Acadience

Regulation

R277-406: Early Learning Program and Benchmark Assessments
Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Administrative Rules

Title 53E-4-307.5: Mathematics Benchmark Assessment
Utah State Legislature

Testing and Reporting Windows

Testing and Reporting Window information for the Acadience Assessment is broken down in the 2022-2023 Assessment Director Resource Guide.

Contact

ACT

Testing Window

Testing and Reporting Window information for the ACT is broken down in the 2022-2023 Assessment Director Resource Guide.

Please go to the ACT Registration Information for national test information.

Utah’s ACT Educator

State of Utah ACT State Testing
This website is created and maintained by ACT for Utah regarding the statewide ACT test administration of Grade 11 students.

ACT Now: Utah
Next Steps, Tips for Success, Help and Contact

Resources

ACT Accommodations and Supports Information

ACT Guidance for English Language Learner Accommodations District Testing

ACT: Now Login

ACT Webcasts

ACT Welcome to Success

Homeschooled Students and the ACT Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)

ACT Contact information:
Phone: (800) 553-6244 ext. 2800, option 4
Email: statetesting@act.org

ACT Accommodations:
Phone: (800) 553-6244, ext. 1788
Email: actstateaccoms@act.org

Shmoop

Have questions about Shmoop? Need help with your account? Want to set up customized training for your school or Local Education Agency (LEA)? Contact Kelsey Olson at kelsey@shmoop.com, West Coast Accounts Manager.

Contacts

Civics

American Civics Education Initiative
Utah Education Network (UEN)

Special Education Rules and Policies
Utah State Board of Education Special Education Services 

Contact

Robert Austin
Humanities Coordinator
International Initiatives, Social Studies (K-12)
Phone: (801) 538-7575 | E-mail

Kindergarten

Utah's Kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (KEEP) is intended to inform various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and leadership, on the academic and social-emotional development of entering and exiting kindergarten students. The information gained from the profile will be used to:

• provide insights into current levels of academic and social-emotional performance upon entry and exit of kindergarten,
• identify students in need of early intervention instruction and promote differentiated instruction for all students,
• analyze the effectiveness of programs, such as extended-day kindergarten and preschool,
• provide opportunities for data-informed decision-making and cost-benefit analysis of early learning initiatives,
• identify effective instructional practices or strategies for improving student achievement outcomes in a targeted manner, and
• understand the influence and impact of full-day kindergarten on at-risk students in both the short- and long-term.

Administrative Rule

R277-489: Kindergarten Entry and Exit Assessment. Enhanced Kindergarten Program
Utah State Board of Education Administrative Rules

Assessment Administration Windows

KEEP Entry

• Entry (Beginning of Year): 3 weeks before the first day of school until 3 weeks after Kindergarten starts
• Data entry due by September 30, 2022

KEEP Exit

• Exit (End of Year): Last 4 weeks of Kindergarten
• Data entry due by June 15, 2023

Reports

KEEP School Year 2022-2023

KEEP School Year 2021-2022

Utah's 2020-2021 KEEP Report

Utah's 2019-2020 KEEP Report

Utah's 2018-2019 KEEP Report

Utah's 2017-2018 KEEP Report

Testing Materials

KEEP Entry

Utah's KEEP: Student Materials

Utah's KEEP Entry: Test Administration Manual

Utah KEEP Data Entry: Getting Started

KEEP Exit

Utah's KEEP: Student Materials

Utah's KEEP Exit: Test Administration Manual

KEEP Exit Additional Guidance Questions 7 and 13 Scoring

Alternate KEEP

Guide to the Kindergarten Entry and Exit Alternate Assessment (KEEPAA) For Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (SCD)

KEEP Alternate Assessment Literacy and Numeracy Rubric

KEEPAA (Presentation)

Resources

KEEP Cut Scores

Training Information

KEEP Trainings
YouTube

Self-directed Canvas Training

Enroll in KEEP Entry Training

Enroll in KEEP Exit Training

Contact

Teresa McEntire
Elementary English Language Arts Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7542 | E-mail

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as "the Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.

Utah Overview
The Nation's Report Card

Report Card

2022

2022 Mathematics State Snapshot Report: Utah Grade 4

2022 Mathematics State Snapshot Report: Utah Grade 8

2022 Reading State Snapshot Report: Utah Grade 4

2022 Reading State Snapshot Report: Utah Grade 8

Resources

An Overview of NAEP

NAEP Data Tools

NAEP Questions Tool

Selecting Schools for Participation in State-Level NAEP

Contact

Angela Battaglia
Education Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7814 | E-mail

Pre-Kindergarten

Utah’s Pre-kindergarten Entry and Exit Profile (PEEP) is intended to inform various stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and leadership, on the academic and lifelong learning practices essential for entering and exiting pre-kindergarten students. The information gained from the profile will be used to:

• Provide insights into current levels of performance upon entry and exit of pre-kindergarten.
• Identify students who may need early intervention instruction and promote differentiated instruction for all students.
• Analyze the effectiveness of programs.
• Provide opportunities for data-informed decision-making and cost-benefit analysis of early learning initiatives.
• Identify effective instructional practices or strategies for improving student achievement outcomes in a targeted manner.
• Understand the influence and impact of pre-kindergarten in both the short- and long-term.

