Competitive Grants for State Assessments

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.