SchoolSmartKC – Literacy for All Campaign
Online Reading Tutoring
Background
SchoolSmartKC (SSKC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports students, families, educators, and school and district/charter leaders in Kansas City, Missouri, towards educational excellence. Specifically, SSKC’s mission is to support students and schools toward closing the opportunity gaps between Kansas City, the state of Missouri, and nationally. Our target area comprises nearly 30,000 students across 70 school buildings, of which 85%+ are free/reduced lunch (low-income), 50% are Black, 25% are Latino/Hispanic, 20% are English Language Learners), and 12% are students with different learning abilities.
Our Students. Our City. Our Future: Focus on Literacy
The city-wide effort is aimed at addressing the city-wide crisis in the Kansas City Public School District (KCPS) and the Charter Schools within the KCPS boundaries by offering strategic resources and support to all 40 elementary schools. Achieving the necessary progress to ensure literacy for all requires active involvement from schools, families, and the wider community.
SSKC is committed to supporting local students, families, and schools, focusing on a funding strategy that addresses student reading growth in grades K - 3. This multifaceted campaign will provide support essential to increasing grade-level literacy achievement across KCPES. These supports include literacy-focused instructional coaches, high-dose tutoring for all students in K-3, fellowships for both building leaders and instructional coaches, and intentional community engagement complemented by literacy resources for families.
In the fall of 2024, the campaign will launch in nine elementary schools, providing each participating school with access to online tutoring for all students in grades K-3 (average of 185 students) based on the Science of Reading.
Online Reading Tutoring
The most critical need that has arisen from the conversations with school leaders, and due to the age and educational development of our youngest learners, is support in reading development as the foundational building block for all future academic success. The research is clear: high-impact tutoring improves student learning. SSKC thus seeks responses from qualified consultants, nonprofits, and other agencies that can support these early-grade learners, focused on literacy
support grounded in the science of reading. Programming should be customizable to meet the needs of diverse school sites.
Scope of Work
SSKC seeks responses to support a city-wide effort focused on a launch across nine elementary schools to address the literacy crisis in KCPES. This support will improve student literacy proficiency in grades K-3 across KCPES. Specifically, the selected consultant/organization will:
1. Provide an online, research-based reading development or intervention program that is built upon the five components of reading as determined by the National Reading Panel: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary that specifically supports students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Programming will include culturally relevant material, including language support for English language learners, and provide online access to classroom teachers of student progress.
2. Support schools through setup, technical assistance, resources for parents, and progress monitoring based on identified students/grades needed for literacy interventions. The online platform should accommodate a range of hardware and platforms—both iOS (Apple) and PC—tablets, desktops, and smartphones.
3. Offer literacy support to classroom teachers’ instruction and co-training with those teachers on the platform, resources, and strategies as needed.
4. The intervention program utilized by the selected consultant/organization should have a research-based assessment/progress monitoring tool readily available and in use if the school does not already have one in place.
5. Provide a determination of students’ baseline literacy performance and evidence of progress toward established end-of-grade literacy goals for all supported students.
6. Intervention times (including frequency and duration) will be determined by the school/classroom teacher
7. The consultant/organization will schedule regular check-ins with the site liaison and SSKC representative to monitor progress and address challenges.
8. Indicate the capacity/interest in growing to include additional school sites.
Pricing
We seek detailed pricing information from vendors for [specific products/services]. We request that your pricing proposal include a comprehensive breakdown of volume discounts based on purchase quantities. We will prefer vendors who offer competitive volume discounts, as we aim to maximize cost-efficiency while maintaining high-quality standards.
Please include the following in your pricing proposal:
1. Unit and Enterprise Pricing: Standard pricing per unit (student) student/product/service and Enterprise (campus) pricing.
2. Volume Discount Tiers: Clear definitions of discount tiers based on quantity thresholds (e.g., 1-100 units, 101-500 units, 501-1000 units, etc.).
3. Discount Rates: Specific discount percentages or amounts applied at each tier
4. Additional Incentives: Any other incentives or rebates offered for bulk purchases or long-term contracts.
We encourage vendors to provide the best possible pricing structures to foster a mutually beneficial partnership.
