(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the contractor or contractors of the achievement tests provided for in Section 60640 shall comply with all of the conditions and requirements of the contract to the satisfaction of the Superintendent and the state board.
(b) (1) The department shall develop, and the Superintendent and the state board shall approve, a contract or contracts to be entered into with a contractor in connection with the tests provided for in Sections 60640 and 60810. The department may develop the contract through negotiations. In approving a contract amendment to the contract authorized pursuant to this section, the department, in consultation with the state board, may make material amendments to the contract that do not increase the contract cost. Contract amendments that increase contract costs may only be made with the approval of the department, the state board, and the Department of Finance.
(2) For purposes of the contracts authorized pursuant to this subdivision, the department is exempt from the requirements of Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code and from the requirements of Article 6 (commencing with Section 999) of Chapter 6 of Division 4 of the Military and Veterans Code. The department shall use a competitive and open process utilizing standardized scoring criteria through which to select a potential administration contractor or contractors for recommendation to the state board for consideration. The state board shall consider each of the following criteria:
(A) The ability of the contractor to produce valid and reliable scores.
(B) The ability of the contractor to report accurate results in a timely fashion.
(C) Exclusive of the consortium assessments, the ability of the contractor to ensure technical adequacy of the tests, inclusive of the alignment between the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests and the state-adopted content standards.
(D) The cost of the assessment system.
(E) The ability and proposed procedures to ensure the security and integrity of the assessment system.
(F) The experience of the contractor in successfully conducting statewide testing programs in other states.
(3) The contracts shall include provisions for progress payments to the contractor for work performed or costs incurred in the performance of the contract. Not less than 10 percent of the amount budgeted for each separate and distinct component task per test administration provided for in each contract shall be withheld pending final completion of all component tasks by that contractor. The total amount withheld pending final completion shall not exceed 10 percent of the total contract price for that test administration.
(4) The contracts shall require liquidated damages to be paid by the contractor in the amount of up to 10 percent of the total cost of the contract for any component task per test administration that the contractor through its own fault or that of its subcontractors fails to substantially perform as specified in the agreement.
(5) The contracts shall establish the process and criteria by which the successful completion of each component task shall be recommended by the department and approved by the state board.
(6) The contractors shall submit, as part of the contract negotiation process, a proposed budget and invoice schedule, that includes a detailed listing of the costs for each component task and the expected date of the invoice for each completed component task.
(7) The contract or contracts subject to approval by the Superintendent and the state board under paragraph (1) and exempt under paragraph (2) shall specify the following component tasks, as applicable, that are separate and distinct:
(A) Development of new tests or test items.
(B) Test materials production or publication.
(C) Delivery or electronic distribution of test materials to local educational agencies.
(D) Test processing, scoring, and analyses.
(E) Reporting of test results to the local educational agencies, including, but not necessarily limited to, all reports specified in this section.
(F) Reporting of valid and reliable test results to the department, including, but not necessarily limited to, the following electronic files:
(i) Scores aggregated statewide, and by county, school district, school, and grade.
(ii) Disaggregated scores based on English proficiency status, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic disadvantage, foster care status, and special education designation.
(G) All other analyses or reports required by the Superintendent to meet the requirements of state and federal law and set forth in the agreement.
(H) Technology services to support the activities listed in subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive.
(I) Perform regular performance checks and load simulations to ensure the integrity and robustness of the technology system used to support the activities listed in subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive.
(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 32, Sec. 106. (AB 1808) Effective June 27, 2018.)