Achievement Assessments Training Modules
Training modules for Spring 2025 will be published in Pearson's Arizona Learning Management System (AzLMS) in Winter 2024-2025. More information will be included in the November edition of the Assessments Bulletin.
Spring 2024 Achievement Assessments, AASA, and AzSCI training modules will be retired August 30, 2024 and will be removed from AzLMS. Please instruct staff to download completion certificates and badges prior to this date.
Achievement Testing Mode
All statewide achievement tests are administered online, by default. This includes AASA, AzSCI, ACT Aspire, and ACT. Any school that wishes to switch to paper-based testing for any of the statewide achievement tests must indicate this change in the Achievement Testing Mode application in ADEConnect, which will be open September 9 - October 4, 2024. An email will be sent to all Achievement District Test Coordinators to notify when the application is open and to provide additional information.
Please note that all AzSCI paper tests are administered as Special Paper Version tests and require that all student responses be key-entered in TestNav by the Test Administrator prior to the end of the AzSCI test window.
PearsonAccess Next and TestNav
All of the statewide achievement tests, including AASA (Grades 3-8), AzSCI (Grades 5, 8, and 11/Cohort 2026), ACT Aspire (Grade 9/Cohort 2028), and ACT (Grade 11/Cohort 2026), will utilize the PearsonAccess Next and TestNav platforms. There are three distinct PearsonAccess Next websites, listed below. Links to TestNav technical requirements are also included below.
Dates that the AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire PearsonAccess Next websites will go live for 2024-2025 will be provided as soon as they are available.
TestNav Technical Requirements
For the most up-to-date TestNav information, please visit Pearson's
Technical Bulletins webpage. In addition, please visit the following TestNav System Requirements webpages.
Support Websites
The new Pearson-hosted support site for ACT Aspire is now available! Access resources for ACT Aspire at
https://az-support.mypearsonsupport.com/aspire/. ACT Aspire resources for Spring 2025 will be added as they are available. Additional tabs for AASA and AzSCI will be added this fall/winter.
Special Paper Version Test Formats
Arizona offers three paper test formats to meet the needs of students who cannot access the test content through computer-based testing. Requests for Special Paper Version tests for AASA, AzSCI, or ACT Aspire must be submitted to ADE for review and approval between September 3, 2024 - February 21, 2025. Submissions must include pages of the student's current IEP or 504 Plan that indicate the need for a Special Paper Version of the test.
Braille Test Booklets (Contracted UEB with Nemeth) - The student's IEP or 504 Plan must document the need for braille materials for instruction and assessment. A braille test kit will include directions for administering the braille assessment.
Large Print Paper Test Booklets (18 pt. font on paper sized 14" x 18") - Please note that this is an enlarged font of the regular print paper test booklet; however, the amount of test and images per page is the same as the regular print test booklet. 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 a student regularly has reading and math materials enlarged for both diameter and font size, you may consider using the Zoom feature in TestNav instead. The Zoom feature can be tried out in the
sample tests using CTRL and + to enlarge the entire screen size and CTRL and - to decrease the entire screen size.
Regular Print Paper Test Booklets - A student who cannot access the computer for classroom work due to injury, medical condition, or visual impairments 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, must have a significant break after xx minutes, no computer usage at all, etc.).
More information about Special Paper Version test requests for AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire will be sent to District Test Coordinators prior to the request window opening.
Requests for Special Paper Version tests or other accommodations for ACT must be submitted directly to ACT using ACT's Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system. ACT's TAA system will open for 2024-2025 accommodations requests on September 16, 2024. Additional information will be provided soon.
Additional Accommodations Requests
The following additional accommodations requests must be submitted to ADE for review and approval between September 3, 2024 - February 21, 2025.
AASA and/or AzSCI
- American Sign Language (ASL) form of the test
- Computer-based test in a paper-based testing school
- Bluetooth-connected hearing devices
- Hearing devices that do not require a Bluetooth connection do not need to be submitted to ADE
ACT Aspire
- American Sign Language (ASL): Full Translation - This accommodation requires a paper test, one-to-one test administration, and must be administered during the shorter paper-based testing window.
- Please note: The American Sign Language (ASL): Directions Only accommodation does not require a request be submitted to ADE.
- Computer-based test in a Paper-based testing school
- Speech-to-Text - This accommodation requires a paper test, one-to-one test administration, and must be administered during the shorter paper-based testing window.
- Bluetooth-connected hearing devices
- Hearing devices that do not require a Bluetooth connection do not need to be submitted to ADE.
ACT Updates
Schools may utilize both ACT test windows in order to assess all Cohort 2026 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. Please note that the ACT test windows are two distinct test windows. Any students with approved accommodations for testing over multiple days must complete testing within the same test window in which they begin testing.
Schools administering ACT online may use any of the online test days to complete testing. Schools administering ACT on paper may only administer paper tests on the designated paper test dates but may use the additional 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. Test window selection must be made by test coordinators in ACT's PearsonAccess Next platform in November 2024. More information will be coming soon!
ACT Webinars - Save the Date
ACT and ADE have scheduled the following webinars for test coordinators in preparation for Spring 2025 testing. Webinar registration links are coming soon!
- Test Administration #1 - November 6, 2024, 9:00am
- Accommodations - November 13, 2024, 9:00am
- Test Administration #2 - Date and time coming soon
Each webinar will be recorded and published on the ACT-hosted website for Arizona following the live event.
