The Statewide Testing division provides information and assistance to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs), the school district's main contact for the administration of state assessments. Documents in this section include testing calendars, general policies and procedures, and information to help DACs edit and use test data.  Links are provided at right to offsite websites and related pages on our site.

Additional resources for teachers including achievement level descriptors, test specifications and how to register for advisory panels are available in the Educator Excellence section. See the link to Testing Resources for Teachers.

Assessment Vendor and Procedures Manual
American Institutes for Research (AIR) holds the contract to administer the Minnesota assessments. For test administration manuals, item samplers, staff training resources, tutorials, software downloads and other information necessary for test administration, select the link provided to the Minnesota Assessments portal. The Procedures Manual for the Minnesota Assessments provides information about the Minnesota assessments, district staff roles and responsibilities, and test administration practices, policies, and procedures, and can be found in the General Resources section of the Minnesota Assessments portal site.

Communication
Statewide Testing communicates with DACs and other interested district staff in a variety of ways, including a weekly newsletter, the Pretest Workshops, and an annual summer assessment conference.  To sign up to receive the weekly newsletter, complete the Assessment Newsletter and New DAC Sign-up Form, available below. Statewide assessment questions should be directed to the person listed below who serves your area code:

Assessment Contacts by Area Code

Area Code	Name and Email Link	Phone
218	Julie Nielsen-Fuhrmann	651-582-8837
320, 507	Lisa Grasdalen	651-582-8485
612	Jennifer Burton	651-582-8622
651, 763, 952	Tracy Cerda	651-582-8692

Assessment Advisory Groups
A variety of groups and organizations advise the Minnesota Assessment System. Each serves a specific role and their combined efforts contribute significantly to the program’s success. For information about our advisory groups, see Statewide Testing Advisory Groups. To apply, complete the Advisory Committee Application. To register for the advisory panels that review the development of each test, choose the link to Test Resources for Teachers.

• HumRRO Proposed Data Interruption Investigation 
  
• Student Identification Validation User Agreement for Non-Public School Users 
  
• Superintendent Authorization Form for Test WES 
  Form to authorize access to Test WES. (Note: If you need this form in the earlier .doc file format for Word 2003, please send a request to mde.testwes@state.mn.us)
• New District Assessment Coordinator Information on Accessing Systems and Resources 
  Provides information for new District Assessment Coordinators on access to systems and resources used for the Minnesota Assessments.
• Non-Public School Participation in Minnesota Assessments 
  Outlines the steps non-public schools must complete to participate in the Minnesota Assessments
• Statewide Testing Advisory Groups 
  A description of the committees and panels that advise the division of Statewide Testing.
• Statewide Testing Advisory Committee Application 
  Form to apply for membership in an assessment advisory committee.
• Assessment Newsletter and New DAC Sign-up Form 
  Form to sign up for the weekly Assessment Update newsletter, OR to update District Assessment Coordinator information. Note: If you have Adobe Reader 8 or higher, you can complete this form online, save and email it as an attachment. Otherwise print, complete and fax the form to 651-582-8874.