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Funding

Already in your district budget.

Growing Standard is an ESSA Tier 4 platform that fits the funding streams districts already use — Title I, Title IV-A, IDEA Part B, and active state literacy and technology programs.

ESSA evidence tier

Why your ESSA-compliant procurement already fits us.

ESSA Section 8101 defines four evidence tiers — strong, moderate, promising, and demonstrates a rationale. Growing Standard meets Tier 4, with a design informed by 100+ peer-reviewed studies spanning adaptive assessment, the Science of Reading, spaced repetition, Concrete-Representational-Abstract math pedagogy, and formative feedback, plus a documented logic model connecting each research base to specific product features.

Tier 4 is sufficient for general Title I (Sections 1114 and 1115), Title II-A, Title IV-A, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, and most state programs. It is not sufficient for Title I School Improvement funds (Section 1003), which require Tiers 1-3.

Tier 1
Strong
Randomized controlled trial
Tier 2
Moderate
Quasi-experimental — 2028+ pathway
Tier 3
Promising
Correlational with controls — spring 2028 target
Us
Tier 4
Demonstrates a rationale
Logic model informed by research
Federal funding

The federal streams that already apply.

Three active federal programs cover adaptive math and reading software for districts serving high-need students, with Tier 4 evidence accepted for all three.

~$18.4B nationally
Title I, Part A
For schools with high percentages of students from low-income families. Funds cover per-student licenses, onboarding PD, and devices — provided the expenditure is supplemental, evidence-based, and standards-aligned (2 CFR 200.404-405). Schoolwide Title I programs (Sec. 1114) have the most flexibility.
USDOE Title I, Part A guidance (revised May 2023)
Effective use of technology bucket
Title IV, Part A (SSAE)
The SSAE grant has three buckets — well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and effective use of technology. Adaptive software purchases fall under the technology bucket. Software licenses are not subject to the 15% device/infrastructure cap.
ESSA Section 4109; USDOE Title IV-A program page
Up to 15% for Early Intervening Services
IDEA Part B
Funds supplementary aids and services for eligible students with disabilities. Districts can also use up to 15% of IDEA Part B funds for Early Intervening Services — students not yet identified but needing academic support. Our adaptive assessment provides per-domain placement data districts can use alongside their screening process.
IDEA Section 613(f); ASHA Uses of Funds brief
State programs

The state programs we fit into.

Three confirmed state-level paths today — Texas, Virginia, and Georgia. Program availability and allocation levels change each legislative cycle, so verify current status with your state education agency before planning multi-year commitments.

Texas
Confirmed active
  • Instructional Materials and Technology Allotment (IMTA, formerly TIMA) — per-student formula funding for instructional materials, software, and technology. FY2026-2027 allotments loaded July 2025. Districts order through the EMAT system.
Virginia
Confirmed active
  • Virginia Literacy Act (2022) — active state program funding evidence-based literacy screening, curriculum, and instructional materials for K-5. An adaptive reading platform aligned to science-of-reading principles may qualify.
Georgia
Newly passed
  • Georgia Early Literacy Act — mandates science-of-reading curriculum and funds literacy coaches. GaDOE is designating approved instructional materials. Adaptive reading platforms aligned to SoR principles may qualify once designations are finalized. Verify current status with GaDOE.

Don't see your state? Email partnerships@growingstandard.com and we'll research funding options specific to your district.

Cost

What the cost difference looks like.

Growing Standard bundles adaptive assessment and practice in a single platform at $15-20 per student per year. Most districts currently pay $30-45 per subject, per student, spread across separate assessment and intervention tool contracts. For 500 students across math and reading, that's $7,500-$10,000 a year with us (depending on district size and tier) versus $25,000-45,000 across the separate contracts.

