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An update from Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment
Oct. 7, 2026
Important Dates
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
LaunchPad Go Live
On Monday, Oct. 19, Pearson will create LaunchPad accounts for all District Assessment Coordinators (DACs). LaunchPad is Pearson’s new platform for creating and managing non-student users (district and school staff) and verifying student enrollment and demographic data for testing.
DACs will receive a “Welcome” email from Pearson LaunchPad (noreply@mail.launchpad.pearson.com) with the subject line “Account information from LaunchPad.” The email includes the DAC’s username (district email address) and a link to the LaunchPad login page. Before accessing LaunchPad, select “Set Password” and follow the on-screen prompts to create a password. After creating a password, select “Go to Sign In” and sign in to LaunchPad. Note: The set password link expires after five days. If the link expires for DAC users, contact Pearson customer support.
Within LaunchPad, DACs will have access to the following tabs:
- Home: The Home page contains tiles to access other Pearson platforms.
- Learning Management System (LMS): The training platform with required and optional test administration trainings.
- ADAM (Assessment Delivery and Management): Later this fall, users will have access to the ADAM tile. ADAM is the new MCA and MTAS/Alt MCA online test management and reporting platform. ADAM replaces PearsonAccess Next starting with spring 2027 testing.
- Data Import: From the Data Import page, DACs can upload a file to create staff (non-student) user accounts.
- Orgs: From the Orgs page, DACs can view organization details, including contact information and shipping address for the district and schools. Note: All changes needed to organization information must still be made in MDE-ORG.
- Users: From the Users page, DACs can access student and non-student user information:
- Student Users: View and export student details and demographics. Any changes needed to student information must still be made in Test WES. Note: Student users will be loaded to LaunchPad in the winter.
- Non-Student Users: Create, edit, and deactivate staff user accounts in LaunchPad. LaunchPad accounts are required in order for staff to access ADAM and the LMS. Refer to the User Account Management in LaunchPad user guide posted to the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for details on creating and managing user accounts in LaunchPad scheduled to be posted on Friday, Oct. 16.
DACs will maintain access to PearsonAccess Next until Friday, Dec. 11. Final reports for 2026, along with some historical reports, will be migrated to ADAM in late fall 2026. Before PearsonAccess Next sunsets, DACs should review and download any historical reports from PearsonAccess Next that will not be migrated to ADAM. Refer to the Sept. 16 Assessment Update on the Transition Updates page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for more details.
Contact the Pearson help desk with any questions at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
LMS Access Through LaunchPad
After LaunchPad goes live on Monday, Oct. 19, all DACs will need to sign in to LaunchPadto access the LMS. From the LaunchPad Home page, users will select the LMS tile and be signed in to the LMS automatically. Users no longer need to manage separate Adobe accounts to access the LMS. In addition to the LMS Learner role, DAC and Assessment Administrator (AA) users will have the Manager role in the LMS to track district and school staff training completions. Because all LMS Learner accounts are managed through LaunchPad, users can no longer self-register LMS accounts.
DAC and AA LaunchPad users are required to create and maintain all LMS Learner accounts in LaunchPad. DAC and AA users will assign users to organizations (district or school), and those assignments are imported into the LMS. Any updates to an LMS Learner account must be made in LaunchPad. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the User Account Management in LaunchPad user guide on the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub (available Friday Oct. 16).
Refer to the LMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document posted to the Training page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for detailed information about LMS Learner and Manager accounts. For questions about LMS Learner accounts, contact the Pearson help desk at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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The Subscore Report will be available with 2026 data for Reading MCA-IV, Math MCA-III, and Science MCA-IV on Monday, Oct. 12 on the Minnesota Assessment Hub.
The report provides the public access to school, district, and state level subscore data, also known as strand performance levels/content area performance details. Users can generate charts and graphs by student group to support school and district instructional decision-making. The strand performance levels/content area performance details are determined by comparing the school or district performance to the state expectation at the "Meets" achievement/performance level; this is reported as Below Expectations (B), At or Near Expectations (N), and Above Expectations (A). For each grade and subject the MCA is administered in, this report includes the percentage of students at B, N and A levels for each strand/content area calculated by aggregating the B, N, and A levels at the school, district, and state level.
Refer to the Subscore Report User Guide posted on the Additional Reporting Resources page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub for additional information. For questions, please contact the Pearson help desk at 888-817-8659 or submit a help desk request online.
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MDE will be offering virtual trainings, pre-recorded trainings, and Q&A sessions specifically for DACs throughout the school year. For DAC planning purposes, the District Assessment Coordinator Trainings and Q&A Sessions 2026-27 has been updated with dates and times for these events, and it is posted on MDE’s District Resources page (under the District Assessment Coordinator Resources expandable heading).
All DACs, new and experienced, are invited and welcome to attend the virtual trainings and Q&A sessions; however, some events are designed specifically to support new DACs in their role. Detailed information, links to prerequisites, and registration information will be provided prior to the event in the weekly Assessment Update. In addition, information about WIDA/Data Recognition Corporation and Pearson trainings will be provided in the Assessment Update.
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The WIDA Assessment Frequently Asked Questions for English Learner Educators is a new resource available on the Minnesota WIDA page under the Manuals, Guides and Test Materials expandable heading. This FAQ provides concise guidance to help English Learner (EL) educators navigate key responsibilities before, during, and after WIDA assessments. Topics include student participation requirements, accessibility supports, testing logistics, Posttest Editing, interpreting results, and communicating with families. The FAQ is designed to help EL educators understand their role in the assessment process and collaborate effectively with District Assessment Coordinators (DACs).
