National Monitoring Program Feasibility Study

Concepts

• research services
• welsh government
• feasibility study
• national monitoring program feasibility study
• final report of the scoping study
• national level
• national information
• national programme of sample-based assessments
• delivery of this national monitoring programme
• development of a national monitoring programme

Location

Wales:

Description

Study into the feasibility of a programme of national sample-based assessments for the purpose of understanding and monitoring learner attainment and learning standards at a national level, in a way that accords with the Curriculum for Wales Framework (including the Curriculum for Wales Progression Code, Statement of What Matters Code, and associated guidance), and the new Framework for school evaluation, improvement, and accountability.

Total Quantity or Scope

The Welsh Government is seeking to deliver a national programme of sample-based assessments to monitor learners’ attainment in the Curriculum for Wales (“national monitoring programme”) to provide national information on learning standards. We are seeking to pilot such assessments within the 2025/26 academic year. We are procuring a feasibility study to develop fully costed and detailed options for the creation and delivery of this national monitoring programme. Curriculum for Wales is being taught in schools and settings across Wales up to year 6 and half of year 7 in September 2022. In September 2023 it will roll out to all secondary schools in respect of years 7 and 8, and will then roll out year by year until it includes year 11 in September 2026. Curriculum for Wales does not contain a national standardised assessment framework. Schools must design their curriculum in line with the Curriculum for Wales Guidance including appropriate assessment arrangements that support learner progression. End of Key Stage assessments, which previously provided information on attainment in the core subjects, have been phased out due to their inconsistency with the Curriculum for Wales. In line with the recommendation of Successful Futures, the Welsh Government is pursuing a national monitoring programme as the means of monitoring learner attainment and discerning learning standards at a national level over time. In July 2022, the Government Social Research Service published the final report of the scoping study undertaken by Arad Research and the Open University on the evaluability of the Curriculum and Assessment reforms. Recommendations included the development of a national monitoring programme for learner attainment and considerations for its development. The Welsh Government’s response committed to considering these recommendations in the development of the Curriculum for Wales Evaluation Plan. The Evaluation Plan has been published, setting out our long-term approach to evaluation and monitoring, including our ambition to develop national monitoring. The feasibility study must answer a series of detailed questions regarding the design, development, delivery, and operation of the national monitoring programme which will be set out in the specification. It must develop costed proposals for the programme which meet the requirements set out by the Welsh Government. These requirements include principles that should underpin the development of the programme; and requirements regarding what should be assessed and the outputs that the programme must deliver. National monitoring will form one part of the broader school information ecosystem – the holistic range of information about schools that we will use to inform local, regional, and national improvement. Therefore, this study will need to acknowledge and work within the broader context of developing policy on the creation of a new school information ecosystem (including how the outputs of national monitoring can integrate with other sources of information in this ecosystem and as part of the broader Evaluation Plan) and take a flexible approach that allows iteration of the approach to discerning learning standards in line with policy development. Given the breadth and complexity of the study, suppliers may wish to consider consortium arrangements when responding to the invitation to tender.

CPV Codes

• 73110000 - Research services
• 73210000 - Research consultancy services
• 79419000 - Evaluation consultancy services
• 80100000 - Primary education services
• 80200000 - Secondary education services
• 80420000 - E-learning services

Other Information

** PREVIEW NOTICE, please check Find a Tender for full details. ** The Welsh Government is placing this PIN to notify suitably skilled Supplier(s) of a potential contract opportunity. Note: this is not a call for competition, and the Welsh Government does not guarantee that a call for competition will subsequently take place as a result of this PIN. Any formal tender process subsequently undertaken will be in accordance with Open award procedure (Reg.27, Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended)) and will be advertised under a separate Contract Notice. The aim of any subsequent tender process will be to appoint a Supplier to deliver Services set out in the Contract Notice and the applicable award criteria will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender. The Welsh Government would welcome consortium bids or groups of more than one legal entity bidding together. For further information on joint bidding, please see the information at: - Joint bidding for public contracts: guidance for consortia | GOV.WALES The Welsh Government will seek proposals that deliver its social value, economic and environmental sustainability objectives, and contract performance conditions may relate to social value, economic and environmental considerations. The Welsh Government will not reimburse, and shall not be responsible for, any costs, charges or expenses incurred by organisations responding to this PIN. Any subsequent tender process will be undertaken and administered via Sell2Wales and eTenderWales; once live, all communications will be sent via eTenderWales only. The Welsh Government is placing this PIN to notify suitably skilled Supplier(s) of a potential contract opportunity. Note: this is not a call for competition, and the Welsh Government does not guarantee that a call for competition will subsequently take place as a result of this PIN. Any formal tender process subsequently undertaken will be in accordance with Open award procedure (Reg.27, Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended)) and will be advertised under a separate Contract Notice. The aim of any subsequent tender process will be to appoint a Supplier to deliver Services set out in the Contract Notice and the applicable award criteria will be on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender. The Welsh Government would welcome consortium bids or groups of more than one legal entity bidding together. For further information on joint bidding, please see the information at: - Joint bidding for public contracts: guidance for consortia | GOV.WALES The Welsh Government will seek proposals that deliver its social value, economic and environmental sustainability objectives, and contract performance conditions may relate to social value, economic and environmental considerations. The Welsh Government will not reimburse, and shall not be responsible for, any costs, charges or expenses incurred by organisations responding to this PIN. Any subsequent tender process will be undertaken and administered via Sell2Wales and eTenderWales; once live, all communications will be sent via eTenderWales only. NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=133043. (WA Ref:133043) NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=133043. (WA Ref:133043)