Maine Through Year Assessment: Math & Reading

Overview

What is assessed?

• Maine's accountability standards: the Common Core State Standards in Reading and Math

Who participates in the Maine Through Year Assessment?

• Students in grades 3-8 and 2nd year of high school

What is the format of the assessment?

• Online (Paper-based forms are available as an accommodation per an IEP or 504 plan.)

When is the assessment given?

• Fall (Required): September 15, 2025 - October 24, 2025
• Winter (Optional): January 5, 2026 - February 13, 2026
• Spring (Required): April 13, 2026 - May 29, 2026 (The spring administration will be closed April 20-24 for spring break.)

Assessments are untimed and can be split into multiple sessions as needed.

 

Important Dates for the Fall 2025 Administration:

Date	Task
August 20, 2025 @12:00 PM	NWEA representative available for Q&A at the Maine DOE Assessment Team Monthly Office Hour (registration link)
August 20 – October 10, 2025	Submit paper-based assessment form requests, including standard print, large print, and braille via the request form.
September 2, 2025	Acacia management platform opens for pre-administration activities.
September 2 – October 10, 2025	District and School Assessment Coordinators complete the annual Maine Through Year Assessment Coordinator training module by going through the following auto enrollment process found on the Maine Connections page.
September 3, 2025 @12:00 PM	NWEA representative available for Q&A at the Maine DOE Assessment Team Monthly Office Hour (registration link)
September 15 – October 24, 2025	Fall 2025 administration window
October 17, 2025 @ 4:00 PM	Last day to request an assessment reset.
October 23, 2025 @ 8:00 PM	Last daily change assessment roster file is generated based on student information entered into Synergy. Any student demographic updates made in Synergy after this date/time will not appear in Acacia.
October 24, 2025	Last day to roster students in MAP for the transfer of RIT scores from Acacia to MAP Growth reports
October 27 - 31, 2025	SAU data cleanup window: Checklist of Data Cleanup Tasks
November 14, 2025	Last day to run Operational Reports (other than the Student Score Data File) for the fall 2025 administration
December 3, 2025	Student Score Data File becomes available in Acacia.

 

Preparing for the Assessment Administration

2025-26 Manuals and Guides

ALL manuals and guides can be found on our Maine Through Year NWEA Connection page: https://connection.nwea.org/s/maine-connection 

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For Students and Families

• Tutorial Video (Vimeo)
• Tutorial Video (YouTube)
• Video: What is a Computer Adaptive Test?

2025 - 2026 Parent & Guardians Letter [English]
Parent & Guardians Letter Translations: 

• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• Kinyarwanda
• Lingala
• Portuguese
• Somali
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

Overview of the Maine Through Year Assessment for Families: This document reviews the overall structure of the assessment as well as the two score types produced by the Maine Through Year Assessment for the spring administration. A more detailed version for teachers is available under the "For District and School Assessment Coordinators" heading below.

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For Proctors

• Proctor Training Video [Transcript]
• Assessment Security Webisodes
• Assessment Administration Guide
• Manage Online Testing Guide - Only for proctors that will be monitoring student progress in the Acacia platform

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For Technology Coordinators

• NWEA System and Technology Guide (Updated July 2025)
• System Requirements Guide
• Online Readiness Tools / Secure Browser Download
• NWEA Status Page: Visit this page for updates regarding the availability and performance of MAP Growth & NWEA State Assessments.
• Fall 2025 SAU Data Cleanup Checklist

 

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For District and School Assessment Coordinators

• Assessment Coordinator Training Module
  • If you are already signed up for the training module, once logged into NWEA's Professional Learning Online you can navigate to the module from the homepage or access it directly. 
  • If you are not signed up for the training module, please follow the enrollment directions found on the NWEA Connection page.
• Assessment Coordinator Guide
• User & Student Management Guide
• 2025-26 Multilingual Learner Exemption Guidance for the Maine Through Year Assessment
• Fall 2025 Reset Process Flow 
• Overview of the Maine Through Year Assessment for Teachers: This document reviews the overall structure of the assessment as well as the two score types produced by the Maine Through Year Assessment for the spring administration. A more concise version for parents is available under the "For Students and Families" heading above.

Content

Assessment Blueprints: All items on the Maine Through Year Assessment are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The assessment blueprints specify targets for the distribution and number of operational score points aligned to each content category.

• Fall/Winter Interim Assessment Blueprints: Computer Adaptive
• Fall/Winter Interim Assessment Blueprints: Accommodated, Fixed Form
• Spring Summative Assessment Blueprints: An Overview 
• Spring Assessment Blueprints: Breakdown by Standards

Through Year Assessment Item Development

General Achievement Level Descriptors: Achievement level descriptors define the characteristics of student performance on the state assessment at each of the four achievement levels: Well Below, Below, At, and Above State Expectations. 