Growing StandardTypical assessment + practice platformTypical assessment-only platform
Per-student cost$15-20/year~$30-45/year per subject~$12-18/year (assessment only)
Math + Reading bundleIncludedSeparate contractsAssessment only
Adaptive assessment3 windows/year3 windows/year3-4 windows/year
Practice / intervention1,900+ skills, K-12Built-in lessonsNot included (separate tool needed)
ESSA evidence tierTier 4Varies by vendorVaries by vendor
State standards crosswalk11 frameworks, 50 statesCCSS + select statesCCSS-aligned
Needs-attention → lessonsIncludedAdd-onRequires 3rd-party
Free teacher tierYes (always free)NoNo
Total cost: 500 students, math + reading$7,500-10,000/year~$25,000-45,000/year~$6,000-12,000/year + separate practice tool

Competitor pricing ranges are estimated from publicly available district RFP disclosures and vendor comparison surveys (2024-2025). Growing Standard pricing is published and consistent — every district pays the same rate. See the full pricing page or pricing calculator for tier breakdowns.

For your grant writer

Template language, ready to paste.

The paragraphs below are written to drop directly into Title I, Title IV-A, IDEA, or state grant applications. Copy, customize the bracketed details, and paste into the relevant sections.

Program description
Growing Standard (Potato Class) is a K-12 adaptive math and reading platform that delivers standards-aligned instruction through interactive practice, research-informed adaptive placement, and spaced repetition. The platform covers 1,400+ math and 1,100+ reading skill tiers mapped to state standards via an 11-framework crosswalk (including CCSS, TEKS, B.E.S.T., Georgia, and VA SOL). Students receive individualized placement through a per-subject adaptive assessment administered across three testing windows per year, with content matched to their current performance level. The platform's primary validation pathway rests on two pre-registration analysis-plan drafts deposited on the Open Science Framework: a concurrent- validity study (Grow placement vs. teacher judgment, state assessment results, and comparable commercial diagnostics) and a practice-engagement-and-growth correlation study (does in-game engagement predict learning growth across six telemetry vectors). Formal Registrations (the locked, DOI-minted snapshots) lock after academic methodologist review and before any pilot data flows. Empirical IRT calibration and norming are planned for reporting once cumulative pilot enrollment supports defensible parameter estimation; per our project plan, a district pilot reporting in spring 2028 would be the earliest credible window, contingent on pilot participation. The platform includes 20+ interactive manipulatives, 100+ visual question types, 300+ reading passages, and 280+ teacher-led lesson plans. Accessibility supports include a WCAG 2.1 AA first-pass audit, per-student IEP/504 accommodations (read-aloud text-to-speech, plus printed variants of early-grade sound tasks for deaf/hard-of-hearing students), and an untimed adaptive assessment by design.
Copy and adapt for your application
Evidence basis (ESSA Tier 4)
Growing Standard meets the ESSA Tier 4 evidence standard (“demonstrates a rationale”). The platform's design is informed by 100+ peer-reviewed studies spanning adaptive assessment design (Babcock & Weiss, 2012; Kingsbury & Zara, 1989), the Science of Reading (National Reading Panel, 2000), spaced repetition (Cepeda et al., 2006), formative feedback and productive failure (Shute, 2008; Kapur, 2016), and Concrete-Representational-Abstract math pedagogy (Bruner, 1966; Witzel et al., 2003). A documented logic model connects each research base to specific product features. Assessment integrity features include a deliberately fixed per-domain item budget (fixed-length stopping), grade-adjusted rush detection (Wise & Kong, 2005), anchor items for longitudinal calibration, and rapid-guess filtering. The complete 100+ citation evidence document is available on request.
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Cost efficiency & sustainability
At $20 per student per year (school license) or $15 per student per year (district license), Growing Standard provides both adaptive assessment and standards-aligned practice in a single platform, eliminating the need for separate assessment-and-intervention tool contracts. The free teacher tier supports sustainability beyond the grant period — teachers retain free-tier access (standards-aligned practice, lessons, and class dashboards) at no cost even after funded licenses expire, preserving instructional continuity without ongoing funding obligations.
Copy and adapt for your application

Need help with your grant application?

We can provide a Letter of Support, product spec sheets, the full 100+ citation evidence document, and customized language for your specific grant. We work alongside your grant writer to make the case.

Request a quoteEmail partnerships
Last updated August 2026. Federal and state program availability changes annually — verify with your state education agency.