USBE explains RISE test types, availability and expiration rules in training

Alyce Frey, test administration informative assessment specialist with the Utah State Board of Education, outlined the four RISE assessment types — training tests, benchmark modules, interim assessments and summative assessments — and explained how each is intended to be used and when each is available.

Frey told attendees during the recorded remote training that "the training tests are always available" and are intended to familiarize students and staff with system functionality, while benchmark modules, interims and summatives have specific windows and different uses. She emphasized that benchmark modules and interims are optional and intended for local use, and that USBE does not collect benchmark or interim reporting for statewide storage.

Why it matters: the distinctions affect how districts schedule testing, what data USBE collects, and how schools protect test security. Frey repeatedly warned that testing opportunities expire and that expired interim or summative opportunities generally require a formal appeal to reopen, a procedural detail that can affect students' ability to complete a test if a session is interrupted.

Training tests: Frey said training tests "should never be used to measure content knowledge or abilities." They are the primary way to build familiarity with the delivery system and item types, and they are required for students who will test remotely before they take higher-stakes interims or summatives. Training tests can be taken as guest users or within a proctored session; the proctored option requires an SSID, session ID and the secure browser to better mirror the summative login process.

Benchmark modules: Frey described benchmark modules as fixed‑form, standards‑specific assessments intended for a single sitting that can be retaken by teachers as many times as they choose. Participation and reporting are local only; USBE "does not collect and store the reporting that's done with the benchmarks." She noted some new ELA and writing benchmark modules become available in November. Previewing of benchmark items is allowed for teachers via the benchmark preview directory but "this previewing capability ... is not to be used with students."

Interim assessments: Frey said interim tests are adaptive, can be predictive of summative performance, and are locally optional. The ELA interim was delayed until November; math interims were already available at the time of the training. Students may take one grade‑level interim per subject in the fall and another in the winter. Because interims and benchmark modules use items from the same bank, Frey advised against administering both to the same students to avoid exposing the same items repeatedly.

Summative assessments: Frey described summative assessments as the tests aligned to the Utah Core Standards used to assess knowledge, skills and abilities; blueprints are available on the RISE portal. She said summatives and training tests support the Spanish adaptive option, and remote administration of summatives is only for students who receive 100% of their instruction online; any student enrolled even in one brick‑and‑mortar course is expected to test in person.

Expiration and appeals: Frey warned that test opportunities have expiration dates. "When a test expires, it becomes unavailable to the students even if they weren't finished," she said. For interim or summative tests an appeal request via TIDE is required to reopen a paused or interrupted opportunity; benchmark attempts are generally restarted by the teacher and do not use the appeal process. Frey said assessment directors approve or deny appeal requests and that USBE provides guidance in the TIDE user guide and the Test Administration Manual (TAM).

Calculator and language notes: Frey reviewed calculator rules: no calculators in grades 3–5; grade 6 has an on‑screen calculator for the second segment and may allow a handheld 4‑function calculator as an IEP/504 accommodation for that segment; grades 7–8 permit scientific handhelds or the on‑screen calculator. She also reiterated that the Spanish adaptive option requires parental/staff language‑services team consultation and that Spanish adaptive functionality for summative tests requires the Windows Spanish voice pack when used on Windows devices.

Resources and next steps: Frey pointed participants to the RISE portal (utahrise.org) for the TAM, TIDE user guide, reporting guides and the benchmark preview directory. She said slides and the recording would be posted and that additional winter trainings will cover appeals and summative preparation in more detail.

Ending: USBE staff directed attendees to contact specific USBE specialists (listed in the training) for questions about accommodations, calculators and rostering and said the RISE help desk and portal updates are the primary resources for midyear clarifications.