Pedagogical and Methodological Support and Implementation of the National Assessments and Trainings

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST CONSULTING SERVICES – FIRMS SELECTION Republic of Serbia Serbia Inclusive Primary Education Improvement Project (IPEIP) Project ID No. P181557

Assignment Title:

Pedagogical and Methodological Support and Implementation of the National Assessments and Trainings Reference No. SER-IPEIP-QCBS-CS-26-16 The Republic of Serbia has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Serbia Inclusive Primary Education Improvement Project (IPEIP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for consulting services to be procured under this project.

Scope of Services

The objective of this assignment is to provide the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Education Quality and Evaluation (IEQE) with comprehensive pedagogical, methodological, psychometric, organizational, and technical support for the preparation, piloting, implementation, analysis, and reporting of the national assessment in primary education. The assignment is intended to ensure that the agreed conceptual and methodological framework is translated into a clearly planned, feasible, and standardized national assessment cycle capable of producing reliable data on student achievement and supporting the use of those data for improving education policies and school practice. The consultant shall provide support in the development of the assessment methodology, assessment instruments, an item bank, test forms, and contextual questionnaires. The support shall also include the preparation of procedures for sampling, communication with schools, administration of the assessment, quality assurance, secure handling of assessment materials, and the protection of personal data. The Consultant shall work closely with the IEQE and the Project Management Unit (PMU) team within the MoE in completing the following main tasks: Development of Methodology and Assessment Instruments, including the national assessment concept and frameworks, assessment instruments, item banks, test forms and contextual questionnaires, accessibility arrangements, as well as methodological and psychometric requirements and professional verification inputs for the Grade 7 online assessment solution; Logistics and Administration of Assessments, including representative sampling, preparation and communication with schools, training and deployment of field staff, implementation and monitoring of the pilot and main assessments, secure handling of assessment materials, coding and scoring, data entry, and quality assurance; Psychometric Analysis and Reporting, including IRT-based analysis, calibration and scaling, standard setting, preparation of national and school-level reports and system-level recommendations, dissemination of results, and measures supporting data protection, knowledge transfer, and sustainability of the national assessment system; System-Level Training and Dissemination of Results, including capacity building for the IEQE and other relevant institutions, as well as training and support for education advisers, school principals, and teachers in the interpretation and use of national assessment results for policy development, school improvement, and teaching practice.

Estimated contract duration: 42 months.

The detailed Terms of Reference for the above referenced consulting services is posted on the website of the MoE/IPEIP https://ipeip.prosveta.gov.rs/konkursi-tenderi/ . The MoE and Central Fiduciary Unit (CFU) now invite eligible Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services. The assignment will require a qualified Consultant (consulting company or a joint venture) that can demonstrate extensive experience in the above Services. The following shortlisting criteria will be applied to all consulting firms (individual company or joint venture overall) that have submitted EoI:

1. Criterion: General Experience in Implementing Complex Education Projects

Proven general experience and verifiable references in the implementation of complex projects in education, educational research, evaluation of education policies and programmes, institutional development, and/or related fields over the past ten (10) years. Preference will be given to experience related to multi-component projects implemented at the national or system level, involving cooperation with educational institutions, a large number of beneficiaries/participants, and coordination of multiple technical and operational activities.

Scoring:

The Consultant will be awarded up to 20 points based on the relevance, scope, and complexity of the submitted project references.

2. Criterion: Relevant Experience in Educational Research, Evaluation, and Assessment of Learning Outcomes

The Consultant shall demonstrate at least two (2) successfully completed relevant assignments in the areas of educational research, evaluation of education systems, policies or programmes, assessment of student achievement, and/or other related areas involving the systematic collection, analysis, and use of data in education over the past ten (10) years. Particular consideration will be given to experience in national, international, or other standardised assessments of student achievement, especially where previous assignments covered multiple stages of the assessment cycle, from preparation and instrument development, to data collection, to analysis and reporting. Experience in the Western Balkans and/or in education systems with comparable institutional and regulatory environments will be considered an advantage.

Scoring:

The Consultant will be awarded up to 60 points based on the number, relevance, scope, complexity, and degree of similarity of the submitted project references to the subject of this assignment.

3. Criterion: Organisational, Technical, and Management Capacity

Organisational, technical, and manageme