Comprehensive Program Review - Special Education Services

Overview

<p>The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit sealed proposals to establish a contract with a single contractor through competitive negotiation for the provision of comprehensive review of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) special education services provided to students with disabilities.</p> <p>The main goals of the comprehensive review are to:</p> <ol> <li>Evaluate the design, structure and established processes of educational services offered by FCPS in meeting the needs of students with disabilities, and the degree of fidelity of implementation of special education services at schools, as well as the continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of the processes</li> <li>Evaluate the adequacy of human capital resources assigned to special education students, the qualification of the staff, and the level of professional development received by them</li> <li>Analyze to what degree implementation of special education services at schools aligns with evidence-based practices</li> <li>Evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies to keep stakeholders informed about services for students with disabilities</li> </ol> <p>Note: Restraint and seclusion will be specifically OUTSIDE OF SCOPE for the purposes of this review.</p> <p> </p><div>As a result of this comprehensive review, the Offeror will provide recommendations for changes in policies, processes and accountability. The recommendations should be:</div> <ul> <li>actionable both long- and short-term</li> <li>able to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services for students with disabilities to meet individual needs</li> <li>able to highlight how FCPS can more effectively organize its structures, systems, and processes to better support the delivery of services to students with disabilities, and</li> <li>grounded in research related to services and/or other evidence-based practices.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Description of General Consultant Activities:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Review FCPS-provided materials and list of activities (Section 6 of this document) with FCPS contacts to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the project and the expectations.</li> <li>Sign and return contract to FCPS contact.</li> <li>Drive the comprehensive review from beginning to end.</li> <li>Check in with FCPS contact at periodic agreed-upon time points to have questions answered, ensure that work is progressing and that the work product will meet expectations.</li> <li>Provide expected products to FCPS in accordance with the timeline defined below and the expectations set forth in the FCPS-provided materials. Products are expected to be delivered by COB on the completion dates listed in Section 6.</li> <li>Attend at least three School Board meetings or work sessions with FCPS School Board to discuss findings and recommendations. In addition, presentations to FCPS Leadership Team may be required.</li> <li>Submit invoice to FCPS contact at end of project.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Description of the Role of Office of Auditor General (OAG) pertaining to this comprehensive review:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Act as the project liaison to provide oversight and ensure that the required tasks are completed in a timely manner.</li> <li>Help identify the key point of contacts within FCPS.</li> <li>Monitor completion and delivery of key milestones and timeline.</li> <li>Coordinate regular status update meetings (as appropriate) – frequency to be determined.</li> <li>Be informed of any requests related to this comprehensive review.</li> <li>Be informed of any anticipated challenges and potential delays to meet the established timeline.</li> <li>Be informed of any potential staff changes and responsible to review resumes of the replacement candidates.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Tasks to be Performed</strong> (Abbreviated; See RFP for full details)</p> <p>To achieve the main goals outlined in Section 1. Scope of Services, the comprehensive review must incorporate and answer the following key questions:</p> <ol> <li>How and to what extent does the design, structure and established processes of FCPS’ educational services meet the needs of students with disabilities? And to what degree are special education services at schools implemented with fidelity? And to what degree is the effectiveness of the processes continuously monitored?</li> <li>How and to what extent are the human capital resources assigned to special education students, the qualification of the staff, and the level of professional development received by them adequate?</li> <li>To what extent does the implementation of special education services at schools align with evidence-based practices?</li> <li>How and to what extent are FCPS’ communication strategies to keep stakeholders informed about services for students with disabilities effective?</li> </ol> <p>Several data sources will be required to complete the comprehensive review of special education services for students with disabilities:</p> <ol> <li>Data and document analysis</li> <li>Surveys, focus groups, and/or interviews</li> <li>Classroom observations</li> <li>Research and evidence-based practices</li> </ol>