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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Feb. 18, 2026
Important Dates
Feb. 16: Start completing MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA administration tasks in PearsonAccess Next
Feb. 24: Additional materials ordering window opens in PearsonAccess Next
Feb. 24-26: Receive paper MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA test materials
March 2: MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA testing windows open
March 13: Last day to order additional paper test materials in WIDA AMS for WIDA assessments
March 20: End of WIDA assessment administration window; Last day to complete administration tasks in WIDA AMS
Quick Links
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) posted a document titled Statewide Assessments: Additional Information to the District Resources page of the MDE website. This document provides districts and charter schools with information about statewide assessment requirements, and guidance for supporting students and communities during the 2026 testing windows.
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As a reminder, Test Administrators must actively monitor students at all times and may not engage in other activities such as lesson planning, grading, or casual conversation.
Any materials on walls or desks related to language instruction or language expectations of an academic content area must be covered or removed during testing. When in doubt, cover the material.
Avoiding Irregularities
As a reminder, the WIDA Assessment Irregularities document is a helpful resource that outlines common misadministration scenarios and includes likely steps districts will need to take to resolve the issue, as well as possible outcomes. This document is available on Minnesota’s WIDA page under the Manuals, Guides and Test Materials expandable header.
Monitoring Testing Progress
As a reminder, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) can use Reporting Services in WIDA AMS to monitor testing progress across schools. 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. Detailed instructions can be found in the WIDA AMS User Guide and the Online Help articles, available on the WIDA AMS website.
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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Initial quantities of paper test materials for MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA are based on information entered in Test WES Pretest Editing by the Jan. 23 deadline. The initial test materials shipment will arrive at the district office or schools between Feb. 24-26. If no changes were indicated in the test materials shipment options in Test WES by Jan. 23, the default option is for test materials to be shipped to the district.
Districts must have staff available to receive the materials. District and School Assessment Coordinators must ensure there is a plan for receiving the shipments and keeping the test materials secure upon delivery following the district’s procedure.
Districts can track the shipment status in PearsonAccess Next 2-3 days prior to the arrival date. For more information, refer to Viewing Test Material Reports and Tracking Information guide posted on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
Receiving and Inventorying Test Materials
MCA paper test materials and MTAS/Alt MCA test materials will be boxed separately and have different packing lists and security checklists. Use these lists to inventory all test materials received; electronic copies of each school’s security checklists are also available in PearsonAccess Next. For more information, refer to the Receiving Secure Test Materials guide posted on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub. A copy of this guide is also included in the test materials shipment.
Test materials must be kept secure when inventorying and organizing, and all secure test materials must be kept in a secure, locked location until testing. The Handling Secure Paper Test Materials training is an optional resource for staff who will handle paper test materials for any statewide assessments, and it provides information about keeping materials secure and maintaining the chain of custody. This training is available in the Learning Management System (LMS) (Test Administration catalog > Optional Courses tag).
Preparing for the MTAS/Alt MCA
To ensure sufficient time to prepare for test administration, District and School Assessment Coordinators should distribute MTAS/Alt MCA test materials to Test Administrators upon delivery. There is no designated timeframe for when Test Administrators may have access to test materials prior to testing. All materials must be kept in a secure location until testing begins. However, once test materials are delivered, Test Administrators may review and prepare all MTAS/Alt MCA materials that may be used during test administration. This includes:
- Reviewing all scripted tasks in the Task Administration Manual, Presentation Pages, Passages, Scenarios, and/or Phenomena Books, and Response Option Cards. The separate Passages, Scenarios, and/or Phenomena Books are spiral-bound books by grade and are used in conjunction with the Presentation Pages so the student can view both the reading passage, mathematics scenario, or science phenomenon and associated items together.
- Preparing adaptations (for example, enlarging materials or incorporating texture) to Presentation Pages, Passages, Scenarios, and/or Phenomena Books, and Response Option Cards to meet individual student needs.
- Determining any objects or manipulatives that may be needed for the presentation of the task to the student. Refer to the printed Task Administration Manuals for optional mathematics and science object lists.
Accommodated Test Materials
For staff administering a braille test or a sign language interpreter administering a MCA script, District or School Assessment Coordinators should provide them with the applicable test materials up to five business days prior to the scheduled administration. This includes the MCA script and the braille test materials. The same timeline applies for a sign language interpreter for MTAS/Alt MCA (if not the Test Administrator). Staff must keep materials secure as they prepare for testing.
In addition, ensure staff administering these accommodations are provided the Guidance for Universal Supports and Accommodations for Minnesota Statewide Assessments (available on the District Resources page under the Universal Supports and Accommodations Resources expandable heading) as it provides specific test administration guidance.
Placing Additional Orders in PearsonAccess Next
The window for placing additional orders in PearsonAccess Next for MCA paper test materials and MTAS/Alt MCA test materials opens on Feb. 24. Additional test materials can be ordered until noon on the Tuesday before the last day of the testing windows to ensure there is enough time for districts to receive the requested materials. Additional orders may be placed for the following reasons:
- Students have newly enrolled or there were changes in accommodations/universal supports or test assignments after Jan. 23.
- The district decided not to receive MTAS/Alt MCA test materials in the initial test materials shipment (a decision made during Pretest Editing).
For step-by-step instructions on placing an additional order, refer to Ordering Additional Test Materials guide posted on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub. For any questions about placing additional orders, contact the Pearson help desk at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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Assistive technology (AT) online test forms are available for the Reading and Science MCAs and Reading and Science Alt MCAs. Two versions of the AT online forms are available: one for screen readers (AT-S) and one for non-screen reader devices (AT-N). These separate TestNav forms allow AT to interact directly with the online test in order to maintain or improve access for a student with disabilities.
