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Please watch for communications from the Achievement Assessments team to increase in frequency over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the Spring 2023 test windows. Communications will be sent to Achievement District Test Coordinators (DTCs) regarding any testing updates as well as reminders of deadlines and tasks to be completed in preparation for testing. These communications will also be posted on our website for quick reference: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/achievement-dtcs. Please share these communications with other staff in your district or charter, as applicable. DTC emails will be organized as follows to assist you with finding the information you need for your sites:
- Information pertaining to all grade levels
- Information pertaining to grades 3 - 8 only
- Information pertaining to high school only
ADE, Pearson, and ACT are working diligently to complete Test Coordinator's Manuals and Test Administration Directions for each of the Statewide Achievement Assessments. Look for each of these manuals coming soon! |
Statewide Achievement Test Windows
Testing windows for the Spring 2023 Achievement tests are included in the table below, as well as in the Assessments Overview 2022-2023 and the Detailed Testing Calendar. The Detailed Testing Calendar also provides estimated times for each test unit of AASA and AzSCI as well as time limits for ACT Aspire and ACT test sections. |
Schedules of Tasks for Achievement District Test Coordinators
Schedules of important tasks for each of the Achievement tests are now available. A link to each is included below and can also be accessed from the Achievement District Test Coordinator's webpage.
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PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and TestNav
In Spring 2023, all of the Achievement assessments will utilize the PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and TestNav platforms. PAN is Pearson's test management system, while TestNav is the online test delivery platform.
There will be three separate PAN sites, with three separate logins, depending on the grade level of students in your district or charter.
TestNav Technical Requirements - Please share the technical requirements links below with your district or charter's technology team. Please also see information on TestNav App Updates. Please check this webpage to see if the TestNav application needs to be re-downloaded on your devices for this school year.
TestNav apps are released once a year in June. After the updated version is released, the app automatically updates the next time it is launched on Android, Chrome, and iOS operating systems and on Windows if downloaded from the Windows store. If the app was downloaded directly from download.testnav.com, you must manually re-download and install the updated TestNav app from download.testnav.com for Windows devices.
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Coming Soon - Achievement Assessments Training Modules
Training modules will be available in Pearson's Arizona Training Management System (ATMS) and are expected to be released in early December. Please note the ATMS is currently offline, pending the new training modules. Achievement District Test Coordinators will be notified by email when the ATMS system and the training modules for Spring 2023 are available to be accessed.
Details of who should complete each specific training module are included below. Achievement District Test Coordinators are required to complete all modules and to use the information provided to train testing staff according to their user roles. Achievement District Test Coordinators are responsible for tracking staff completion of trainings. Trainings must be completed prior to administering any tests. |
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Testing Accommodations
The Achievement Assessments Accommodations Manual has been updated and posted on our Accessibility webpage. Please remind your staff to review the Accommodations Manual as they work on IEPs and 504 Plans this school year. They should include all instructional accommodations that will be routinely used in the student's plan.
An accommodation selected for statewide testing must also be used throughout the year for instruction in class and documented in the IEP or 504 Plan. Most accommodations used in the classroom can also be used for testing, so it is important to become familiar with the testing accommodations by using the Sample Tests. |
Special Paper Version (SPV) tests - AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire
Arizona offers three test formats to meet the needs of students who cannot access the test content through computer-based testing: braille, large print, and regular print paper tests. Requests for Special Paper Version (SPV) tests for AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire must be submitted to ADE for review and approval using this secure online form: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/spv2023. Additional information is available in the SPV Test Request Process Quick Guide. SPV test requests should be submitted to ADE by February 24, 2023.
Braille - a braille test kit will include directions for administering the braille assessment. For AASA and AzSCI, student responses must be key entered in TestNav by the end of the appropriate test window. For ACT Aspire and ACT, the test coordinator must transcribe the student's responses to a regular-print test booklet.
Large print test booklets - The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly state the font size used for instruction and the type of materials teachers enlarge for the student. Unless the student regularly has reading and math materials enlarged for both diameter and font size, you may consider using the Zoom feature instead. The Zoom feature can be tried out in the Sample Tests. Large print test booklets are approximately 18 inches tall, and the font size is 18pt.
