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Knowt Inc. Proposal for RFP25 – Artificial Intelligence in Education

Knowt Inc. Proposal for RFP25 – Artificial Intelligence in Education

Submission Details

  • Submitted To: Erie 1 BOCES Purchasing Department, 355 Harlem Rd., Bldg. C, West Seneca, NY 14224

  • Submitted By: Knowt Inc., 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE 19958 (knowt.com)

  • Contact Person: Abheek Pandoh (CEO)

    • Phone: 848 ext{-}391 ext{-}0575

    • Email: abheek@knowt.com

  • RFP Title: Artificial Intelligence in Education

  • RFP Number: RFP25

  • Proposal Submission Deadline: August 6, 2025, at 11 ext{:}00 AM at Erie 1 BOCES (Bldg. C) 355 Harlem Rd., West Seneca, NY 14224

Section I - Administrative Information

Form W-9 Details (Revised March 2024)

  • Name of Entity: Knowt Inc.

  • Address: 16192 Coastal Hwy, Lewes, Delaware, 19958

  • Federal Tax Classification: C corporation

  • Employer Identification Number (EIN): 83 ext{-}4529646

  • Certification Date: June 12, 2024

  • Purpose of Form: To provide Taxpayer Identification Number and certification to a requester for information reporting to the IRS.

Corporate Resolution

  • Corporation Name: Knowt Inc. (Delaware corporation)

  • Authorized Individual: Abheek Pandoh, CEO, authorized to act on behalf of the Corporation to obtain the Contract with Erie 1 BOCES.

  • Resolution Adoption Date: July 30 ext{th}, 2025

Non-Collusive Bidding Certification

  • Knowt Inc. certifies that its bid was independently arrived at without collusion with any other bidder or competitor.

  • The bid has not been and will not be knowingly disclosed prior to bid opening.

  • No attempt has been or will be made to induce any other entity to submit or not submit a bid.

  • Certification Date: 07/01/2025

Iran Divestment Act Certification (New York SFL § 165-a)

  • Knowt Inc. certifies compliance with the Iran Divestment Act of 2012.

  • Will not utilize any subcontractor identified on the prohibited entities list published by the Office of General Services (OGS).

  • Certification required for contract renewal, extension, or assignment.

  • Violation may lead to sanctions, damages, or default.

  • Certification Date: 07/30/2025

Sexual Harassment Written Policy & Training Certification

  • Certifying Individual: Abhishek Patel, Chief Technical Officer of Knowt, Inc.

  • Certifies that Knowt, Inc. has and has implemented a written policy addressing sexual harassment prevention in the workplace.

  • Provides annual sexual harassment prevention training to all employees, meeting NY State Labor Law Section 201 ext{-g} requirements.

  • Notarization Date: July 26, 2025

Client References

  • Perrysburg: Joe Sarnes, jsarnes@perrysburgschools.net, (419) ext{ }874 ext{-}9131

  • Delasalle: Phil Kurbis, phil.kurbis@delasalle.com, 612 ext{-}676 ext{-}7666

  • Victor Schools: Angela Affronti, angela.affronti@victorschools.org, 585 ext{-}924 ext{-}3252

  • Darien Public Schools: Timothy McGuire, tmcguire@darienps.org, (203) ext{ }656 ext{-}7400

  • Westford K12: Stephanie Gosselin, sgosselin@westfordk12.us, (978) ext{ }692 ext{-}5570

  • Community High School District 155: Cari Henderson, chenderson@d155.org, 815 ext{-}455 ext{-}8500

  • Columbia Schools: Debbi Peterson, dpeterson@cpsk12.org, 573 ext{-}214 ext{-}3400

A4L/TEC - Data Privacy

  • Knowt Inc. agrees to work with TEC and execute the NDPA with the NY state addendum if awarded the contract (Option 3 commitment).

Section II - Summary

AI Solution Overview

  • Knowt is an AI-powered learning platform aimed at transforming student learning and educator support.

  • Offers over 30 AI tools for content creation, personalized feedback, summarization, and more.

  • Core AI Features:

    • Automatic Content Generation: Instantly creates flashcards, notes, practice questions, summaries, and explanations from scratch or uploaded content (PDFs, notes, textbooks).

