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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Feb. 4, 2026
Important Dates
December 3-May 7: Complete Pretest Editing in Test WES
January 5-March 20: Complete administration tasks in WIDA AMS
January 26-March 20: WIDA assessment administration window
Feb. 16: Begin MCA/MTAS/Alt MCA administration tasks in PearsonAccess Next
Quick Links
As testing is underway, WIDA AMS plays a central role in managing student data, materials, accommodations, and progress monitoring. The reminders below highlight tasks District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) should prioritize during the administration window. Detailed instructions can be found in the WIDA AMS User Guide, available on the Documents tab of the WIDA AMS website (no login required), and in the Online Help articles, available by selecting the question mark icon when available in the top right corner of a page.
Managing Student Data
When districts need to manually add an English learner (EL) into WIDA AMS (for example, a newly enrolled student), all entered student information must exactly match enrollment data submitted to MDE (MARSS/Ed-Fi). Any discrepancy may result in scoring or reporting issues, including delayed or invalid results.
Managing Additional Materials Orders
The WIDA Consortium requires member states to limit Additional Materials Orders (AMOs) to reduce waste and shipping costs. WIDA and MDE request that districts place no more than one AMO per year. Note: Materials available only through an AMO, such as the human reader script, do not count toward this limit.
WIDA/DRC automatically includes a 15 percent overage of paper materials with each initial order of more than 10 tests. As described in Chapter 7 of the Procedures Manual, DACs should use the district-level overage and all school-level overages before placing an AMO. MDE will follow up with DACs if excessive AMOs are placed in WIDA AMS.
When placing an AMO:
- Select “District-Level Additional Orders Only Site-WWW” in the school dropdown.
- Do not select an individual school name. All additional orders must be placed at the district level.
Indicating Test Codes and Accommodations
For students who require accommodations or test codes (referred to as Do Not Score codes in WIDA AMS), districts must indicate these in WIDA AMS during the administration window.
Note: Certain test codes, such as Not Enrolled (NE) and Medical Excuse (ME), are available only during Posttest Editing. Refer to Chapter 9 of the Procedures Manual for details.
Monitoring Testing Progress
To monitor testing progress across schools, DACs can use Reporting Services in WIDA AMS. The Student Status report displays the testing status for each registered student. The Test Status report shows daily and weekly online testing activity and percent complete.
Need Help?
For help with WIDA AMS, technology, or test materials, contact the DRC help desk at WIDA@datarecognitioncorp.com or 855-787-9615.
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In preparation for the new Reading MCA-IV, MDE has created the following resources to support districts and educators:
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Reading MCA-IV: Updates and Resources: Posted on the Statewide Testing page, this document is intended to provide educators with information on the changes in the assessment related to academic standards, information on reporting results, and resource links related to the assessment.
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Comparison of the Reading MCA-III and Reading MCA-IV: Posted under the District Assessment Coordinator Resources expandable header on the District Resources page, this resources outlines the general test administration changes between the Reading MCA-III and the new Reading MCA-IV.
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District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) must annually review their district’s users in PearsonAccess Next to ensure accounts are up to date. DAC and Assessment Administrator (AA) users can create and restore accounts in PearsonAccess Next. User accounts can be created and maintained either manually or through a file export/import. Instructions are available in the PearsonAccess Next User Accounts Guide, located on the User Guides page on the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
Please note:
- For security purposes, passwords automatically expire every 180 days. Users should follow the instructions in the auto-generated emails to reset their password or use the Forgot Password feature.
- User accounts are disabled after 365 days of inactivity. Disabled accounts can be enabled by DACs or AAs either manually or through a file export/import.
- User accounts are deleted after 550 days of inactivity. Deleted accounts can be restored manually or through a file export/import in PearsonAccess Next by the DAC or AA.
Contact the Pearson help desk with any questions at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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The Division of Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment’s annual report is now available under the Communication expandable header on the Statewide Testing page of MDE’s website.
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Sample resources for the Reading and Science Alt MCA and Math MTAS are available on the Alternate MCA Sample Tasks page, which can be accessed from the Student Readiness Tools (SRTs) page on the Minnesota Assessment Hub. These resources are provided to support Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to become familiar with the format of the tests, make decisions about administration modes for students, and help Test Administrators prepare for test administration. Resources include sample tasks for a variety of grade levels at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, and demonstration videos showing a variety of scenarios and the different modes of administrations.
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February Q&A Session: Precode, Early Student Results, and General Test Administration
MDE will host a virtual Q&A session for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) on Feb. 17, from 2-3 p.m. that will focus on precode, early student results, and general test administration. New and experienced DACs are welcome to attend. Register for the February Q&A Session. Please note that registration will close 24 hours in advance of the Q&A session. Details for joining will be provided when registrations are approved.
The prerequisites for the February Q&A session are the Understanding Student Precode training, which is posted in the Learning Management System (LMS), and the following sections from Chapter 11 of the Procedures Manual: Process for the Release of Final Assessment and Accountability Results and Overview of Secure Systems and Available Reports. MDE collects questions from DACs prior to the event to help prepare and find relevant resources to share. After reviewing the prerequisites, submit questions for the February DAC Q&A Session. Q&A sessions will not be recorded nor will CEUs be provided as these are considered additional supports rather than training events.
Student Privacy Webinars
In February, the U.S. Department of Education Student Privacy Policy Office, through its Privacy Technical Assistance Center, will present a series of webinars:
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