The U.S. Department of Education (Education) plays a key role in supporting educational opportunities for K-12 students, including awarding grants and overseeing compliance with federal education laws. Over the past decade, Education's grant awards have generally increased in number and size. Using Education budget data, it was determined that in Education's appropriation for fiscal year 2019, Congress appropriated approximately $38 billion for Education's K-12 programs. Further, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), enacted in 2015, changed the education landscape. Performance assessment activities provide feedback on program design and implementation and can help inform program planning, management, and oversight. However, questions have been raised about how Education assesses the performance of its wide-ranging education programs. Both GAO and Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) have reported on various management and oversight issues related to Education's program performance. This report describes challenges Education faces in assessing the performance of its K-12 programs as well as steps it has taken to address them.