Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) UPDATES
ATLAS 3-10 Portal
The “one-stop” ATLAS 3-10 portal is now fully operational. The resources for the new system can be found at atlasportal.org. To get started using the system and the features including reporting and classroom tool, District Test Coordinators (DTCs) need to upload all users, assign user roles, and roster students. This can be done through a bulk upload in Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE). Additionally, to administer a test in the new system, all test administrators must complete the Test Administration Certification. TIDE and the Test Administration Certification can be located on Atlas Portal here.
Text to Speech
The ATLAS assessment for grades three through ten will provide text-to-speech (TTS) as a universal accessibility feature for all students in the areas of mathematics, science, and writing prompt. This support is available in the test delivery system for any student, regardless of disability status.
To provide access to the reading portion of ATLAS assessment for students with a significant decoding disability, the State will provide TTS based through a data-driven decision-making process. This support will be offered only to qualifying students with an IEP or 504 Plan that show a need for the accommodation based on the criteria found in the TTS for reading guidelines here. This document contains links to the decision tree, TTS accommodation request form and the UPar training guide. For additional information about UPar, contact Evan Beavers: evan.beavers@ade.arkansas.gov. For more information about special accommodations requests, contact Deb Young at debbie.young@ade.arkansas.gov.
Interims
Only science interims are available in the 2023-24 school year. The fall window for the science interims is October 23-December 8. Training will take place on Friday, September 22, 2023. It will be recorded and posted on the DTC LiveBinder. Districts may still use the 3-8 ready for learning interims (NWEA, Renaissance, Istation, iReady). These are provided by the state for the 2023-24 school year. Beginning in Fall 2024, interim assessments for ELA, math and science will be available for grades 3-10.
Test Development Participation Opportunity
Throughout the development process of the ATLAS 3-10 summative test, there will be multiple opportunities for teachers and school leaders to participate. Participation may include reviewing items for content and bias, developing items, and providing general feedback. DESE is seeking recommendations to maintain a bank of “assessment ambassadors” from schools across the state from which participants may be invited to events occurring throughout the year. Any Arkansas educator my apply by filling out this survey.
Course Codes and End of Course Eligibility
Because the new system includes End of Course Exams for Algebra I, Geometry and Biology, it is important to make sure the proper course codes are used when students enroll in a course. Students will be registered from Triand based on course codes. For a complete listing of eligible codes, please refer to this tab in our LiveBinder.
Training
In addition to offering ongoing live trainings to teachers and DTCs in the coming months, the assessment office will be recording all trainings and linking the presentations and recordings in our LiveBinder. The summer ATLAS 3-10 tour livestream is now on Arkansas IDEAS under teacher resources. A link to this resource can also be found in the LiveBinder.