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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
March 11, 2026
Important Dates
March 2-May 1 (May 8 Science MCA only): MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA testing window
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
March 27: Deadline to ship paper WIDA assessment test materials to DRC
Quick Links
The last day districts can place an Additional Materials Order (AMO) in WIDA AMS is this Friday, March 13. The WIDA assessment administration window closes on March 20.
Please review these final ordering reminders:
- Use the district-level overage and all school-level overages before placing an AMO.
- Place all AMOs at the district level. Do not submit AMOs for individual school sites.
- Consolidate needs across schools into a single district order, when possible.
For help with WIDA AMS or test materials, contact the DRC help desk at WIDA@datarecognitioncorp.com or 855-787-9615.
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Students must be registered for the correct tests in PearsonAccess Next before they can be added to MCA or Alt MCA online test sessions, paper MCA data entry test sessions, or assigned for MTAS data entry. If a student is missing from PearsonAccess Next, review the information below.
Precode Student Eligibility
If a student’s test eligibility does not appear in PearsonAccess Next, first verify the student’s information in Test WES under Precode Student Eligibility. Enter the student’s MARSS/SSID number to check on the following possibilities:
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No demographic information appears. This may indicate an issue with the student enrollment record or that student has not been submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Work with your MARSS Coordinator to correct any issues and resubmit student enrollment data.
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The student record is associated with another district or school. Check the first column of the Precode Eligibility table at the bottom of the screen to see which district or school is receiving the student’s precode record. If necessary, manually change where the student will test by selecting “Add” on the student’s information.
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The student transferred during the testing window. If the student accurately appears in Test WES and in sent precode files but does not appear in PearsonAccess Next, run the Student Tests Not Associated with the Student Organization operational report in PearsonAccess Next. This report shows whether the student started or completed a test in their previous district. Instructions for running this report are found in the MCA Online Testing User Guide on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub and the MTAS/Alt MCA Data Entry and Online Testing User Guide on the Test Administration Resources page.
Note: Manual adds in Test WES override enrollment data submissions.
More information on manually adding students to Test WES can be found in the Test WES Precode User Guide.
Timeline for Updates in PearsonAccess Next
Information for all students enrolled in a district or school is sent each weeknight from Test WES to Pearson in precode files throughout the testing window. Student enrollment data submitted to MDE is loaded into Test WES overnight and appears in PearsonAccess Next within two business days. Updates made directly in Test WES through Pretest Editing (such as, updating student test assignments or assigning or changing universal supports/accommodations) or Precode Student Eligibility (such as, manually adding a student or changing a student’s school) will appear in PearsonAccess Next the following business day.
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District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) must ensure that they have received approval from MDE prior to ordering a reading script in additional orders in PearsonAccess Next. The use of the script/human reader (HR) accommodation for the new Reading MCA has very specific criteria and the DAC must request approval using the Approved Accommodation (AA) Request Form. If an order is placed that includes a reading script, Pearson will confirm with MDE that the district has received approval from MDE for the use of this read-aloud accommodation. If MDE has not approved this request, the script will be removed from the district’s order and the district will be notified.
The read-aloud accommodations for the Reading MCA are approved accommodations for a small number of students who meet one of these criteria:
- Students with documented blindness or low vision that severely limits or prevents them from accessing printed text and who have not yet learned braille.
- Students with deafness or who are hard of hearing and whose print disability severely limits their ability to decode text.
- Students with documented blindness or low vision who use a screen reader in their daily instruction.
For more information, please refer to the details for this accommodation starting on page 118 of the Procedures Manual.
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District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), Assessment Administrators (AAs), and other staff who have access to PearsonAccess Next can utilize the following features within the system to monitor student test status: the Dashboards, Student Test Status Dashboard, and Operational Reports.
Dashboards
DAC and AA users have access to dashboard views in PearsonAccess Next (Dashboard > Dashboard) to review overall MCA/Alt MCA test session status and MTAS test status. For more information, refer to the View Dashboards section of the MCA Online Testing User Guide, MCA Data Entry User Guide, and the MTAS/Alt MCA Data Entry and Online Testing User Guide. Note: These dashboards provide overall status reports for looking at testing status at the school and/or district level; in contrast, the Student Test Session Dashboards are specific to individual test sessions.
Student Test Status Dashboard
For the Reading, Mathematics, and Science MCAs, users can monitor test sessions using the Student Test Status Dashboard in PearsonAccess Next (Students in Sessions page). In the single session view, a pop-out button will display to the right of the session name for sessions with 100 students or fewer. Once the button is selected, the dashboard will open in a new browser tab. If monitoring multiple sessions, select a different session in the single session view to open the dashboard in another browser tab. Multiple sessions can be monitored by navigating between browser tabs. The dashboard will automatically refresh every 30 seconds. The Student Test Status Dashboard displays student name and MARSS/SSID number, test status (such as, Active, Ready, Completed, Resumed, etc.), test duration, battery indicator, and test progress. Refer to the MCA Online Testing User Guide posted on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for more information on what is displayed on the Student Test Status Dashboard.
Operational Reports
For MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA, operational reports are available in PearsonAccess Next to help staff monitor testing progress. Information on specific operational reports, and tips on when to use the report, can be found in the MCA Online Testing User Guide and MCA Data Entry User Guide (posted on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub), and the MTAS/Alt MCA Data Entry and Online Testing User Guide on the Test Administration Resources page.
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A recording of the MTAS/Alternate MCA 2026 Administration Informational Meeting is now posted on the Alternate Assessments page of the Testing 1, 2, 3 website. District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) are encouraged to share this link with interested staff in order to learn about the latest updates to the MTAS/Alt MCA for spring 2026. A handout of the slides and links to resources is also available to download on the webpage.
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Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) describe what students know and are able to do at each performance level on Minnesota’s statewide assessments for Reading and Science. MDE is recruiting educators to participate in the PLD committee this summer. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of what student performance looks like at different levels of the academic standards. Please share this information with educators who might be interested in developing resources for Minnesota educators as a PLD panelist.
If you are an educator looking for a robust summer learning opportunity, MDE will be seeking participants to engage in-person on the development of the Performance Level Descriptors (PLDs) in the following content areas on July 20-22:
- Science for grades K-2
- Chemistry, Physics, and Earth and Space Science strands for grades 9-12
- Expanding PLDs to cover all English Language Arts (ELA) strands K-12
An application is available to those interested and is now open until March 19. MDE is looking for these panelists to bring a wide range of experience and expertise to the process representing all students in Minnesota, no matter their ZIP code. MDE’s goal is to have individuals who represent educators/specialists and parents, including Early Childhood (EC)-2, higher education from education department representation, school leaders from primary, intermediate, or secondary levels, early childhood coordinators, and staff including those with experience supporting multilingual learners and students receiving special education services. Please share this application within your schools and community.
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March Q&A Session: Closing WIDA Assessment Administration and General MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA Test Administration (repeat)
MDE will host a virtual Q&A session for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) from 2 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, that will focus on the WIDA assessment administration window closure and general MCA and general MTAS/Alt MCA test administration. Register for the March 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 March Q&A session include the following chapters from the Procedures Manual: Chapter 8 (Test Administration), Chapter 9 (Student Participation and Students in Special Circumstances and Situations), and Chapter 10 (After Test Administration).
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 March 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.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Minnesota Department of Education
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