Procurement of the Services of a Psychometrician and a Data Analyst for

Strengthening the State Assessment Cell (SAC) to implement the

activitiesrelated to Classroom-based Assessmentsacross the Schools under the
Department of School Education, GovernmentofAndhraPradesh
(CONSULTING SERVICES –COMPETITIVE SELECTION OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS)
Project: P173978 – Supporting Andhra’s LearningTransformation (SALT) Program
AssignmentTitle:Procurement of the Services of a Psychometrician and a Data Analyst
forStrengthening the State Assessment Cell (SAC) to implement the activities related to
Classroom-based Assessments across the Schools under theDepartment of School Education,
Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Contract Reference No.:IN-Samagra Shiksha-379201-CS-INDV
Procurement Method: Individual Consultant Selection (CompetitiveSelection)
As part of enhancing the overall quality of the public-school education system in the state,
Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) through the Department of School Education (DoSE)
and with the World Bank assistance has embarked on the Supporting Andhra’s Learning
Transformation (SALT) program. The SALT program is structured in a manner to complement
the GoAP’s ongoing transformation program of the school education sector (encompassing
Mana Badi Nadu Nedu program and a wide range of interventions under the Andhra Pradesh
Samagra Shiksha Society) in Andhra Pradesh.TheProjectDevelopment Objective (PDO) of the
SALT Program is to enhance learning outcomes, quality of teaching practices and school
management in basic education and to implement innovative sustainable solutions towards
improving quality of the overall public school education ecosystem in the state. The SALT
program adoptsthe Program for Results (PforR) financing instrument as well as the Investment
Project Financing (IPF) instrumentto support three key Result Areas (RAs) that contribute to the
achievement of the PDO:
i. RA 1: Strengthened Foundational Learning.
ii. RA 2: Improved Quality of Teacher-Student Interactions.
iii. RA 3: Strengthened Institutional Capacity and Community Engagement for Service
Delivery.

Within the above result areas, the SALT programhas specific interventions related
todiagnosingthelearninggapsof the students and enabling improvement inlearning
competencies from the ground up incomparison to national, international, or global norms.One
of the key focus areas of the SALT program is to strengthen the State Assessment Cell (SAC)
established under the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Educational Research and Training (AP
SCERT) forimplementing state-wide periodicclassroom-based assessments to understand the
students’ grade level proficiency attainments in alignmentwith the state’s competency-oriented
learning standards.

The key mandate of SAC is to create high-quality assessment items aligned with the state’s
competency-oriented learning standards, develop, and implement technical standards for the
design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of classroom-based student learning assessments, and
administer state learning achievement survey (SLAS), build capacity to improve the state
assessment ecosystem, analyze and report on assessment results and learning outcomes, etc.
The SAC comprises of Assessment Experts (subject specific assessment experts for Mathematics,
Telugu, Hindi, & English Language, EVS and Science, Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, and
Social Studies)who havea deep understanding of the school education system in the state.

The following four broad areas of work is undertaken by the SAC in AP SCERT.

1. Test Development: Thisentails developing items and assembling test instruments that
are to be used indifferent kinds of assessments. Subject-wise assessment expertsare to
be engaged andtrained on topics like item creation and assessment creation. These
training sessions will help them prepare an item bank, competency-based assessments,
and misconception content.
2. Test Execution: The assessment team (comprising a group of test administrators) willbe
responsible for all logisticspertaining tolarge-scale administration of learning
assessments in the state.The assessment team willoverlook test administrationincluding
printing and distribution of assessment tools, identifying master trainers and field
auditors, conducting invigilator training, identifying and onboarding of evaluatorsand
conducting evaluator training, and supervising data entry and cleaning process.
3. Training and Dissemination: Thiswillbeanother key component of responsibility for the
SAC.TheSACwill lead teacher training for assessments. The SAC members will be
responsible for training the Master Trainers at district levels andensuring that local level
training is happening effectively.The SAC members willalso lead the post-test analysis
workshops at district levels.Apart from the trainings on assessments, the teachers in the
State will be trained on digital assessment system. The digital assessment system is a
part of the state’s new Education Management Information System (EMIS) for
conducting classroom assessments, interpreting data, and making and using
remediation plans.
4. Analysis and IT:The Data Analysis and IT team of theSAC will focus on assessment and
psychometric research. It will have specialists in various aspects of research related to
assessments, ranging from sampling to psychometrics, item response theory (IRT), test
equating, etc.The teamwill be responsible for devising formats in which analysis results
can be most effectively presented so that the teachers and parents will understand the
assessment results.

