updating, adapting and/or revising those recommended resources.
Recommendations on which resources (the contractor shall recommend the total number) will be
considered for updating, revision and adaptation shall be based in the research literature of
effective practices for working with adult ELLs in a variety of specific instructional contexts.
Recommendations shall be aligned with helping states to meet the increased demand for
language instruction, due to increased numbers of immigrant students seeking ESL classes.
Recommendations should also be consistent with the discussion, findings and implications
presented in the Contemporary Trends and Issues materials.
Task 3 is comprised of five subtasks:
3.1: Identify appropriate SMEs;
3.2: Review existing resources and make recommendations;
3.3: Recommend resources to update, adapt and/or revise;
3.4: Complete the updating, adaptations and revisions; and
3.5: Coordinate with the strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
Subtask 3.1: Identify appropriate SMEs.
This task relies heavily on specific subject matter expertise, ESL teaching experience, and
awareness of adult education contexts. Therefore, the contractor shall ensure that SMEs are used
throughout this task. SMEs should not only have relevant graduate degrees and professional
experience in adult education and TESOL, but should also have the knowledge and ability to
create original instructional resources, as demonstrated by a record of original instructional,
materials, and/or curriculum design, or closely related experience producing original professional
materials in adult second language education.
The contractor shall identify three SMEs who possess the qualifications deemed necessary to
support the goals and objectives of this task. No later than five weeks after award, the contractor
shall submit to the COR a draft roster with the proposed SMEs’ curriculum vitae or resume, a
justification for selection, and a letter of commitment should the SME be selected. The COR will
provide feedback to the roster within ten business days. The contractor shall incorporate the
feedback, contact the selected SMEs and submit to the COR a final roster no later eight weeks
after award.
Subtask 3.2: Review existing resources and make recommendations.
9
See http://www.elcivicsonline.org.
See www.nterlearning.org; the LINCS web site is host to a customized NTER node, or repository, of courses
specifically targeted to adult education professionals. The LINCS NTER repository is maintained by the technical
contractor for the LINCS website.
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The contractor shall review the resources created by previous OVAE initiatives that focused on
teaching and learning English as a Second Language and recommend resources and a refreshed
organizational structure to improve the LINCS English Language Learners Collection.
A) Specify the selection criteria: Within 12 weeks of award, the contractor shall meet
with OVAE to discuss the resources that OVAE has created, existing organizational
structure of the Collection, and specifications for online courses hosted in and delivered
through NTER. Within 15 weeks of award, the contractor shall provide a draft set of
criteria by which existing resources will be selected for inclusion in the Collection and
recommendations for organization. Each criterion shall be accompanied by a brief
rationale. The COR will provide feedback on the draft set within ten business days. The
contractor shall incorporate this feedback into a revision of the selection criteria set and
submit a final set, with the rationale, no later ten business days after receiving feedback.
B) Use selection criteria to select resources for compilation and compile the
resources: Upon the COR’s final approval of the selection criteria, the contractor shall
review the resources from the previous initiatives designated by OVAE, using the final
selection criteria. The contractor shall provide a draft list of resources recommended for
compilation, with a rationale based on the selection criteria, no later than 20 weeks past
award. The COR will provide feedback to this final list of recommendations within ten
business days. The contractor shall use this feedback to compile the final list and
organizational structure, utilizing the existing technology features and functionality
within the LINCS capabilities. The contractor shall submit this final list no later than 15
business days after receiving feedback. The contractor shall then work, through the COR,
to coordinate with the LINCS contractors to compile and organize the resources in the
LINCS Collection. The promotion of the Collection shall be consistent with the
dissemination plan, as set forth in the strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan (See
Task 5).
Subtask 3.3: Recommend resources to update, adapt and/or revise.
Using the selection criteria established in Subtask 3.1.A., the contractor shall review the
resources from the previous initiatives designated by OVAE. No later than 24 weeks after
award, the contractor shall provide a list of resources recommended for updating, adapting
and/or revising, with a rationale based on the criteria, and a brief description as to how the
resource will be updated. This draft list should include the number of resources and a description
of the recommended format (such as video, webinar, facilitated/non-facilitate course etc.), and an
estimate of the timeline for completion. The COR will provide feedback within ten business
days. The contractor shall use this feedback to compile the final list. The contractor shall submit
this final list no later than ten business days after receiving feedback.