    • Personalized Tutoring and Socratic Help: Provides real-time academic support with age-appropriate explanations. Homework solver guides students through problem-solving steps.

    • Curriculum Alignment: Enables educators to create standards-aligned content and monitor student progress against benchmarks. Features a library of peer-reviewed materials aligned to AP, ACT, and IB exams.

    • Differentiation: Automatically adapts material for any K-12 grade level. Assessments and instructional content can be modified with a single click.

    • Teacher Tools: Supports lesson planning, assessment creation, lecture notes, classroom games, and chat-based activities. All AI-generated materials are fully editable and customizable.

    • Privacy/Safety: Designed with safety, transparency, and administrative oversight. School/district administrators control features, monitor usage for policy alignment, and receive flags for potential misuse or out-of-guideline content. AI-generated content is filtered for harmful material, and student data is never used to train AI models.

    • Accessibility: Supports diverse learners with text-to-speech, multilingual translation, adaptive content (for English Language Learners and students with disabilities). Utilizes the AccessiBe widget for visual settings, keyboard navigation, and screen reader support.

Appropriate Grade Levels and Curriculum Areas

  • Supported Grade Levels: Core functionality optimized for K-12, also supports postsecondary and adult learners. Student AI features are not available to students under 13 years old.

    • K-5: Teacher-driven use for simplified vocabulary exercises, reading comprehension prompts, flashcards for foundational learning.

    • Middle School: Teacher-driven use for tiered practice questions, reading/writing prompts, and interactive study materials aligned with grade-level standards.

    • High School: Teacher or student-driven use for rigorous review sets, differentiated assessments, curriculum-aligned exam prep (AP, Regents, IB), complex text summaries, Socratic homework help, and structured feedback.

  • Curriculum Areas: Improves instruction across multiple disciplines, specifically:

    • English: Vocabulary lists, practice sets, literary analysis prompts, essay outlines, grammar drills, text summarization at varied reading levels.

    • Math: Step-by-step problem solving with explanations, generation of practice problems by topic or standard.

    • Science: Textbook summaries, concise notes and flashcards for key topics, practice questions and review guides for Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Science.

    • Social Studies/History: Interactive chat with historical figures, timelines, historical summaries, cause-effect notes, DBQ-style prompts, thematic essay questions.

    • World Languages: Vocabulary sets by theme or chapter, translation and adaptation of reading passages between English and target languages.

Different Instructional Models and Group Sizes

  • Knowt supports four main group sizes: Individual students, whole-class instruction, blended learning, and small groups.

    • Individualized/Student Directed Learning: Students can independently use AI features (flashcards, summaries, practice questions, explanations) with their own materials, and tools like individual chat or Socratic homework solver for self-guided learning. (AI features not available to students under 13).

    • Teacher Led/Whole-Class Instruction: Teachers utilize Knowt to generate lecture notes, warm-up activities, exit tickets, classroom games, or discussion questions for live delivery.

    • Small Group/One-on-One Instruction: Educators create tailored materials (adjusting reading level, question format, content complexity) with one click, ideal for MTSS/RTI accommodation, enrichment, or ELL accommodations.

    • Flipped Classroom & Blended Learning: Teachers assign AI-generated notes, summaries, and practice for at-home engagement, reserving class time for higher-order discussions/application tasks. AI-generated check-ins assess comprehension before class.

Alignment to New York State (NYS) Standards

  • Knowt supports NYS Standards by allowing educators to search for and create materials directly from specific NYS standards within the platform.

  • AI can modify existing content for alignment.

  • Lesson plans, assignments, and study materials can be tagged with standards for tracking coverage and instructional consistency.

ADA Compliance

  • Knowt is designed to be ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA compliant.

  • Supports keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, high contrast modes, and text resizing.

  • An accessibility widget offers customizations like dyslexia-friendly fonts and screen reader enhancements.

  • Regular audits by a third-party accessibility compliance company ensure continuous alignment.

Technical Requirements

  • Platform Type: Secure, browser-based learning platform, requiring an internet connection.

