States will have a chance to vie for $9.2 million in federal grant aid to help them create kindergarten-entry assessments, which evaluate young children in several areas related to school readiness.
The description of the funding opportunity says that the U.S. Department of Education expects to make two grants. Groups of three or more states working together will be given an edge in the competition. The deadline for the notice of intent to apply is June 24; applications are due July 8.
Kindergarten-entry assessments are designed to measure a child’s “essential domains of school readiness,” which include language and literacy development, cognition and general early knowledge, readiness to learn, physical well-being, and social and emotional development.