Statewide assessments are tests that are given to Minnesota students each spring. They can be thought of as a snapshot of what students have learned.

Just as student picture day provides a single image of a student for that school year, Minnesota’s statewide assessments provide only part of the story of individual student learning. All the photos—from the full classroom, the full grade level or the full district—offer even greater insight. Think fashion trends. Hair styles. Pop culture.

In the same way, Minnesota’s statewide assessments give teachers, school districts and state education leaders information in context that they can use to make decisions about education. Teachers and schools can use the information to help guide instruction and better support students. The state and members of the public can use the data to focus on the important goal of providing equitable opportunities for all students across the state.

To provide these important snapshots of student learning, Minnesota students take some form of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, or MCAs. The MCAs are given in the spring of each year to students in grades 3–8 in reading and math. In high school, Minnesota students take one last Reading MCA in grade 10 and one last Math MCA in grade 11.

The Science MCAs are given in grades five and eight and once in high school. 

Students who receive special education services and meet eligibility requirements take the Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS) in the same grades.

Most Minnesota students will take the MCA online during their school day, likely in their classrooms. The MTAS is given by a teacher or another school administrator in a paper format. Each Minnesota school district decides when students will take their assessments within a designated spring testing window.

Both the MCA and the MTAS measure student learning of the Minnesota Academic Standards. More detailed information about Minnesota’s K–12 Academic Standards can be found on the Academic Standards section of the MDE website. 

Two downloadable Parent Fact Sheets about the MCA and MTAS are posted below. These documents provide more information about these two assessments.

Documents

• MCA Parent Fact Sheet 

• MTAS Parent Fact Sheet

For Minnesota students identified as English learners (ELs), an additional snapshot is needed to determine each student’s progress toward English language proficiency. These students take the ACCESS for ELs assessment every year. English learners who get special education services and meet participation guidelines may take the Alternate ACCESS for ELs.

The ACCESS monitors a student’s progress with English language skills in listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students take the ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS every year until they meet the state's language proficiency requirements and can be exited out of English language instruction. Without scores from these assessments, students will continue to receive English language services. More information about Minnesota Standardized English Learner Procedures can be found on the English Learner Education section of the MDE website.

The ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS assessments are developed by the WIDA Consortium. More information about the WIDA English Language Development Standards can be found on the WIDA website. 

The downloadable ACCESS Parent Fact Sheet and Alternative ACCESS Parent Fact Sheet below provides more information about these assessments.

• ACCESS Parent Fact Sheet

• Alternate ACCESS Parent Fact Sheet

A screening assessment is like a temperature/blood pressure check.  It helps educators determine which students are or are not on track for grade level proficiency.  It serves as an indicator that there may be an academic or social/emotional concern. FastBridge is a suite of assessment tools designed to make assessment efficienc and instructionally relevant.

For more information, please refer to this informational document.

Imagine a yearbook with only half of the students shown. Without seeing all the smiling faces, it is difficult to determine what a group of students was like. You would be missing important data.

Statewide assessments

It is important for students to participate in statewide assessments for a similar reason. Because statewide assessment results are used to evaluate how districts and the state are teaching the applicable standards, each student’s assessment results play an important role when deciding where resources are most needed. They are also crucial in determining whether changes to instruction, efforts toward equity, and emphasis on inclusion are making a difference for students. The data gathered from assessment results inform each district, and they show clear trends over time.

Parents/guardians and families can help their students prepare for the statewide assessments by making sure they understand why they are taking the assessments. Using positive language about the assessments, practicing stress-reducing strategies and having a healthy meal before testing can also help each student do their best.

District-wide Universal Screening Assessments

A screening assessment is like a temperature/blood pressure check.  It helps educators determine which students are or are not on track for grade level proficiency.  It serves as an indicator that there may be an academic or social/emotional concern.

Are there limits to local testing?

The school district works to limit the amount of standardized testing to essential assessments that provide evidence of every student’s academic progress.  A district team, with input from stakeholders, reviews the assessment calendar annually to ensure this.  The team also considers state requirements to guide the development of the calendar.

Why does participation matter?

• Local screening assessments help the district understand how well our educational programming is working for each grade level and student.

• Local screening assessments help teachers and administrators know how well individual students are progressing through their academic career.

• Local screening assessments are used as part of an evidence set to identify students who may be ready for advanced courses.

The score of any one standardized assessment is never used in isolation to identify a student for extra support or extension.  A team of administrators, teachers, and counselors examine and discuss trends in a student’s test data over time.  Parent/Guardian input is also reviewed in addition to other pieces of evidence that help determine the instructional plan that will support each student’s success at school.  The absence of standardized test scores in this decision-making process leaves a team without a critical piece of objective information that compares a student’s level of performance or growth to a very large group, thus ensuring fairness and equity in decision-making.

What if I choose not to have my student participate?

Parents/Guardians have a right to exclude their student from participation in locally adopted district-wide assessments.  In order to do this, parents/guardians must complete the Local Standardized Assessment Opt-Out form annually.  Submit the completed form to the appropriate school office for each student.

Opt-Out Form for Statewide Testing

Opt-Out Form for Local Testing       

• 2025-2026 SY District Assessment Plan

• 2025-2026 SY District Assessment Schedule (will be updated in September 2025)