Section 60643 Of Article 4. California Assessment Of Student Performance And Progress From California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 33. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 4.
60643
. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the contractor or
contractors of the achievement tests provided for in Section 60640
shall comply with all of the conditions and requirements of the
contract to the satisfaction of the Superintendent and the state
board.
(b) (1) The department shall develop, and the Superintendent and
the state board shall approve, a contract or contracts to be entered
into with a contractor in connection with the test provided for in
Section 60640. The department may develop the contract through
negotiations. In approving a contract amendment to the contract
authorized pursuant to this section, the department, in consultation
with the state board, may make material amendments to the contract
that do not increase the contract cost. Contract amendments that
increase contract costs may only be made with the approval of the
department, the state board, and the Department of Finance.
(2) For purposes of the contracts authorized pursuant to this
subdivision, the department is exempt from the requirements of Part 2
(commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract
Code and from the requirements of Article 6 (commencing with Section
999) of Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans Code.
The department shall use a competitive and open process utilizing
standardized scoring criteria through which to select a potential
administration contractor or contractors for recommendation to the
state board for consideration. The state board shall consider each of
the following criteria:
(A) The ability of the contractor to produce valid and reliable
scores.
(B) The ability of the contractor to report accurate results in a
timely fashion.
(C) Exclusive of the consortium assessments, the ability of the
contractor to ensure technical adequacy of the tests, inclusive of
the alignment between the California Assessment of Student
Performance and Progress tests and the state-adopted content
standards.
(D) The cost of the assessment system.
(E) The ability and proposed procedures to ensure the security and
integrity of the assessment system.
(F) The experience of the contractor in successfully conducting
statewide testing programs in other states.
(3) The contracts shall include provisions for progress payments
to the contractor for work performed or costs incurred in the
performance of the contract. Not less than 10 percent of the amount
budgeted for each separate and distinct component task provided for
in each contract shall be withheld pending final completion of all
component tasks by that contractor. The total amount withheld pending
final completion shall not exceed 10 percent of the total contract
price for that fiscal year.
(4) The contracts shall require liquidated damages to be paid by
the contractor in the amount of up to 10 percent of the total cost of
the contract for any component task that the contractor through its
own fault or that of its subcontractors fails to substantially
perform by the date specified in the agreement.
(5) The contracts shall establish the process and criteria by
which the successful completion of each component task shall be
recommended by the department and approved by the state board.
(6) The contractors shall submit, as part of the contract
negotiation process, a proposed budget and invoice schedule, that
includes a detailed listing of the costs for each component task and
the expected date of the invoice for each completed component task.
(7) The contract or contracts subject to approval by the
Superintendent and the state board under paragraph (1) and exempt
under paragraph (2) shall specify the following component tasks, as
applicable, that are separate and distinct:
(A) Development of new tests or test items.
(B) Test materials production or publication.
(C) Delivery or electronic distribution of test materials to local
educational agencies.
(D) Test processing, scoring, and analyses.
(E) Reporting of test results to the local educational agencies,
including, but not necessarily limited to, all reports specified in
this section.
(F) Reporting of valid and reliable test results to the
department, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following
electronic files:
(i) Scores aggregated statewide, and by county, school district,
school, and grade.
(ii) Disaggregated scores based on English proficiency status,
gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic disadvantage, foster care status,
and special education designation.
(G) All other analyses or reports required by the Superintendent
to meet the requirements of state and federal law and set forth in
the agreement.
(H) Technology services to support the activities listed in
subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive.
(I) Perform regular performance checks and load simulations to
ensure the integrity and robustness of the technology system used to
support the activities listed in subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive.