Pursuant to Chapter 760, 2022 Acts of the General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) shall provide a plan on the implementation of a new assessment system. The Department may issue a request for information (RFI) as part of the process to better determine costs and requirements of any new system.

The RFI sought information from qualified vendors regarding the development, delivery, scoring, administration, data analysis, and reporting components of a new Virginia K-12 Assessment Program. This RFI also aimed to identify innovative and efficient solutions in the market that could enhance its assessment program. The objective of this RFI was to gain insight into the capabilities and offerings within the assessment vendor community to determine if the marketplace can provide the recommendations of the HB 585 Report and the additional needs of a new assessment system. VDOE sought detailed information about proposed solutions and estimated non-binding pricing structures. Virginia was also seeking pricing guidance to aid with the development of budgetary estimates.

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview on the RFI submissions received for a new assessment system and to outline a plan forward for a new assessment system in Virginia as required by the General Assembly. To comply with budget language found in Item 119A.2.a of Chapter 2 of the Acts of Assembly (Special Session I, 2024) - the plan to implement a new state assessment system includes the following elements: a revised timeline; estimated short-and long-term costs, including the costs to transition to the new system; staffing and training needs; key milestones; and project deliverables.

Disclaimer: The information submitted by applicants through the RFI and the content of this legislative update are for informational purposes only. None of the information within RFI submissions nor the descriptions of submissions outlined herein can or will be used to select a future assessment vendor. Only proposals submitted in response to a formal Request for Proposals issued under the VPPA can or will be considered in selecting a future assessment vendor.