Subtask 3.4: Complete the updating, adaptation and/or revision of up to nine resources.
Working from the approved list of resources (Subtask 3.3), the contractor shall provide a plan for
completing the task for each resource (up to nine), along with timeline, milestones and proposed
SMEs. The contractor shall ensure that the selected SMEs have the knowledge and ability to
update, adapt and/ or revise a particular resource. The contactor shall establish an overall
timeline that ensures that two resources are completed within 12 months of the contract, four
additional resources completed within 24 months of the contract, and three additional resources
completed within 30 months of the contract.
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The contractor shall submit a draft plan for each resource from the approved list of resources.
The draft plan should clearly indicate which SME will do the work; justification as to how that
SME is qualified to do the work; how the resource will be updated, adapted or revised; the target
audience for the resource; timeline for completion and suggested milestones; and the final format
of the resource (for example, print, audio, video, hybrid, etc.). The contractor is encouraged to
consider innovative formats for the SMEs to update, adapt or revise including lesson plans and
instructional resources demonstrated via video, or non-instructional resources, such as recently
released research, discussed via webinar.
No later than 20 business days after receiving approval of the plan in 3.3, the contractor shall
submit a draft plan for completing the activities. The COR will provide feedback to the draft plan
within ten business days. The contractor shall incorporate the feedback and submit a final plan
no later than the ten business days. Once the COR provides final approval to the plan, the
contractor shall work with the SMEs to update, adapt or revise the resource according to the
plan. According to the agreed-upon timeline for completion and milestones chart, included in the
approved plan, the contractor shall submit to the COR a draft of each updated resource. The
COR will provide feedback within ten business days. The contractor shall incorporate the
feedback and submit a final version of each resource to the COR no later than the due date set
forth in the final plan.
Subtask 3.5. Coordinate with the Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
After receiving final approval from the COR, the contractor shall ensure a highly visible
promotion and widespread dissemination of the renewed compilation of resources and the newly
updated resources that are available on LINCS to both project staff and the broader field,
according to the specifications set forth in the Outreach and Dissemination Plan (See Task 5).
Task 3 Deliverables:
a) Roster of SMEs
b) Draft selection criteria
c) Final selection criteria
d) Draft list of resources to be included in the Collection
e) Final list of resources to be included in the Collection
f) Draft list of resources to be updated, adapted and/or revised
g) Final list of resources to be updated, adapted and/or revised
h) Draft plan for completing the resources
i) Final plan for completing the resources
j) Draft of updated resources
k) Final updated resources
l) Updated resources
Task 4: Establish a Teacher User Group
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The purpose of this task is to expand the use of existing open educational resources (OERs)
amongst classroom teachers. OERs have the potential to deliver high-quality, engaging, and
rigorous learning content to every adult education classroom. OERs are teaching, learning or
research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license
that allows for free use, adaptation, and/or distribution (UNESCO:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/openeducational-resources/). Language translations, supplied by machine translators or global
communities, are providing increased access to more web-based content for English language
learners and have the potential to support the teaching of greater subject matter content in every
level of adult ESL. Examples include learning objects such as math videos with language
translations, animated foreign language dictionaries that can visually demonstrate key content
vocabulary, and interactive career maps that assist with career awareness and planning. It is the
intention of this project to work with a small group of teachers to understand and demonstrate
how OVAE can support further usage of OERs in adult ESL classrooms.
Task 4 is comprised of three subtasks:
4.1. Recruit a Teacher User Group;
4.2. Ensure quality and completion of at least 60 reviews; and
4.3. Coordinate with the strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
4.1. Recruit a Teacher User Group.
The contractor shall recruit a Teacher User Group of fifteen adult educators who are willing to
commit to participating in a multi-month, online activity. Participants should be exemplary adult
education teachers who have experience teaching adult ELLs. Participants should demonstrate
relevant master’s degrees and adult education classroom responsibilities at the time of their
commitment, and be able to meet time and task expectations.
