Assessment Letter & Dates 2025-2026
Dear Portland Public Schools Families,
We’re looking forward to a productive 2025-2026 school year filled with new learning for your student! I’m writing to let you know about the upcoming schedule for Maine Department of Education State Assessments, which we are required to administer to students throughout the district. These tests are very important. They are used to help teachers understand the strengths and needs of their students.
The results will also allow us to monitor student achievement at the grade, school, and district levels. This data helps us to set goals and plan learning experiences as the year progresses.
Below is the test window schedule for the following groups of students. Please note that specific test dates and times will be set by individual schools. Please look for messages from your child’s school telling you when their fall and winter/spring testing dates will be.
- Grades 3-8 and grade 10: These students will take the Maine Through Year Assessment in math and literacy during a fall testing window from Sept. 15 through Oct. 24, 2025, and then again in the spring between April 13 and May 29, 2026. There also is an optional test window running from January 5 through February 13, 2026.
- Grades 5 and 8: These students will take the MEA Science test between May 11 and May 22, 2026.
- Grade 11: These students will take the MEA Science test between April 1 and April 17, 2026.
- Multilingual learners, grades K-12: These students will take the WIDA ACCESS/Alternate ACCESS test in literacy and writing between January 5 and February 27, 2026.
- Students identified with significant cognitive disabilities, grades 3-8 and grade 11: These students will take the MSAA test in literacy, math and science between March 9 and April 24, 2026.
You will receive your child’s test scores once they’re made available by the Maine Department of Education. Please contact your child’s teacher and school to learn more. To learn more about these tests, visit:
Families are our partners in helping students succeed. We ask for your help in making sure that your children are prepared for the test day and ready to do their best work.
Sincerely,
Hayley Didriksen
PPS Senior Director of Data and Assessment
Assessment Testing Window Dates
| Assessment | Literacy | Math | Science | Writing | PreK | K-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 / ALT ACCESS ® January 5 - February 27* |
x | x | x | x | x | x | |||
| ME Through Year: September 15 - October 24 |
x | x | x | x | 10 | ||||
| ME Through Year: winter - optional January 5 - February 13 |
x | x | x | x | 10 | ||||
| ME Through Year: April 13 - May 29 |
x | x | x | x | 10 | ||||
| MEA Science 5th+ 8th: May 11 - May 22* High School: April 1 - April 17 |
x | 5 | 8 | 11 | |||||
| MSAA: administered to students identified with significant cognitive disabilities March 9 - April 24* |
x | x | x | x | x | 11 |
*Required Testing Window Dates: Individual schools determine their specific dates.