SEC. 1201
STATE ASSESSMENT GRANTS
Section Summary
ESSA Update
``SEC. 1201. <<NOTE: 20 USC 6361.>> GRANTS FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts made available in accordance
with section 1203, the Secretary shall make grants to State educational
agencies to enable the States to carry out 1 or more of the following:
``(1) To pay the costs of the development of the State
assessments and standards adopted under section 1111(b), which
may include the costs of working in voluntary partnerships with
other States, at the sole discretion of each such State.
``(2) If a State has developed the assessments adopted under
section 1111(b), to administer those assessments or to carry out
other assessment activities described in this part, such as the
following:
``(A) Ensuring the provision of appropriate
accommodations available to English learners and
children with disabilities to improve the rates of
inclusion in regular assessments of such children,
including professional development activities to improve
the implementation of such accommodations in
instructional practice.
``(B) Developing challenging State academic
standards and aligned assessments in academic subjects
for which standards and assessments are not required
under section 1111(b).
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``(C) Developing or improving assessments for
English learners, including assessments of English
language proficiency as required under section
1111(b)(2)(G) and academic assessments in languages
other than English to meet the State's obligations under
section 1111(b)(2)(F).
``(D) Ensuring the continued validity and
reliability of State assessments.
``(E) Refining State assessments to ensure their
continued alignment with the challenging State academic
standards and to improve the alignment of curricula and
instructional materials.
``(F) Developing or improving balanced assessment
systems that include summative, interim, and formative
assessments, including supporting local educational
agencies in developing or improving such assessments.
``(G) At the discretion of the State, refining
science assessments required under section 1111(b)(2) in
order to integrate engineering design skills and
practices into such assessments.
``(H) Developing or improving models to measure and
assess student progress or student growth on State
assessments under section 1111(b)(2) and other
assessments not required under section 1111(b)(2).
``(I) Developing or improving assessments for
children with disabilities, including alternate
assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement
standards for students with the most significant
cognitive disabilities described in section
1111(b)(2)(D), and using the principles of universal
design for learning.
``(J) Allowing for collaboration with institutions
of higher education, other research institutions, or
other organizations to improve the quality, validity,
and reliability of State academic assessments beyond the
requirements for such assessments described in section
1111(b)(2).
``(K) Measuring student academic achievement using
multiple measures of student academic achievement from
multiple sources.
``(L) Evaluating student academic achievement
through the development of comprehensive academic
assessment instruments (such as performance and
technology-based academic assessments, computer adaptive
assessments, projects, or extended performance task
assessments) that emphasize the mastery of standards and
aligned competencies in a competency-based education
model.
``(M) Designing the report cards and reports under
section 1111(h) in an easily accessible, user friendly-
manner that cross-tabulates student information by any
category the State determines appropriate, as long as
such cross-tabulation--
``(i) does not reveal personally identifiable
information about an individual student; and
``(ii) is derived from existing State and
local reporting requirements.
``(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a)(2)(M) shall
be construed as authorizing, requiring, or allowing any additional
reporting requirements, data elements, or information to
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be reported to the Secretary unless such reporting, data, or information
is explicitly authorized under this Act.
``(c) Annual Report.--Each State educational agency receiving a
grant under this section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary
describing the State's activities under the grant and the result of such
activities.
NCLB Text
``PART B--STUDENT READING SKILLS IMPROVEMENT GRANTS
``Subpart 1--Reading First
``SEC. <<NOTE: 20 USC 6361.>> 1201. PURPOSES.
``The purposes of this subpart are as follows:
``(1) To provide assistance to State educational agencies
and local educational agencies in establishing reading programs
for students in kindergarten through grade 3 that are based on
scientifically based reading research, to ensure that every
student can read at grade level or above not later than the end
of grade 3.
``(2) To provide assistance to State educational agencies
and local educational agencies in preparing teachers, including
special education teachers, through professional development and
other support, so the teachers can identify specific reading
barriers facing their students and so the teachers have the
tools to effectively help their students learn to read.
``(3) To provide assistance to State educational agencies
and local educational agencies in selecting or administering
screening, diagnostic, and classroom-based instructional reading
assessments.
``(4) To provide assistance to State educational agencies
and local educational agencies in selecting or developing
effective instructional materials (including classroom-based
materials to assist teachers in implementing the essential
components of reading instruction), programs, learning systems,
and strategies to implement methods that have been proven to
prevent or remediate reading failure within a State.
``(5) To strengthen coordination among schools, early
literacy programs, and family literacy programs to improve
reading achievement for all children.
