Sec. 17. (a) The state board shall approve two (2) or more benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessments to identify students that require remediation and provide individualized instruction in which a school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) may receive a grant under subsection (c). The benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessments must show alignment, verified by a third party, to Indiana's academic standards. Approved assessments must also provide predictive study results for student performance on the statewide assessment under section 7 of this chapter, not later than two (2) years after the summative assessment has been first administered.

(b) A school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) may elect to administer a benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessment described in subsection (a). If a school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) administers an assessment described in subsection (a), the school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) may prescribe the time and the manner in which the assessment is administered.

(c) If a school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) elects to administer a benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessment described in subsection (a), the school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) is entitled to receive a grant or reimbursement from the department in an amount not to exceed the cost of the assessment. The department shall provide grants and reimbursements to a school corporation, charter school, state accredited nonpublic school, or eligible school (as defined in IC 20-51-1-4.7) under this section from money appropriated to the department for the purpose of carrying out this section.

(d) The state board and the department may not contract with, approve, or endorse the use of a single vendor to provide benchmark, formative, interim, or similar assessments for any grade level or levels of kindergarten through grade 7.

As added by P.L.242-2017, SEC.41. Amended by P.L.269-2019, SEC.9.