This Teacher User Group will form an online community of practice (COP) on the LINCS
platform (http://Community.LINCS.ed.gov) that has as the main activity the identification and
review of appropriate OERs for the purpose of sharing those reviews with the adult education
field. The contractor will not be responsible for the cost of developing the online COP platform
data but will collaborate with the LINCS online portal administrators to utilize the existing
technology features and functionality within the LINCS capabilities (the community is built on
Drupal 7). The contractor shall be responsible for all orientation to the system, moderation, and
group management. The contractor shall propose a Plan for the recruitment, orientation,
engagement, and compensation of participants.
Participants shall be expected to identify at least six OERs, teach with them and post reviews of
four or more OERs during their period of service. The reviews, comments, and ratings will
reflect the rubrics established on OER Commons (www.oercommons.org) or equivalent.
To accomplish these objectives, the contractor shall submit a User Group Plan that includes
detailed activities and timelines for the following:




Recruitment announcements and engagement strategies;
Orientation training material outline;
Project team roles and responsibilities; and
Engagement processes, activities, and technological features designed to engage Users,
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and assist in the accomplishment of the goals of the Group.
The draft Plan shall be submitted to the COR no later than 12 weeks after award. The COR will
provide feedback within five business days, and the contractor shall incorporate this feedback
and submit a final Plan to the COR no later than 15 business days after receiving feedback. The
contractor shall then implement the recruitment and materials development sections of the Plan.
The contractor shall submit a roster of recommended Teacher User Group participants to the
COR no later than 60 days after approval of the plan. The COR will provide feedback on the
recommendations within ten business days. The contractor shall submit the final User Group
participant roster to the COR within 10 business days after receiving feedback. The roster shall
include current resumes or curriculum vitae for each participant as appendices.
4.2. Ensure quality and completion of at least 60 reviews.
User Group input will be shared through OER Commons11 (www.oercommons.org), an open
source technical system and community of resource creators, publishers, curators, and consumers
who are collaborating broadly to share resources, as well as information about how those
resources are used by educators in diverse learning environments. Data entered into OER
Commons is also displayed through Learning Registry, an ED-developed mechanism for sharing
user data such as demographics from rich online profiles (educator, grade level, subject area)
about resources among data systems, teacher portals, web sites and other educational systems.
This information makes it possible for practitioners to benefit from peers’ experience.
OER Commons and the Learning Registry will serve this ED activity by providing the means of
aggregating and sharing teacher-user reviews, ratings, and comments on ELL resources.
Similarly, this activity will contribute to a growing adult education presence within these online
communities that can then be furthered in the field through other efforts.
The contractor shall orient User Group participants no later than 15 business days after the
acceptance of the final roster. The contractor shall coordinate with the COR to ensure that the
orientation shall be convened at a time which enables participation of appropriate Department
staff. The COR will be responsible for identifying appropriate Department staff and coordinating
with them. The contractor shall submit a summary of the orientation including follow-up items
and or identified challenges to the COR within five days after the orientation.
Within 12 months prior to the end of the contract, the contractor shall ensure that the User Group
has completed and posted a total of sixty reviews of OERs for use in adult English language
instruction, with particular emphasis given to EL/Civics, for meeting the linguistic, academic and
career needs of the adult ELL population.
4.3 Coordinate with the Outreach and Dissemination Plan.
The contractor shall ensure a highly visible promotion and widespread dissemination of the
reviews and the work of the User Group to the LINCS community and the broader field,
according to the specifications set forth in the Outreach and Dissemination Plan (See Task 5).
Task 4 Deliverables:
a) Draft User Group Plan
b) Final User Group Plan
11
Should the vendor propose an alternate venue, a justification will be required.
