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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
May 13, 2026
Important Dates
May 18-June 5: Posttest Editing in Test WES
May 18: Begin retrieving early WIDA assessment results in Test WES
May 20 (noon): Deadline for Late Student Response Entry Requests
Quick Links
District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) received a memo from Pearson on Thursday, May 7, notifying them that Pearson’s Minnesota Program fax number is currently unavailable. If districts need to submit a Late Student Response Entry request, submit the forms directly in PearsonAccess Next. For step-by-step instructions to submit forms in PearsonAccess Next, refer to the Alternate to Fax Form Submissions document posted to the Support page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
If your district has already faxed materials for late student response entry and did not receive a follow-up phone call from Pearson confirming the request was received, you will need to submit the request in PearsonAccess Next.
For additional questions, or support on submitting forms in PearsonAccess Next, please contact Pearson help desk at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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During Posttest Editing, districts must verify the Valid Score – Early Stopping Rule (VS-ES) code appears on Reading and Science Alternate MCA (Alt MCA) assessment records for students who are expected to have VS-ES indicated. If a student does not have VS-ES indicated but the district believes this is due to a district data entry error, the district must reach out to MDE for guidance. This may result in the district submitting a Late Student Response Entry request to Pearson by noon on May 20 for the student’s updated assessment record to be available in Posttest Editing and included in final reporting.
To search for all records with a code of VS-ES, select Search Student from the left menu on the Test WES Dashboard and change the filter under Other to Report-Code. The Report Code (RC) column can then be sorted.
Note: Districts can change the VS-ES code to NC or INV if VS-ES was incorrectly applied. However, once the VS-ES code is replaced, it cannot be re-added.
Refer to page 38 of the Test WES Posttest Editing User Guide posted on the Test WES page of MDE’s website for more information.
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Early student-level results for WIDA assessments will be available in Test WES beginning May 18. Test WES users can access these results from the left menu on the Test WES Dashboard under File Transfer.
Districts are encouraged to share early student-level results with teachers, students, and parents/guardians for instructional and informational purposes, with the understanding that these scores are not final. Note: These results are embargoed and cannot be shared publicly.
The early student-level results file is static and does not reflect changes made during Posttest Editing. Additional details are available in the WIDA Assessment Early Student-Level Results help document on the Test WES page of the MDE website.
Important: Transition Year Reminder
The 2025-26 school year marks the first administration of the revised WIDA ACCESS and WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten assessments aligned to the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. To support timely decision-making and accurate reporting during this transition year, assessment results will be released in two phases:
- Initial proficiency level results, available in early student-level results files and initial District and School Student Results (DSR/SSR) files, reflect new scale scores aligned to pre-2026 proficiency levels to support English learner (EL) status reclassification and exit decisions.
- Updated proficiency level results, available after standard setting in updated DSR/SSR files, reflect newly established proficiency level cut scores and are intended for future cross-year comparisons.
EL status reclassification and exit decisions made at the end of the 2025-26 school year must be based on initial proficiency level results. Updated proficiency level results must not be used to revise those decisions.
Additional information is available in the April 15 Assessment Update article, “2026 WIDA Assessment Results: Timelines and Considerations,” and the guidance document Using WIDA Assessment Results During the 2026 Transition to New Proficiency Levels, available on the Minnesota WIDA page.
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MDE provides alternate composite calculations for eligible students who are unable to participate in one or two domains (Listening, Reading, Speaking, or Writing) of a WIDA assessment due to their disability. To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:
- The student must receive a valid score (VS) for at least two domains.
- The domain(s) the student cannot participate in must have a test code of Special Education Deferred (SPD).
After initial District and School Student Results (DSR/SSR) files are released in the summer, MDE will contact District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) in districts with one or more students identified with SPD codes.
Alternate composite calculations are intended to inform reclassification and exit decisions. DACs should share these results with appropriate English learner (EL) staff. Information on reclassification and exit for ELs with disabilities can be found on the English Learner Education webpage. Questions may be directed to mde.el@state.mn.us.
