IADA

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

Applying for the IADA

Applying for the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority. Applications are accepted twice each year; after the 1^st Friday in May and the 1^st Friday in December. In 2024 those application deadlines are:
- May 3, 2024 (please submit notice of intent to apply by March 19, 2024) and
- December 6, 2024 (please submit notice of intent to apply by October 22, 2024).
- 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 (MS WORD) (260KB) — (PDF) (554KB)

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