Legislation

Title 53E-4-314: School Readiness Assessment
Utah State Legislature

Assessment Administration Windows

PEEP Entry

• Entry (Beginning of Year): 4 weeks before the first day of school until 4 weeks after pre-school starts
• Data entry due by September 30, 2022

PEEP Exit

• Exit (End of Year): Last 4 weeks of pre-school
• Data entry due by June 15, 2023

PEEP Entry

Utah's PEEP Entry: Student Materials

Utah's PEEP Entry: Test Administration Manual

Scoring Guidance for PEEP Question #5: Handwriting

Appendix B: Scoring Sheet

PEEP Exit

Utah's PEEP Exit: Student Materials

Utah's PEEP Exit: Test Administration Manual

Appendix B: Scoring Sheet

Alternate PEEP

Guide to the Pre-K Entry and Exit Alternate Assessment (PEEP) For Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (SCD)

PEEP Alternate Assessment

Reports

PEEP School Year 2022-2023

PEEP School Year 2021-2022

Utah's 2020-2021 PEEP Report

Resources

PEEP Administrator Data Gateway Guidance

PEEP Cut Scores

PEEP Trainings
YouTube

Self-directed Canvas Training

Enroll in PEEP Entry Training

Enroll in PEEP Exit Training

Contact

Teresa McEntire
Elementary English Language Arts Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7542 | E-mail

Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE)

The RISE assessment is a computer adaptive criterion referenced assessment system that includes summative tests for English Language Arts (ELAs), Mathematics, Science, and Writing. The summative tests are scheduled to be delivered to the following grades.

Portal

Utah RISE Portal

Testing Window Information

Testing Window information for the RISE Assessment is broken down in the Assessment Director Resource Guide.

2023-2024 Assessment Director Resource Guide

Training

RISE Trainings
YouTube

Contacts

Utah Aspire Plus

The Utah Aspire Plus assessment is a hybrid of ACT Aspire and Utah Core test items. It is a computer delivered, fixed form end-of-grade-level high school assessment for students in 9 and 10. Utah Aspire Plus includes four subtests:

• Reading
• English
• Mathematics
• Science

Students receive predicted ACT score ranges for each subtest, as well as an overall predicted composite ACT score range. The assessment also provides proficiency scores for end-of-grade-level expectations for 9th and 10th grade students in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

Portal

Utah Aspire Plus Portal

Testing Window

Testing Window information for the Utah Aspire Plus Assessment is broken down in the 2023-2024 Assessment Director Resource Guide.

Testing Times

Tests cannot be divided into sections. Each test must be completed in one sitting, unless a student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 accommodation for stop-the-clock breaks or for securely extending the test over multiple days.

Access blueprints, reporting guides, sample reports and other reporting resources.

Additional Reporting Resources
Pearson Education, Utah Aspire Plus

Resources

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

Training

Utah Aspire Plus Trainings
YouTube

Contacts

High School (HS) Core Benchmarks

Utah Core Standards Benchmarks for Grades 9-12

The Utah Core Standards Benchmark Assessments are a productivity tool for Utah teachers and students that focus on specific strands within the Utah Core Standards. The Benchmarks are testlets—typically between 8 and 15 items, depending on the content area—that are designed to give teachers and students an opportunity to identify strengths and weaknesses with specific knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined in the Utah Core Standards.

Available Benchmarks

The following are available as part of the Utah Core Standards Benchmark Assessments:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth and Space Science
• Physics
• Reading Informational 
• Reading Informational 10
• Reading Literature 9
• Reading Literature 10
• Listening Comprehension 9
• Listening Comprehension 10
• Editing 9
• Editing 10
• Secondary Mathematics I
• Secondary Mathematics II
• Secondary Mathematics III

If you have any questions, please contact Aliese Fry at aliese.fry@schools.utah.gov or Kim Rathke at kim.rathke@schools.utah.gov.

WIDA

Utah is a member state of the WIDA Consortium. WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high quality WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards, assessments, research, and professional learning for educators. Utah uses WIDA Screener for Kindergarten and WIDA Screener Online (Grades 1-12) identify English Learners (ELs). Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) for English Language Learners (ELLs) is given to all EL students during the annual testing window to measure proficiency and growth toward academic language proficiency in English.

All who administer WIDA assessments must completed the online test administer trainings annually. It is the responsibility of the LEA to ensure these trainings are being completed in the WIDA Secure Portal.

