ACCESS for ELLs

EL Assessment Update: ACCESS for ELLs Online Test Setup

This update provides guidance to schools administering the online ACCESS for ELLs test in January and February 2019.

Pre-ID Upload of Student Data

The Department will preload student data into the WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) for students who were reported as ELs in your district's October 2018 SIMS report. Test Coordinators will be able to review and edit this information between December 3, 2018, and February 8, 2019. During this time you will be able to:

• manage students by entering accommodations and information for those students who arrived after the October SIMS submission, or whose information is incorrect;
• place students into test sessions; and
• print test tickets.

Also see WIDA AMS User Guide for details.

Pre-loaded students will be grouped automatically in test sessions, by grade, for each of the four tested domains (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). Grouping in test sessions does not mean that these students must be tested together, only that similar students have been grouped together during the pre-loading of files.

Once your student data has been entered, test tickets (secure documents) will be available to print and the test may be administered. Directions for printing test tickets are provided on page 114 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.

Options for Managing Student Data

Data can be managed in WIDA AMS either for individual or multiple students, according to the options described below.

Option A: Uploading your school or district's completed data file for multiple students concurrently

Prepare the file, as follows:

1. Download the pre-populated school or district Student Data File (October SIMS in CSV format) at: Security Portal => Applications List => Drop Box Central => ACCESS Data 2019 => WIDA_PreID_2019ACCESS_XXXXXXXX (8 digit school or district code).
2. Identify and correct any errors in this file and remember to make those corrections in your March 2019 SIMS report. Students need not be removed from the file if they have transferred out or exited EL status since the October SIMS submission, but those students must be marked as "transfer" or "non-EL" in the March 2019 SIMS, or they will be counted against your participation rate.
3. Data fields A–K and M must be completed for new students who entered the school after the October SIMS submission. All other fields may be left blank.
4. Data fields AF–AU should be completed for students who require accommodations.
5. Save the Student Data File in CSV format.
6. Upload your completed Student Data File as follows:
   The Student Data File can be uploaded to Manage Students (a function within WIDA AMS), and students can then be placed into Test Sessions (another WIDA AMS function), as follows:
   
   1. To manage students (enter new students and accommodations), follow directions on page 77 of the WIDA AMS User Guide, to upload the completed Student Data File.
   2. To create test sessions, follow directions on pages 117–120 of the WIDA AMS User Guide, to upload the completed Student Data File.

Option B: Editing or adding individual student information for making a small number of additions or changes

You may enter or edit individual student demographic information and accommodations. Directions are provided on pages 69–76 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.

1. To add new students, login to WIDA AMS, select Student Management => Manage Students => Add Student.

   1. Complete the information in Student Detail tab.
   2. Complete the Accommodations tab if appropriate.
   3. The Demographics tab is not required and will be grayed out.
   
   

   Instructions can be found on page 76 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.

2. To place new students in test sessions, login to the WIDA AMS, select Test Management => Manage Test Sessions.

   1. The student must be placed in a test session, which will allow a test ticket to be printed for the student. Instructions can be found on page 106 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.

Accommodations

If a student with a disability requires one or more of the following online accommodations, these should be entered prior to printing test tickets:

• manual control of item audio (MC)
• repeat item audio (RA)
• extended Speaking test response time (ES).

Other accommodations may be entered either before, during, or after testing, until the last day of the testing window, February 8, 2019.

The Department has pre-loaded the accommodations used by each student who took the 2018 ACCESS tests, including:

• Manual control of item audio (MC)

• Repeat item audio (RA)

• Human Reader for Listening response options (HR)

• Human Reader for repeat of response options one time (RR)

• Human Reader for items (HI)

• Human Reader for repeat of items (RI)

• Large print version of test (LP)

• Braille version of test (BR)

• Scribed response (SR)

• Word processor or similar keyboarding device to respond to test items (WD)

• Student responds using a recording device, which is played back and transcribed by student (RD)

• Test may be administered by school personnel in a non-school setting, with ESE approval (NS)

• Extended Speaking test response time (ES)

• Interpreter signs test directions in ASL (SD)

Please make sure to follow these steps for students with accommodations:

1. For students who took the ACCESS in 2018 and have accommodations pre-loaded, verify that the accommodations are correct, and make necessary updates if the student's status has changed or if data were previously entered inaccurately.
2. Enter accommodations for new students, as needed, or for students whose accommodations were not pre-loaded.

Students Who Will Handwrite Their Responses on the Online Writing Test

All students in grades 1–3 will handwrite responses on the Writing test. You will automatically receive test booklets for these students. For students in grades 4–12, handwriting booklets will only be available to students with disabilities and first-year ELs (i.e., a student who was first reported as EL in the October 2018 SIMS). Information on use of handwriting booklets should be included in the IEP or 504 plan of any student with a disability. Test booklets may be ordered for these students through the Additional Materials Ordering process. Students who will handwrite responses will need to be moved from the generic online Writing test sessions where they were placed automatically into a handwriting test session. Instructions for adding a test session can be found on pages 103 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.

Massachusetts State Specific Guidance

Massachusetts State Specific Guidance (formerly known as the MA Supplement to the TAM-Goldenrod) is now available for the 2019 ACCESS administration on both the Department's ACCESS for ELLs webpage as well as the MA State Page on the WIDA website.

Electronic Forms — Coming Soon on the Department's ACCESS for ELLs webpage

• Request for Permission to Test a Student in an Alternate Setting: ACCESS for ELLs

• ACCESS for ELLs Irregularity Reporting Form

• Tier Selection Override, For students with disabilities only

• Test Discrepancies: Request a Scoring Appeal or Test Booklet Search

ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Screener — Updated MacOS Version of DRC INSIGHT Secure Browser to Support Speaking Tests

DRC and Apple have identified an issue with the latest release of MacOS 10.14.x (Mojave) that affects the microphone access that is required for Speaking tests for ACCESS for ELLs Online and the WIDA Screener Online.

This affects Mac devices for both ACCESS for ELLs Online and WIDA Screener Online. All other devices and operating systems that are noted in the Supported System Requirements for ACCESS for ELLs and Screener Oct 2018 – Feb 2019 are functioning as planned and are not impacted.

Currently, Apple is working on a permanent solution to this issue. In the interim, DRC is providing an updated version of DRC INSIGHT Secure Browser (9.1.0) that will need to be installed/updated for WIDA ACCESS for ELLs and Screener testing on Mac devices. The updated version for Mac devices will be available for download on WIDA AMS on Tuesday, November 20, 2018.

If DRC INSIGHT is already installed and Enable Auto Updates is turned on, the Mac device will prompt for an update upon launch and apps will update automatically. Please note, they will only auto update if COS configuration is marked to do so in the device toolkit.

A Tech Bulletin outlining update instructions is available on WIDA AMS/All Applications/General Information/Documents for your reference.

Please contact DRC Customer Support with any questions regarding this issue at WIDA@DataRecognitionCorp.com or 1-855-787-9615.

Please contact Student Assessment Services with any questions about ACCESS for ELLs testing at ACCESS@doe.mass.edu or by phone at 781-338-3625.

Thank you for your attention to this important information.