Utah tells districts RISE ELA scores will be delayed until October after standard-setting this summer
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Summary
USBE staff said ELA/writing scores for RISE (grades 3–8) will be delayed because the state revised ELA standards and must convene standard-setting panels over the summer; math and science are not delayed. The delay affects teacher, parent, and school reporting timelines and the release of school report cards.
Utah State Board of Education assessment staff told assessment directors that scores for the revised RISE English language arts (ELA) assessment — including writing — will be delayed because the state must run a standard-setting process this summer.
"Because that is taking place this summer, scores are going to be delayed. You will not get writing or ELA scores until October of this upcoming fall," a USBE assessment staff member said.
Why it matters: RISE ELA scoring delay changes when teachers, students and families will see proficiency results, and it affects school report card timelines. Staff said math and science scoring are not delayed and will follow regular reporting timetables, but ELA changes mean the state must: hold standard-setting in August, bring recommended proficiency cut scores to the board in September, run vendor scoring under the new cuts in October, and then the agency’s data statistics team will calculate student growth percentiles and related files in time for December embargoes and public release in January.
What staff told directors: - Standard-setting: USBE will recruit Utah educators to participate in summer standard-setting workshops to set proficiency cutoffs for the revised test. - Reporting schedule: ELA and writing scores are expected in October; school report cards and related public files are expected in mid-December to January, pending board review of the cuts. - Communication: Staff recommended LEAs plan communications to teachers, parents and principals explaining the delay and suggested using fall parent–teacher conferences to present delayed results once available.
Staff warned that while math and science scores will be reported on the usual timeline, the overall school report-card timeline depends on the ELA standard-setting schedule and the board’s September action. USBE staff asked assessment directors to collect communication ideas from local stakeholders and to continue using non-ELA results (math and science) to support instruction in the meantime.
Stakeholder reaction and guidance: Directors reported resistance from teachers and parents accustomed to immediate release of ELA scores; staff encouraged consistent messaging that a new test and new standards require a fair standard-setting process so cut scores accurately reflect current student performance.
Ending: USBE staff said they will confirm exact dates for embargoed materials and school report cards in the coming weeks and asked districts to prepare messaging and to use the upcoming fall window for parent outreach.
