Another grassroots organization that has relations to Native American standardized testing is the National Indian Education Association. NIEA is a Native American organization that helps Native American educators explore new ways to improve schools and find ways to promote, maintain, continue, and develop Native American languages and cultures within the schools. NIEA is ruined by a board of Native American educators who come from tribes all across the country. NIEA reaches out to Native American communities to help the youth. They also work to shape and influence federal policy that focuses on the state and tribal levels (National Indian Education Association, 2020).

The NIEA has been focusing on gathering Native American test scores to “determine if their testing procedures are culturally and economically appropriate for American Indian students” (National Indian Education Association, 2020). In the NIEA 2020 annual report, they state that they were focusing on making classrooms more culturally aware and focused (National Indian Education Association, 2020, P.3). Meaning they are preparing teachers to teach Native students by making sure they “understand and implement culturally responsive education strategies”  (National Indian Education Association, 2020, P.3). 

NIEA is also working on getting “$35 million to develop assessments and $20 million each year for assessment maintenance under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). (National Indian Education Association, 2020, P.7). It’s difficult for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) to focus on one testing assessment because in every state the tests are different. According to the, Every Student Succeeds Act, Native people must have access to the proper funding to accurately measure the progress of Native students (National Indian Education Association, 2020, p.7). As a result, NIEA is working on making sure they have adequate funding in order to fight for high quality, culturally relevant assessment systems (National Indian Education Association, 2020, P.7). One of NIEA’s biggest accomplishments was “receiving an award to develop a Native Language Immersion Program Model” (National Indian Education Association, 2020). This award helps BIE school conduct research, assess students, document progress, train school, and create new model plans to help incorporate our Native languages into the school’s systems.  Although NIEA was able to get more funding to promote language, they still do not have the ability to assess their students in their Native language. Therefore, NIEA is fighting to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to include programs and schools taught in the Native American language to have the ability to instruct and assess their students in their Native American language (National Indian Education Association, 2020). 

NIEA is not only trying to get their voice heard but are trying to make a change in Congress. The National Indian Education Association is a professional organization that holds organizational power. This power allows them to work with great Native American leaders such as U.S Representative Deb Haaland and U.S Representative Sharice Davis to address these issues in Congress. Their work is very important and impactful because it could bring more funding to Native American Schools that could make an authoritative change, such as a new way of assessing Native Youth. 

Image #1: https://www.niea.org/strategic-direction

Image #2: https://www.niea.org

Image #3: http://www.edubilla.com/association/national-indian-education-association/

Image #4: https://jasongrow.com/PORTFOLIO/NEW-WOMEN-OF-CONGRESS/4