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ED-VAE-13-R-0025
c)
d)
e)
f)
03/12/2013
Draft roster of User Group participants
Roster of User Group participants
Completion of 60 OER reviews
Evidence of promotion and dissemination
Task 5: Design and implement an Outreach and Dissemination Plan
The purpose of the strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan is to ensure that the products from
this contract are promoted and disseminated throughout the fields of adult education and second
language education, directly targeted to the relevant audiences, and disseminated through the
most effective outreach channels and resources. The Plan will also carefully outline how the
contractor shall design and implement Task 6.
The strategic Outreach and Dissemination Plan should be firmly grounded in best practices in the
field of strategic communications and promotion. The proposal shall clearly describe how
experts in the communications and promotions field will be used throughout this task, whether as
a subcontracting firm or in-house expertise, and how the relationship will be managed to
maximize efficiency and effective implementation. The implementation of the strategic Outreach
and Dissemination Plan will be integrated throughout the project. Therefore, the contractor shall
ensure that development and implementation of the activities in the Plan are coordinated with all
of the other project tasks and related subject matter experts.
Task 5 is comprised of two subtasks:
Subtask 5.1: Conduct outreach analysis; and
Subtask 5.2: Design and implement Dissemination Plan.
Subtask 5.1: Conduct outreach analysis.
A) Propose analysis design. Within 12 weeks of award, the contractor shall provide a
draft design for conducting the analysis. Based on the project’s products and goals, and
based on OVAEs overall mission, the draft design should propose a plan for conducting a
situation analysis that analyzes and determines the segments of the target audience,
communications goals for each segment, messaging strategies for each segment, outreach
resources available to those segments, measurable objectives as to whether or not the
communications are reaching the targeted segments, and strategies for course corrections
that can be made if successes are not being realized. The analysis should take into
consideration the roles of various existing partners, such as the LINCS Regional
Professional Development Centers, and existing channels of communications, such as the
LINCS Community of Practice and OVAE’s weekly e-newsletter, OVAE Connections12.
The COR will review the draft design and provide feedback in ten business days. Based
on COR feedback, the contractor shall revise the draft design and submit a final design to
the COR no later than 15 business days of receiving feedback.
B) Conduct the analysis and report results. Upon final approval from the COR, the
contractor shall implement the Outreach analysis according to the approved design. The
contractor shall immediately notify the COR of any difficulties or problems or questions
that arise during the course of implementing the analysis.
12
See http://www2.ed.gov/news/newsletters/ovaeconnection/index.html
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Based on the results of the analysis, no later than six weeks after receiving approval on
the final plan, the contractor shall provide to the COR a draft report. The report should be
between 5 and 7 pages, not including references and appendices. This report of the results
of the Outreach Analysis should be based in the project’s products and goals, OVAE
priorities, as well as be based in best practices in the fields of strategic communications
and promotion.
The COR will review the draft report of results of the outreach analysis and provide
feedback within ten business days. The contractor shall incorporate feedback and provide
a Final Report no later than 15 business days after receiving feedback.
Subtask 5.2: Design and implement Dissemination Plan.
Based on the results of the analysis, the contractor shall design and implement a Dissemination
Plan. The Plan shall address the dissemination and promotion of all products from each task and
shall be integrated throughout the project with milestones established and metrics reported for
each quarter. A section should be devoted to the delivery of technical assistance (TA), as
outlined in Task 6.
A) Dissemination Plan. Similar to the Outreach analysis, the Plan should be based on the
project’s products and goals, and it should propose a plan for realizing the
communications goals for each segment, for using the best messaging strategies for each
segment, for utilizing outreach resources available to those segments, and for assessing
whether or not the communications are successfully reaching the targeted segments.
Because the Plan will be used to promote and disseminate products throughout the
duration of the contract, the Plan should also recommend a process for objectively
measuring communication and promotion success, as well as strategies for course
corrections that can be made if successes are not being realized.
