Please ensure reports are shared with families in a timely manner and through your SAU's established communication process
- Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) ISRs are available in the MSAA System until September 18
- WIDA ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS ISRs are available in the DRC AMS
- Maine Through Year Assessment ISRs are available in the Acacia platform
- Maine Science Assessment ISRs are available in the Kite Reporting platform
2026-27 Assessment Team Calendar
Assessment Security
After completing the required trainings, all Assessment Coordinators, Proctors, and Assessment Administrators must sign the MEA Security and Data Privacy Agreement found in Appendix A of the Assessment Security Handbook.
View all assessment security resources on the Maine DOE's Assessment Security site.
Maine Through Year Assessment in Reading and Math
Contact Krista at krista.averill@maine.gov or (207) 215-6528.
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| August 31, 2026 | Acacia management platform opened for pre-administration activities |
| September 14 – October 16, 2026 | Fall 2026 regular administration window |
| October 16, 2026 @ 4:00 PM | Last day to request an assessment reset |
| October 19 - 23, 2026 | Fall 2026 makeup window |
| October 26 - 30, 2026 | SAU data cleanup window |
| December 3, 2026 | Fall 2026 Student Score Data File becomes available |
Separating the regular administration window from the makeup window provides clarity on the timing of the assessment administration at the local level. Specifically, schools must not wait till the last week of the Maine Through Year Assessment window to begin assessing their students.
Historically, reset requests for the Maine Through Year Assessment have not been available during the final week of the administration. As a result, schools have effectively been required to complete the assessment administration before the last week so they can identify and submit any necessary reset requests. Establishing a designated makeup window makes this implicit requirement for resets explicit and supports schools in developing effective local administration schedules.
There will be no change to how students access the assessment during either portion of the overall administration window, and no changes to proctoring procedures. Makeup sessions may be administered at any time during the overall six-week administration window.
Assessment Coordinators must complete the required training module annually. The training module for 2026-27 contains new information about the updated student user interface for the State Solutions Secure Browser.
Enroll in the 2026-27 Training ModuleThe 2026-27 version of the NWEA State Solutions Secure Browser is now available for download. At the beginning of each school year, schools must download the newest version of the browser onto all student devices. Updated System Requirements and the updated System and Technology Guide are available.
The new State Solutions Secure Browser for 2026-27 has a new student user interface. The updated online Item Type Sampler and new student tutorial videos are available under the Parent/Caregiver & Students tab of the NWEA Maine Connection webpage. (Scroll to the bottom of the NWEA Maine Connection page to view the Parent/Caregiver & Student resources.)
Beginning in the 2026-27 school year, all students assigned the Multiplication Chart designated support on the Maine Through Year Math Assessment MUST use the Maine DOE-approved 9x9 Multiplication Chart, linked below. The development of a single, approved Multiplication Chart for the Maine Through Year Assessment improves standardization and consistency across all Maine schools providing the support to their students.
Approved Multiplication Chart for the Maine Through Year AssessmentIf you are seeking more detailed information about the Maine Through Year and Maine Science Assessments (also called the general assessments), including resources such as professional learning recordings, please contact Krista Averill at Krista.Averill@maine.gov to sign up for the general assessments email distribution list.
The August 10 Maine Through Year and Maine Science Assessments update is linked below.
The Maine Department of Education has released a Priority Notice containing a new informational resource, Maine's Next State Reading and Math Assessment: Educator Survey Responses and the Development of the Request for Proposals (RFP).
This document explains how feedback from Maine educators informed the development of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Maine's next statewide reading and mathematics assessment. Please note that while the document will describe the priorities reflected in the active procurement of a statewide reading & mathematics assessment, the official requirements for bidders are contained solely within RFP #202606107: Statewide Reading & Mathematics Assessment in Grades 3–8 and High School.
Maine Science Assessment
Contact Krista at krista.averill@maine.gov or (207) 215-6528.
Please view the Scoring and Reporting Resources for more information on accessing and understanding student score reports.
Maine educators play a crucial role in the development of the Maine Science Assessment. The Maine Department of Education is currently recruiting science educators to participate in the upcoming virtual Form Verification Committees.
Dates and Times for Each Grade Level:
- Grade 5: October 29, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Grade 8: October 27, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- High School: October 5, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
- Location: Virtual (Zoom)
- Purpose: You and your peers will be reviewing the proposed Spring 2027 Maine Science Assessment forms for clueing, representation of the science disciplines, a variety of cognitive tasks, a variety of topics, and logical flow of the form. A checklist will be provided.
- Stipend: $150 
Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) and MSAA Science
Contact Mechelle at mechelle.ganglfinger@maine.gov or (207) 242-4244.
The reports will be accessed directly from the MSAA System Dashboard. Users with Test Coordinator roles in the platform will have the ability to download reports.