ACCESS Testing Requirements

ACCESS for ELLs Online is Utah's online summative assessment of EL students. It is developed and maintained by WIDA.

This assessment is administered for a number of purposes:

• to measure individual students' progress in achieving proficiency in speaking, listening to, comprehending, reading, and writing academic English,
• to determine the success of language development programs in individual schools and school districts, and
• to fulfill federal requirements of The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and Title III law.

All EL students must be tested annually using the ACCESS assessment. When students earn an Overal Composite score of 4.2 or higher with a Speaking score of 3.5 or higher, they are considered fluent in English. Students are then re-designated to monitoring status for four years. Students are not required to take the ACCESS assessment during these four years of monitoring. The Local Education Agency (LEA) may use appropriate data, evaluation, and team-based problem solving to consider reclassifying the student as EL if, while in monitoring status, the student demonstrates consistent and continued need for increased language support services.

For students in grades 1 through 12, LEAs are required to give WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Summative Assessment. ACCESS Paper is allowable for students with specific needs (e.g. students with disabilities; recently arrived English Learners, such as immigrant and refugee students).

Students with significant cognitive disabilities who take Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Utah State Board of Education Special Education Accessibility, are eligible for WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.

Students in Kindergarten are administered WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs.

Screener Testing Requirements

LEAs are required to administer a WIDA Screener to newly enrolled students who indicate on the home language survey that they speak any language other than English. Screener is available to LEAs all year; however, federal and state law requires that students must be administered Screener within 30 days of enrollment within the first month of school, and within 10 days of enrollment thereafter. Screener should only be administered once during a student's enrollment in Utah schools.

Students are eligible for EL services if they earn a score of 1-4.9 on Screener for grades K-12.

For students in grades 1 through 12, LEAs are required to give WIDA Screener Online. WIDA Screener Paper is allowable for students with specific needs (e.g. students with disabilities; recently arrived English Learners, such as immigrant and refugee students). Both Screener online and Screener Paper are provided by Utah State Board of Education at no cost to LEAs.

Students in Kindergarten are given the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten.

WIDA Measure of Developing English Language (MODEL) is also an acceptable tool for screening for grades K-12 that can be purchased by the LEA.

2023-2024 Test Dates

Screener: Available all year

ACCESS Testing Window: January 8, 2024 through March 8, 2024

Detailed ACCESS Dates
WIDA

2023-2024 Professional Development and Training

Register through Massively Integrated Data Analytics System (MIDAS) using Course Number 62899. 

The following trainings will be available in person, in a hybrid,  or in a virtual setting:

Self-Paced Workshops in the WIDA Secure Portal: September 1, 2023 through August 31, 2024
Interpreting ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports for Instruction (in-person): September 14, 2023
Nurturing Speaking Growth (webinars and self-paced): November 2, 2023 through November 9, 2023
ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator (webinar): November 15, 2023
Alternate ACCESS Overview (webinar): November 15, 2023
Scaffolding Learning through Language (webinars): November 30, 2023, December 7, 2023, and December 14, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do LEAs have to screen students arriving from another WIDA state and have previous WIDA ACCESS scores?
  • Yes, students need to be screened in order to qualify for EL services in Utah.
• If a student lived in Utah, moved out of state, then returned to a Utah school, do they need to be screened?
  • Yes, if it is during 2 different school years.
  • No, if it is during the same school year.
• If a student arrives in Utah from another WIDA state and reached an Overall Composite score of 4.2 or higher with a Speaking score of 3.5 or higher on their ACCESS test, do they need to be screened?
  
  • Yes, to ensure they do or do not need EL services in Utah.
• What Screener grade band should be used?
  • Please see the Online Screener TAM grade band for guidance.
• Are LEAs be required to purchase Kindergarten Screener kits?
  • No, all materials are available in the WIDA Secure Portal for printing.  If LEAs want professionally printed materials on high quality paper, they will be responsible for purchasing those materials through the WIDA Store.
• When can LEAs begin using the Kindergarten Screener?
  • July 1 prior to the new school year

Resources

ACCESS Native Language Codes

Utah Identification and Placement Guide

Utah Testing Ethics Policy (Testing Policies and Reporting Obligations)
Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) - WIDA's scoring and materials handling contractor. All ACCESS testing materials are ordered through DRC, and all testing materials are subsequently returned to DRC for scoring.

Utah WIDA Website

WIDA Website

WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS)

To request WIDA or DRC Accounts

WIDA Secure Portal Permissions:

• Test Administrators should contact LEA Test Coordinator for permissions.

WIDA DRC/AMS Permissions:

• Test Administrators should contact LEA Test Coordinator for permissions.

District Testing Coordinator Permissions:

• LEA Assessment Directors, Testing Coordinators, and Alternate Language Services (ALS) Directors should contact the below state assessment contacts for WIDA and WIDA AMS accounts and permissions.

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