Achievement Level Explorer Tool: The Achievement Level Explorer Tool breaks down each of the General Achievement Levels by the grade-level standards assessed on the Maine Through Year Assessment in Reading and Math. 

• Achievement Level Descriptors Excel File

Math Reference Sheet: This reference/formula sheet is provided to all students on the math assessment in the fall, winter (optional), and spring. This is accessible within the assessment platform, and paper copies may be distributed to students. Please see below for Math Reference Sheet translations:

• Arabic
• Chinese
• French
• Khmer
• Kinyarwanda
• Lingala
• Portuguese
• Somali
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

Desmos Calculators

RIT to Concept Reference: You can enhance the instruction of students who scored within a given RIT score range with these word lists and associated concepts.

Item Type Samplers

The following item type samplers represent grade-level content in math and grade-span content in reading similar to content in the summative portion of the Maine Through Year Assessment. Item type samplers provide students the opportunity to become familiar with the platform and interact with the various tools provided.

 

Online Item Type Sampler (in web browser)

If you are having difficulties accessing the online Item Type Sampler, please try clearing your cache.

Math Online Item Type Sampler Answer Keys

• Grade 3
• Grade 4
• Grade 5
• Grade 6
• Grade 7
• Grade 8
• High School

Reading Online Item Type Sampler Answer Keys

• Grades 3-5
• Grades 6-8
• High School

 

Paper Item Type Samplers

Math

• Grade 3: For Students and For Teachers
• Grade 4: For Students and For Teachers
• Grade 5: For Students and For Teachers
• Grade 6: For Students and For Teachers
• Grade 7: For Students and For Teachers
• Grade 8: For Students and For Teachers
• High School: For Students and For Teachers

Reading

• Grades 3-5: For Students and For Teachers
• Grades 6-8: For Students and For Teachers
• High School: For Students and For Teachers

 

Accessibility

2025-26 Accessibility Guide 

Supplemental Resource for Text-to-Speech

Human Reader Protocol

2025-26 Accommodated Paper-Based Assessment Request Form: Use this form to order standard-print, large-print, and braille paper-based test booklets.

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Guidance for Human Reader for Reading Passages (Grades 6+)

• Maine Print Disability Considerations
• Print Disability Flowchart
• Print Disability Checklist

Bilingual Word-to-Word Glossaries: A paper-based bilingual word-to-word glossary without definitions is an acceptable designated support for multilingual learners with an Individual Language Acquisition Plan (ILAP).

If the student is already using a paper-based bilingual glossary in the classroom, that paper-based glossary can be utilized for the assessment. If the student has been using an online bilingual glossary and needs a paper-based option, NYU Steinhardt's Bilingual Glossaries is a potential resource.

If utilizing NYU Steinhardt's bilingual glossaries for the high school mathematics assessment, NWEA recommends that students have access to the Integrated Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 bilingual glossaries. Almost all terms will appear in the Integrated Algebra glossary, and that should be the student’s first resource.

Scoring & Reporting

Reports Interpretive Guide

Achievement Level Descriptor Summaries: https://www.maine.gov/doe/assessment/achievement 

Scoring and Reporting FAQ Document

2025-26 Student Score Data File Format: The Student Score Data File is a CSV file available at the SAU-level that includes all test event information for all students in the SAU. It can be accessed by those with the District Assessment Coordinator after data validation has been completed for the administration.

Resources for MAP Growth Reports

• State Solutions Condensed Reports Portfolio
• MAP Growth report details

Individual Student Report (ISR) 

Spring 2025 Individual Student Report Template Translations

• Arabic
• Chinese
• English
• French
• Khmer
• Kinyarwanda
• Lingala
• Portuguese
• Somali
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

Optional Supplemental Page for Families

Grade 3 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

Grade 4 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

Grade 5 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

Grade 6 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

Grade 7 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

Grade 8 [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

High School [English] Arabic Chinese French Kinyarwanda Lingala Portuguese Somali Spanish Vietnamese

If you are a Maine parent/guardian with an exceptionality who requires an alternate format to access any of the above resources, please reach out to Assessment Team Office Specialist, Daniella Crone, at Daniella.Crone@maine.gov 

Other Resources

Structure of the Maine Through Year Assessment video

A Tale of Three Assessments: What are the similarities and differences between the Maine Through Year Assessment, NWEA's MAP Growth Assessment, and the Maine Science Assessment?

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NWEA's Professional Learning Online

• Direct Link to Through Year Assessment Content (You will need to sign in first.)
• For District Assessment Coordinators: PLO Add Member Instruction

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Spring 2024 Technical Report and Appendices: 

The Spring 2024 Maine Through Year Assessment Technical Report provides technical information regarding the following topics:

• Test Design and Development
• Administration and Security
• Item Statistics, Calibration, and Scaling
• Technical Quality and Validity
• Inclusion of All Students
• Achievement Standards and Reporting

Spring 2024 Technical Report Appendices