Inside INdiana Business is reporting the Indiana Department of Administration has recommended a Washington D.C.-based vendor to administer the state’s replacement for the ISTEP+ exam. Indiana’s Learning Evaluation Readiness Network, or ILEARN, is slated to become the new statewide standardized test in the 2018-2019 academic year.
The IDOA is recommending the American Institute for Research to administer the ILEARN test as well as the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination, or IREAD-3, exam, which is given to Hoosier third graders. The vendor was chosen from a group of five that submitted proposals.
The respondents to the Request For Proposals were evaluated on criteria including adherence to requirements, management assessment & quality, cost proposal, minority business participation, and women-owned business participation. AIR received the highest overall score of the five respondents.
“We are excited for what the future holds for education here in Indiana,” said Dr. Charity Flores, Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Director of Assessment. “We will continue to move forward with the procurement process.”
The recommendation calls for a three-year, $43.4 million contract for the vendor, which comes with two one-year renewal options.
A spokesman for the Indiana Department of Education tells Inside INdiana Business there will be a five-day window for the organizations not chosen to submit an appeal. After that time, or upon the completion of the appeal process, the contract will go into effect, at which point the vendor will work with the ILEARN Committee to continue work on the design and implementation of the new exam.