1. Can you please give either a figure or a budget range for the evaluation?
We would like to keep costs below $250,000 preferably in the $175-$225K range. We will be looking for proposals that deliver the most value for the investment.
2. Do you have a priority for conducting the summative evaluation in in-school settings, informal settings, or both?
Our primary preference would be that the summative evaluation is conducted in-school; however, we would be open to a plan that also included informal settings.
3. Do you have any particular inclusion criteria for the control group, e.g. a rival earth/science climate curriculum module or no earth science/climate curricular exposure?
We would look to the proposal to make the best case for why groups were selected and why the method of comparison you are using is the best approach.
4.1 Have local schools agreed to participate in the evaluation study in each of the funded locations?
The Contractor is responsible for recruiting and managing evaluation sites. However, STEM Digital Media Resources Grantees would be asked to share educational outreach and school partner lists with Contractor to aid in recruitment.
Note that seven STEM Digital Media Production Grants were awarded to a total of nine public television stations. One grant involves three stations working in partnership with each other.
4.2 If schools have not agreed - is recruiting of schools, teacher-implementers and matched comparison classrooms within each of the funded communities served by the initiative within the RFP workscope?
If you are asking whether this should be included within the proposal - Yes.
4.3 If so, does CPB expect all projects/products to be evaluated in the communities in which they were developed?
No, but we anticipate that it would be easier to recruit schools in the communities in which the resources were developed.
5. What control will CPB and/or stations have over the implementation of the full curriculum in each of the funded locations?
5.1 Who is responsible for making sure teachers fully implement the provided curriculum, in their classrooms?
The STEM Digital Media Resources Grantees are responsible for dissemination of content to local schools and to other public television stations.
5.2 What recourse will CPB have if the studied curriculum is not implemented — or not fully implemented?
As the STEM Digital Media Resources funds were production grants, we don't believe this is relevant to this RFP.
6. While the evaluator and evaluation plan will ultimately determine the site visit plan, does CPB envision the evaluator making an in-person visit to each of the funded sites?
We would look to the proposal to make a case within the constraints of the budget and time-frame whether site visits to all or some of the STEM Digital Media Resources Grantees are possible. If site visits are proposed, Contractor's budget should cover costs for travel related to the evaluation.
7. Does CPB place higher value on measuring outcomes specific to the initiative — best measured pre/post product implementation, or more general — yet still project-aligned — outcomes measured over the course of an entire school year?
While it is desirable to see long-term effects, budget and time constraints will again be a factor.