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Betsy DeVos Reopens Application Process for ESSA’s Innovative Assessment Pilot

By Alyson Klein — September 17, 2018 1 min read
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States: Were you worried you missed the window to apply to the Every Student Succeeds Act’s innovative assessment pilot?

Then, some good news for you: The U.S. Department of Education is inviting more state applications for the testing leeway, which allows states to try out new types of tests in a handful of districts before taking them statewide.

States are being asked to let the department know if they are interested in applying by Oct. 17. Applications are due Dec. 17. More in this notice, published in the Federal Register Monday.

ESSA allows up to seven states—or consortiums of states—to take advantage of this flexibility. But so far, only two states—Louisiana and New Hampshire—and Puerto Rico have expressed interest. The feds have already given Louisiana the green light on its plan. New Hampshire, which was already working with innovative tests under the No Child Left Behind Act, is still waiting for approval.

There was a lot of excitement around the pilot when ESSA first passed. But states have largely backed off, once it became clear the pilot included some serious requirements, without any extra funding.

Image: Getty Images

Want to learn more about the Every Student Succeeds Act? Here’s some useful information: