Grants for State Assessments and Related Activities

The purpose of this program is: to pay the costs of developing the standards and high-quality assessments required by Title I of the ESEA. Once a State has put in place those standards and assessments, it may use program funds to pay for the administration of the assessments and for other activities related to ensuring that the State’s schools and LEAs are held accountable for results and helping students attain challenging academic standards linked to college- and career-readiness. Such activities may include, among other things, developing standards and assessments in subjects other than those required by Title I, refining State assessments to ensure continued alignment with standards, expanding the range of testing accommodations for students with disabilities and for English Learner students, developing multiple measures to ensure the validity and reliability of State assessments, and using academic assessment instruments such as performance and technology-based assessments or computer adaptive assessments to better reflect the kind of complex work students do in an effective classroom and the real world.