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As in previous years, public school districts are asked to communicate their intended path for interim assessment administration for the 2026–2027 school year. This information is being collected through the 2026–2027 Interim Assessment Option Survey, which was distributed on April 28, 2026, 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:
- If a district chooses, the selection of interim assessments may be made at the school level rather than at the district level. Districts may create a plan for some schools and grade levels to participate in the ND A+ Interim Assessments while other schools in the district administer interim assessments from the state-approved list. School-specific and grade-level decisions may be noted in the 2026–2027 Interim Assessment Option Survey.
- Districts with schools participating in the ND A+ Interim Assessments will also have access to the ND A+ formative assessment tools, Navvy and WriteUp!.
Public school districts are asked to communicate their intended path for interim assessment administration for the 2026–2027 school year by completing the survey. Please designate one representative per district (or school, if applicable) to complete and submit the survey.
We kindly ask that the 2026–2027 Interim Assessment Option Survey be completed as soon as possible.
As we continue through the transition to Infinite Campus, the daily data file process that pulls information from STARS and Infinite Campus and flows it into LaunchPad, ADAM, Navvy, and WriteUp! has not yet begun.
We had hoped to begin the daily data transfer the week of Aug. 17, 2026, but we are not quite at that stage yet. Our data team is actively working through the necessary changes, and getting the data flow up and running remains a priority. While we do not have a firm date to share for when the daily data file process will resume, we will keep schools and districts informed as soon as we have an update.
What Does This Mean for LaunchPad Access?
Teachers are not currently able to access LaunchPad because the daily data files—including teacher information from the MIS03 report and Infinite Campus—are not yet flowing into the system.
Users with District Admin or Site Admin/School Coordinator accounts are able to log in to LaunchPad. However, they will not see the Navvy tile at this time.
Why Isn't the Navvy Tile Available Yet?
Navvy depends on several key data elements being available in LaunchPad, including:
- Student data
- Academic sessions
- Courses
- Classes
- Enrollments
These data elements are required to support Navvy course mapping. Because the daily data files have not yet begun flowing, the necessary information is not currently available to complete the mapping activity. As a result, the Navvy tile will not be available in LaunchPad until the required data are in place and the mapping process is complete.
The timing of this work is dependent on when NDDPI can begin the daily data file process.
What Should Schools and Districts Do in the Meantime?
For now, the best guidance is to continue following the existing MIS03 reporting guidance, along with guidance for other data elements in Infinite Campus and STARS.
Once the daily data file process has resumed, we will notify schools and districts and provide any additional information or next steps that are needed.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this transition. We recognize the importance of having these systems and data flows available to schools and districts, and our team continues to prioritize the work needed to move this process forward.
As we approach the ND A+ Fall Interim Assessment window, it’s important to ensure that all preparations are in place for a smooth and successful testing experience. Below are the key steps, dates, and resources to help guide your planning.
Understanding the ND A+ Interim Assessment
The ND A+ Interim Assessment is administered up to three times a year—in the fall, winter, and spring—and is designed to measure student learning throughout the school year.
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Grades 3–8 and 10: Take fall and winter interims, followed by the spring summative assessment.
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Grades K–2 and 9: Required to take two interim assessments but may opt to take all three.
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Grades 11-12: Optional mathematics interim assessment covering Algebra II content available.
Key Dates for 2026–2027
Fall Interim
📆 Sept. 14 – Oct. 30, 2026 (7 weeks)
Winter Interim
📆 Dec. 7, 2026 – Feb. 19, 2027 (11 weeks, includes holidays)
Spring Interim
📆 March 15 – May 14, 2027 (9 weeks)
✅ Make-up tests must occur within these windows.
📌 Ensure 8 weeks of instruction between each test window.
Technology Systems & Requirements
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Student Testing: Uses TestNav test delivery platform.
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Admin & Educator Access: Through LaunchPad for user authentication and single sign-on and ADAM assessment management platform.
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Device Setup:Ensure that TestNav is loaded on all student devices.
- Set up Spanish language packs for Windows devices if using Spanish version of the mathematics assessment.
