Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA)

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes in title I, part B of the ESEA a new demonstration authority under which an SEA or consortium of SEAs that meets certain application requirements may establish, operate, and evaluate an innovative assessment system, including for use in the statewide accountability system, with the goal of using the innovative assessment system after the demonstration authority ends to meet the academic assessment and statewide accountability system requirements under title I, part A of the ESEA.

The IADA will provide State educational agencies (SEAs), including consortia of SEAs, with the authority to establish and operate an innovative assessment system in its public schools. SEAs may apply to receive the IADA on a semi-annual basis.

• Secretary Cardona's Letter to States Regarding Next Steps for the IADA (November 20, 2023)
• Webinar: Next Steps on the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority: A Conversation with States (December 1, 2023)
• Slide Deck for Webinar (PDF)

General Requirements for the IADA

• Final regulations for the IADA

Institute of Education Sciences Evaluation Reports of the IADA

• Evaluating the Federal Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority: Early Implementation and Progress of State Efforts to Develop New Statewide Academic Assessments (April 27, 2023)—link to https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/2023004/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsflash

Applying for the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority. Applications are accepted twice each year; after the 1st Friday in May and the 1st Friday in December. In the 2024-2025 school year those application deadlines are:

• December 6, 2024 (please submit notice of intent to apply by October 22, 2024).
• May 2, 2025 (please submit notice of intent to apply by March 18, 2025).
• Please submit notice of intent and any application related questions to ESEA.Assessment@ed.gov.

In order to appropriately plan for peer review of IADA applications, the Department will ask that States provide a notice of intent to submit an IADA application no later than 45 days prior to the application deadline for that period. The notice of intent will not be binding or required but will allow the Department time to plan for the logistics for the peer review of applications.

• Application Package for Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA Application FY 2025).

2020 State Applications for the IADA

Hawaii

• Application
• Application Addendum (April 20, 2020)
• Peer Review Note
• State Interim Feedback Letter (April 10, 2020)
• State Addendum Response Letter (April 28, 2020)
• Revised Application (June 29, 2020)
• State Response Letter to Revised Application (August 12, 2020)

Indiana 

• Application
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter (April 10, 2020)

Massachusetts

• Application
• Application Addendum (April 20, 2020)
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter (April 10, 2020)
• Approval Letter (April 22, 2020)
• 2020-21 Annual Performance Report (October 1, 2021)
• 2021-22 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2022)
• 2022-23 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2023)

2019 State Applications for the IADA

Georgia

• Application
• Application Addendum (May 31, 2019)
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter (March 8, 2019)
• Approval Letter (July 12, 2019)
• 2019-20 Annual Performance Report (September 1, 2020)
• 2020-21 Annual Performance Report (October 1, 2021)
• 2021-22 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2022)
• Department letter acknowledging Georgia intent to withdraw from the IADA (March 23, 2023)

North Carolina

• Application
• Application Addendum (May 8, 2019)
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter (March 8, 2019)
• Approval Letter (June 21, 2019)
• Secretary's Statement Regarding Georgia's and North Carolina's IADA approvals (July 17, 2019)
• 2019-20 Annual Performance Report (September 1, 2020)
• 2020-21 Annual Performance Report (October 1, 2021)
• 2021-22 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2022)
• 2022-23 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2023)

2018 State Applications for the IADA

Louisiana

• Application
• Application Addendum (June 19, 2018)
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter
• Approval Letter (July 24, 2018)
• Secretary's Statement Regarding Louisiana's IADA approval (July 30, 2018)
• 2018-19 Annual Performance Report (September 1, 2019)
• 2019-20 Annual Performance Report (September 1, 2020)
• 2020-21 Annual Performance Report (October 1, 2021)
• 2021-22 Annual Performance Report (October 31, 2022)
• 2022-23 Annual Performance Report (September 29, 2023)

New Hampshire

• Application
• Application Addendum 1 (July 31, 2018)
• Application Addendum 2 (September 14, 2018)
• Peer Review Notes
• State Interim Feedback Letter
• Approval Letter (September 28, 2018)
• Secretary's Statement Regarding New Hampshire's IADA Approval (October 2, 2018)
• 2018-19 Annual Performance Report (October 18,2019)
• 2019-20 Annual Performance Report (September 18, 2020)
• 2020-21 Annual Performance Report (August 31, 2021)
• Letter indicating New Hampshire's Intent to Withdraw from the IADA (March 9, 2022)
  • Letter from Department acknowledging New Hampshire's withdrawal from the IADA (April 22, 2022)