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Assessment

Providing teachers, students, parents, and policymakers with a clear and well-organized system to measure student learning.

APS Assessment

The Assessment Department, within the Office of Accountability and Reporting, provides teachers, students, parents, and policymakers with a clear and effective system for measuring student learning. This system uses a variety of assessment methods based on sound research and includes input from educators. The results offer meaningful feedback to support improvement at all levels.

School Staff

Testing Dates 2025-2026

Elementary Schools

District Supported Interim Assessments
AssessmentsGradesTesting Window
Updated May 2, 2025
i-Ready Math (3-5) & Reading (4-5) 3-5 & 4-5
  • (BOY) August 7 to September 12, 2025
  • (MOY) December 1 to December 19, 2025
  • (EOY) April 6 to May 22, 2026
Amira (Istation) Reading (K-3) & Math (K-2) K-3 & K-2
  • (BOY) August 25 to September 12, 2025
  • (MOY) December 1 to December 19, 2025
  • (EOY) May 1 to May  22, 2026

ECOT

Early Childhood Observation Tool

Pre-Kindergarten
  • BOY Entered by October 24, 2025
  • MOY Entered by February 13, 2026
  • EOY Entered by May 15, 2026
ACCESS K-5
  • January 13 - March 6, 2026
NM-ASR 5
  • March 9 - May 1, 2026
DLM

3-5 ELA/Math

Grade 5 Science

  • March 9 - May 1, 2026
NM-MSSA

3-5

  • March 16 -  May 1, 2026
NM-MSSA SLA

3-5

  • April 16 - May 1, 2026

iMSSA (CSI and MRI Schools Only)

3-5

  • August 7 - September 26, 2025

  • November 10 - January 9, 2026
  • March 30 - May 22, 2026

Middle Schools

Middle School Assessments
State AssessmentsGradesTesting Window
Updated August 7, 2025
ACCESS (for ELL's 2.0) 6-8 January 13 – March 6, 2026
NM-ASR Science  8 March 9 – May 1, 2026
DLM (Alternate
Performance Assessment)
6-8 (ELA/Math)
8 (Science)
March 9 – May 1, 2026
NM-MSSA (New Mexico's
Measures of Student
Success & Achievement)
6-8 March 16 – May 1, 2026
iMSSA (CSI and MRI Schools Only) 6-8
  • August 7 - September 26, 2025

  • November 10 - January 9, 2026

  • March 30 - May 22, 2026
District Supported Interim Assessment
AssessmentsGradesTesting Window
Updated August 7, 2025
i-Ready (Beginning of Year) 6-8 Aug. 7 - Sept. 12, 2025
i-Ready (Middle of Year) 6-8 Dec. 1 - Dec. 19, 2025
i-Ready (End of Year) 6-8 April 6 - May 22, 2026

High Schools

High School Assessments
State AssessmentsGradesTesting Window
Updated January 8, 2025
PSAT/NMSQT® 10-11

October 1 - October 31, 2025

School Day: October 14, 2025

ACCESS (for ELL's 2.0) 9-12 January 13 to March 6, 2026
NM-ASR (Science) 11 March 9 to May 1, 2026
DLM (Alternate
Performance Assessment)
11 (ELA/Math, Science) March 9 to May 1, 2026
Spanish Reading SBA 11 March 16 to April 24, 2026
SAT® School Day No Essay 11

March 9 to April 24, 2026

School Day: March 18, 2026

AP® Exams 9-12 May 4-8 and May 11-15, 2026
District Supported Interim Assessment
AssessmentsGradesTesting Window
Updated January 8, 2025

Horizon/Progress Learning

ELA and Math Interim Assessment

9
  • August 18 - September 30, 2025
  • December 2 - January 17, 2026
  • April 7 - May 23, 2026

