Achievement District Test Coordinator Updates
March 1, 2023
Achievement District Test Coordinators (DTCs),

We have been receiving many calls and emails directly from parents and teachers regarding test administration and concerns regarding:
  • ARS 15-808B for Arizona Online Schools (AOIs)
  • Test administration in general
  • Waivers from the test administration requirements
As the District Test Coordinator, please make sure you are communicating with your schools, including principals and teachers, to address concerns with statewide testing. There are both state and federal requirements we must follow, and there are no allowable options for opting out nor medical exemptions from statewide testing, including AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and ACT assessments.

Schools do not need parent permission to test students. If a student is in school during the test window, the student is required to test. The Arizona Attorney General issued an opinion about parental opt out of state tests. You can find this under the "Legal" tab on our website at https://www.azed.gov/assessment/technical-and-legal-resources.

While it is important to hear from and be responsive to all stakeholder concerns, it is important to ensure that concerns are being addressed at the district and school level first. ADE communicates with District Test Coordinators, providing the most up-to-date information regarding statewide testing. District Test Coordinators are responsible for sharing this information with district and school personnel, as appropriate. District Test Coordinators are encouraged to reach out to ADE if further clarification or assistance is needed. 

A new resource for parents, the Assessment Parent Guide, is available on our website in English and in Spanish and provides information to help parents understand the statewide assessments.
Remote Learning Software

It has been brought to our attention that some districts and charters have added remote learning software to monitor students' computers and view the actual screen of a student or classroom. This software causes concern that impacts test security during the administration of statewide assessments.

Currently, TestNav will exit out if a student tries to access an application, browser, or program; however, remote learning software is not initiated by the student, but rather by a teacher / test administrator.

While we have brought this to the attention of our testing vendor and they are researching and investigating possible solutions, at this time, ADE is strongly recommending to any LEA that has this type of software loaded on their teachers' / test administrators' computers to disable this during actual testing. If it is not disabled and students' screens are accessed during the test, it may result in having any accessed student test to be invalidated.

Examples of remote learning software include LANSchool, Hapara, Net-Ref, Apple Classroom, and there may be others.

It is important that you communicate with your technology specialist at your district/charter or school level. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions. If the software is launched or used during administration of any of the statewide assessments, this could result in individual and group test invalidations.
For questions about AASA, please contact us at AASA@azed.gov.
For questions about AzSCI, please contact us at AzSCI@azed.gov.
For questions about ACT Aspire and ACT, please contact us at Testing@azed.gov.
Audra Ahumada
Deputy Associate Superintendent of Assessment
Arizona Department of Education
Joseph M. Guzman, Ph.D.
Associate Superintendent of Standards, Assessment, Accountability and Research
Arizona Department of Education