Winter Administration Is Here
The Winter 2026 administration window for Digital EMA@School is now open. This is the second of three assessment periods in the 2025–2026 school year, following the Fall administration.
What to Expect
The Winter administration uses the same assessment content and scoring weights as Fall, but with updated norms that reflect expected student growth since the beginning of the year. This means:
- Tier classifications are recalculated: A student who was Tier 2 in the Fall may move to Tier 1 if their growth outpaces their peers, or may remain in Tier 2 if the cohort has grown at a similar rate
- Domain-level cut scores are updated: Ensuring that tier placements accurately reflect performance relative to peers at this point in the year
- Growth tracking becomes available: Teachers can now compare Fall and Winter results side by side to identify students who are improving, maintaining, or falling behind
Preparing Students
As with the Fall administration, we encourage educators to support students with positive, encouraging messaging:
- Remind students to pay close attention to instructions and make sure they understand what to do
- Encourage them to read every problem carefully and try their best
- The assessment is designed to be a positive experience; students who cannot answer a question can move on without penalty
Resources
- Student Test Walkthrough Video: ema.vretta.com - User Guides
- Interpretation Guide: Available through the platform’s help section
- Training Support: Contact ema-support@vretta.com for refresher sessions or new staff onboarding