  • Device Compatibility: Works on all modern devices (Chromebooks, laptops, tablets, smartphones).

  • Mobile App: Highly rated iOS app available (optional).

  • Single Sign-On (SSO): Integrates with Google Workspace, ClassLink, and Clever.

  • Rostering & Account Provisioning: Integrates with Student Information Systems (SIS) like PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, and custom district-built systems.

  • Data Security: All data encrypted in transit and at rest using AWS infrastructure, stored securely in US data centers.

Section III – Company & Solution Details

III.1: Vendor Profile

  • Years in Business: 6 years.

  • Years Providing Solution to NYS School Districts: 1 year.

  • Solution Developed: 2019

  • First Sold: To individuals in 2019, to Schools in 2024

  • Development: Developed by Knowt Inc. (not a reseller).

  • Development & Support Location: Lewes, DE, United States of America.

  • User Satisfaction:

    • App Store: 4.8 ext{k} reviews, average 4.8 stars.

    • Google Play: 1.8 ext{k} reviews, average 4.6 stars.

III.2: Financial Information

  • Ownership: Privately Owned.

  • Bankruptcy/Reorganization (last 10 years): No.

  • Ownership Change (last 5 years): No.

  • CEO Tenure (Abheek Pandoh): Since founding in 2019

  • Credit Rating: 75 - Experian Rating.

  • Litigation: No.

III.3: Employees and Support Personnel

  • Employee Breakdown (Total: 26):

    • Application Support: 3

    • Training: 2

    • Research & Development: 8

    • Management: 3

    • Clerical: 1

    • Sales: 4

    • Technical Support: 2

    • Other: 3

  • Training & Support Services:

    • Initial Professional Development: Annual train-the-trainer sessions provided free, in four different state locations, to certify BOCES staff as Knowt trainers.

    • Update Training: Four annual update sessions per product (virtual or in-person) to keep certified trainers current.

    • Additional PD Days: Four additional professional development days per product annually, free of cost to BOCES, focusing on train-the-trainer certification.

    • Technical Support: Included at no extra cost. Features an in-platform chat system with AI-assisted responses and escalation to live agents. Critical bug fixes completed within 24 hours; general help requests resolved within 5 minutes (chatbot) or 3 hours (team member).

III.4 User Groups

  • Established User Groups: Knowt Teachers Forum, formed May 2025

    • Address: https://teachers.knowt.com/

    • Contact Person: Lisa Rivera (lisa@knowt.com, (231) ext{-}420 ext{-}2416

  • User Group Support & Impact: Dedicated space for educators to collaborate, share feedback, and receive updates. Knowt team actively integrates feedback into product roadmap, offers beta feature access, and uses group input to guide development priorities and ensure alignment with instructional needs.

III.5 Installation Base

  • Solution Name & Version: Knowt 2.8.0

  • New York State School Districts Using: 124 districts.

  • School Districts (National): Over 1500 schools, districts, private organizations, or higher education institutions.

  • BOCES in NYS Using: 3

  • Regional Information Centers in NYS Supporting: None.

  • Analysis of Current Installations in NYS (by years in system):

    • Largest District: 1391 students, 1402 users, 1 year.

    • Medium District: 130 students, 20 users, 1 year.

    • Smallest District: 0 students, 1 user, 1 year.

  • Online Resource: Yes, students and teachers have 24/7 access.

  • User Interface Requirement: Only an industry-standard browser.

  • Client Software Required: Only a browser.

III.6 Support Information

  • Issue Reporting, Tracking, Handling: Users report via built-in chat widget. AI chatbot provides initial resolutions; requests routed to support team if unresolved. Urgent bug tickets created, most fixes within 24 hours. Help requests resolved within 5 minutes (chatbot) or 3 hours (team member).

  • Fix Delivery: Critical issues via minor hot-fix releases; cosmetic/non-blocking issues in next scheduled major release.

  • Release Information to Consortium: Shared via current educator groups, with select groups receiving early access to release notes and feature previews. Consortium representatives encouraged to join.

  • Major Release Frequency: Quarterly, scheduled around common school breaks (winter, spring, summer).

  • Toll-Free Phone Support: No.

