State assessment presenters reported several RISE updates for assessment directors and shared an announcement about ACT graduation‑class results.

RISE and writing updates
- Assessment staff said RISE ELA skill scores and scaled scores are available in the RISE portal; writing scores will be posted on Nov. 3. Staff warned scaled scores were adjusted to a different number scale so teachers would not misinterpret them as directly comparable to last year’s scores because the assessment and standards changed.
- Writing reports will include two separate scores: a composition score (1–6) for argument or informative writing and a conventions score (0.5–3); staff said those scores should not be summed because they measure different aspects of writing.
- Benchmark modules and ELA interim assessments were scheduled to be available Nov. 4; one grade‑7 informative writing benchmark did not reach minimum participation and will remain field‑tested and available in February without automatic scoring unless participation rises.

Calculator feature
- Assessment staff announced a new on‑screen calculator copy‑paste icon: students using the on‑screen calculator can click a copy icon next to the calculator output and paste that numeric output into equation response fields. The feature applies to items that require numeric equation responses and to the platform’s basic, scientific and graphing calculators; students still must round when the item requires rounding because the paste function inserts calculator output exactly as displayed.

ACT graduation‑class results
- Assessment presenters said the state’s tested juniors posted an average composite ACT score of 20 this year, up from 19.8 the prior year, and that Utah’s tested juniors improved while many other states reported declines. Presenters credited Utah educators and noted that the state will report benchmark and subject performance; they said ACT remains under contract through 2027 and that the science test continues to be administered and used to develop the state STEM measure.

What directors should do
- Staff asked directors to review updated reports in RISE and prepare for Nov. 3 writing releases and Nov. 4 benchmarks and interim modules; they also pointed directors to updated calculator manuals and said the on‑screen paste feature will be included in the posted resources.
- For ACT, staff pointed directors toward the ACT Success system for graduation‑class downloadable data and said ACT has posted state comparisons in Tableau. Staff advised districts to contact ACT help if they cannot find their uploaded graduation data.