In order to provide analytical insight on learning gaps and

misconceptionsandtechnicalassistance to strengthen the State Assessment Cell (SAC), the GoAP
intends to appoint aPsychometrician and a Data Analystwith requisite expertise and
experience.
The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the proposed consulting services (“the Services”) include the
following:
i. Psychometrician:

 Crafting test items (questions) that align with the test specifications andensure that the
question items are clear, relevant, and effectively measures the intended constructs.
 Conduct item reviews with the subject experts to ensure the quality and appropriateness
of the items.
 Assemble different test forms or versions. Ability to use statistical techniques to equate
and balance the difficulty levels of different forms to ensure fairness and comparability.
 Oversee the data collection process and determine the sample size needed for the
validation study and collaborate with test administrators to collect data from test-takers.
 Conduct data analysis using statistical methods to evaluate the reliability and validity of
the assessment tool. This involves calculating measures of internal consistency, test-retest
reliability, and other reliability indices.
 Demonstrate the validity of the test by conducting validation which involves correlating
test scores with relevant criteria or outcomes.
 Participate in standard setting activities to establish score interpretations and determine
passing scores for the assessment.
 Contribute to the writing of technical reports that detail the test development process,
validation results, and recommendations for test use.
 Monitor the performance of the test over time by doing periodic reviews and updates to
ensure the test remains current and relevant.
Engagement of the Psychometrician will be on a contract basis, for a period of 3 years from the
date of award of the contract and the contract shall be extended for a further period, based on
satisfactoryperformance.
ii. Data Analyst:

 Responsible for organizing and managing the assessment data. This includes creating
data entry protocols, setting up databases or data repositories, and ensuring data
security and integrity.
 Collaboratewithstakeholders, such as test developers and psychometricians, to plan the
data collection process. This involves determining the data needed, sample size, data
collection timeline, and data sources.
 Overseethe data entry process, ensuring that data from paper-based assessments or
other sources are accurately capturedinto the database. Data verification may also be
conducted to minimize errors.
  Perform data cleaning activity which entails identifying and correcting errors,
inconsistencies, and identifying missing data in the dataset to ensure the accuracy and
reliability of the data.
 Assist the Psychometrician in conducting statistical analysis.
 Implement quality control procedures to maintain the integrity of the data and to
identify and address any issues promptly.Ensuring the quality of data is a crucial aspect
in data analysis.
 Responsible for generating data reports and visualizations, such as charts and graphs, to
communicate key findings and trends to stakeholders.
 Maintain comprehensive documentation of data collection procedures, data cleaning
processes, and other data-related activities to ensure transparency and reproducibility.
 Collaboratewith the assessment team to provide data insights and recommendations
that inform decision-making processes related to the assessments.
Engagement of the Data Analyst will be on a contract basis, for a period of 3 years from the
dateof award of the contract and the contract shall be extended for a further period, based on
satisfactoryperformance.
Selection Criteria
The selection shall be based on screening for qualification, experience and skills of the
candidate and followed by an interview. The qualifications, experience, and competencies, as
required, include:
Required Qualifications and Experience at Minimum for the Position of Psychometrician:

 Master’s Degree or Ph. D in Statistics, Psychometrics, Data Analysis, or related subject

with exposure to psychometric models including Item Response Theory (IRT), Rasch
Model, etc.
 3+ years of work experience in areas of psychometrics, and educational assessments.
 Experience in working on data cleaning, statistical analysis, and psychometric evaluation
code using R programming language.
 Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a multidisciplinary team.
 Ability to engage with wide range of relevant stakeholders.
 Experience of working with state / central government organization is preferable.
 Experience with either SPSS or SAS and scripting language such as Python or C/C++ is
desirable (additional qualifications).
 Knowledge and experience in SQL (additional qualifications).

