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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
March 18, 2026
Important Dates
March 2-May 1 (May 8 Science MCA only): MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA testing window
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
This Friday, March 20, is the final day of the WIDA assessment administration window. All tests must be completed by the end of the school day. As testing concludes, please review the following reminders for final administration tasks and returning materials.
Reviewing Scorable Test Booklets
Before returning materials, carefully review all scorable test booklets to confirm there are no extra markings or incorrect bubbling. Inadvertent marks (for example, an incorrect grade level or a bubbled Do Not Score code) can prevent accurate scanning and scoring.
When scoring the WIDA Alternate ACCESS, Test Administrators must bubble only one response per task. If multiple responses are marked, the student will not receive a score for that task. Before returning materials, verify that only one response is marked for each task across all four domains.
Confirm that every scorable test booklet containing student responses has either a Pre-ID label or a District/School label affixed to the front cover. Booklets without a correctly placed barcode label will not be processed, and the student will not receive a score.
If a District/School label is used, confirm that all required demographic information is hand-bubbled using a number 2 pencil. Ensure all hand-bubbled information exactly matches enrollment data submitted to MDE (MARSS/Ed-Fi). Not all demographic fields are required for Minnesota; refer to Chapter 8 of the Procedures Manual for details.
Incorrect or inconsistent hand-bubbled information may result in missing or incomplete WIDA assessment records.
Returning Secure Test Materials
The deadline to ship all secure test materials to DRC is March 27. Meeting this deadline is critical to ensure scorable test booklets are scanned and scored before data is provided to MDE.
If your district does not have a regular UPS pickup, contact UPS at 866-857-1501 at least one day in advance to schedule a pickup. Same-day pickup requests may result in additional charges billed to the school.
For detailed return instructions, refer to the District and School Test Coordinator Manual, available under Resources in the WIDA Secure Portal.
To reduce shipping costs, the following materials may be securely destroyed after testing: District and School Test Coordinator Manuals, Test Administrator Manuals, Grades 4-12 Online Test Administrator Scripts, and school box range sheets.
Note: Pre-ID labels contain student information and must be securely disposed of within two business days after the close of the administration window.
Tracking Returned Materials
To confirm receipt of secure materials, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) may use the Return Materials Receipt Report in WIDA AMS (WIDA AMS > My Applications > Materials > Return Materials Receipt Report).
Need Help?
For help with returning test materials, contact the DRC help desk at WIDA@datarecognitioncorp.com or 855-787-9615.
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The MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA Irregularities resource outlines some situations and misadministrations that may occur during testing and require additional action. This resource is posted on the Policies and Procedures page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub. In most cases, the DAC will contact the Pearson help desk and provide detailed information about the issue. While not an exhaustive list, this document describes many situations that arise during testing and will help the district know the proper action to take.
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For all statewide testing administrations (MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA and WIDA ACCESS/WIDA Alternate ACCESS), Assessment Security Records (ASRs) and Test Administration Reports (TARs) are methods for documenting certain occurrences during testing. Detailed information begins on page 146 of the Procedures Manual.
Assessment Security Record
Assessment Security Records (ASRs) in Test WES are used by District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) to report test security violations related to statewide assessments. Test security violations involve actions that jeopardize the integrity of test results and/or give an unfair advantage to a student or group of students, including, but not limited to, leaving test materials unsecured, discussing secure test items with staff or students, distributing secure test content via email or social media, and reviewing or changing student responses.
When a potential security violation occurs, DACs must contact MDE at 651-582-8674 or mde.testing@state.mn.us no later than one business day after the violation occurs. MDE will advise on whether the DAC must submit an incident report through the ASR system. More information about how to submit a violation as an ASR is available in the Assessment Security Records in Test WES User Guide.
Test Administration Report
The Test Administration Report (TAR) is used to record the occurrence of a special circumstance (for example, the district uses a sign language interpreter or translator for test directions), misadministrations (for example, a student is administered the incorrect test or accommodation), and reasons for invalidations. In addition, the information documented on TARs can assist with questions from district staff and parents regarding special circumstances or misadministrations when student results are available.
A copy of the TAR is available in Appendix A of the Procedures Manual, but districts may use their own template for collecting the information required on a TAR (such as electronically). TARs are kept on file at the district for two years after the end of the academic year in which testing took place and are not submitted to MDE or service providers unless specifically requested for audits or monitoring conducted by MDE.
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With the transition to the Reading Alt MCA this year, the Math MTAS is now the only standards-based accountability assessment that does not have "test sessions" in PearsonAccess Next (PAN). Math MTAS data is still entered directly into PAN, rather than into TestNav like the Reading and Science Alt MCAs.
Instructions on how to assign staff with the MTAS/Alt MCA Test Administrator user role for MTAS data entry and entering MTAS data from the Data Collection Form are found beginning on page 8 of the MTAS and Alt MCA Data Entry and Online Testing User Guide on the Test Administration Resources page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub (under the "MTAS/Alt MCA Administration Resources" header).
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A new resource, titled Accountability and Statewide Assessments, is now available on the Minnesota Tests page of the MDE website. This resource provides an overview of Minnesota’s North Star Accountability system and outlines how statewide assessments and student participation are included in the accountability indicators. If there are additional questions about statewide assessments, contact mde.testing@state.mn.us. For questions about accountability, contact mde.essa@state.mn.us.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
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