Project Information

Bid Title

SPANISH LANGUAGE READING COMPREHENSION AND PROFICIENCY WEB-BASED ASSESSMENTS

Issuing Agency

Montgomery County Public Schools

Location

Maryland

Published Date

Jan 16, 2026

Closing Date

Jan 28, 2026

Government Level

State & Local

Status

Closed

Ref. #

4617.1

Original Source

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Bid Documents

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Project Description

Open Solicitation

Bid/RFP Number: 4617.1
Solicitation Title	SPANISH LANGUAGE READING COMPREHENSION AND PROFICIENCY WEB-BASED ASSESSMENTS
Due Date & Time	01/28/2026 02:00 PM
Contract Type	RFP
Buyer E-mail	Saudy_EspinalDeVeloz@mcpsmd.org
Description	The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified bidders, that demonstrate competence and possess the ability and experience to provide Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) with evidence-based, researched, and reviewed language proficiency assessments that the Maryland State Department of Education approves in the context of the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy, aligned with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. This RFP seeks assessment providers (“Respondents” or “Offerors”) who share a vision for ensuring that all students have access to the highest quality assessments aligned to the research of the ACTFL Language Connects (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. RFP- Spanish Language Proficiency Assessment FINAL.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment F - MCPS Digital Product Overview Checklist_Fillable.pdf 01/16/2026 Appendix A General Contract Articles REVISED July 1, 2023.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment A_ Equal Opportunity Certification.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment B_Certification of Nonsegregated Facilities.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment C_Minority Business Enterprise.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment D_Non-Debarment Acknowledgement.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP_Attachment E---data-form.pdf 12/18/2025 RFP 4617.1 Erratum-Addendum 1.pdf 01/16/2026 RFP 4617.1 Erratum-Addendum 2.pdf 01/16/2026 RFP 4617.1 Q&A.pdf 01/09/2026
eMaryland Marketplace link	BPM054606

Attachment Preview

December 18, 2025

RFP Number: 4617.1

Due Date: January 20, 2026

Open Time: 2:00 p.m.

To: Prospective Respondents:

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified bidders,

that demonstrate competence and possess the ability and experience to provide Montgomery

County Public Schools (MCPS) with evidence-based, researched, and reviewed language

proficiency assessments that the Maryland State Department of Education approves in the

context of the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy, aligned with the World-Readiness Standards for

Learning Languages.

The contractor must submit their offer per the instructions under the RFP, Section 13.0

Mandatory Submissions. The submission must be signed by an official having authority to

contract with MCPS. The firm and official's name shall be used. This solicitation does not

commit the district to pay any costs incurred in the submission of proposals or guarantee that

an award will be made.

In the event of emergency closing of the MCPS Board of Education offices, this RFP will open

at the same time on the next regular working day.

Sincerely,

AMD: se

Angela McIntosh Davis, Director

Department of Procurement

Copy to:

RFP File

Division of Financial Management

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Department of Procurement, Suite 3100

45 West Gude Drive

Rockville, Maryland 20850

Request for Proposal #4617.1

SPANISH LANGUAGE READING COMPREHENSION

AND PROFICIENCY WEB-BASED ASSESSMENTS

1.0 INTENT

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified bidders, that

demonstrate competence and possess the ability and experience to provide Montgomery County Public

Schools (MCPS) with evidence-based, researched, and reviewed language proficiency assessments

that the Maryland State Department of Education approves in the context of the Maryland Seal of

Biliteracy, aligned with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. This RFP seeks

assessment providers (“Respondents” or “Offerors”) who share a vision for ensuring that all students

have access to the highest quality assessments aligned to the research of the ACTFL Language

Connects (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. The program should offer high-quality, web-based, and

adaptive, ACTFL-aligned assessment questions with grade and age-appropriate item types aligned to

speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in a wide variety of languages, including American Sign

Language (ASL). The assessment system should also provide real-time and longitudinal data with

easily accessible and customizable reports at the district, school, grade level, classroom, and student

levels.

2.0 INTRODUCTION

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the 15th largest school system in the United States,

and the largest in the state of Maryland. During the 2025–2026 school year, it is projected that MCPS

will serve more than 156, 000 students from 157 countries speaking 162 languages. With a Fiscal

Year (FY) 2026 Operating Budget of approximately $3.6 billion, MCPS employs more than 25,000

employees. Among the 211 schools that MCPS operates, 39 are National Blue Ribbon schools. Six

MCPS high schools rank in the top 200 of The Washington Post’s 2015 High School Challenge, and

all 25 MCPS high schools appear on this list, which only includes the top 11 percent of high schools

in the country. MCPS has one of the highest graduation rates among the nation’s largest school

districts, according to an Education Week report. In 2010, MCPS was the recipient of the Malcolm

Baldrige National Quality Award, the highest presidential honor given to American organizations for

performance excellence. The student demographics of MCPS in 2016 are as follows:

Hispanic/Latino: 35.3%

White: 23.9%

Black or African American: 21.6%

Asian: 13.7%

Two or more races: ≤ 5.3%

American Indian or Alaskan Native: ≤0.2%

Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander: ≤0.1%

2 RFP 4617.1

In alignment with our strategic priorities, MCPS believes that each and every student matters;

outcomes should not be predictable by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status; equity demands the

elimination of all gaps; and creating and maximizing future opportunities for students and staff is

necessary. Therefore, MCPS holds high expectations for all students and staff; distributes resources as

necessary to provide extra supports and interventions so all students can achieve; identifies and

eliminates any institutional barriers to students’ success; and ensures that equitable practices are used

in all classrooms and workplace.