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Student results from the new Reading MCA and Reading Alternate MCA (Alt MCA) will be released in the fall. This year was the first administration of these new assessments, which are aligned to the updated 2020 Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in English Language Arts. The new Guidance for Reading MCA-IV and Alternate MCA Results Release document provides an overview of the revised Minnesota Academic Standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and the new reading statewide assessments, along with guidance and resources for using these results to support curriculum and instructional planning, continuous improvement, and communicating results to families and the public. It will be posted on the District Resources page of MDE’s website under Test Score Interpretation Resources.
All new assessments must go through a “standard setting” process before scores can be released. For the new Reading MCA and Alt MCA this process will take place in summer 2026. During standard setting, Minnesota educators will work together to make recommendations for what students need to know and be able to do at each performance level. There are four performance levels for the new series of assessments: Beginning, Intermediate, Meets, and Advanced. The standard setting committees will recommend cut scores, which determine the corresponding level for each score. Watch the Overview of the Standard Setting Process for MCA and Alternate MCA video for more information.
Figure 1: Cut Scores Separating the MCA and Alt MCA Performance Levels
 Once standard setting is complete, student results will then be prepared for reporting to districts and the public, which is a later timeline than reading results are typically released. Results are required to be reported publicly by Oct. 1. Once final reporting dates are determined, the Important Dates for Results Release will be posted as a stand-alone document on the Policies and Procedures page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
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As part of Pearson’s continued efforts to enhance assessment delivery and reporting, Pearson is transitioning from PearsonAccess Next to the LaunchPad and ADAM platforms for the spring 2027 test administrations. LaunchPad provides a single login experience, giving users centralized access to the Learning Management System (LMS) and ADAM. ADAM will serve as the primary platform for test administration and reporting. Note: TestNav will continue to be used for online testing.
More communication about this transition, including timelines and training opportunities, will be communicated in future Assessment Updates.
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Data Practices and Analytics
MDE’s Data Practices and Analytics Division is hiring two positions, a Data Collection and Reporting Specialist and a Minnesota Student Survey Specialist. The Data Collection and Reporting Specialist will support data collections and the appropriate use of MDE data including, but not limited to, Adult Basic Education (ABE), Career and Technical Education (CTE), Rigorous Courses, Approved Alternative Education, and more flexible learning data collections. The Minnesota Student Survey Specialist will be the recognized cross-agency (Education, Health, Human Services, Public Safety) expert on the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) and will be responsible for the operations and sustainability of the large-scale triennial survey.
- Data Collection and Reporting Specialist: View this posting and apply at the Minnesota Careers website. Go to External Applicant Portal and search for Job ID 93900. The posting is open until May 21.
- Minnesota Student Survey Specialist: View this posting and apply at the Minnesota Careers website. Go to External Applicant Portal and search for Job ID 93939. The posting is open until May 26.
Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment (repeat)
MDE’s Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Division is hiring two positions on the Test Development team, a Science Assessment Specialist and a Reading Assessment Specialist. These positions serve as the state experts and primary resources for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) in science or reading respectively. These positions provide direction, leadership, coordination, consultation, and professional development to school districts and to the division to facilitate the development of the statewide assessments and implementation of state academic standards.
The application period for both assessment positions is May 1-15.
- Science Assessment Specialist: View this posting and apply at the Minnesota Careers website. Go to External Applicant Portal and search for Job ID 93245.
- Reading Assessment Specialist: View this posting and apply at the Minnesota Careers website. Go to External Applicant Portal and search for Job ID 93268.
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The Minnesota Report Card will be down for maintenance and unavailable beginning at 8 a.m. on May 14. The Report Card will be back and fully operational by May 15 at 8 a.m.
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MDE will host a virtual Q&A session for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) from 2-3 p.m. on May 26, that will focus on Posttest Editing in Test WES. Register for the May Q&A Session. Please note that registration will close 24 hours in advance of the Q&A session. Details for joining will be provided once registrations are approved.
The prerequisite for the May Q&A session is to review Chapter 10 in the Procedures Manual (“After Test Administration”), focusing on MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA, and to watch the Posttest Editing in Test WES Training in the Learning Management System (LMS) (DAC catalog > MDE DAC Training tag).
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 May 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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