B) Plan the delivery of Technical Assistance in Task 6. The Dissemination Plan shall
contain as a separate section a Plan for the delivery of TA to states. Following the results
of the Outreach analysis report, the contractor shall work closely with OVAE to
determine the scope and priorities for the TA to be delivered to states. This component of
the Plan shall address how the contractor will package and promote various related
resources and training offerings to meet needs identified through analysis and other work
coordinated by the project. The options will draw from OVAE’s ELL-related resources
and appropriate non-OVAE resources, such as ELL teaching resources from USCIS, and
consider options for states to apply these resources to support their purposeful state
initiatives, in relation to state contexts and needs.
C) Sustainability. ED anticipates that the needs identified in the analysis and Plan may
suggest actions that extend beyond the period of performance. Thus, the contractor shall
specify in the Plan which innovative approaches to dissemination will be completed
within the period of performance with available resources and which elements are
recommended for continuation in future initiatives. Updates and implementation analytics
on dissemination activities shall be included in the quarterly progress reports submitted in
Task 1.2.A.
The entire Plan should be between 15 and 20 pages, inclusive of the section on TA to states, but
not including appendices and references. The contractor shall provide a draft Dissemination Plan
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within 28 weeks of award. The COR will provide feedback within ten business days. The
contractor shall incorporate this feedback and provide a final Dissemination Plan to the COR no
later than 10 business days after receiving feedback.
Task 5 Deliverables:
a) Draft design for the Outreach analysis
b) Final design for the Outreach analysis
c) Draft report of Outreach analysis
d) Final report of Outreach analysis
e) Draft Dissemination Plan
f) Final Dissemination Plan
Task 6: Design and deliver technical assistance.
The purpose of this task is to build capacity within states to improve adult ELL teacher
effectiveness that will sustain beyond the contract period. This task aims to encourage innovative
professional development approaches by integrating OVAE’s ELL resources into teacher
training initiatives. This phase of the project will support states’ teacher training initiatives as
appropriate to the states’ contexts and needs; facilitate the translation of teacher education
research into evidence-based professional development; and enrich states’ efforts by making use
of OVAE’s extensive resources. In addition, this task aims to encourage partnerships between
professionals working in state adult education programs and subject matter experts working in
informal and formal TESOL teacher training programs and the larger teacher preparation
community.
Task 6 has three subtasks:
6.1: Identify SMEs;
6.2: Plan to recruit and select states; and
6.3: Deliver technical assistance.
Subtask 6.1: Identify appropriate SMEs.
The contractor shall identify SMEs who possess the qualifications deemed necessary to support
the goals and objectives of this task as initially identified in the Dissemination Plan. By 36 weeks
after award, the contractor shall submit to the COR a draft roster with the proposed SMEs’
curriculum vitae or resume, a justification for selection, and a letter of commitment should the
SME be selected. The COR will provide feedback to the roster within ten business days. The
contractor shall incorporate the feedback, contact the selected SMEs, and submit to the COR a
final roster by 44 weeks after award.
Subtask 6.2: Plan to recruit and select states.
The contractor shall recommend criteria for selection of states for participation, as well as how
those criteria will be weighted. The contractor shall prepare and disseminate a Call to the Field,
announcing the opportunity to request TA, ensuring as widespread dissemination as possible to
all potentially interested parties, including state adult education programs, as well as formal and
informal teacher education contexts. The Call should ask applicants to describe the state teacher
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training needs and context, initiatives underway and their purposeful objectives and intended
outcomes, particularly as related to building capacity for increased teacher effectiveness for
working with adult ELLs, and plans for sustained support for the initiatives.
Since this task aims to reach a broad audience of teacher trainers, and, as a result, reach as broad
an audience of classroom teachers as possible, the plan for recruiting states shall include how the
contractor will conduct a rolling call and review of applications, and an ongoing provision of
TA, including how they might respond to various scenarios presented by states.
To accomplish these objectives, the contractor shall submit a Recruitment Plan, drawing on the
approved Dissemination Plan, which includes detailed activities and timelines for the following:



Recruitment Call and engagement strategies;
Selection criteria and review processes; and
Decision points for accommodating various scenarios of requests.
The draft Plan shall be submitted to the COR within 52 weeks following contract award. The
COR will provide feedback within ten business days and a final Plan shall be submitted no later
than fifteen days after receiving feedback. The contractor shall then implement the recruitment
and materials development sections of the Plan.
