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Question 1 : Can a Community College and a BOCES collaborate on one application? We operate GED classes on site at the local community college. They have always expressed interest in enhancing collaboration. The idea would be to maintain BOCES as the 4x a year site but to include resources 'in kind' from the community college as part of the application in the form of referral services and a paid proctor.
Answer 1: Consortium applications are acceptable. One agency must be identified as the lead fiscal agent. Other agencies must be identified as addendum sites.
Question 2: We are preparing a proposal in response to RFP#07-033. We are currently an approved test site. We would like to propose that our college become a test center with sites on its three campuses. Will this be permitted? If yes, how should this structure be represented on the Proposed Testing Schedule form?
Answer 2: Applications can contain multiple sites. A separate application must be submitted for each site. All sites will need to be inspected by NYSED staff. One site would be identified as the main testing center on the ACE contract with the others listed as addendum.
Question 1: I have a question concerning RFP proposal #07-033. Our public site is an addendum site to a county jail, and all our examiners and clerks are paid directly by the Syracuse City School District with no reimbursement from the state. Will we be able to continue to operate the site if we do not apply for RFP#07-033.
Answer 1: Currently approved test sites may continue to operate, with no state reimbursement, if they choose to do so.
Question 2 : If a public test center carries a Job Corps as a contract addendum site, does this mean that the Job Corps site must make testing available to the public? If it is not required, is it allowable? If the Job Corps addendum site does open dates for the public, should the primary contract test center submit testing schedules to the GED Testing Office for both sites?
Answer 2: Although Job Corps Centers will be allowed as addendum sites on the contract, they will have to contract with and pay for a Chief Examiner, who cannot be a member of the Job Corp staff, for testing at Job Corp Centers. If the GED test candidates are allowed to leave the Job Corp campus, they can test at public sites, which will be reimbursed for their test administration.
Question 3: If an upstate public test center carries a County Jail as a contract addendum site, and tests groups smaller than ten because of low volume (not special accommodations), is the reimbursement rate $20.00 per candidate?
Answer 3: If less than 10 candidates can be tested at one session, the per diem rate of $200 can be used.
Question 4: After carefully reading the RFP, the smaller jails in upstate New York will not be able to offer the GED test because we rarely have 10 students (10 x $20.00) ready at one time and few GED examiners will do the work for less than $200.00.a time. Is there another solution?
Answer 4: See above question.
Question 5: How do we include addendum sites for special needs testers who are restricted from leaving the (jail or correctional) facility they habitat?
Question 6: As an established site (225), we currently have an addendum site at the county jail. I have its site number (849). Do we list the site separately and list the dates, etc or include it with our main test site?
Answers 5 and 6: Questions 5 and 6 are answered together. Addendum sites should be described in the narrative and on the Proposed Test Schedule form and should be listed separately.
Question 7 : How will non- public agency testing be funded i.e. Job Corps, Incarcerated?
Answer 7: County jail sites may be included as addendum sites on ACE contract, per the above answer. However, Job Corp Centers will have to contract with and pay for a Chief Examiner, who cannot be a member of the Job Corp staff, for testing at Job Corp Centers. If the GED test candidates are allowed to leave the Job Corp campus, they can test at public sites, which will be reimbursed for their test administration.
Question 8: After examining the RFP and related documents, it would appear that they do not pertain to this facility since we are not a public testing center. In addition, the Chief Examiner's fees are paid from program funds.
Question 9: The Clinton County Incarcerated Program presently has a Chief Examiner who provides GED Testing services. We are extremely happy with that arrangement because of the broad flexibility it provides our transient population. We are able to test students when they are ready and with short notice.
Answers 8 and 9: Questions 8 and 9 are answered together.
If no funds are requested through this RFP, current arrangements can be continued.
Question 1: Under Funding Rates, does “per test” actually mean “per candidate” or “per test seat” in a standard-administration setting? Yet, for a special-modifications session, the higher reimbursement seems to be “per-administration” rather than per candidate, assuming a group session. Is this correct?
Answer 1: That is correct. It will sometimes be difficult to test 10 or more candidates in one session.
Question 2: Frequently, re-testers only want to take the portions of the GED exam that they previously failed. Will Testing Centers be reimbursed at the full rate of $20 for those re-testers?
Question 3: Would the pay rate be the same for partial tests?
Answers 2 and 3: Yes but only for re-testers. A center that splits the test session over two or more days would be paid $20 per candidate for the full battery of tests.
Question 4: Does the Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire need to be filled out before we apply and know if we have been selected?
Answer 4: No, not until the awards are announced.
Question 5: How will the GED test site be compensated for the time and effort to process a GED application for eligibility, test score verification, and test letter preparation and mailing when an applicant does not appear for the exam? Traditionally, we average 30-35% no shows, which account for application processing for approximately 350 applications per year. According to your proposal, the test site is compensated only for those tests administered.
Answer 5: The reimbursement is for tests administered. Test centers may charge a refundable registration fee to minimize no shows, but no other fees may be charged.