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The 2025-26 WIDA assessment Individual Student Reports (ISRs) are now available in WIDA AMS. Printed score reports arrived at districts and schools by Oct. 1. District and school staff with appropriate WIDA AMS permissions can access score reports through Download Student and Status Reports.
ISRs include scale scores and initial proficiency levels for each language domain and composite area. The initial proficiency levels were used for reclassification and exit decisions. For more information, refer to the Using WIDA Assessment Results During the 2026 Transition to New Proficiency Levels document on the Minnesota WIDA page under the Manuals, Guides and Test Materials expandable heading.
WIDA ACCESS and WIDA Alternate ACCESS ISRs are available in multiple languages. WIDA Alternate ACCESS also provides separate ISR versions for educators and families. ISRs must be distributed to families no later than Dec. 1. Resources to help educators communicate assessment results with students and families are available in the Resources section of WIDA’s website and the District Resources page of MDE’s website. When communicating results, remember that an assessment report provides information about a student's performance at a specific point in time. Results are most meaningful when considered alongside other relevant information about the student's educational experience.
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WIDA has added new WIDA ACCESS Online sample items featuring the accessibility features introduced for 2026-27. Educators can use the sample items to help students become familiar with the updated test experience and accessibility features before testing.
Visit the ACCESS Test Practice and Sample Items page on the WIDA website to access the online sample items, suggested sample item scripting for WIDA ACCESS Online, and other resources to help prepare students for WIDA ACCESS.
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Various MCA and Alt MCA Student Readiness Tools (SRTs) have been updated for the 2026-27 school year on the Student Readiness Tools (SRTs) page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub. Note: You may need to refresh the page a few times and/or clear your browser’s cache to see the updated resources on the Hub.
The SRTs are designed to help students become familiar with the online or paper MCA or Alt MCA they will be taking. The SRTs are reviewed and updated regularly based on feedback from educators and students and changes to the assessments and available tools and supports. No login information is needed for the online SRTs. Students and educators select their grade level to review videos and practice activities to learn how to navigate within the test, use the tools, and answer question types. Paper SRTs are also available on the SRTs page.
Educator guides for the online and paper MCA and Alt MCA SRTs are available. Supplemental resources for the online MCA SRT tutorials and the online Alt MCA SRTs are also available, which provides detailed information about all functionalities in TestNav. Note: The online SRTs homepage now has a new Educator Resources tab, which includes an overview video of the online SRTs and how to use them in the classroom, along with direct links to supporting resources.
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The Academic Standards, Instruction and Assessment division is currently seeking an Ethnic Studies K-12 Integration Specialist to lead collaborative statewide initiatives that strengthen the capacity of Minnesota schools to provide high quality Ethnic Studies education.
If you or someone you know may be interested in a new and challenging opportunity, consult the position description and application instructions on the State of Minnesota Careers website. The Job ID is 96805, and the posting is open until Oct. 20. Visit the State of Minnesota Careers website for more information and to apply.
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October Q&A Session: DAC Roles and Yearly Overview
MDE will host the first monthly virtual Q&A session for DACs on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 2-3 p.m. New and experienced DACs are welcome to attend. Register for the October Q&A Session. Please note: All participants are required to register at least 24 hours before the event, and participants must use 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.
The prerequisites for this Q&A session are the following chapters of the Procedures Manual:
- Chapter 2: Overview of Statewide Assessments
- Chapter 3: Roles and Responsibilities for Testing
- Chapter 5: Responsible and Ethical Practices to Maintain Test Security and Test Score Integrity
MDE collects questions from DACs prior to the event to help prepare and find relevant resources to share. After reading the chapters, submit questions for the October DAC Q&A Session. Q&A Sessions will not be recorded nor will CEUs be provided as these are an additional support rather than a training event.
Register for the Pearson LaunchPad Basics and Overview Training
Pearson will provide the LaunchPad Basics and Overview Training for new and experienced District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), interested district and school administrators, and technology staff on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 9-10 a.m. This virtual training provides an overview of Pearson’s new LaunchPad platform, including logging in, general navigation, user management, viewing student information, and accessing other Pearson platforms, such as ADAM and the Learning Management System (LMS).
Register for the Pearson LaunchPad Basics and Overview Training. Participants need to register at least 24 hours before the training to be approved. MDE will review and approve all registrations Wednesday morning, Oct. 21. Once approved, participants will receive an email (Subject: Introduction to LaunchPad and ADAM Confirmation, From: David Minehart <no-reply@zoom.us.). If you do not receive an approval email, check your email’s spam or junk folders. The email contains a link to join the meeting, as well as the meeting ID and passcode if joining directly from Zoom.
This training will not be recorded or posted to the LMS. A separate User Account Management in LaunchPad short video training will be posted to the LMS on Friday, Oct. 23. The User Account Management in LaunchPad user guide will also be posted to the User Guides page of the Minnesota Assessment Hub on Friday, Oct. 16. Both resources provide a detailed overview of user management tasks in LaunchPad.
Contact the Pearson help desk with any questions at 888-817-8659 or submit a Pearson help desk request online.
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