DATE:
Thursday, August 6, 2026
TO:
All Middle and High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Secondary Fall Assessment Updates
The Utah Aspire Plus summative assessment will no longer be administered beginning with the 2026-27 school year. Students in grades 9-10 will take the RISE summative assessment instead. In addition, 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in a RISE-tested course will also participate in the RISE assessment.
For school accountability report cards as well as TSI/ATSI/CSI designations, 11th and 12th graders will not be counted.
This document outlines the courses that will participate in RISE testing. If schools have students enrolled in ELA, math or science courses that are not listed on this document, they will not take the RISE.
This document produced by USBE provides a brief overview of the testing timeline for grades 9-12. It is important to note the following:
- RISE will be administered to any 9-12th grade student in a RISE-tested course beginning in the spring of 2027.
- Scores for ELA and science will be released in the fall of 2027.
- Scores for Secondary Math 1 and 2 will be released upon completion of the test.
- RISE for Secondary Math 3 will be administered in the spring of 2028, pending approval of the new math core by the Utah State Board of Education.
- ELA and Secondary Math 1 and 2 RISE benchmarks will be available in January 2027. There is no timeline yet for RISE benchmarks in science or Secondary Math 3.
RISE will continue to be administered to students in 7-8th grades as has been done in the past.
For questions about these changes, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
