Utah webinar details ACT spring administration deadlines, technical setup and accommodations process

Utah State Board of Education staff and ACT representatives held a webinar to review deadlines, technical requirements and accommodation procedures for the spring ACT administration, emphasizing upcoming submission deadlines, device and room configuration, and the process for reporting irregularities.

The webinar, presented by Utah State Board of Education (USBE) staff with ACT support, front‑loaded upcoming deadlines and the systems used to manage the administration: ACT Now, Test Center Manager (TCM), TestNav and the Test Accessibility and Accommodation System (TAA). Presenters urged districts and schools to verify student data, complete technical‑readiness testing and submit accommodation requests by the published schedule.

Why it matters: School and district test coordinators, technical coordinators and room supervisors must meet multiple interlocking deadlines and technical configurations to deliver the test on the scheduled dates and to ensure accommodated students receive approved supports.

Key deadlines and scheduling

Presenters listed the near‑term deadlines coordinators must follow: the deadline to request ACT‑authorized accommodations in TAA is Jan. 24; the deadline to accept the administration invitation and load users and to verify student information is Jan. 31. Technical site‑readiness testing became available Dec. 2, and the presenters recommended completion by Feb. 5. Test event windows announced in the presentation were: Test Event 1 — Jan. 27 through March 7; Test Event 2 — March 11 through March 14. Add/assign windows for examinees were given by event (for example, Test Event 1 add/assign was Feb. 10–28).

Systems and technical readiness

Presenters described each principal system and its role: ACT Now to manage organizations, users and students; TCM (Test Center Manager) to create rooms, seating charts, run task cards and record irregularities; TestNav to deliver the online test; and Success.act.org for online reporting and TAA access. The technical‑readiness process includes three steps: appoint a technical coordinator, run the automatic technical readiness test event in TCM (which includes sample students and seal codes), and validate device and network configuration by launching TestNav and navigating sample sections. The presenters repeatedly advised that all testing devices be administrator‑controlled, frozen (no OS or software updates) and locked down before test day.

Room setup, seating and timing

Districts and schools must create a separate TCM room for every physical room and every test event. When creating rooms coordinators enter room name, capacity, test mode, timing code and room structure (rows, seats per row, desk size and distances). Each TCM room can contain only one timing code; the timing code must match examinees’ accommodations. Seat assignments should be completed in TCM before or on test day so room supervisors can save seating charts and, for paper accommodations, assign test booklets to individual students. Test day timing rules presented include a recommended start no later than 9 a.m. (sessions must begin by 10:30 a.m.), a required 15‑minute break after Test 2, and Test 3 must begin within 15 minutes of Test 2 ending. Late examinees may be readmitted, but they cannot make up lost time.

Irregularities, monitoring and post‑test steps

Room supervisors will use TCM task cards to guide test‑day verbal prompts and actions. The task cards replace paper manuals and must not be completed before opening a room live. Irregularities and prohibited behaviors are recorded in TCM (select Irregularities → Create), which asks for time, duration, test section and affected students or rooms; notes should provide as much detail as possible for the test coordinator’s review. Test coordinators should monitor rooms via TCM’s Monitor Rooms tool, collect test materials after testing, and use the post‑test checklist to schedule makeups and prepare shipments back to ACT. Authorization tickets (unique to each examinee) must be printed and distributed only when prompted by the task card.

Accommodations and reconsideration window

USBE staff emphasized that accommodation approvals appear as decision notifications in TAA and that local staff must monitor for denials because there is a short reconsideration window (about two weeks) to resubmit if documentation or plan items were omitted. Jessica Wilhelm of USBE reminded attendees to follow up on decision notifications and to use the state‑hosted ACT site and weekly assessment director memos for step‑by‑step guidance.

Common operational notes and contact information

Presenters reminded coordinators that test materials typically arrive two to three weeks before the scheduled test date and urged teams to verify the test‑date flyer in shipments; if flyers or materials do not match the intended date, ACT should be contacted immediately. For operational questions, the presenters gave ACT contact extensions: standard administration questions use extension 28100 (option 4) and accommodations/support questions use extension 1788. The webinar and related videos and modules are to be posted to the state’s assessment and accountability YouTube channel and the state ACT hosted web page, and presenters encouraged attendees to watch the posted recording for reference.

Attendance, trends and follow up

Presenters noted enrollment trends for the upcoming administration: an approximate 15% increase in rostered examinees compared with the prior year and a reported 15–20% reduction in submitted accommodation requests. Presenters urged teams to confirm access to ACT Now and to contact the state representatives listed in chat (including Maureen and the posted state email) if they cannot see the spring 2025 administration or need user assignments changed.

The session closed with presenters offering direct help via email and phone and noting that chat questions posted during the webinar would be read aloud so all attendees could hear answers.