  • Support Line Availability: Live support team members available 7 AM to 10 PM ET, 7 days a week. AI-powered chatbot available 24/7

  • Future Enhancements Prioritization: Quarterly planning based on teacher/student feedback, educator forum discussions, and EdTech market research. Teacher community consulted for use case uncertainty.

  • Consortium Support Model: Dedicated Knowt representative for consistent point of contact (implementation, training, support). Requests routed by issue, prioritized by severity and impact.

III.7 Pricing Structure

  • Annual Per User Pricing (No Additional Charges):

    • 50 users: $99.99 per user (Total: $4,999.50)

    • 100 users: $59.99 per user (Total: $5,999.00)

    • 250 users: $29.99 per user (Total: $7,497.50)

    • 500 users: $19.99 per user (Total: $9,995.00)

    • 1000 users: $13.99 per user (Total: $13,990.00)

    • 2000 users: $7.99 per user (Total: $15,980.00)

    • 3000 users: $5.99 per user (Total: $17,970.00)

    • 5000 users: $3.99 per user (Total: $19,950.00)

    • 10000 users: $2.99 per user (Total: $29,900.00)

  • Discounts: 15 ext{ extperthousand} discount for small schools and Western NY Regional Information Center. Open to piloting and alternative pricing arrangements.

  • Features Included for All Users (Student & Teacher):

    • Unlimited AI Usage for Students

    • Socratic homework helper (guides without answering)

    • Fully monitored & customizable ChatGPT-style chat

    • SSO (Clever, ClassLink, Google, Microsoft)

    • Clever & ClassLink Rostering

  • Features Included for Teachers Only:

    • Unlimited AI usage for Teachers

    • Priority Support

    • Organization Analytics & Settings

    • Organization Library

    • Question Types: Matching, Fill in the Blank

    • Checking Standards Alignment

    • Making files Private

    • Customizing flashcard study modes per class

III.8 - Client References

  • Perrysburg: Joe Sarnes, Director of Elementary Teaching & Learning (Install Date: 7/1/2024)

  • Delasalle: Phil Kurbis, Director of Instructional Technology (Install Date: 8/1/2024)

  • Victor Schools: Angela Affronti, Instructional Technology Teacher (Install Date: 6/12/2024)

  • Darien Public Schools: Timothy McGuire, Instructional Technology Coordinator (Install Date: 7/18/2024)

  • Westford K12: Stephanie Gosselin, Digital Literacy staff (Install Date: 8/09/2024)

  • Community High School District #155: Cari Henderson, Application Specialist (Install Date: 7/18/2024)

  • Columbia Schools: Debbi Peterson, Secretary to AVID, World Languages & CPS Online Program Coordinators (Install Date: 1/09/2024)

Section IV – Functional & Technical Specifications

IV.1 Functional Specifications

  • Age Appropriateness: Designed for K-12. AI-generated materials (flashcards, study guides) are tailored to match cognitive development, reading levels, and curriculum for middle and high school. Emphasizes differentiation, allowing teachers to create nuanced materials for specific grade levels from the same source (e.g., AP History textbook for varying note outlines).

  • Support For K-12 Education: Enhances teaching/learning across all K-12 grades in core subjects (English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies) and cross-curricular learning. AI automatically generates formative assessments, summaries, vocabulary practice, and instructional resources tailored to student reading levels and curriculum objectives from uploaded or linked materials.

  • Alignment to New York State Teaching Standards (NYSTS):

    • Standard I (Knowledge of Students and Student Learning): Generates adaptive resources for diverse learning needs.

    • Standard II (Knowledge of Content and Instructional Planning): Facilitates quick lesson development, formative assessments, and scaffolded practice tied to specific NYS Learning Standards.

    • Standard III (Instructional Practice): Provides tools to engage students in active learning, promote higher-order thinking, and monitor engagement.

    • Standard IV (Learning Environment): Fosters inclusive learning through Universal Design for Learning (UDL) features (voice-overs, translations, reading-level adjustments).

    • Standards V–VII (Assessment, Professional Responsibility, Collaboration): Helps teachers analyze student performance data, provide actionable feedback, and collaborate through shared content libraries. Real-time usage insights and learning analytics support professional reflection and student-centered decision-making.

