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All students enrolled in a summative-assessed grade level at your school at any time during the test window are expected to participate in state academic assessments.
The test window dates are used to determine which students are considered potential testers at a school. If a student leaves during the test window and has not participated in an assessment(s), the student will count as a non-participant - unless the student takes the state academic assessment(s) at another North Dakota school after transferring. If a student transfers into your school during the test window and has not participated in an assessment(s), your school is responsible for providing a testing opportunity for the student.
Participation rate calculations differ from accountability calculations.
Participation rates do not take into consideration FAY (full academic year) status of a student, a status met if a student was enrolled at the school for 120 days or more. Instead, federal and state law require all students to participate in state academic assessments. As a result, the group of students included in a school's participation rate calculations may differ from those included in the calculation of the Student Achievement indicator within North Dakota’s accountability system.
Parental directives or opt outs count against a school for participation.
While students in these situations are exempt from the state law for testing, they still count as non-participants (0/1) in the school's participation rate calculations. Parental directives or opt-outs are not a federally allowed exemption and are included in the number of non-participants that NDDPI must report to the U.S. Department of Education for federal accountability.
An updated version of the ND A+ Summative Assessment Report Interpretation Guide is now available on the ND A+ Portal. This resource is designed to support schools and districts in accessing, understanding, and effectively using their summative assessment results.
The revised guide can be found by navigating to:
Administration Resources > Summative Resources > User Guides
Schools and districts are encouraged to review the updated guide to ensure they are using the most current information when interpreting assessment reports and supporting data‑informed decision‑making.
As in previous years, public school districts will be asked to communicate their intended path for interim assessment administration in the 2026–2027 school year. This information will be collected through the forthcoming 2026–2027 Interim Assessment Option Survey, which will be distributed later this spring to district superintendents and principals. The interim assessment requirement, as laid out in North Dakota Century Code § 15.1-21-17.1, provides two paths for public school districts to choose from: using the state-provided option (using the ND A+ Interim Assessments) or selecting an interim assessment(s) from the state-approved list.
Considerations:
- The selection of interim assessments can be made at the school level, rather than a district level. Districts can create a plan for some schools to participate in the ND A+ Interim Assessments while other schools in the district administer interim assessments from the state-approved list. School specific decisions can be noted in the forthcoming 2026–2027 Interim Assessment Option Survey.
- Schools participating in the ND A+ Interim Assessments will also have access to the ND A+ formative assessment tools, Navvy and WriteUp!.
Critical Navvy Dates
📅 On May 15, 2026, Navvy will stop syncing roster enrollment data from LaunchPad.
What does this mean for you?
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Roster updates after May 14, 2026: Any changes in your roster enrollment data in PowerSchool and/or STARS, or any user updates in LaunchPad that occur after May 14, 2026, will not be reflected in Navvy.
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Exporting full-year data: To retain a complete record of all Navvy Check activity from the 2025–2026 school year, we recommend exporting the All Student Results report with the date range set to include the full school year and the relevant Check Type, Teacher, Class, or School filter selections applied. The All Student Results report will remain available for the 2025-2026 school year until June 30, 2026.
Have more questions?
Join us for ND A+ Office Hours on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 3–4 p.m. CT., where we will discuss End-of-Year Readiness in Navvy, including the upcoming stop sync date!
Recent Navvy Updates
K–2 Math Expansion
We are excited to share continued growth in Navvy’s support for grades K–2:
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Competency Checks are now available in Navvy for K–2 math standards
- Each K–2 math standard now includes at least 8 items in the Practice Check pool
Learning Library Audit
Navvy has completed a comprehensive audit and update of the North Dakota Learning Library. More than 1,000 instructional resources have been carefully reviewed and remapped or updated as needed to ensure every instructional resource accurately aligns with the North Dakota Content Standards.
Overall Enhancements
- The Practice Check assignment screen has been improved—check out the “Blueprint” or “Build Your Own” tiles at the top of the screen.
- The Practice Response Frequency report now includes a toggle allowing you to show, or hide, the correct answer when viewing response distribution data—ideal for North Dakota educators who project this screen during classroom discussion!
- District Administrators can now export data for all school sites in a single CSV from the All Student Results (ASR) report. Additionally, the ASR data will include Checks submitted on the current day and Practice Check assignment names will be displayed.
- New filters have been introduced on the Roster by Standard report, including date range, subject, and attempt, plus an option to “Reset Filters” for quick navigation to the most relevant data.
North Dakota Navvy Use Continues to Grow!
📊 By the Numbers
10 minutes
Average time North Dakota students take to complete a Navvy Check.
50,818 Checks Attempted
In March, North Dakota schools and districts participating in the ND A+ Navvy assessment reached a new record once again, with 50,818 Checks attempted in Navvy across the state! Teachers continue to use Navvy’s quick formative assessments ("Checks") aligned to North Dakota Content Standards to support instruction.
Where Navvy is Being Used Most
Navvy usage remains highest in 4th grade math, 5th grade math, and high school math, which were the top areas in both February and March. In March, 4th and 5th grade ELA also emerged as among the highest usage areas, followed closely by 3rd grade math, 6th grade ELA and math, 3rd grade ELA, and HS ELA, reflecting continued growth across grade levels and subjects.