MCPS also believes that we must engage every student, every day; learning is achieved by cultivating

curiosity and encouraging determination, focus, and hard work; and adult learning and engagement

are key to student learning. Therefore, MCPS encourages and support critical thinking, problem

solving, active questioning, and risk taking to continuously improve; stimulate discovery by engaging

students in relevant and rigorous academic, social, and emotional learning experiences; and challenge

ourselves to analyze and reflect upon evidence to improve our practices.

The selected provider(s) must offer high-quality ACTFL aligned assessment questions with grade

and age-appropriate item types aligned to speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in various

languages. Assessments may also include Spanish reading comprehension components designed for

students in Spanish immersion settings. Providers may propose assessments serving any or all of the

K–5 grade levels. The assessment system should also provide customizable reports at the district,

school, grade level, classroom, and student levels. Assessments must include at least (2) tests K-5 per

year with options to assess additionally as needed.

3.0 SCOPE OF SERVICES

The requirements outlined in this RFP, although extensive, is not exhaustive and is intended to provide

interested Respondents with sufficient basic information to submit proposals, meeting minimum

requirements but is not intended to limit a proposal’s content or exclude any relevant or essential

information. Proposals should address the entire scope of services requested. Requirements include:

3.1 Assessment and Materials Requirements

(a) Comprehensive assessment materials aligned to the research in the American Council on the

Teaching of Foreign Languages, evidence-based practices, and adaptable to meet the needs of

students with exceptionalities and English Language Learners.

(b) Assessment demonstrates authentic connections between content standards and proficiency

guidelines.

(c) Provide developmentally and age-appropriate assessments for K-12 learners including but not

limited to those receiving special education services, emergent multilingual learners, and

accelerated students.

(d) The assessment must be able to assess student proficiency in a wide variety of languages,

including American Sign Language, for speaking, listening, reading, and writing, as applicable

by language assessed.

3 RFP 4617.1

3.2 Assessment Purpose and Use

(e) The assessment must have reliability and validity to ensure that results represent accurate

information about students for the intended use of the assessment.

(f) Practice assessment materials should be pre-made and readily available. teachers.

(g) Assessments should provide students and teachers with a student’s current level of proficiency

in alignment to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

(h) Assessments must effectively measure incremental student growth through highly accurate

scoring of speaking, writing, and scaled scores for listening and reading.

3.3 Developmental appropriateness

(i) Assessments should be age and developmentally-appropriate. in order to accurately assess

students’ language proficiency.

3.4 Item Types

(j) All questions must be inclusive and free from bias in the portrayal of ethnic groups, gender,

age, cultures, religion, and people with exceptionalities.

3.5 Usability

(k) The assessment must be computer-based and must include online tools capabilities, such as

lockdown browser, highlighter, magnifier, color contrast, etc.

(l) Include features that support the access of students with disabilities and are adaptable to meet

the needs of students who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, those with

print disabilities, and students with significant cognitive disabilities.

(m)Must allow for flexibility in meeting the needs of a wide range of students and include

accommodations for special populations, including Language Learners, students with

disabilities, including students who are visually impaired and/or deaf or hard of hearing, those

with print disabilities, and students with significant disabilities, and students identified as gifted

and talented.

3.6 Data and Reporting

(n) Generate data reports that include proficiency as growth measures over time.

(o) Assessment rubrics that are grade-level appropriate

(p) Data reports must contain detailed performance and progress information in both written and

graphical form to facilitate the use of the scores for instructional planning and decision-making.

(q) Include reports that provide parents/guardians and others with necessary information about the

progress of the learner so that they may provide support at home or outside the school setting.

(r) If the assessment tool is computer-based, it provides accessible digitally available student-

facing, teacher-facing, and parent/guardian facing data reports in multiple languages.

4 RFP 4617.1

3.7 Support, Training, and Professional Development

(s) The proposal shall describe the initial training and professional development necessary to begin

implementation of the proposed assessment system. The training plan should include

mechanisms to train district teachers and central staff, including the availability of digital

professional learning tools.

(t) The proposal shall allow respondent representative(s), in a timely manner, to work on a regular

basis with district/school personnel to answer all questions regarding production or financial

matters pertaining to the individual services required.

(u) Administration recommendations and expected timing per student.

(v) Suggestions for how assessment results can be leveraged by the teacher to examine self-

practice and improvement.

(w) Suggestions for how the results can be referenced by the school and district leaders to examine

school-wide growth and performance.

4.0 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND VENDOR EXPERIENCE

4.1 Materials are accessible from any Internet-enabled device including but not exclusive to personal

computers, laptop computers, Chromebooks, Apple iPads, tablets, and smartphones. A comparison of

features or functionality that vary across device types should be provided as applicable (ex. web-based

experience v. mobile application).

4.2 The Respondent supports single sign-on (SSO) for staff and students. District-supported options for

SSO include Microsoft Azure/AD (now called Entra ID), Google SAML, and Clever SSO.

4.3 Compatible with all modern Internet browsers including but not exclusive to Microsoft Edge, Google

Chrome, and Safari using default installation settings and without additional system hardware or software

components required on end-users’ devices.

4.4 The Respondent provides automated processes for the provisioning and management of user accounts.

District-supported processes for account provisioning and management include Secure File Transfer

Protocol (SFTP), OneRoster, and Clever rostering.

4.5 The Respondent includes centralized management of digital or online materials for all users that

enables MCPS to establish, customize, and control levels of user access and can be managed by the

district locally.

4.6 The Respondent shall provide MCPS with statistics regarding usage of online resources by MCPS

and its authorized users according to the then current standards in the industry.

Commodity Codes

• NAICS 541930Translation and Interpretation Services
• NAICS 611710Educational Support Services

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