The following provides guidance on indicating the AT online form accommodation codes (AT-S and AT-N) for Reading and Science MCA:
- For Reading and Science MCA, students requiring both the HR (script/human reader) and AT-N accommodations will test in an online AT form with the script/human reader as a support. Note:
- HR cannot be indicated with the AT-S form as it is expected that the screen reader is providing the read-aloud support.
- For Reading MCA, the use of the HR accommodation requires approval from MDE.
- For Reading and Science MCA, students requiring a paper test book (12, 18, BC, or BU) and either AT online form (AT-S or AT-N) will test in an online AT form with the paper test materials as a support. Students may use paper test materials with either AT forms, as both forms contain the same content.
- For Reading MCA, the use of the assistive technology screen reader form (AT-S) requires approval from MDE.
If the HR or 12/18/BC/BU accommodations were not indicated in Pretest Editing by the Jan. 23 deadline, DACs will be able to order additional testing materials in PearsonAccess Next beginning on Feb. 24.
Guidelines for Using AT Online Forms
Prior to testing, it’s important to confirm the student’s AT is compatible with TestNav and works as expected. The District or School Assessment Coordinator will need access to the PearsonAccess Next Training Center. In the Training Center, DACs can create and add a sample student with an AT accommodation to a test session and provide a testing ticket to the teacher and student to log in to TestNav and confirm the AT the student will use during testing is compatible with TestNav and/or works as expected. In addition, these sample tests consist of items used in the online Reading and Science MCA and Alt MCA Student Readiness Tools (SRTs) to allow students to practice interacting with items online using their AT.
The Guidelines for Using Assistive Technology (AT) Online Forms is available on the Student Tools and Supports page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub to assist district and school staff in determining if and how AT may be used by students with an AT online form. These guidelines also provide step-by-step instructions for creating sample students in the Training Center and providing a testing ticket to the teacher and student.
Contact the Pearson help desk with any questions at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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MDE requires District and School Assessment Coordinators (or any of their designated, trained staff) to conduct observations of testing rooms to confirm adherence to state and district policies and procedures by Test Administrators, Test Monitors, and other staff. This monitoring is in addition to the active monitoring being done by the Test Administrator/Test Monitor in the testing room and is meant to simulate the site visits conducted by MDE at a district- and school-level. This requirement applies to both WIDA ACCESS and MCA administrations. Similar observations can be conducted for other aspects of test administration, like inventorying and organizing secure test materials, distributing test materials on the day of testing, and preparing technology for online testing.
Districts can use the Minnesota Statewide Assessments Monitoring List in Appendix C of the Procedures Manual, or develop their own list as long as it includes all of the components provided in Appendix C. It is up to the district to determine how many schools and testing rooms to observe.
Monitoring of individual administrations (WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS, WIDA Alternate ACCESS, and MTAS/Alt MCA) is not required, but districts should consider including them in applicable portions of their monitoring.
To learn more about district monitoring, DACs are advised to review the New DAC Module: Audits and Monitoring training which is posted to the Learning Management System (LMS) (Test Administration catalog > New DAC Training Series tag).
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To provide districts and schools the most flexibility for scheduling testing when students are homebound or attending an online program, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) may request testing times outside of regular school hours or on weekends. As noted in Chapter 8 of the Procedures Manual, the DAC must email mde.testing@state.mn.us at least two business days in advance and provide the following:
- The district and school name
- Grade and subject/domain
- Name of test session(s)
- Planned dates and times to begin and end testing
- Rationale for after-hours testing or data entry need
Note: Service provider help desks have set customer service hours and may not be available during after-hours testing sessions.
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Districts are required to offer a nationally recognized college entrance exam (ACT or SAT) to grades 11 and 12 students during a 2025-26 school day. Districts must enter into a contract directly with the test vendor. While a district may offer other assessment options to students at their discretion (for example, ASVAB or ACCUPLACER), a college entrance exam must still be offered. The requirements for offering a college entrance exam have not changed and are detailed in Chapter 2 of the Procedures Manual starting on page 30.
MDE reimburses districts for students who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals (FRP), in addition to students who are determined to be unable to pay. To be eligible for reimbursement under FRP, the student must have been identified in student enrollment data as eligible for FRP at some point during the school year the exam is administered.
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Minnesota IT Services plans to implement security changes for MDE’s secure web applications and secure reports on March 17 that may affect some users.
Blocked Connection Issue
Some districts may experience an error message when trying to connect to secure MDE web applications. If you see an error message that reads “Responder from country blocked: Responder IP: 176.100.178.49,” use either of the below methods:
- Contact your vendor for your network security appliance. The vendor should be able to update their Geo IP location data with corrected information for this IP address.
- Update your network security appliance to specifically whitelist this IP address: 176.100.178.49
Geo-Blocking Access
Minnesota IT Services will be geo-blocking access from sanctioned and high-risk countries as identified by the US Department of the Treasury. Anyone attempting to access an MDE web page from a geo-blocked country will receive a message requesting that they contact the State of Minnesota Threat Management Team.
Contact David Reeg (david.reeg@state.mn.us) at MNIT Services partnering with MDE with questions about this security advisory.
Contact Minnesota Information Technology Services Cyber Navigators (CN.MNIT@state.mn.us) for more information about these Minnesota IT Services security enhancements.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Minnesota Department of Education
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