Regular print test booklets - A student who cannot access the computer for classroom work due to injury, illness, or low vision may need a paper test in lieu of taking the test with peers on the computer. The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly indicate how the teachers accommodate the student's needs in class and the restrictions the student has when using technology (examples: no more than xx minutes of screen time per day, or must have significant break after xx minutes, no computer usage at all, etc.). |
Additional Accommodation Requests - AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire
Additional accommodations requests SHOULD NOT include Universal Test Administration Conditions, Universal Tools, or other accommodations identified as allowable in the Achievement Assessments Accommodations Manual.
Uploading IEPs and 504 Plans Through the SPV Request Form
and Additional Accommodations Request Form
We have been experiencing some difficulty with the "Upload" button in our webforms. As a result, please do not use the "Upload" button when submitting IEPs and 504 Plans within the SPV Request Form or the Additional Accommodations Request Form. Instead, select the document to upload using the "Choose File" button, then click "Submit" once you have completed the form, without clicking the "Upload" button. This will ensure that your uploaded documents are delivered to us within the secure form. |
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AASA Sample Tests
Sample tests for AASA (Grades 3 - 8) are located at https://home.testnav.com/. Select "Arizona," then click on "Mic Check and Sample Tests." Please have students practice with the Sample Tests so they can become familiar with the test features, tools, and different types of items on the online tests.
AASA Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency
All Grade 3 students will participate in an ELA Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) test unit. A decision has been made to gather more information on the ORF items and the impact to the Move On When Reading (MOWR) indicator this year. The Grade 3 ELA ORF test items will not be included in a student's score for the Spring 2023 AASA test administration.
Computer-based testing schools will administer the ORF test unit online in TestNav. The online ORF test unit may be administered in small groups with a maximum of six students testing simultaneously in a classroom or computer lab environment. Additional resources, listed and linked below, are available on the AASA webpage under "Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency."
New for Spring 2023: Paper-based testing (PBT) schools will administer the ORF test unit using a landline, speaker telephone with a keypad. There will not be an option for PBT schools to switch to online testing for ORF. The telephone ORF test must be administered one-to-one with each student. Each student will need a unique lithocode for the speaking test, which will be located on their AASA ELA Pre-ID Label and will also be accessible in PAN.
PearsonAccessNext (PAN)
PearsonAccessNext (PAN), https://az.pearsonaccessnext.com/, will open for the Spring 2023 AASA test administration on December 21, 2022. On that date, Achievement District Test Coordinators will receive access and can begin the tasks of verifying their contact information and shipping address and adding other users in the district or charter to PAN. If any changes are needed to the contact information and shipping address listed in PAN, please send an email to AASA@azed.gov no later than February 13, 2023 to ensure that AASA materials are shipped and delivered appropriately.
Participation Count and Materials Due-in-District Window:
January 9-20, 2023
For Spring 2023 AASA, Achievement District Test Coordinators will enter participation counts in PAN and select the materials due-in-district window for the delivery of test materials. The participation counts entered in PAN for grades 3-8 during the January 9-20, 2023 window will determine the number of manuals (Test Coordinator Manuals and Test Administration Directions) shipped for both computer-based and paper-based testing schools. It will also determine the number of paper-based test booklets shipped for paper-based testing schools.
New this year, there will be two delivery windows available for the initial shipment of AASA materials. Achievement District Test Coordinators will need to select the preferred window for their district or charter in PAN no later than January 20, 2023. Directions for making this selection will be included in the PAN User's Guide.
- Materials due-in-district window 1: March 20-23, 2023
- Materials due-in-district window 2: March 27-30, 2023
ADE's Upload of Students for AASA
The last day to revise student enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students for AASA is January 25, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. This upload will be visible in PAN on February 6, 2023. |
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The AzSCI is a computer-based assessment. In Spring 2023, there will be three test units at each grade level. Each test unit is estimated to take 60-90 minutes each. If more than one test unit is administered on the same day, there must be a significant break between each test unit.
