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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
July 15, 2026
Important Dates
July 24: Access embargoed final school, district, and state summary results in Test Results Summary in Secure Reports (excluding Reading MCA and Alt MCA, and WIDA ACCESS and WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten)
Quick Links
On Friday, July 10, an assessment alert was sent to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) regarding the 2026 WIDA ACCESS District and School Student Results (DSR/SSR) files posted on July 2. The files displayed an incorrect proficiency status indicator in the “SCORE1CHARACTERISTIC” column. All students appeared with a proficiency status of “N” (Not Proficient), even when some students should have been marked “Y” (Proficient).
This issue was limited to the proficiency status indicator in the DSR/SSR files and was corrected on July 10. Any 2026 WIDA ACCESS DSR/SSR files downloaded between July 2 and July 10 should be disregarded and re-downloaded.
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Final assessment results, including DSR/SSR files and Test Results Summary reports (which will be released on Friday, July 24), are embargoed and cannot be shared publicly until the MDE public release of results on September 30. During the embargo, districts are encouraged to use these results for curriculum and instructional decision-making purposes, but results cannot be shared publicly or on social media. Embargoed results can also be used to prepare for questions from the media and local stakeholders when results are released publicly. Chapter 11 of the Procedures Manual includes more information about the embargo of the results. Note: If embargo policies are not followed, a security violation must be submitted through Assessment Security Records (ASR) in Test WES.
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Districts that have received assessment results for the college entrance exam they administered (ACT or SAT) before July 1 should enter requests for reimbursements in the Graduation Requirements Records (GRR) system for eligible students no later than Sept. 4.
If a district has not previously received reimbursement for a grade 11 or 12 student, districts will be reimbursed for students eligible for free/reduced-price meals (FRP) who are entered into GRR. If funding allows, districts may also be reimbursed fully or on a prorated basis for students who are unable to pay for the exam. Districts must determine the criteria for “unable to pay” and enter those requests in GRR.
More information is in the Graduation Requirements Records (GRR) User Guide and in the recorded GRR training posted to the Learning Management System (LMS).
Common Issues
If uploading a file, verify that all information is entered exactly as specified in the File Format section of the GRR User Guide and that the format of the data entered matches the required format for the cell (matching the row of sample data). Before uploading, delete the row of sample data but do not remove any columns from the file. If copying and pasting text from another document, use “Values” as the paste format to maintain formatting of the file format template.
In addition, any student identity error must first be resolved in MARSS and/or the Student ID Validation system before the record can be added into GRR. Student data entered in GRR must match MARSS data. If you receive the “Student match based on matching rules, but ID is different” message, check the following:
- A nickname has been entered instead of the full name (for example, “Ben” instead of “Benjamin”).
- The student’s last name is incomplete or not entered correctly (for example, “Carlson” or “Carlson-Hernandez” instead of “Carlson Hernandez”).
Reimbursement Reports
After districts enter reimbursement requests in GRR, they must confirm that the students for whom they expect reimbursement are included in the reimbursement reports; these reports are refreshed each morning. It is important to confirm student information is entered correctly to avoid incorrect reimbursements to the district. Two reports are available: the Claimed Student Detail Report and the Estimated Student Amount Report. The Claimed Student Detail Report details which records will be reimbursed (or the reason records will not be reimbursed). The Estimated Student Amount Report gives an estimate of the amount to be received.
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LaunchPad is the new Pearson platform that will be available in fall 2026 for creating and managing non-student users (district and school staff) and verifying student enrollment and demographic data for testing. LaunchPad provides non-student users (for example, DACs, Assessment Administrators (AAs), Test Administrators, Learning Management System (LMS) Learners) with centralized access and authentication into Pearson’s systems, including:
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New for 2026-27: ADAM (Assessment Delivery and Management): The new MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA online test management and reporting platform. ADAM replaces PearsonAccess Next starting with spring 2027 testing.
- Learning Management System (LMS): The training platform with required and optional test administration trainings. New for 2026-27: All Learners will need a LaunchPad user account to access the LMS.
Within LaunchPad, DAC and AA users can:
- Verify student information: All student demographic and enrollment information is sent from Test WES and uploaded into LaunchPad. Prior to testing, it is important for DAC users to verify student information is correct in LaunchPad.
- Manage user accounts: DAC users manage all other LaunchPad user accounts for their district, including creating, updating, or deleting user accounts. DAC accounts will be automatically created in LaunchPad based on data from MDE-ORG once the platform goes live in fall 2026. Once users are created in LaunchPad, they will have access to ADAM and the LMS, depending on user role permission.
Pearson will present DACs with both live and recorded trainings this fall, introducing LaunchPad and providing detailed information on viewing student information, user management, and accessing other Pearson systems.
Refer to the new Transition Updates page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for information about Pearson’s transition to LaunchPad and ADAM.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Minnesota Department of Education
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