USBE, ACT staff outline changes to ACT accommodations, EL supports and TAA deadlines

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us for our annual ACT accommodations training, my name is Jessica Wilhelm, special education assessment specialist at the Utah State Board of Education, the webinar opened, and USBE and ACT staff then walked attendees through policy and procedural changes affecting how schools request and administer ACT accommodations and English Learner (EL) supports.

The changes matter because they alter what must be submitted through ACT’s Test Accessibility and Accommodations system (TAA), how long some EL approvals remain valid, which screeners ACT will accept as proof of limited English proficiency, and the schedule for accommodation request deadlines that schools must meet to ensure students receive authorized materials for accommodated testing.

Presenters summarized several substantive policy and process changes. ACT-designated bilingual dictionaries and ACT-provided translated test directions are now designated, locally approvable supports and will not appear on the TAA request menu; local test coordinators may authorize those at the site without submitting them to ACT. The EL support of “time and one-half” (1.5×) will be valid for two years once approved; ACT staff said they will not retroactively extend past approvals that already expired. ACT will accept certain English language proficiency screening measures — specifically WIDA, ELPA21 and LAS Links screeners — as sufficient documentation of limited English proficiency in some cases.

Presenters gave a set of milestone dates and described a move to rolling accommodation deadlines. The webinar materials list TAA opening on 09/08/2025 and three event deadlines: Jan. 28, 2026 (for the March 10 testing window); Feb. 11, 2026 (for the March 24 testing window); and Feb. 25, 2026 (for an April testing window). Presenters also described a qualified-exception-to-deadline (QED) submission opportunity that the recording gave in two places as Feb. 26–April 3, 2026 and later as opening on April 3; attendees were advised to consult the schedule of events on their ACT-hosted Utah page for the authoritative timetable.

How to use TAA and what to submit: presenters emphasized that every TAA submission must be accompanied by a local “consent to release information to ACT” form kept on file at the school (signed by a parent or the student if 18 or older, or documented verbal consent when a physical signature cannot be obtained). Schools should confirm students’ existing accommodations or EL supports are recorded in TAA and associate those student records with the correct state/district test event in TAA (the correct test date will include the state or the word “district” in the selection menu).

For new requests, presenters walked attendees through the required steps in TAA (demographics; test date; whether the student has a diagnosed disability; formal educational plan type — IEP, 504, official accommodations plan — and whether the requested supports are on that plan; and uploading required documentation such as the IEP, 504, evaluations, or EL screening results). ACT analysts typically review requests within five to ten business days; the person who submitted a request receives an email when a decision notification is available in TAA and must provide a copy of that decision to the student. If no email arrives after 14 calendar days, coordinators should check TAA.

Presenters reiterated common causes of denials and how local teams can reduce them. ACT accepts accommodations documented on an active IEP or 504 plan (presenters said the plan must be current and complete). If a student’s plan changes after submission, schools may submit a reconsideration request with updated documentation. Presenters advised against submitting requests for “designated supports only” (examples given included bilingual dictionaries, translated instructions, food/drink/medication, or other minor on-site allowances): those supports are locally approvable and submitting them in TAA will result in a rejection because ACT does not need to authorize them.

Group testing and materials logistics: ACT staff advised that students who share timing and similar supports may test together if they are testing the same section and if approved supports will not distract other examinees. ACT recommends no more than 20 examinees with accommodations in one room, though district policy may be stricter. Students approved for human reader, scribe, or “breaks as needed” were described as needing individual testing. Materials for students listed on the accommodations roster will be shipped automatically; the roster is prepared after students are associated with a test event, rooms are created, and students are assigned to rooms in the test administration platform.

Oral presentation options were described: human reader (staff reads from a script to an individual student), prerecorded audio for paper testing, and text-to-speech for online testing. ACT recommended prerecorded audio or text-to-speech when possible because those modes allow group testing. When both human reader and prerecorded audio are approved, prerecorded audio materials are shipped; no physical reader materials are shipped for students testing online because online systems provide text-to-speech.

QED and late-submission guidance: presenters said requests submitted after the initial deadline will not be reviewed unless they meet QED criteria (examples: student transferred into the school after the deadline, grade-level change after the deadline, newly identified disability requiring a new plan, or newly identified English learner status). Presenters stated that less than 20% of requests submitted after the deadline are approved, and repeated the need to include a completed QED form and supporting documentation when claiming an exception.

Resources and next steps: presenters pointed attendees to the ACT-hosted Utah page for the TAA user guide, the Accessibility Supports Guide (ASG) that lists allowable accommodations and designated supports and clarifies differences between paper and online modes, practice alternate-format tests (braille, large print, prerecorded audio), and contact information for ACT accommodations support. ACT staff encouraged coordinators to request accommodations early, confirm access to TAA well before deadlines, and to use ACT office hours for additional assistance. The webinar recording and slide deck will be posted to the USBE assessment YouTube channel and shared in an upcoming AD memo.

Quotes in this report come from webinar presenters and are attributed to speakers identified during the session. Jessica Wilhelm opened the session as the Utah State Board of Education special education assessment specialist. An ACT presenter summarized a policy change by saying, “We have changed our English language learner support policy in a pretty big way,” and then clarified that bilingual dictionaries and translated instructions are locally approvable designated supports and will not appear on the TAA menu.

Discussion versus formal action: this webinar was informational and procedural. Presenters provided guidance, timelines, and instructions but did not take formal votes or adopt policy during the session. Local educational teams retain responsibility for accommodation decisions for individual students; ACT retains authority to approve or deny TAA requests and to define which supports require TAA submission.

For coordinators: check that the school has a consent-to-release form on file before submitting TAA requests; confirm the student’s plan is current; associate approved TAA records with the correct Utah State test event; and consult the Utah ACT-hosted page and the ASG for the authoritative schedule and lists of designated supports versus accommodations.

The session concluded with presenters encouraging participants to contact ACT accommodations helpline or USBE assessment staff with questions and to attend upcoming ACT accommodations office hours for additional help.