If you have difficulty with your MSAA Platform login credentials while trying to access reports, please reach out to the MSAA Service Center at MSAAServiceCenter@cognia.org.
WIDA ACCESS, WIDA Alternate ACCESS & WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten
Contact Mechelle at mechelle.ganglfinger@maine.gov or (207) 242-4244.
Annual WIDA ACCESS certification/recertification for Test Administrators is now required. Annual recertification helps ensure that Test Administrators are following current procedures and maintaining consistency, security, and scoring reliability when administering this assessment. It also ensures Test Administrators are aware of any updates to WIDA assessment materials and procedures from year to year.
District ACCESS Test Coordinators ensure that all educators administering ACCESS in SY2026-2027 complete the appropriate training courses in the WIDA Secure Portal as well as the certification quiz with a score of 80% or greater.
2026-2027 Required Training for WIDA ACCESS Screeners (As Applicable)
WIDA Screener Online
- WIDA Screener Online: Administration
- Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
- Writing for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener
- WIDA Screener Paper: Administration
- Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
- Writing for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener
- WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring
2026-2027 Required Training for WIDA ACCESS Test Administrators (As Applicable)
WIDA ACCESS Online
- WIDA ACCESS Online: Administration
- ACCESS 4th grade Writing Domain (paper booklet) - Maine DOE specific
- WIDA ACCESS Paper: Administration
- Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA ACCESS Paper 
- WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring
- WIDA Alternate ACCESS: Administration and Scoring
- WIDA ACCESS Braille: Administration
- Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
This new document outlines Maine’s scribing protocol, including the appropriate use of a scribe, required procedures, and guidelines for supporting students during state assessments.
Read the Scribing ProtocolFind all the available accessibility supports and accommodations for WIDA Screener and WIDA ACCESS in the WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Manual. Decision-making teams should use the manual, along with state-specific policies, to determine what accommodations are appropriate for each student.
In case you missed it: There are new accessibility features and accommodations coming to WIDA Screener Online and WIDA ACCESS Online in the 2026-2027 school year. Learn about these changes in WIDA’s news article that covers why they made these updates and how they impact the testing experience.
Keep track of which accommodations a student needs to use on WIDA Screener and WIDA ACCESS assessments by filling out the relevant, test specific WIDA Accommodations Checklist.
| WIDA ACCESS for New Test Administrators | Tuesday, September 8 at 2:00 p.m |
| WIDA ACCESS for New District Test Coordinators | Thursday, September 10 at 2:00 p.m. |
| Ordering WIDA ACCESS Materials in WIDA AMS | Tuesday, September 22 at 2:00 p.m. |
| WIDA ACCESS Software Updates and Tech Readiness Checklist | Tuesday, September 29 at 2:00 p.m. |
The 2026-2027 WIDA Screener Online administration opened in WIDA AMS on June 26. Use the following resources to help you get ready for the upcoming school year.
- Prepare to administer WIDA Screener. The 2026-2027 WIDA Screener training courses and test administration materials are now available in the WIDA Secure Portal (secure login required).
- The WIDA Screener Online Writing Prompts are no longer available in the WIDA Secure Portal. Find these resources in the Screener Scoring application in WIDA AMS.
- Check out updated WIDA Screener Online test demos and test practice. Access these resources on the WIDA AMS login page or by logging in to WIDA AMS and selecting Public Test Resources at the bottom of the landing page.
Updated:
- Documents Page of WIDA AMS: Technology documentation including the DRC INSIGHT Technology User Guide, Site Technology Readiness Checklist for Deploying WIDA Online Assessments, and the WIDA AMS User Guide.
New this year:
- Configuring Online Assistive Technologies for WIDA ACCESS and WIDA Screener: Steps for setting up testing for students using the new Assistive Technology or Speech-to-Text accommodations.
- DRC INSIGHT Supported Operating System Versions: Supported system requirements. You may also select My Applications > General Information > Technology Downloads in WIDA AMS to access this resource.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Contact Dr. Lewis at regina.lewis@maine.gov or (207) 530-1355.
Results from the NAEP 2026 assessment are tentatively scheduled for release in late January 2027. As a reminder, the 2026 NAEP mathematics and reading assessments were based on updated frameworks. Information about the changes to the frameworks will be provided as we approach the public release of the NAEP results. This delay in reporting will also allow for additional studies to be conducted related to the transition to administration on school devices.
The Nation's Report CardThe NAEP 2027 assessment program includes a pilot grade 8 science assessment aligned with an updated science framework. The pilot assessment will be administered on both NAEP provided and school owned devices to collect important data as a continuation of the transition to a device agnostic assessment. NAEP plans to continue the transition to include MacOS and iOS devices for the administration of NAEP 2028.
Maine does not have schools identified in the NAEP 2027 sample.