Question 6: I have read NYSED's RFP pertaining to the GED Test Site Proposal. In order to apply the College would need to earn an administrative amount over and above the salaries of personnel needed to administer the site. Otherwise we will be setting up a testing room with paid personnel in order to provide the service to the community with no additional remuneration. If the College applied and received $20 per test for 500 people would we be able to earn some profit? Do other institutions utilize current salaried Full or part- time personnel to administer the testing?
Answer 6: The $20 per candidate rate is what the state will reimburse centers and could cover the cost of clerical work associated with test administration. Centers are not required to use full-time staff and may set their own rates of remuneration.
Question 1: Regarding special-modifications group testing sessions, is the expectation that Examiners schedule groups of candidates who are approved for identical modifications to test together (but not to mix, for example, “calculator for Math Part II” with no calculator modification in the same session)?
Answer 1: Test centers are not required to group special modification candidates. However, NYSED encourages test centers to group together test candidates who require special accommodations, other than private room, when feasible.
Question 2: RFP states, “For each testing accommodations session, the GED testing personnel will be paid the current per test session rate of …” Does this not mean “agency / test center will be reimbursed…” rather than “personnel will be paid…”?
Answer 2: The RFP should have stated “agency/test center will be reimbursed” rather than “personnel will be paid.”
Question 3: In a special-modification Funding Rates example, RFP offers that “if the exam lasts for ten hours instead of eight, the test center would receive an additional 25% over the flat fee…” This implies that the maximum time for standard administration is eight hours. Is this correct?
Question 4 : Under Sample Special Accommodations GED Testing Reimbursement Form, the fifth column heading reads, “Total Hours of Test Session”. Does this refer to candidate(s)’ actual timed testing, or does it take into account the time needed for Examiner’s preliminaries, scripted announcements and instructions as per the GEDTS, presentation of Mathematics test video, etc.?
Answers 3 and 4: The maximum time for each subtest
is listed in the RFP. The total time for a standard English test is 420 minutes,
or 7 hours. An additional hour is allowed for completing the demographic section,
scripted announcements and other preliminaries.
Question 5 : Who will bear the cost of providing a
sign language interpreter, or a scribe for accommodation testing?
Answer 5 : The NYSED has interpreters under contract for this service and will pay the cost.
Question 6 : How often would a testing site be expected to provide accommodation testing?
Answer 6 : There are no set limits or schedules for special modifications testing. NYSED recognizes that agencies cannot predict in advance how many candidates requiring special modification testing will apply to take the GED test.
Question 1 : The criteria for evaluating bids #5 states that all sites must be accessible to people with limited mobility. Would it be acceptable if an applicant that has two sites, only one of which is accessible, assigns individuals with limited mobility to the accessible site?
Answer 1 : Yes, provided that the center can ensure that any individual with limited mobility can be accommodated. A separate application must be submitted for each site.
Question 1 : Will the NYSED assist start up programs in finding a qualified Chief Examiner that is someone who has been trained within 12 months with 3 years training?
Answer 1 : NYSED has this information and will share it with new test centers, if the chief examiners express an interest in working at another test center.
Question 2 : When will NYSED be providing Chief Examiner training?
Answer 2: Training will be scheduled soon after the awards are announced.
Question 3 : The RFP states the qualifications for Chief Examiner as: " ... at least a bachelor's degree from a nationally accredited college or university and shall have experience in teaching, training, counseling or testing", however: Is a person with an Associates degree and over five years experience qualified for Chief Examiner?
Answer 3 : Not at this time. These requirements are from the GED Testing Service and are under discussion, but for the purposes of this RFP, the requirements for a Chief Examiner remain as stated in the RFP.
Question 4 : Can an individual who was previously certified as a Chief Examiner via an L-10 Testing Center Staff Appointment be "grandfathered" in as a Chief examiner if they have an associate’s degree and over five years experience?
Answer 4 : As stipulated in the RFP, a Chief Examiner must hold a bachelor’s degree.
Question 5 : Will partial points be awarded if the Chief Examiner has one or two years of experience, but not three?
Answer 5 : The evaluation instrument does not provide for partial credit for Chief Examiners who have less than the minimum number of years experience.
Question 6 : On p. 11 of the RFP it states that the GED Examiner could have “a minimum of an associate’s degree from a nationally accredited community college and three years of experience in teaching, training, counseling or testing.” In considering hiring someone who currently holds the title of GED Examiner, could the “three years of testing” be satisfied by GED testing once a month?
Answer 6 : Yes
Question 1: Do you want a GED exam schedule for the entire time period of the grant or just for the period of July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009? Is the schedule we send in definite or can it be changed at a later date?
Answer 1 : The proposal should reflect the schedule for 7/1/08-6/30/09 but can be modified in subsequent years with a contract amendment. Testing capacities may not be decreased in subsequent years.
