TAMPA -- More school districts have joined Hillsborough County in the exclusive club of Gates winners.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced grants totaling $19.5 million to 15 school districts, education schools and nonrprofits to develop a new generation of assessments and tools for math and literacy teachers. Winners included districts in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C.; Hamilton County, Tenn.; New York City; and Kentucky.

As it did in awarding $100 million to Hillsborough, the foundation said it hoped the investment would make teachers more effective and prepare all students for college-level studies or careers. It plans to make the new assessments "universally available" once it has refined them.

"Innovative and well-designed classroom assessments will provide vital feedback to help teachers target their instruction and prepare all students for success beyond high school,” said Vicki L. Phillips, the foundation's director of K-12 education programs, in a statement.

-- Tom Marshall, Times Staff Writer