|
An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
June 3, 2026
Important Dates
May 18-June 5: Posttest Editing in Test WES
May 18: Begin retrieving early WIDA assessment results in Test WES
June 3: Deadline to submit documentation for full-time PSEO students for Posttest Editing
June 4: Deadline to submit MARSS data for Posttest Editing
Quick Links
Thursday, June 4, is the last day to submit student enrollment data to MDE for Posttest Editing. After that, assessment records may still be edited, but any discrepancies that require an enrollment update cannot be resolved. All Posttest Editing work must be completed by 10 p.m. on Friday, June 5. Please note that MDE staff will not be available after business hours for support.
The following resources are available for districts working on Posttest Editing:
- The Test WES Posttest Editing User Guide, posted on the Test WES page of the MDE website, provides detailed information on Posttest Editing for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs).
- The Posttest Editing Training is posted in the Learning Management System (LMS).
Indicating English Learner Status in Enrollment Data
For English learners (ELs) to be eligible to take the WIDA assessments, they must be indicated as EL in enrollment data. If a student took the assessment but their enrollment record indicates they are not EL, the report code will be set to INV (invalid) when published and cannot be changed. If these students are ELs, you must update their enrollment records by tomorrow, June 4.
Enrollment Matching Issues
Blank assessment records must be created for students who did not participate in statewide assessments, and the correct test code (for example, absent, parent/guardian refusal) needs to be indicated. Detailed instructions are available beginning on page 33 of the Test WES Posttest Editing User Guide.
Late Student Response Entries Loaded in Test WES
Late student response entry requests and associated test materials for MCA or MTAS/Alt MCA received by noon on May 20 are now available in Posttest Editing in Test WES. Any late student responses received between May 20-Oct. 23 will be entered and loaded into the DSR/SSR files following the October deadline this fall. MDE will communicate their availability in the Assessment Update.
District Confirmation
Once Posttest Editing is completed, District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) confirm it on the District Confirmation page in Test WES. This confirmation verifies that either no edits were needed for your district or that all necessary edits were completed. More information is available in the District Confirmation section of the Test WES Posttest Editing User Guide posted on the Test WES page of the MDE website. The District Confirmations page is accessed from the left menu on the Test WES Dashboard under Pretest Edit.
Back to top
As revised academic standards are implemented, the aligned assessments must also be updated. This year, Minnesota administered the first Reading MCA and Reading Alternate MCA (Alt MCA) aligned to the 2020 Minnesota K-12 ELA Standards and the WIDA ACCESS and WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten aligned to the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.
After the first operational administration of each new assessment, a standard setting committee convenes to establish performance levels and determine what it means to be proficient on the standards measured by the new assessment. Committees will also determine what it means to be proficient on the WIDA English Language Development Standards (for WIDA ACCESS) or the Reading strand of the Minnesota Academic Standards in ELA (for Reading MCA/Alt MCA). Reporting timelines and processes will vary as different standard-setting processes will be used for WIDA ACCESS and Reading MCA/Alt MCA.
-
Summer 2026: WIDA will conduct standard setting to establish updated proficiency level cut scores that reflect the updated assessments. However, districts will continue to use the early student-level results available in Test WES to determine English learner program exiting and instructional decisions. Additional results will be provided once standard setting is complete, but it will not affect exit decisions for the 2026-27 school year. More information is provided on the Using WIDA Assessment Results During the 2026 Transition to New Proficiency Levels webpage.
-
June 2026: Reading MCA and Alt MCA will go through the standard setting process before any student results are released. Once standard setting is complete, results will be finalized and reported. As a result, results will be released to districts and the public later than what is typical. More information is provided in the Guidance for Reading MCA-IV and Alternate MCA Results Release document, which is also posted on MDE’s website under Test Score Interpretation Resources.
Results are required to be reported publicly by October 1. Once final reporting dates are determined, the Important Dates for Results Release will be posted on the Minnesota Assessment Hub website (Minnesota Assessment Hub > Resources & Training > Policies and Procedures).
The following list provides some information about 2026 reporting, and more details will be provided in reporting resources released this summer and fall:
- Individual Student Reports (ISRs):
- ISRs for all assessments (WIDA assessments and Reading, Mathematics, and Science MCA and Alt MCA/MTAS) will be provided to districts and charter schools by October 1. Providing all ISRs in the same timeframe allows them to plan for a consolidated distribution of all assessment results to families.
- ISRs for all standards-based accountability assessments (Reading, Math, and Science MCA and Alt MCA/MTAS) will be provided separately. Personalized video ISRs will be provided for math and science. A generic ISR video describing changes to the new assessment will be provided for reading.
- Benchmark Reports will only be provided for Math MCA-III this year, but the Subscore Report will be updated to include information for Reading MCA-IV (in addition to Science MCA-IV and Math MCA-III).
- Reports on the MDE website will be updated to include the new data for WIDA ACCESS and Reading MCA-IV and Alt MCA, including the District and School Student Results (DSR/SSR) files, Test Results Summary, Student Assessment History Report, public assessment files, and Minnesota Report Card.
Back to top
The Testing Time Report for the 2026 MCA test administration is available for DACs in PearsonAccess Next under Published Reports. Testing Time Reports are available at the district-level and provide cumulative testing time information by student. The time (in seconds) indicates the total time a student spent on both scorable and non-scorable (for example, student directions, section end pages, start of section) items.
This report is intended to provide districts information to plan for future administrations by confirming the amount of time students tested, or to identify trends by grade or subject across the district. The data provided in this report is not meant to be used to make decisions about individual students. Refer to the Published Reports Quick Guide for detailed instructions on how to access published reports in PearsonAccess Next. The instructions for accessing the Testing Time Reports remain current.
Contact Pearson at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online with any questions.
Back to top
Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Minnesota Department of Education
Statewide Testing| Unsubscribe
|
