Competitive Grants for State Assessments
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- DOL-OESE-34017
- Agency
-
Department of Labor
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $4,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Education
- Eligible applicants
-
- State Governments
- Points of contact
-
- Donald Peasley esea.assessment@ed.gov (202) 453-7518
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education seeks applications from State Educational Agencies (SEAs) and consortia of SEAs to enhance the quality of assessment instruments and systems for measuring academic achievement and growth in elementary and secondary schools. Applicants must address two absolute priorities: developing innovative assessment item types and design approaches, and implementing meaningful learning opportunities through competency-based assessments and adaptive technologies. The program evaluates proposals using a 100-point scoring system that assesses project design quality (60 points), management plan quality (15 points), resource adequacy (10 points), and evaluation quality (15 points). Additional points may be awarded through three competitive preference priorities focusing on assessment scoring and score reporting, student growth measurement, and comprehensive academic assessment instruments (up to 2 points each). The intent-to-apply deadline is May 29, 2026, with final applications due June 16, 2026; all grantees must submit interim and final performance reports demonstrating progress toward improving student achievement models, collaboration with higher education institutions, and dissemination of findings.
Total available funding for the FY 2026 competition is $16,556,000, with individual awards ranging from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 per state, with the program anticipating 4 to 6 awards. Projects will operate over a period of up to 48 months, allowing states sufficient time to develop and implement comprehensive assessment improvements. No cost sharing or matching funds are required, and grantees may not award subgrants to directly carry out project activities. Performance will take place within each applying state's educational system, with eligible applicants limited to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and SEA consortia.
Synopsis
The purpose of the CGSA program is to enhance the quality of assessment instruments and assessment systems used by States for measuring the academic achievement and growth of elementary and secondary school students. The FY 2026 competition includes two absolute priorities, three competitive preference priorities, two invitational priorities, selection criteria, and requirements. The absolute priorities are: 1) Developing Innovative Assessment Item Types and Design Approaches and 2) Meaningful Learning Opportunities. The competitive preference priorities are: 1) Improving Assessment Scoring and Score Reporting, 2) Assessing Student Growth, and 3) Comprehensive Academic Assessment Instruments. The invitational priorities are: 1) Assessment and Data Literacy and 2) Comprehensive Assessment Systems.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 84.368A CGSA FY2026 Application Notice and Instructions.pdf |
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Find teaming partners
- Similar grant opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity