Greetings. We hope you had a restful holiday break and have remained healthy during this challenging time. Included in this update are important reminders and resources to help you prepare to safely test English learners during the ACCESS for ELLs testing window.
The ACCESS testing window is January 7–May 20, 2021. The Department has pre-ordered test materials for every school that should have arrived in schools on January 4, 2021. If materials were not received, please contact DRC customer service at 855-787-9615. Please review your materials shipment to ensure you have everything you need. Additional materials may be ordered between January 4–May 14, 2021. An overage of materials was included in the shipment which should be used prior to placing any additional materials orders. Please attempt to limit your additional materials orders to one per school.
Students in the Pre-ID file have been placed in generic test sessions in WIDA AMS. Schools should review the test sessions in WIDA AMS under Test Management>Manage Test Sessions during the test setup window (December 3, 2020–May 20, 2021) and make any changes needed, such as updating demographic information, adding students who are not included in the list, and removing students who have exited EL status or are no longer enrolled in the district. Students who have exited or are no longer enrolled should be reported as such in the next SIMS. Please see page 85 of the WIDA AMS User Guide for information on managing test sessions. Changes made in WIDA AMS will override what was pre-loaded. Other important dates during ACCESS testing 2021 can be found on the MA state page of the WIDA website.
Beginning this month, the Department will offer a series of online opportunities for ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinators, EL Program Directors, and Principals to ask questions and receive clarification about the 2021 ACCESS test administration. "Office hours" will be conducted via Zoom and participants will be required to register ahead of time for each session they wish to attend. There will be a limit to the number of participant registrations per district, but each participant may register for more than one session. "Office hour" sessions are scheduled for:
Please register at 2021 ACCESS for ELLs Office Hours Webinar. A confirmation email will appear on your screen once you have successfully registered. An email with the link to the webinar will be sent to you upon completing registration. If you do not receive the email, please check your spam folder. Email ACCESS@mass.gov with questions about registration.
As districts plan testing for their EL students this winter and spring, it will be important to communicate to parents that ACCESS testing will help schools and parents determine whether students have lost or gained English language proficiency during the pandemic so appropriate resources can be provided to assist them.
The Department has recently made the following resources available on its website:
In addition, a School and District ACCESS Planning Guide during COVID-19 will soon be available and is intended to help schools and districts prepare for safe in-person testing. Please visit the ACCESS web page to view this resource once it becomes available.
For a listing of Department COVID-19 guidance and On the Desktop publications, please see: COVID-19 Guidance/On the Desktop Messages. Find additional DESE information and resources at COVID-19 Information and Resources.
Please report any testing irregularities, requests for test regeneration, requests to test students in an alternate setting, and requests for tier overrides (for students with disabilities only) during the testing window using the appropriate Service Now Form on the DESE ACCESS web page.
Please see the email from DRC sent to Educational Technology Directors on November 4 regarding "Annual DRC ACCESS Technology Updates" for information regarding computer software updates to be completed prior to ACCESS testing. Note that if school computers have been provided to students for remote or hybrid instruction, allow a few minutes prior to testing to complete installing Insight updates. Additional reminders regarding technology can be found in the December 11, 2020 EL Assessment Update: Preparing for Testing.
Your understanding and flexibility as we adjust to difficult and rapidly changing circumstances is appreciated.
Contact Student Assessment Services with any questions about ACCESS for ELLs testing at ACCESS@mass.gov or by phone at 781-338-3625.
Thank you for your attention to this information.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.