- Confirm system/network requirements via the ND A+ Portal – TestNav System Requirements.
Preparing Students
Help students feel confident by using the following tools:
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Practice Tests: Explore non-secure items and test formats.
🔗 Practice Tests | ND A+ Portal
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Student Readiness Tool (SRT): Familiarizes students with TestNav tools and layout.
🔗 SRT Home | ND A+ Portal
Training & Support
🖥️ Kickoff Virtual Training Session
Join us for a virtual training session designed to provide an overview and refresher on pre-administration tasks for the upcoming assessment administration.
📅 Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026
🕒 3–4 p.m. CT (during ND A+ Office Hours)
🔗 .ics Calendar Download for ND A+ Office Hours
Additional Resources
ND A+ Portal
- Access resources, guides, and tools
🔗 ND A+ Portal
ND A+ Call Center
☎️ (888) 293-0318
⏰ Available Monday – Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. CST
Updated ND A+ blueprints are scheduled to be released by the end of August and will be available on the ND A+ Portal. The release will include the ND A+ Interim blueprints, along with minor clean-up to the ND A+ Summative blueprints. Educators should refer to the ND A+ Portal for the most current assessment resources and documentation.
The updated ND A+ Summative Assessment blueprints can be found on the ND A+ Portal under Administration Resources > Summative Resources> ND A+ Blueprints.
Once available, the ND A+ Interim blueprints will be located on the ND A+ Portal under Administration Resources > Interim Resources > ND A+ Blueprints.
As schools and districts set academic goals for 2026–2027, an important first step is determining whether the goal is intended to measure building-level improvement or individual student growth over time. This distinction can help teams select the approach that best fits their needs and available data.
Summative Grade Levels
Schools may consider several approaches when setting growth goals for summative grade levels.
Option 1: System-Level Growth
Schools can establish a building improvement goal using the previous year's ND A+ Summative Assessment results. For example, if 50% of third-grade students scored Proficient or Advanced in mathematics in spring 2026, a building might set a goal to increase that percentage to 51% or 52% for the 2026–2027 third-grade cohort.
This approach measures building-level improvement by comparing one year's grade-level cohort with the next. Schools using this option will need to wait for the final spring 2026 ND A+ Summative Assessment results, which are currently being finalized through the standard setting process.
Option 2: Learner Growth Using Predictive Data
Schools interested in focusing on individual student growth can use the predictive information included on fall ND A+ Interim Individual Student Reports (ISRs), reports, and data files. The prediction estimates a student's most likely spring summative performance level based on fall interim results and the student's current performance and demonstrated ability. The prediction assumes the student's learning trajectory will remain consistent (at that same rate) throughout the school year.
A building could set a goal for the percentage of students who meet or exceed their predicted performance level on the spring ND A+ Summative Assessment. This approach recognizes growth relative to each student's starting point rather than expecting all students to achieve the same outcome.
Predictive information for summative grade levels will be available on fall ISRs beginning Oct. 1, 2026, which may affect the timing of goal setting.
Option 3: Changes in Performance Levels
Another option is to focus on shifts in performance levels between the fall interim and spring summative assessments rather than scale scores, which are not directly comparable across the two assessments.
For example, if 40% of third-grade students score in the upper half of Level 3 or in Levels 4 or 5 on the fall ND A+ Interim Assessment in mathematics, the building could set a goal to increase that percentage to 42% achieving at the Proficient and Advanced levels on the ND A+ Summative Assessment in mathematics.
This approach provides a broader indicator of overall improvement rather than a precise measure of individual student growth. Because the performance levels on the interim and summative assessments are not directly connected and do not have a direct crosswalk, the comparison should be viewed as an indicator of progress rather than a direct measure of growth. However, this approach avoids the challenges of comparing scale scores across assessments with different scales.
Non-Summative Grade Levels
For non-summative grade levels, the fall and spring administrations of the ND A+ Interim Assessments provide the same measurement and data point for monitoring within-year growth. The fall interim assessment can serve as the baseline, with schools establishing a goal for the percentage of students who will reach a targeted performance level on the spring interim assessment. For example, a school might set a goal for a certain percentage of students to reach the upper half of Level 2 or Level 3 in the spring.