AzSCI Sample Tests
Sample Tests for AzSCI (Grades 5, 8, and 11/Cohort 2024) are located at https://home.testnav.com/. Select "Arizona," then click on "Mic Check & Sample Tests". Updated Sample Test Scoring Guides for AzSCI Sample Tests are posted on the AzSCI webpage under "AzSCI Sample Tests". Please have students practice with the Sample Tests so they can become familiar with the test features, tools, and different types of items on the online tests. |
PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and ADE's Upload of Students for AzSCI
The last day to revise student enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students is February 15, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. The upload will be visible in PAN on February 20, 2023. |
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ACT Aspire Updates
PearsonAccessNext (PAN) for ACT Aspire, https://aspire.act.org/, will go live for the Spring 2023 test administration on January 30, 2023.
The last day to revise enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students is January 25, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. This upload will be visible in PAN on January 31, 2023.
The Spring 2023 ACT Aspire Accessibility Supports Guide is available on the ACT Aspire webpage, under Step 3: Accommodation.
ACT Aspire "Chat with an Expert" Sessions
ACT will be holding two ACT Aspire "Chat with an Expert" sessions specifically for Arizona test coordinators. Registration links are included below.
1. February 15, 2023, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
2. March 22, 2023, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
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ACT Test Windows
Districts and charters with Grade 11/Cohort 2024 students may utilize both published ACT test windows in order to assess all Cohort 2024 students. Schools are encouraged to administer ACT during the first test window and may also use the second test window, as needed, to complete any makeup testing. Schools administering ACT on paper may also use the online test dates for makeup testing. Any schools that choose to administer the ACT during only the second test window will not have an additional ACT test window to use for makeup testing. |
Complete Test Window Selection in PearsonAccessNext
ACT's PearsonAccessNext (PAN) site will go live for the Spring 2023 test administration on November 7, 2022. Achievement District Test Coordinators with Grade 11/Cohort 2024 students will receive login information on that date and can then begin completing tasks in PAN.
The following tasks must be completed November 7, 2022 - December 9, 2022: select test dates, select materials shipping dates, and verify shipping address. More information is available in Step 1: Orientation on ACT's Website.
When selecting test dates in PAN, online or paper testing will also be selected. This selection in PAN must match what was submitted to ADE through the ADEConnect Testing Mode Selection Application, which closed October 14, 2022. Do not select paper testing in PAN if you did not submit a paper testing request in ADEConnect. The information in the ADEConnect Testing Mode Selection Application will be the official testing mode for the school.
There is only one ACT standard paper test date in each testing window, but there are six standard online test dates in each window. If a school selects to administer the ACT on paper, the additional online test dates within the window may be utilized for any makeup testing needed.
Creating User Accounts
Beginning November 7, District Test Coordinators can create user accounts for others in the district or charter. District Test Coordinators are encouraged to add a School Test Coordinator for each site. ACT will send communications to School Test Coordinators as well as District Test Coordinators.
ACT Webinars for Arizona Test Coordinators
ACT has scheduled three webinars specifically for Arizona test coordinators. Both District and School Test Coordinators should plan to attend each webinar or view the recording afterwards. Each webinar recording will be posted on the ACT-hosted website for Arizona.
1. Accommodations - November 2, 2022, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
2. Test Administration #1 - November 9, 2022, 9:00 - 10:00am (AZ time)
3. Test Administration #2 - February 22, 2023, 9:00 - 10:00am (AZ time)
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ACT Accommodations
ACT accommodations requests must be submitted directly to ACT through ACT's Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system. The deadline for submitting initial requests is January 27, 2023. Please note this is a firm deadline, so please submit all requests early.
More information about ACT's accommodations request process can be found on the ACT-hosted website for Arizona (Step 3: Accommodation). In addition, ACT has scheduled a series of Accommodations Office Hours beginning November 9, 2022. Please visit the Accommodations Office Hours registration page for additional information.
ADE's Upload of Students
ADE will upload students for ACT testing in PAN. The last day to revise enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's extraction of student data is January 17, 2023. ADE's upload of students will be visible in PAN no later than January 23, 2023.
ACT Site Readiness and Mock Administration
All sites administering the online ACT test are encouraged to complete a mock administration. If performed under conditions similar to test day, a mock administration provides an indication of how your technical infrastructure and testing devices will interact with the testing software during a live administration. This task can be completed beginning December 5, 2022 and should be completed no later than February 8, 2023 to prepare for online testing. More information is available in Step 2: Configuration on the ACT website.
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