The contractor shall disseminate the Call for participation and conduct the review of
applications. According to the approved plan schedule and no later than 15 months after award,
the contractor shall submit a roster of the first round of potential states, along with the stateprovided request information. The COR will review the roster and provide the contractor with
feedback within ten business days. The contractor and OVAE shall discuss the list of selected
states. The rolling Call will continue according the approved plan.
6.3: Deliver the TA to states.
The contractor shall coordinate the work between the SME and the state representative(s) to
review the options for TA that were outlined in the Dissemination Plan and to select the option(s)
that enable the state to support the objectives of their teacher training initiative. Working with
each state, the contractor shall prepare an action plan in which the parties shall identify the
option they have selected, customizations needed to address state, objectives, a timeline with
anticipated milestones, and roles and responsibilities of each partner.
The contractor shall submit such state action plans as drafted within four weeks of the state being
accepted for receipt of TA. The COR will provide feedback within ten business days. The
contractor shall incorporate the feedback and submit to the COR a revised action plan, per state,
within 15 business days of receiving feedback. Upon approval from OVAE, the contractor shall
deliver the TA as described in the Dissemination Plan in Task 5. Updates from each state
receiving TA shall be included in the monthly progress report calls and reported in Quarterly
Reports, submitted through Task 1.
The contractor, in coordination with the COR, is responsible for the content and delivery of the
technical assistance, based on the agreements made in the Dissemination plan. The contractor is
responsible for organizing the training sessions and logistics, any staff travel including airfare (or
mileage), costs for webinars, materials, lodging and per diem for presenters. The contractor is not
responsible for training participants' travel or lodging. The contractor shall consider innovative
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means of delivering the TA, such as face to face, online, webinar, and electronic communication
in order to reach as broad an audience as possible.
The contractor shall collect feedback from participants and respond to participant feedback from
the training sessions. The contractor must coordinate with ED to receive appropriate information
collection clearances for any evaluation instrument and survey plans. The contractor shall
submit a summary of the training conducted for each state, including the participant feedback,
with the next occurring Quarterly Report (Task 1).
Task 6 Deliverables:
a) Roster of SMEs
b) Recruitment Plan
c) Roster of initial states
d) State Action Plans
e) Summary of training for each state
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Schedule of Deliverables
Task 1.
a) Draft agenda for the kick-off planning meeting
5 business days before Kick-off
meeting
b) Summary of the kick-off planning meeting
Within 5 business days after
Kick-off meeting
c) Monthly meeting agenda items
2 business days prior to monthly
meetings
d) Notes from monthly meetings
3 business days of the monthly
meeting
e) Eleven quarterly progress reports
Within 10 business days of the
end of each quarter
f) Draft of the final report
2 months prior to end of contract
g) Final report
No later than 1 month prior to
end of contract
Task 2.
a) Five topic recommendations
Within 12 weeks of award
b) Three revised topic recommendation
Within 10 business days of
receiving COR feedback
c) Draft plan for completion of the materials
By 20 weeks after contract award
d) Final plan for completion of the materials
Within 15 business days of COR
feedback
e) Three completed materials
According to the schedule agreed
upon in the final plan
Task 3.
a) Roster of SMEs
By 8 weeks after contract award
b) Draft selection criteria
By 15 week after contract award
c) Final selection criteria
Within 10 business days of COR
feedback
d) Draft list of resources to be included in the
Collection
By 20 week after contract award
e) Final list of resources to be included in the
Collection
Within 15 business days of COR
feedback
f) Draft list of resources to be updated, adapted
By 24 weeks after contract award
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and/or revised
g) Final list of resources to be updated, adapted
and/or revised
Within 10 business days of COR
feedback
h) Draft plan for completing resources
Within 20 business days of
receiving approval of list of
resources
i) Final plan for completing resources
Within 10 business days of COR
feedback
j) Draft of updated resources
According to the agreed-upon
timeline
k) Final Updated resources
Within 15 business days of COR
feedback to draft material; Note:
overall timeline shall ensure that
2 resources are completed within
12 months of the contract, 4
additional resources completed
within 24 months of the contract,
and 3 additional resources
completed within 30 months of
the contract.
