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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Sept. 30, 2026
Important Dates
Sept. 30: Public release of final assessment and accountability results on MDE website; ISRs arrive in districts
Oct. 2: Benchmark Reports (Math MCA only) posted in PearsonAccess Next
Oct. 12: Subscore Reports available on the Minnesota Assessment Hub
Oct. 14: Deadline to request a late student response entry or request a rescore for MCA, Alt MCA, or MTAS
Quick Links
The delivery window for final spring 2026 MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA ISRs is Wednesday, Sept. 30 through Thursday, Oct. 1. The majority of ISRs are expected to arrive in districts on Oct. 1, rather than Sept. 30 as announced in the Sept. 16 Assessment Update. A small number of ISRs are expected to be delivered on Friday, Oct. 2.
Since ISRs contain private student data, it is important for districts to ensure someone is available to receive the reports and secure them until distribution. The final reports shipment will be sent to districts, and each school will have its own box labeled with the school name. For nonpublic schools, final reports will be packaged and shipped directly to each school.
If you have any questions regarding your shipment, submit a Pearson help desk request or call the Pearson help desk at 888-817-8659.
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The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced a new 28-member task force charged with reviewing Minnesota’s standardized testing and assessment framework and identifying recommendations for future modernization and reform. MDE’s Testing and Assessment Task Force comes on the heels of a national conversation about standardized testing efficacy.
Currently, Minnesota’s assessment system relies on single-administration standardized tests that provide limited instructional value. Feedback from educators, school leaders, students, parents, and elected officials of all political persuasions reflects consensus on the need for a more adaptive, timely, and informative system that is relevant to modern curriculum, promotes alternative pathways to learning, and provides more actionable data. Learn more about the task force on the Statewide Testing page of MDE’s website.
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2026.
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The 2026-27 Procedures Manual for Minnesota Statewide Assessments is now available on the Policies and Procedures page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub. The Procedures Manual has been prepared for District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), administrators, and others with a role in administering statewide assessments. It provides MDE’s policies and procedures for implementing statewide assessments and using the results in your district or charter school.
There are a variety of ways to use the manual:
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Keep an electronic copy on your computer and make frequent use of the Find function (Ctrl+F, Command+F).
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Review the “What’s New” list in Chapter 1 and use the “New!” and “Info!” symbols to search for information that is new or clarified for this year.
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Use the “jump to” feature in the table of contents to go to specific chapters or sections.
For new DACs, MDE will discuss how to use the Procedures Manual as a reference and suggest ways to break up the content throughout the school year during virtual New DAC Orientation. Note: The Important Dates for Test Administration resource will be posted as a separate resource on the Policies and Procedures page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
When DACs have questions or need clarification about anything in the Procedures Manual, they can contact MDE at mde.testing@state.mn.us.
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Districts use the Student ID Validations System to create and verify MARSS/SSID numbers for their students. Incorrect or duplicate MARSS/SSID numbers can cause many issues with statewide assessments. DACs are advised to work closely with their MARSS Coordinator or other responsible district staff to ensure that, when enrolling new students, duplicate MARSS/SSID numbers are not created, and that students are not incorrectly assigned to an existing MARSS/SSID number (due to similar or identical names).
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The 2025-26 Math MCA-III Benchmark Reports will be available on Oct. 2 in PearsonAccess Next under Reports > Published Reports for DAC and Assessment Administrator (AA) user roles (login required). Note: Only Math MCA-III Benchmark Reports are available for 2025-26. Reading and Science MCA benchmark reports are no longer created due to the transition to new assessments. Reading and Science MCA benchmark reports for previous MCA-III administrations can still be downloaded from PearsonAccess Next.
Benchmark reports are generated at a school or district level for each grade and subject. They may be helpful as an additional resource for understanding school or district MCA performance on each benchmark assessed from the grade-level standards. The reports also provide summarized information about student performance on each strand or substrand from the standards. Educators should always consider additional information about student learning and instruction when reviewing benchmark reports. Educators may find the report helpful as one piece of information when making decisions that are larger in scope, such as curriculum alignment or scope and sequence planning. Before digging in and making inferences from the benchmark reports, review the Math MCA Benchmark Report “How To” Quick Guide (2025-26) posted on the Additional Reporting Resources page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
Note: Take your district’s standards implementation plan into consideration when discussing and using benchmark data.
For the technical details of the benchmark report calculations, refer to Appendix A: Benchmark Report Calculations Resource of the Technical Manual for Minnesota’s Statewide Assessments posted on the Technical Reports page of MDE’s website (under the Technical Manual expandable header).
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As in past years, districts are required to offer a nationally recognized college entrance exam (ACT or SAT) to grades 11 and 12 students during a 2026-27 school day. Districts must enter into a contract directly with the test vendor. While a district may offer other assessment options to students at their discretion (for example, ASVAB or ACCUPLACER), a college entrance exam must still be offered. The requirements for offering a college entrance exam have not changed and are detailed in Chapter 2 of the Procedures Manual. More information about ACT and College Board is included below.
ACT
Districts can view administration information, Free/Reduced Lunch Program pricing structure, and key testing dates and deadlines on the ACT District Testing page of the ACT website.
To determine if the district will receive a reduced price from ACT, districts will need to provide ACT with the percentage of students who are eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.
College Board/SAT
Contact Minnesota’s College Board representative, Tamika Thomas, at tthomas@collegeboard.org or 571-318-4502 with any questions.
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The Division of Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment at MDE strives to support educational equity by providing tools and resources for a well-rounded education. A key part of this work is keeping educators informed through newsletters. Please share these newsletters with your colleagues and encourage them to subscribe.