Required Qualifications and Experience at Minimum for the Position of Data Analyst:

 Masters in Statistics / Mathematics / Economics / Econometrics / Computer Science /

Information Management or allied fields, or B. Tech / M. Tech.
 5+ years of experience of handling, managing, and working on large data sets.
  Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a multidisciplinary team.
 Ability to engage with wide range of relevant stakeholders.
 Experience of working with state / central government organization is preferable.
 Experience of working with education and/or assessment data (additional
qualifications).
The list of documents to be submitted by the Individual Consultants are:

 Duly filled Application Form provided in the Annexure.

 Copies of Educational Qualification Certificates (Self Attested).
 A short write-up on the Professional Competencies of the Consultant.
 Last six-month salary statements / pay slips (optional).
The candidates are requested to submit his/herapplication in the prescribed format attached.
All the columns/items are required to be completed. If a particular item is not applicable kindly
indicate so. To enable us to consider your application, kindly complete all the columns/items
with appropriate information/wordings.
The applicantspossessing required qualification and experience as mentioned in the ToR shall
work out of Samagra Shiksha, State Implementation Society, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
In addition to the above, the applicants must submit other relevant documents that are not
listed abovebut deemed important, to justify general qualifications relevant to the assignment.
The attention of applicantsis drawn to paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the “World Bank
Procurement Regulations, 2016” for IPF Borrowers, revised in November 2020, “Procurement
Regulations for IPF Borrowers for Procurement in Investment Project Financing – Goods, Works,
Non-Consulting Services and Consulting Services” November 2020, setting forth the World
Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
Response to the ToR along with the necessary supporting documents must be delivered in a
written form to the address given below (in person, or by registered post or by e-mail) by
15.09.2023 up to 6:00 PM.
Attention:
The State Project Director,
Samagra Shiksha, State Implementation Society,
Beside KBC Boys High School,
Opposite Rythu Bazar, Patamata,
Vijayawada, NTR District,
Andhra Pradesh – 520010.
Tel: +91 9154294197
E-mail:[email protected]
Annexure
Supporting Andhra’s Learning Transformation (SALT) Program
Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh
Application for the Post ofPsychometrician and Data Analyst for Strengthening the State
Assessment Cell (SAC) to implement the activities related to Classroom-based Assessments
across the Schools under the Department of School Education, Government of Andhra
Pradesh.
1. Name of the Photo (Passport Size)
Applicant

2. Date of Birth
3. Nationality
4. Residential Address
5. Contact Phone /
Mobile No.
6. Email ID
7. Languages Known
8. Educational Qualification
S.No. Name of the Degree Name of the Year of Passing Grade / Class obtained
with Subject University

9. Experience in test development and psychometric analysis / handling and managing large data
sets:

S.No. Name of the Project Name of the Applicant’s Experience Period

/ Work Employer Designation / Role in From To Period (Year
the Project / Work / Months)

10. Experience of working in GovernmentSector Projects:

S.No. Name of the Project Name of the Applicant’s Experience Period

/ Work Employer Designation / Role in From To Period (Year
the Project / Work / Months)
11. Experience of working in Multilateral funded projects (World Bank / Asian Development Bank
etc.)

S.No. Name of the Project Name of the Applicant’s Experience Period

/ Work Employer Designation / Role in From To Period (Year
the Project / Work / Months)

12. Skills / Other Experience relevant to the post applied, if any.

I hereby declare that all the information furnished in this application are true, complete, and correct
to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand that if any information being found untrue or
incorrect, I accept to the cancellation of my candidature.
Date:

Place: Signature of the Applicant