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Alaska's Required Statewide Assessments

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM)

Dynamic Learning Maps or DLM, is Alaska’s alternate assessment. DLM is administered to those students who have significant cognitive disabilities and cannot participate in AK STAR or the Alaska Science Assessment.

Dynamic Learning Maps Logo
Requirement 4 AAC 06.775 Statewide assessment program for students with disabilities
Content Area Being Assessed English language arts, mathematics, and science
Students Students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 3-9: ELA and math, grades 5, 8, and 10: science
Estimated Student Test Time Varies based on grade level and content area.
Reading: 90‐135 minutes
Writing: 10‐20 minutes
Mathematics: 60‐120 minutes
Test Window March 17 – May 2, 2025
Contact your school or district for specific testing days.
Results Released in June each year.
Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the DLM webpage.

ACCESS for ELLs

In early 2011, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Educational Research to obtain a new English language proficiency assessment. The test, Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs) is a product of the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium (WIDA)

World Class Instructional Design and Assessment Logo
Requirement 4 AAC 06.776 Assessment of a student that is an English learner
Content Area Being Assessed English language proficiency (Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking)
Students All EL students in grades K-12
Estimated Student Test Time Varies by grade
Kindergarten: 45 minutes
Grades 1‐12: 40‐65 minutes per domain
Test Window February 3 – March 31, 2025
Contact your school or district for specific testing days.
Results Released in May or June each year.
Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the ELP webpage.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “the Nation’s Report Card,” is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas. Its two major goals are to measure student achievement and to report change in performance over time.

National Assessment for Educational Progress Logo
Requirement 4 AAC 06.710(3) Statewide student assessment system
Content Area Being Assessed Content varies for National Assessment years but most commonly math and reading.
Students Sample of students across Alaska in grades 4, 8 and sometimes 12.
Estimated Student Test Time Approximately 2 hours per test.
Test Window No Alaska schools were included in the sample for any testing in the 2024-25 school year.
Results Varies depending on the assessment. Results are usually published 8-12 months after assessment.

For more information, please visit the NAEP webpage.

Alaska Developmental Profile (ADP)

To identify, record, and summarize the skills and behaviors students demonstrate upon entry to school, based on teacher observations.

Alaska Developmental Profile Logo

Student skills and behaviors are defined by whether students are consistently demonstrating 13 goals and indicators in the following five domains from Alaska’s Early Learning Guidelines:

  • Physical Well-Being, Health, and Motor Development
  • Social and Emotional Development
  • Approaches to Learning
  • Cognition and General Knowledge
  • Communication, Language, and Literacy
Requirement 4 AAC 06.712 Developmental profile
Content Area Being Assessed Alaska’s Early Learning Guidelines. See list of domains in introduction.
Students All entering kindergarten students and any first graders who did not complete any kindergarten instruction before entering first grade.
Estimated Student Test Time N/A
Test Window Results are recorded by teachers September 17 ‐ November 1 each year.
Contact your school or district for specific days of observation.
Results Raw student data will be shared with districts in early November.  Public results are published on DEED’s website by end of year.
Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the ADP webpage.

Early Literacy Screener - mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition

Requirement 4 AAC 06.400 Statewide literacy screening and support
Content Area Being Assessed Early literacy skills as aligned to the requirements of the Alaska Reads Act.
Students All students in grades K-3
Estimated Student Test Time Most students can complete the screener in 5-7 minutes.
Test Window mCLASS is administered three times a year. View the Alaska 5-year Assessment Calendar for dates of each window.
Results Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the Early Literacy Screener webpage.

Alaska Science Assessment

The Alaska Science Assessment is designed to measure a student’s understanding of the skills and concepts outlined in the K-12 Science Standards for Alaska, adopted in 2019. These standards are specific rigorous expectations for growth in students’ skills across all grade levels.

Requirement 4 AAC 06.737 Standards-based test
Students Grades 5, 8, and 10
Estimated Student Test Time Approximately 35 minutes per part, three parts for each grade
Test Window March 24 – April 25, 2025
Results Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the Alaska Science Assessment webpage.

Alaska System of Academic Readiness (AK STAR)

Requirement 4 AAC 06.737 Standards-based test
Content Area Being Assessed English language arts and mathematics
Students Grades 3-9
Estimated Student Test Time Estimated student test times are still in development.
Test Window March 24 – April 25, 2025
Results Contact your school or district for details.

For more information, please visit the education.alaska.gov/assessments/akstar AK STAR webpage.