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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Sept. 10, 2025
Important Dates
Sept. 12: Deadline to request ACCESS and WIDA Alternate ACCESS score appeals, transcription requests, test booklet searches, or data corrections
No later than Oct. 1: Post district testing calendar to website
Quick Links
The deadline to submit a scoring appeal, transcription request, or test booklet search for spring 2025 ACCESS and WIDA Alternate ACCESS is this Friday, Sept. 12.
Scoring appeals may be requested for the Writing (Paper or Online) or Speaking (Online only) domains of the grades 1-12 ACCESS when there is concern that a student’s test was scored incorrectly. District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) must email mde.testing@state.mn.us with the student’s MARSS/SSID number and a clear rationale for the appeal. Please note that scoring appeals are rare and, in most cases, do not result in a change.
Transcription requests may be submitted when there is concern that a student or Test Administrator did not use a No. 2 pencil or did not completely fill in the bubble or answer area on paper test materials.
Test booklet searches may be requested when student’s score is missing and it is suspected that a completed test booklet 1) had a district/school label but no student information bubbled, 2) included student information but no district/school label, or 3) had a Do Not Score Label applied.
Additional details, including possible costs, are available in Chapter 10 of the Procedures Manual starting on page 267.
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Final student-level assessment results for the 2025 Science MCA-IV and Alternate MCA are scheduled to be available in the District and School Student Results (DSR and SSR) files in the next five business days. A separate communication will be sent to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) when the files are available.
In addition, as communicated to DACs on Friday, Sept. 5, the All Standards-Based (MCA/MTAS/Alt MCA) District and School Student Results (DSR and SSR) files downloaded between July 29 and Sep. 4 contained incorrect data for students who did not have a valid score (for example, NC, INV-D, ABS). All years of DSR/SSR files (2021-2025) were affected for students who did not have a valid score. Any files downloaded during this timeframe should be disregarded. Note: Students with valid scores were not affected and North Star Accountability calculations were not affected. These DSR/SSR files will be available again with the science files.
Results Release Process
Final student-level and summary assessment results are released to districts in Assessment Secure Reports, beginning with District and School Student Results (DSR/SSR) files and then Test Results Summary reports. The Test Results Summary reports are anticipated to be available 10 business days after DSR/SSRs are released.
These results are embargoed, meaning districts and schools may begin reviewing and using results for planning purposes but cannot share or discuss them publicly. When MDE lifts the embargo, final assessment results are then made available to the public on the Minnesota Report Card and the Data Reports and Analytics pages of the MDE website, and Individual Student Reports (ISRs) are provided to districts for distribution to families. Results will be reported publicly by Oct. 1.
Resources
The following resources for district and school staff are available or planned to be available on MDE and Pearson’s websites:
- Updated user guides for DSR/SSR files and Test Results Summary will be posted on the Assessment Secure Reports page when science results are released for each report. These updated guides will include information specific to science results.
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MCA and Alternate MCA Science ISR Quick Guides provide a high-level overview of the new Science MCA and Alt MCA ISRs that are provided to families. English versions are posted on MDE’s Assessment Results page for students and families, and translated versions of these resources are anticipated to be available soon under Translated Documents.
- Samples of MCA, MTAS, and Alt MCA ISRs on the Individual Student Reports (ISRs) Resources page on the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
Additional resources to support communication about the new science standards and assessments, the use of assessment results, and continuous improvement support for educators will be shared in a future Assessment Update closer to the public release of results
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MDE has developed a new resource to support districts in making participation decisions for the WIDA Alternate ACCESS: The Eligibility Guidance and Decision-Making Support for the WIDA Alternate ACCESS in Minnesota. This resource is designed to be used collaboratively with IEP teams and English learner (EL) teachers, and it helps clarify whether the WIDA ACCESS or the WIDA Alternate ACCESS is the most appropriate assessment for an EL student with significant cognitive disabilities.
This guidance includes:
- Clear eligibility criteria and decision-making tools
- Guiding questions to facilitate team discussions
- Special considerations for students in grades K-2
This guidance is posted on the Alternate Assessment Participation page of MDE’s website.
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Districts are required to post a comprehensive testing calendar on the district website; this information may also be posted on school-level websites if the district chooses. The calendar must be published at least one week prior to any eligible assessments being administered, but no later than Oct. 1. Districts may choose how to display the information (for example, in a chart or a calendar format), but it should be presented in a way that is as easy to access as possible. Core requirements for the information that must be included on the district testing calendar have not changed and are detailed in Chapter 6 of the Procedures Manual.
If a district has not yet established specific dates when students will be testing, MDE recommends using previous years’ timeframes as a starting place and then updating them as testing schedules are known or changed. Districts should keep their testing calendar up to date throughout the school year.
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In October, MDE and Pearson will present the New DAC Orientation, which will provide an overview of the various roles and responsibilities of a District Assessment Coordinator (DAC), the statewide assessments administered in Minnesota, relevant MDE and WIDA systems, available resources, and training opportunities. Pearson will provide information on their systems and available resources. While this training is specifically designed for new DACs, experienced DACs are also welcome to attend.
- Virtual training on ZoomGov:
- Dates: Thursday, Oct. 9 and Friday, Oct. 10 (participants must attend both days)
- Time: 9-11 a.m. both days
- In-person training:
- Date: Monday, Oct. 13
- Location: Delta Hotels by Marriott Minneapolis Northeast, 1330 Industrial Blvd. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
- Time: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
More information, including registration links, will be posted in a future Assessment Update.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Minnesota Department of Education
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