Assessment Overview 2025-2026

Elementary School

ACCESS
ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K -12th grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
DLM
DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. 
ECOT
The ECOT is an authentic observational tool that looks at the “whole child,” and is designed to gather information on how children perform in pre-school.
Amira (Istation)
Amira/Istation is the state-required reading assessment for students in grades K - 3 and K - 2 for math. 
i-Ready
i-Ready assessments are available as a district supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
NAEP
NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including: math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.
NM-MSSA
NM-MSSA (New Mexico's Measures of Student Success & Achievement) is the state-required assessment for grades 3 - 8 in Math and English Language Arts/Literacy. 
iMSSA
The Interim Measures of Student Success and Achievement are state-supported interim assessments in reading, language usage, and mathematics for grades 3-5. The iMSSA interim assessments are vertically articulated achievement tests that measure student knowledge and growth. Vertically articulated test content builds upon previous grade content, based on the subject and grade-level content standards.
NM-ASR
The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science. 

Middle Schools

ACCESS
ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K - 12th-grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
DLM
DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
i-Ready
i-Ready assessments are available as a district-supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
NAEP
NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public. This assessment is given only to certain selected schools each year.
NM-MSSA
NM-MSSA (New Mexico's Measures of Student Success & Achievement) is the state-required assessment for grades 3-8 in Math and English Language Arts/Literacy.  
iMSSA

The Interim Measures of Student Success and Achievement are state-supported interim assessments in reading, language usage, and mathematics for grades 6-8. The iMSSA interim assessments are vertically articulated achievement tests that measure student knowledge and growth. Vertically articulated test content builds upon previous grade content, based on the subject and grade-level content standards.

NM-ASR
The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science. 

High Schools

ACCESS

ACCESS for ELs 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) is a large-scale English Language Proficiency assessment administered to K -12th grade students who have been identified as English language learners. This assessment is given annually to monitor students’ progress towards acquiring academic English proficiency in the four domains: Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The performance levels are used to place students in the appropriate courses.
Horizon/Progress Learning
Horizon Education interim assessments are offered for Math and ELA for 9th grade. Horizon Education is the choice of school leaders and teachers, as it incorporates authentic practice for the state selected PSAT/NMSQT and SAT, while providing formative data to the schools to inform teaching and learning.
DLM
DLM (Dynamic Learning Maps) is only required for students with significant cognitive disabilities. A student IEP team will determine if the student is eligible to take this alternative assessment. DLM replaces Language Arts & Math (NM-MSSA), Science (NM-ASR) and EOCs for social studies. Eligible students may take assessments in English Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.
i-Ready
i-Ready assessments are available as a district supported interim assessment. i-Ready offers an adaptive diagnostic assessment that can be used as a placement tool for Math and Reading.
NAEP
NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) is a national assessment. NAEP covers many subjects including: math, reading, writing, science, the arts, civics, economics, geography, and U.S. history for grades 4, 8, and 12. NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and selected urban districts. This permits NAEP to provide a clear picture of student academic progress over time. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents, policymakers, and the public.
NM-ASR
The NM-ASR (New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness) is the science assessment that is required by the state for grades 5, 8, and 11. It measures student proficiency in content standards and benchmarks in science.
SAT®/PSAT™
The SAT and PSAT assessments are designed to measure knowledge and skills that can consistently predict a student’s success in college and workforce training programs. All 11th grade students in New Mexico public schools will participate in the SAT.
Spanish Reading
Spanish Reading is the alternative language arts assessment that is used for students in grades 3 - 11 whose primary language is Spanish

APS Assessment Let's Talk

To contact APS Assessment with general questions or questions about the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CHEQ), Early Childhood Observation Tool (ECOT), i-Ready, or Istation, go to Assessment on Let's Talk.

Contact Information

Let's Talk!

Main Phone: (505) 880-3787
Email: assessment@aps.edu

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 25704 Albuquerque, NM 87125-0704

Physical Address:
6400 Uptown Blvd. NE Suite 400 East Albuquerque, NM 87110 Map