Alternate Assessment Service

The South Dakota Department of Education in Pierre, South Dakota, is seeking a vendor to provide a comprehensive alternate assessment service. The agency needs to establish alternate academic achievement standards and implement an ongoing system for test item development, administration, scoring, and reporting. This initiative aims to ensure valid and immediate assessment results for students requiring alternate academic achievement standards across the state. The scope of work spans five distinct components starting with the development of alternate academic achievement standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math between October 2026 and March 2027. The agency requires the development of test items in ELA, Math, and Science from May 2027 through September 2027, followed by the provision of an assessment system for test administration from March 2028 through mid-May 2028. Scoring must occur in real time with immediate results during the administration window, and the agency requires final district reports by the end of May and the final student data file by mid-June annually. Bidders must perform all work offsite and must be located onshore within the United States. The agency is establishing a contract period of one year to cover these services. The agency has not disclosed a specific budget and is looking for proposals to define the cost.