Section 1: Overview
The Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE’s) Office of Assessment provides the following guidance to support the Formative (Interim) Assessment Grant. Using formative and interim assessment data can assist schools in providing the most effective support for students. Indiana public school corporations complete this application at the district level. Charter schools and accredited non-public schools (including Choice schools and schools part of a diocese) complete this application at the school level. Additional information can be found on IDOE’s Formative (Interim) Assessment Grant webpage.
Vision and Purpose
Eliciting and analyzing evidence of student learning to guide classroom instruction at the individual student level results in increased academic success. Indiana’s Formative (Interim) Assessment Grant provides funding to schools for approved formative (interim) assessment programs and specific universal screeners for dyslexia (that meet legislative requirements) to increase data-driven instructional practices and enrich learning for all students.
Grant Eligibility
All Indiana public school corporations, charter schools, and accredited non-public schools (including Choice scholarship schools) serving students in kindergarten through grade 10 are eligible. Schools that successfully submit the grant application will receive funds based on allocation guidelines. This is not a competitive grant.
Allowable Uses of Funds
- Approved mathematics assessment programs (see Appendix A).
- Approved English/language arts assessment programs (see Appendix A).
- Specific approved dyslexia universal screeners (see Appendix A). Diagnostic assessments for dyslexia are not covered by this grant.
- Professional development and implementation support for selected, approved assessment programs offered through the program vendor.
Local Contracts
Funds from this grant are distributed directly to corporations. Corporations and schools will enter into local contracts with their selected assessment program vendor(s) from the approved assessment program list. Corporations may choose to contract with and implement assessments prior to fund distribution; however, the corporation would be responsible for any costs incurred above the final distribution amount.
Flexibility
The level of flexibility differs for formative/interim/benchmark assessment programs and dyslexia universal screening assessment programs.
For formative/interim/benchmark assessments, corporations and schools determine details regarding the use of grant funds. Corporations may determine:
- Participating schools
- Participating grade levels
- Which content areas (mathematics and/or English/language arts) are being assessed
- Which assessment programs are being used for each school/grade level
- When the programs are in us (i.e., when to enter into the contract within the school year, when testing windows occur, etc)
For dyslexia assessments, corporations must follow the requirements listed in IDOE's Dyslexia Programming Guidance for Schools located on the Dyslexia webpage once available.
ILEARN Checkpoint Pilot and Interim Assessments
Schools who opted in to participate in the ILEARN Checkpoints pilot may still apply for formative grant funds and are eligible to receive the same allocations as schools not participating in the checkpoints pilot. It is a local decision to administer both the checkpoints and an approved interim to students in grades three through eight. When determining whether to provide interim assessments in addition to the checkpoints, schools should consider the amount of testing students will participate in.
- If a school does not plan to administer additional interim assessments in addition to the checkpoints, do not request funds through the application jotform for the applicable grade levels.
- If administering the ILEARN Checkpoints pilot for grades three through eight, schools may choose to only request formative assessment funds for students in grades kindergarten through two and students preparing for college and career readiness exams.
- Formative assessment funds may not be used to purchase materials to administer any assessment, including the ILEARN Checkpoints (i.e., headphones, computers, etc).
- Professional development for the ILEARN Checkpoint is provided by the state at no cost. Schools should not apply for formative funds specifically to pay for professional development for ILEARN Checkpoints.