Top Navvy-Using Schools in March
The schools with the highest Navvy use in the state remain consistent with February, representing five different districts and spanning elementary, middle, and high school levels:
- Jamestown High School (Jamestown)
- Williston Middle School Central Campus (Williston Basin)
- Brooks Harbor Elementary School (West Fargo)
- Watford City Middle School (McKenzie Co)
- Lincoln Elementary School (Dickinson)
Looking for More Support with Navvy Implementation?
Join one of the weekly Navvy Office Hours with Pearson's Navvy Success Partners:
Interested in Sharing Your Navvy Story?
Pearson’s North Dakota Success Partners are looking for educators, schools, and districts interested in co-presenting about their Navvy implementation and adoption stories at upcoming events:
- May Navvy Community Forum
- NDCEL Summer Conference
- WERC Fall Educators Conference
- NDCEL Fall Conference
If you or someone on your team is interested, reach out to Amanda.Drahn@pearson.com.
Navvy Alignment and Item Reviews
NDDPI, in collaboration with Pearson, is exploring opportunities for educator involvement in Navvy alignment and item review activities during the fall of 2026.
We are gathering preliminary interest to help inform planning. If you are interested in contributing to an alignment review between Navvy, our North Dakota content standards, and achievement level descriptors, and/or a Navvy item review, please let us know here.
NDDPI and Pearson are seeking North Dakota educators to participate in upcoming virtual Educator Review Meetings. Three opportunities are available for educators to contribute their expertise to the continued development and quality of the ND A+ assessment system.
Educator Item Review
Participating educators will review newly developed ELA, math, and science items for the ND A+ Summative Assessment and provide feedback to ensure the items align with and appropriately measure the North Dakota Content Standards.
Participation includes:
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One-week asynchronous, independent pre-review of assessment items in ABBI
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One- to two-day synchronous, facilitated virtual review during the week of June 8, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT
Participants will receive:
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$225 honorarium for completing the pre-review work
- $225 per virtual meeting day
English Language Arts Standards Validation
Educators will review the current ND A+ Summative Assessment ELA cut scores. During this meeting, participants will evaluate current student performance expectations and recommend whether to maintain the existing cut scores or adjust the cut scores for the 2027 administration.
This review follows updates to the ND A+ Summative Assessment in ELA beginning in 2026, including the finalization and implementation of the North Dakota writing rubrics. In addition, Language Usage standalone items have been added to address previously identified standards coverage gaps. Because these updates may affect how student scores are interpreted, NDDPI is conducting a standards validation to determine whether these changes should result in cut score adjustments.
Participation includes:
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One-day synchronous, facilitated virtual review during the week of Aug. 10, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT
Participants will receive:
- $225 honorarium per virtual meeting day
Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2 Educator Item Review
Participating educators will review newly developed ELA and math items for the ND A+ Interim Assessments and provide feedback to ensure the items align with and appropriately measure the North Dakota Content Standards.
Participation includes:
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One-week asynchronous, independent pre-review of assessment items in ABBI
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Two-day synchronous, facilitated virtual review during the week of Sept. 14, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT
Participants will receive:
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$225 honorarium for completing the pre-review work
- $225 per virtual meeting day
Interested in Participating?
Educators interested in participating in either opportunity are encouraged to contact Kara Welk at (701) 328-1838 for additional information or to express interest.
Did you know...that following its successful statewide launch in December 2025, WriteUp! has seen strong use across North Dakota schools and positive feedback from educators. As a result, NDDPI will continue offering WriteUp! during the 2026–2027 school year as part of the ND A+ assessment system.
WriteUp! remains available as a state-supported formative writing tool providing educators with a standards-aligned resource to strengthen student writing skills through ongoing practice and feedback throughout the year—not just at the point of summative assessment.
As part of the ND A+ assessment system, WriteUp! supports instruction by providing:
- Opportunities for students to interact with North Dakota rubric-aligned writing prompts
- Instructionally useful feedback to guide revision and improvement
- A consistent tool that supports classroom writing development across grade levels
Looking ahead, new writing prompts will be added for 2026–2027, expanding opportunities for students to engage with varied, standards-aligned writing tasks throughout the year.
📌 Schools and districts opting to use the ND A+ Interim Assessments will continue to have access to WriteUp! at no cost.
Want to better understand the ND A+ (North Dakota Academic Progression of Learning and Understanding of Students) assessment system? A variety of helpful tools and resources are available to support your learning and implementation.
🔹 ND A+ Overview Video Get a quick introduction to the assessment system with a short video available on the ND A+ Portal.
🔹 ND A+ Blueprints Developed with input from North Dakota educators, these blueprints outline:
- The state standards assessed
- Reporting categories
- Distribution of items by reporting category and score points. They guide the design of both ND A+ Summative and ND A+ Interim assessments.
📍 Find them under the Administration Resources tab > Summative Resources on the ND A+ Portal.
🔹 Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) Also created with educator collaboration, ALDs describe what students at each achievement level are expected to know and do, based on North Dakota Content Standards.
📍 Available under Administration Resources > Summative Resources on the ND A+ Portal.
📌 Visit the ND A+ Portal to explore these and other helpful resources.
Monthly assessment newsletters are now conveniently stored in one central location: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/newsletters, under the Assessment Newsletter tab.
Starting with the 2025–2026 school year, newsletters will be available only for the current school year. This fresh-start approach helps keep content timely and relevant.
Be sure to check back regularly so you don’t miss any important updates!
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