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Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Newsletter: This is a semi-annual newsletter, sent to all Curriculum Directors and District Assessment Coordinators listed in MDE-ORG. This newsletter highlights details and important information to support schools and districts in their implementation of the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards and the WIDA English Language Development Standards. It covers all content areas and aims to support district assessment systems. Subscribe to the Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Newsletter.
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Educator Edition: This is a monthly newsletter sent to all Curriculum Directors in MDE-ORG and is available to all educators. It provides resources for standards-based instruction and professional development opportunities. Subscribe to the Educator Edition newsletter.
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Assessment Update: This is a weekly newsletter sent every Wednesday afternoon to all District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) and District Technology Coordinators (DTCs) in MDE-ORG. It includes reminders and updates about statewide assessments, from administration through reporting. Subscribe to the Assessment Update newsletter.
Previous versions of all three newsletters are available on the Minnesota Assessment Hub under the MDE Updates dropdown menu in the top right of the navigation bar.
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Register for Virtual New DAC Orientation Oct. 7-8 (Repeat)
In October, MDE and Pearson will present the New DAC Orientation, which will provide an overview of the various roles and responsibilities of a DAC, the statewide assessments administered in Minnesota, relevant MDE, Pearson, and WIDA systems, available resources, and training opportunities. This training is specifically designed for new DACs; however, more experienced DACs are also welcome to attend.
MDE is offering this training in two formats: a two-part series of live virtual trainings on back-to-back days, and a pre-recorded training that will be posted in the LMS. MDE recommends that DACs attend the virtual sessions, if possible, as they will provide new DACs the chance to interact with other DACs from around the state and to get immediate feedback during question-and-answer portions of the training.
To prepare for the orientation, new DACs are encouraged to review the New District Assessment Coordinators: Getting Access document which is posted under the District Assessment Coordinator Resources expandable header on MDE’s District Resources page.
Registration links are posted below. Please note: All participants must register for the event using an email address associated with their school, district, or educational agency. MDE will manually approve all registrations prior to the event. Once registrations are approved, participants will receive a confirmation email with the link to the event.
MDE aims to deliver its presentations in a way that will be accessible for all participants. If you anticipate needing accommodations, please contact mde.testing@state.mn.us. MDE requests a two-week advance notice to provide accommodations and a 48-hour notice to cancel them. If the request comes within two weeks of the event, MDE will still make an effort to provide the accommodation.
Note: No in-person training will be provided this year. If you are unable to attend the virtual New DAC Orientation, a pre-recorded version will be available in the LMS on Oct. 9.
October Alternate Assessment Chat and Connect
The Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment Division will host a series of virtual Chat and Connect sessions for MTAS/Alt MCA Test Administrators and special education staff. This will be an informal time for you to meet with MDE Alternate Assessment Specialists to give feedback, ask questions, and connect with other special education staff from across the state.
Join us via Zoom for the first session on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 4-5 p.m. Please register for the Alt Assessment Chat and Connect. In October we will discuss the Reading and Science Alt MCA Student Readiness Tools, hear about the feedback Test Administrators gave on the 2026 Alt MCA, and see examples of the Reading and Science Individual Student Reports (ISRs) to be released this fall. Please fill out this form to submit questions for the October Chat & Connect. You only need to register once to join any of the monthly Chat and Connects that work for you. However, when registering for the first time, registration for each session closes 24 hours before the meeting time. The 2026-27 dates are Oct. 14, Nov. 12, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 10, March 10, April 14, and May 12. For more information, contact ALT.Assessment.MDE@state.mn.us.
MTAS/Alternate MCA Fall Meetings
This fall, MDE will host the virtual MTAS/Alt MCA Fall Meetings for MTAS/Alt MCA Test Administrators, District Assessment Coordinators, Special Education Directors/Coordinators, and any district staff involved in administering alternate assessments. Educators will be provided continuing education units (CEUs). The fall meetings will focus on:
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Preparation and administration for the Reading and Science Alt MCA
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Tools for making decisions about administration modes (online, paper, or hybrid)
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Early stopping rule guidance
Registration is required at least 24 hours in advance.
A Zoom recording will be available at a later date and shared in a future edition of the Assessment Update.
Upcoming WIDA ACCESS Online Technology Webinars
WIDA and DRC will host the following technology webinars this fall:
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WIDA ACCESS Technology Installations: Part 1 - Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1-2 p.m.
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WIDA ACCESS Technology Installations: Part 2 - Thursday, Oct. 8, 1-2 p.m.
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WIDA ACCESS Technology Support and Online Preparedness - Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1-2 p.m.
More information, including webinar links, is available on the Webinars page of the WIDA Secure Portal. Recordings of WIDA assessment webinars are typically posted in the Secure Portal within one week of the live session.
Student Privacy Resources
The U.S. Department of Education Student Privacy Policy Office, through its Privacy Technical Assistance Center, has provided the following resources for the beginning of the school year:
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Student Privacy Flyers: While training your staff members on FERPA, student privacy, and cybersecurity is a great way to start the school year, it can sometimes be challenging for school officials and staff to remember FERPA’s requirements and consistently employ privacy best practices during the busy school year. SPPO created flyers with “bite-sized” reminders on some of FERPA’s central concepts and requirements, as well as best practices for handling and protecting student information.
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On-Demand Training Modules:
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FERPA 101: For Local Education Agencies provides an introduction to FERPA and explores FERPA’s requirements for protecting personally identifiable information contained in students’ education records. This module also addresses who may access education records, when those records may be disclosed, and several common exceptions to FERPA’s prior written consent requirement.
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FERPA 201: Data Sharing under FERPA covers the basics of data sharing under FERPA with a specific focus on the exceptions to FERPA’s prior written consent requirement and expectations regarding security and privacy of education data.
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