In preparation for new high school summative assessments as early as Spring 2027, USBE and Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI) will be hosting RISE Item Writing Workshops this fall to develop new items for Secondary Math 1, 2, and 3, as well as Earth Science, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry.
More information about the workshops is below. Please review and if you are interested in participating in a workshop, please complete the interest survey by the indicated deadline. Please note that filling out and submitting the survey shares your interest but does not guarantee your participation in the workshop.
RISE HS Math Item Writing Workshops
Oct. 21-22, 2025: Secondary Math 1 and 2
Nov. 18-19, 2025: Secondary Math 3
Survey closes at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, August 27. Please reach out to Katie Bares katie.bares@schools.utah.gov for more detailed information, including stipend and reimbursement rates.
RISE HS Science Item Writing Workshops
Oct. 20-22, 2025: Earth Science and Physics
Nov. 18-20, 2025: Biology and Chemistry
Please reach out to Sam Tinkey samantha.tinkey@schools.utah.gov for more detailed information, including stipend and reimbursement rates.
Workshop Information (Math and Science Item Writing)
Location: TBD Salt Lake City Area
Description: Participants write drafts for items that will be administered in future RISE assessments for Secondary Mathematics. The training at the beginning of the item writing workshop covers all necessary aspects of item writing such as:
- Alignment to the Utah Core Standards
- Grade appropriateness
- DOK/cognitive complexity of the item as compared with the complexity of the standard
- Content accuracy
- Interaction type and appropriateness (e.g., how the student responds)
- Potential bias or sensitivity issues
CAI content specialists facilitate these reviews and include USBE content specialists in all meetings.
Meeting Information: The session location is TBD but will most likely be held in the Salt Lake City Area. Breakfast is served at 8:00 AM and the session begins at 8:30 AM. We will work until approximately 4:00 PM. Each day, breakfast, lunch, snack, and refreshments are provided. Participants traveling at least 50 miles one way (100 miles round trip) qualify for lodging starting the evening before the meeting with checkout on the last day of meetings.
To receive information about future assessment development opportunities, please subscribe to the following listservs in your content area(s).
For questions about these item writing workshops, please contact Ben Jameson (ben.jameson@jordandistrict.org) in Assessment, Research & Accountability.