Setting the Goal
Regardless of the approach selected, teams should consider historical performance trends, current student data, and the starting points of individual students or cohorts when establishing an appropriate target.
Most importantly, the goal-setting process should begin with a clear understanding of what type of growth the team wants to measure. Aligning the goal with the appropriate ND A+ data and assessment information will help ensure that the resulting goal provides meaningful evidence of progress throughout the 2026–2027 school year.
Navvy Updates and New Resources for the 2026-2027 School Year
Navvy continues to expand the resources and functionality available to North Dakota educators. Since June, several updates have been released to support instruction, assessment administration, student progress monitoring, and accessibility.
New North Dakota Content Available
New standards-aligned resources are now available in Navvy for North Dakota educators:
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K–2 ELA Competency Checks are now available for North Dakota reading standards, providing additional opportunities to measure student mastery of foundational literacy skills.
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Second attempts for Mathematics Practice Checks have been added for the most frequently used K–2 and Grades 3–12 mathematics standards, giving educators additional flexibility when monitoring student learning and growth.
- Development of additional North Dakota standards-aligned content will continue throughout the 2026–2027 school year, with future releases planned for mathematics and ELA resources.
- Visit the ND A+ Portal > Navvy tab to view the North Dakota Navvy Development and Release Schedule.
Progress Monitoring and Reporting Enhancements
Several updates have improved how educators view and monitor student performance:
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Roster reports now include improved filtering, more accurate score displays, and easier access to detailed student results.
Assessment Delivery and Management Improvements
Recent updates have streamlined assessment administration and assignment workflows:
- A new Assignments Calendar View provides a visual way to review assessment windows and identify scheduling overlaps throughout the school year.
- Educators can now force-submit in-progress assessments, allowing incomplete student attempts to be scored when needed.
- Printed practice materials now offer the option to hide multiple-choice answer choices, providing students with additional opportunities to demonstrate their work independently.
Accessibility and Student Support
Several enhancements have been made to improve accessibility and support student accommodations:
- The Line Reader tool is now automatically available across formative checks, helping students focus on one line of text at a time during assessments.
- Accessibility settings pages have been updated with improved organization, filtering, and confirmation messages to simplify administration.
Educators may notice a refreshed look throughout the platform.
- Navvy has introduced updated Navvy+ branding, including a redesigned homepage, updated navigation elements, and refreshed student achievement badges. These visual enhancements create a more modern and consistent user experience while maintaining the familiar features educators rely on every day.
Navvy Coaching and Course Mapping Support
North Dakota districts now have access to a dedicated Success Partner to support healthy and successful Navvy implementation. Districts that choose to participate in implementation coaching will have regular opportunities to connect with their Success Partner to learn best practices, review district data, and receive ongoing guidance and support throughout the school year.
To help address one of the most common implementation barriers—course mapping—Navvy has introduced a new Course Manager permission. This optional role allows a designated staff member with course knowledge to map standards to courses within the platform, helping districts get started more efficiently. Training will be provided for individuals assigned this role.
📌 Interested? Districts interested in implementation coaching, assigning a Course Manager, or both are encouraged to complete the interest form here.
Navvy Professional Learning
Professional Development for the 2026–2027 School Year
Explore upcoming Navvy professional development opportunities designed to support successful implementation and instructional use.
On-Demand Learning
Access the Navvy Essentials and Extensions self-paced courses through the ND Educational Hub at your convenience.
Looking for More Support with Navvy Implementation?
Join one of the weekly Navvy Office Hours with Pearson's Navvy Success Partners:
- Tuesdays, 9:30–10:15 a.m. CT on Microsoft Teams | Join here
- Thursdays, 1:00–1:45 p.m. CT on Microsoft Teams | Join here
Navvy Alignment and Item Review
NDDPI, in partnership with Pearson, is seeking North Dakota educators to participate in a review of Navvy reading and mathematics items during the week of Oct. 5, 2026. This review will support the ongoing alignment of Navvy content to the North Dakota Content Standards, achievement level descriptors, grade-level expectations, and the broader ND A+ assessment system.