Question 2 : Are we supposed to include a schedule with dates for Special Accommodations testing too? If yes, how do we do this if we do not know what students will be applying and what accommodations they will be requesting?
Question 3: Is it to reflect one year or all three years of testing?
Answers 2 and 3 : Questions 2 and 3 are answered
together.
The proposal should reflect the schedule for 7/1/08-6/30/09 but can be modified
in subsequent years with a contract amendment. NYSED understands that it
is difficult to predict the number of special modification tests the center
will be required to provide and will make allowances if the number of special
modification tests exceeds the number provided in the proposal, but that
proposed number may not decrease.
Question 4 : Do we propose the total number we plan to schedule (under Per Test Session Capacity of Center) and the total number we anticipate will show up for testing (under Proposed Total Number of Candidates to be Tested Annually) or do we simply multiply the Per Test Session Capacity of the Center by the Proposed Number of Test Dates?
Answer 4 : Multiply the per test session capacity by the number of test dates.
Question 5 : Does the "E", "F", "S" and "ST" equal the Proposed Number of Test Dates (as in the example) or should it equal the Proposed Test Session Capacity of the Center per test, or per year, or for the three years?
Answer 6: Per year.
Question 7: Can the testing site set the frequency of testing for their agency?
Answer 7: Yes.
Question 8: Can we finish this year’s published schedule and begin our new schedule in January 2009?
Answer 8: Yes. Be sure the schedule listed in your proposal reflects this.
Question 9: Can we change the schedule of testing dates and locations that we have submitted for 07 - 08;
Question 10: The proposal should reflect the schedule for 7/1/08-6/30/09, but can be modified in subsequent years. However, the number of test administrations per year as well as per month may not be decreased from the year one submitted numbers. A contract amendment would be required for any change in the schedule of testing dates.
Answers 9 and 10: Changes in location (sites) will require an inspection of the new site by NYSED to ensure that it complies with GEDTS requirements. If the new site passes the inspection, the contract would have to be amended.
Question 1: The letter to GED Chief Examiners says the deadline for the RFP is March 3. The deadline for submission of the RFP is March 24, correct?
Answer 1: Yes. The letter was in error and has been corrected. The due date is March 24.
Question 1: Is it permissible for a testing site to charge a nonrefundable registration fee to all who sign up to take a GED exam? ($10.00)
Question 2: Frequently there is a very high no show rate for the GED exam. Will test centers be permitted to charge a registration fee to encourage attendance?
Question 3: Can we charge a nominal, non-refundable registration fee? Can we waive this fee for our program participants who have demonstrated test readiness on an Official Practice Test?
Answers 1, 2, and 3: Questions 1, 2 and 3 are answered together.
A refundable registration fee may be charged to minimize no shows but no other
fees may be charged.
Question 1: Can the testing site require that a tester qualify to take the GED by having predictor scores indicating that they should be successful in testing?
Answer 1: Test centers may give priority seating to candidates exhibiting test readiness based on predictor scores but cannot award the total number of seats for the exam on that basis.
Question 1: Does the testing site have to test in languages other than English? (See p. 13 of RFP.)
Answer 1: No
Question 2: If we don’t have to test in languages other than English, does the Chief Examiner still have to be fluent in Spanish or French?
Answer 2: No. The RFP was in error in indicating that centers needed to have Chief Examiners fluent in those languages.
Question 3: Will it be possible to offer testing in Chautauqua Country in Spanish? Until a chief examiner can be trained, can we use a bilingual proctor to help administer the test in Spanish?
Answer 3: Yes. You may use a bi-lingual proctor to assist in administering the test.
Question 1: Can you please tell me how we ascertain how many students we can test since we currently administer tests for students who live outside Dutchess County.
Answer 1: Test centers can accept candidates from outsides their Test Service Area (TSA). It is advised that the proposal indicate the maximum amount a center could test regardless of TSA of residence.
Question 2: We have read the RFP for the GED Test Site. We could establish two sites for evening and weekend testing. However, would we qualify given that the school districts in both cities already have test sites there? It may be fruitless to apply given this reality. Can you advise on whether our application would be feasible?
Question 3: With the number of current GED testing centers in or near Buffalo how will it be determined that a testing center within Erie County but with limited capacity will be serviced if contracts are awarded to only top scorers?
Answer 2 and 3: Questions 2 and 3 are answered together.
NYSED is encouraging proposals from all eligible agencies and will evaluate
these proposal based on the criteria in the RFP. New and existing centers
will compete on an equal basis.
Question 4: Are we able to define the application process locally; for example, are we as a center able to direct students to the website rather than mailing applications to those not registered in our classes?
Answer 4: The centers are to be open to the public. Priority seating can be given to candidates who are students of the GED prep program but other candidates must also be served.
Question 5: Do we need to submit separate proposals for Erie/ Chautauqua Counties?
Answer 5: Yes. Separate proposals must be submitted for each TSA in which the agency wishes to operate a test center. Also, a separate application must be submitted for each site location.