Task 4.
a) Draft User Group Plan
By 12 weeks after contract award
b) Final User Group Plan
Within 15 business days of COR
feedback
c) Draft roster of User Group participants
Within 60 days of Plan approval
d) Roster of User Group participants
Within 10 days of COR feedback
e) Completion of 60 OER reviews
Within 12 months prior to end of
contract
f) Evidence of promotion and dissemination
As specified in approved
Dissemination Plan
Task 5.
a) Draft design for the Outreach analysis
By 12 weeks after contract award
b) Final design for the Outreach analysis
Within 15 business of COR
feedback
c) Draft report of Outreach analysis
Within 6 weeks of approval of
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the design
d) Final report of Outreach analysis
Within 15 business days of COR
feed back
e) Draft Dissemination Plan
By 28 weeks after contract award
f) Final Dissemination Plan
Within 10 business days of COR
feedback
Task 6.
a) Roster of SMEs
By 44 weeks after contract award
b) Recruitment Plan
By 52 weeks after contract award
c) Roster of initial states
By the 15th month after contract
award
d) State Action Plans
Within 4 weeks of acceptance
e) Summary of training for each state
Appended to Quarterly Reports
NOTES:
(1) All major products and deliverables will need explicit clearance by Office of the Assistant
Secretary, ED/OVAE, prior to public release. All reports shall conform to the guidelines
stated in ED’s Guide to Publishing at the U.S. Department of Education at
http://www2.ed.gov/internal/PubGuide.pdf.
The Department of Education recommends the following sources for editing: for spelling –
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, for abbreviations, capitalization, dates, numerals,
usage and titles – Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, and for bibliographies and
footnotes – Chicago Style Manual.
(2) The contractor shall provide all deliverables (all products and web materials) intended for
posting on the Department’s website in accordance with the following:
•
must meet the requirements for posting content stated in the ED.gov Management
and Publishing Policies at http://www.ed.gov/internal/wwwstds.html.
•
must be user-ready and 508 compliant. (All on-line materials developed under this
work statement will meet the standards for accessibility established by the Section 508
technical standards for Internet applications at 36 CFR 1194.22
http://www.section508.gov. Although social media sites are not 508 compliant, the
contractor shall ensure that the same information is available in a 508 compliant
environment.)
•
must be an electronic file in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF)
containing a copy of the deliverable with the same layout and pagination as the printed
version (current specifications for PDF files are defined in the ED.gov Style Guide at
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http://www.ed.gov/internal/styleguide/index.html);
Note: Large documents for which the PDF file exceeds five megabytes in size shall also be
provided in multiple PDF files that subdivide the document into logical units each smaller than
one megabyte.
•
an electronic copy of the deliverable (two copies if on disk or CD-ROM), including
all files complete with any embedded links and objects (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet table
embedded in a Word document), in formats defined on the ED website’s list of acceptable
electronic formats (a current list is maintained at
http://www.ed.gov/internal/styleguide/index.html) in editable form suitable for (a)
conversion to HTML and web graphic formats or (b) posting as-is (e.g., accessible Word or
PDF documents);
•
final versions of all electronic files that contain the exact same content as the final
printed deliverable, including any galley proof changes;
•
a printed or electronic plain text document accompanying the electronic files that
includes the following information: title and description of the product; file name and
format for each file, including embedded charts, tables, and images; if multiple files,
explanation of component pieces and how they fit together to form the complete product;
contact information, including name, email address, and telephone number.
Deliverables that are created specifically for the web and do not have published counterparts in
print form shall follow the same guidelines. Hardcopy shall be submitted along with the
electronic files through appropriate Department clearance and sign-off requirements, which will
be the same as or equivalent to those for publications. Deliverables shall meet the requirements
for posting on ED.gov stated in the ―ED.gov Management and Publishing Policies:
http://www2.ed.gov/internal/wwwstds.html
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