NH Hopes to Participate in Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority

New Hampshire – a leader in innovative assessment and accountability systems – has submitted an application to be among the first states to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority (IADA). The IADA provides states with the flexibility to use a different assessment approach in a subset of school districts rather than having all students complete statewide standardized tests at the end of each school year.

The New Hampshire Department of Education’s application builds upon its current Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE), a mastery-based educational approach with an emphasis on performance assessment as a means of evaluating student learning. In fact, the Demonstration Authority was based, in large part, on NH’s waiver to implement PACE for the past four years.

“We know that student performance on a single end-of-year achievement test may not be indicative of actual learning and mastery of academic competencies. PACE provides students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in ways that effectively measure deep learning,” stated New Hampshire Commissioner of Education, Frank Edelblut.

Building on its experience with PACE, with this new application, New Hampshire will use this flexibility to bring performance assessment to scale so that teachers statewide have the tools to integrate innovative assessments into powerful instructional practices. This will equip educators with additional tools to best meet the unique needs of every student and increase student learning statewide.

• Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority Application