State board trainer outlines rules, scoring and data deadlines for PEAP preschool exit assessment

Theresa McIntyre, who oversees elementary arts assessments at the Utah State Board of Education, led a training session on administering the state’s PEAP preschool exit assessment, emphasizing scripted administration, scoring practices and the state data‑entry timeline.

The training, intended so “participants will understand how to administer the PEAP exit assessment,” reviewed the test’s purpose — to measure early learning aligned with early childhood standards using selected indicators predictive of later academic success — and practical details: the assessment is a one‑on‑one, untimed administration that typically takes about 10 to 15 minutes and must be entered into the state data gateway by June 15.

McIntyre stressed fidelity to the script. “It is important that the exact script is followed,” she said, explaining that text in bold in the manual is to be read verbatim to students while italicized lines are directions for the assessor. She said assessors should continue through each scripted prompt even when a student already gives a robust response…