  • Research and Evidence:

    • Over 50 ext{ extperthousand} of participating schools/districts in pilots continued full-time implementation, exceeding typical edtech benchmarks.

    • Self-reported improvements in student AP exam performance have been noted by teachers, aligning with Knowt's intended impact in higher K-12 grades.

  • Data Management and Reporting:

    • Supports robust data management and reporting for educators and administrators.

    • Student data (grades, usage history, incidents) can be exported at any time.

    • Rostering is automated through existing school tools (SIS, ClassLink, Clever) for licensed student accounts.

    • Administrator Dashboard: Provides district-wide activity view, usage trends, performance data, and incident reports.

    • Educator Dashboard: Offers deeper insight into individual student progress, assignment performance, and AI tool interactions.

    • Both dashboards are customizable. Historical data is retained and transferable to the district upon request for longitudinal tracking.

  • Content Moderation and Equity:

    • Teachers align content with grade-level standards and differentiate for student needs.

    • AI generates materials strictly from teacher-provided resources (PDFs, textbooks, lecture recordings) to minimize bias and misinformation.

    • AI uses reputable, education-focused sources or teacher-provided materials for content generation.

    • Teachers have full editorial control to review, modify, and approve all generated materials.

    • Supports multilingual content generation for English Language Learners (ELLs).

    • Includes built-in accessibility features for students with disabilities (text-to-speech, accessibility widget). Ensures inclusive, appropriate, and tailored AI-generated content.

  • Student Privacy and Security:

    • Complies with NY Education Law 2 ext{-d}, FERPA, and COPPA.

    • Student data is not used to train any AI models.

    • All student information is encrypted (at rest and in transit) with role-based access controls.

    • Incident response plans are in place for data breaches and are regularly reviewed.

    • Students cannot purchase subscriptions; ads are not shown.

    • Student profiles and files are private, not publicly discoverable, and cannot be shared via public links.

    • All data stored securely on AWS servers located in the United States.

    • A free Data Privacy Agreement (DPA) is maintained with all schools.

  • Parental and Educator Controls:

    • For schools with student licenses, students access monitored ChatGPT-style chat, AI generation, and Socratic homework helper.

    • Educators have full access to view every student action, including chat use and assignment completion.

    • System automatically flags behaviors (inappropriate content, threats, self-harm); districts can customize sensitivity and response levels.

    • Granular administrative controls allow disabling chat features (district/school) or configuring study material availability (teachers).

    • Parental monitoring controls are under exploration/implementation, expected delivery in Spring 2026.

  • Usage Limits and Monitoring:

    • Direct parent access is not available to preserve student privacy.

    • Educators have full visibility into student activity, including AI chat responses, submitted assignments, and created materials.

    • Educators can customize student access to AI tools at classroom/individual levels (e.g., restricting AI chat).

    • Can configure study settings to restrict available study methods.

    • Teachers can assign specific learning materials and track student progress in real-time for timely intervention.

Documentation and Audits

  • Accessibility: VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) provided.

  • Privacy Policy: Available at www.knowt.com/privacy.

IV.2 Vendor Requirements - Commitments

  • Training: Provide free train-the-trainer PD to WNYRIC and 3 consortium locations annually (total 4 per product), face-to-face (virtual may be allowed).

  • Annual Update Training: Provide at least one annual training update per year, free of charge, to WNYRIC and 3 other consortium locations (total 4 per product), face-to-face (virtual may be allowed).

  • User Management: Allow WNYRIC to register users, manage user accounts, and have admin access to schools.

  • End User Support: Allow WNYRIC to provide end-user support for the application.

  • PD Materials: Provide all necessary materials for professional development by the WNYRIC at no cost.

  • Overage Charges: No overages charged unless explained via email prior to May 1 ext{st} of the current year. Notification of overages in the first month and shut-off notices if overage continues for 2 months without resolution.

  • Cost Increase Limit: Annual cost increases will not exceed 2 ext{ extperthousand}.

  • Prorated Licenses: Prorate licenses purchased after July 1 ext{st} of the current year to end on June 30 ext{th} of the current year.