School Choice
Once proposals have been evaluated, schools will have the opportunity to select from an approved vendor list. This contract will be between the school and the provider SSKC will serve as a quality assurance partner in the process.
Timeline
SSKC anticipates that this work with nine schools will begin before the launch of the 2024-2025 school year and will continue through the end of the 2027-2028 school year To this end, flexibility of staff and teams will be critical, as we monitor student progress and school needs throughout the 4 years.
Responses
Qualified consultants/organizations should submit responses to rhenderson@schoolsmartkc org no later than July 15, 2024. The response should provide references that explicitly indicate previous work and expertise with programmatic supports/frameworks for online tutoring, alignment with the science of reading, and partnerships with schools as mentioned above under “Scope of Work.” The total response should include a cost estimate for a four-year time frame, not exceeding 6 pages.
Questions
If additional information or clarification is needed, please contact Dr Robin Henderson at rhenderson@schoolsmartkc.org.
Online Literacy Tutoring Scoring Rubric
Criteria/Outcomes
Criterion 1 Timeline
Criterion 2
The tutoring program aligns with and uses the Five Components of Reading determined by the National Reading Panel.
Criterion 3
Includes evidence of inclusion of cultural knowledge, relevance, motivation, and engagement for reading instruction.
Criterion 4
Capacity to provide:
– set up support
– technical assistance
– resources for parents
– progress monitoring
– supports for teachers on implementation Capacity to accommodate:
– a range of hardware and platforms – the needs of diverse school sites
Criterion 5
Understanding of ecosystem (KCPES), both Charter & District
*KCPES - Kansas City Public Education System
Criterion 6
Capacity to expand to include additional schools in 2025-2026.
Criterion 7
Price
–Unit and Enterprise Pricing
–Volume Discount Tiers
–Discount Rates
–Additional Incentives
– Any other incentives or rebates
Criteria Totals:
Proficient (3)
The proposal is submitted by the deadline, allowing ample time for review
The proposal demonstrates a robust programmatic alignment to the five components of reading/science of reading and their effective implementation, including multiple examples
The proposal provides multiple clear examples of the importance of cultural competence and relevance to literacy instruction for students and how this is addressed in online programming
The proposal provides a detailed plan that includes evidence of organizational capacity to meet the needs of schools of varying sizes and needs The plan incorporates components specifically responsive to school-building needs and characteristics.
Developing (1)
The proposal is submitted slightly after the deadline, limiting time for review
The proposal demonstrates a limited alignment to the 5 components of reading/the science of reading, with limited examples
The proposal provides minimal examples of the importance of cultural competence and relevance to literacy instruction for students Limited evidence of addressing this in online programming
The proposal references or outlines a plan to address the needs of schools of varying sizes and needs The plan incorporates general components responsive to school-building needs and characteristics
Not Present (0)
The proposal is submitted significantly after the deadline, leaving little time for review
The proposal demonstrates little to no evidence of alignment to the 5 components of reading/the science of reading, with no examples
The proposal lacks the inclusion of cultural competence, including examples and the relation to literacy instruction No evidence of how this is addressed in online programming
The proposal mentions the ability to address the needs of schools of varying sizes and needs. However, no plan is included for review that addresses the needs of the schools or their characteristics.
The proposal provides a comprehensive understanding of school system components and processes, including both charter and the district (*KCPES), and challenges specifically related to literacy
The proposal includes a clear plan to expand the scope of work to include additional schools while working with the same organization and not outsourcing the facilitation
The proposal clearly outlines and itemizes the cost to provide service, including detailed justifications and cost-saving measures, demonstrating a deep understanding of the project requirements.
The proposal provides a basic understanding of school system components and processes and a limited understanding of KCPES
The proposal references an interest in adding more schools yet does not provide a plan describing how the facilitation will include more participants
The proposal includes the cost of providing service in limited amounts, which does not align with the project requirements. A comprehensive breakdown of the cost components and justifications provides minimal details.
The proposal provides a limited understanding of school system components and processes, missing an understanding of the components of both KCPES entities
The proposal does not communicate an interest in and ability to expand to include additional schools in future expansion.
The proposal does not address the cost of providing service, is incomplete, and/or does not include a cost breakdown.