Participating educators will evaluate item alignment, grade-level appropriateness, content accuracy, and clarity and quality, as well as the instructional and assessment value of the items.
Committee Structure
Review committees will be organized by grade band and content area for reading and mathematics, with up to eight educators serving on each committee.
Committees include:
- Kindergarten–Grade 2 reading and mathematics (combined)
- Grades 3–5 reading
- Grades 3–5 mathematics
- Grades 6–8 reading
- Grades 6–8 mathematics
- Grades 9–10 reading
- Grades 9–10 mathematics
Participation Details
The review process includes:
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Sept. 21–25, 2026: Asynchronous independent pre-review of approximately 100 assigned assessment items. Participants will recommend whether each item should be accepted, accepted with edits, or rejected.
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Week of Oct. 5, 2026: Two-day facilitated virtual committee meetings where educators will discuss recommendations and reach consensus on item quality and alignment.
⚠️ Time Commitment: Participants should plan for approximately 16 hours of independent pre-review work in addition to the two days of virtual committee meetings.
Participant Compensation
- $225 honorarium for completing the pre-review work
- $225 per virtual meeting day
Interested in Participating?
Educators interested in participating in the Navvy item review are encouraged to submit their interest here.
Weekly ND A+ Office Hours resumes for the 2026–2027 school year starting Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Join us Thursdays from 3:00–4:00 p.m. CT through May 2027.
Office Hours brings educators together with the ND A+ Technical Assistance Center, NDDPI Assessment Office experts, and Pearson team members for featured learning and open Q&A. Bring a question, explore a featured topic, or drop in for the time you need!
What is ND A+ Office Hours All About?
Watch the less-than-four-minute Office Hours overview video to learn more about this flexible community, the support available and how to participate.
Add Office Hours to Your Calendar
The 2026–2027 ND A+ Office Hours calendar file (.ics Calendar Download) is ready to be added to your weekly calendar. Download the .ics file, import it into your preferred calendar application and confirm that the event repeats on Thursdays
Need help?
Select your device or calendar application below for a brief video-tutorial.
Questions?
📧 ndaplus.help@k12.nd.us
📞 (701) 552-6183
Did you know...that the ND A+ Summative Assessment standard setting process in summer 2026 used a carefully designed process involving two panels with distinct roles.
The teacher panel focused on grade-level content standards and what performance looks like at each achievement level, grade by grade. Teacher panelists reviewed assessment content and the Achievement Level Descriptors (ALDs) to recommend cut scores for the Approaching Proficient, Proficient, and Advanced performance levels. These recommendations served as the starting point for the administrator panel, which considered the results from a broader, cross-grade and system-level perspective.
One important part of the process was smoothing. Standard setting results can sometimes appear “jagged” from grade to grade, with unexpected differences in the percentage of learners at each achievement level. This can happen because each test form reviewed by the educator committees represents a sample of possible forms, and each panel represents a sample of possible panelists.
The administrator panel used smoothing to create a more coherent progression of cut scores across grade levels. This helps reduce unintended grade-to-grade differences while respecting the professional judgments of the teacher panel.
Why Does This Matter?
Without smoothing, grade-to-grade differences could unintentionally suggest that educators or students in one grade are performing differently from those in another grade when the differences may simply reflect sampling variation. A coherent system of cut scores provides a more consistent foundation for reporting achievement and measuring growth.
Bottom line: Smoothing does not replace teacher judgment—it builds on it to create a consistent and coherent system of cut scores across grade levels.
A New Reporting Scale
For ELA and mathematics, the ND A+ Summative Assessment will now use a 0–1000 reporting scale, with 500 serving as the anchor point for the Proficient performance level in each grade and subject.
Spring 2026 ND A+ Summative Assessment Results and Reports
ELA and mathematics results and reports from the spring 2026 ND A+ Summative Assessment administration are not currently available in ADAM. Pearson is applying the new cut scores and reporting scale established through the summer 2026 standard setting process to the assessment results. Once the process is complete, results and reports will become available in ADAM. We appreciate your patience as this important work is completed and look forward to providing updated assessment results to educators.
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.
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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