Greetings and welcome back to school. Following are several important updates regarding WIDA and ACCESS for ELLs testing for the 2023-2024 school year. EL Assessment Updates will be provided approximately every four to six weeks with information relevant to approaching activities and deadlines. Please share this information with others in your school or district as needed. You may receive updates directly to your inbox by following the link at the bottom of this update to subscribe. Prior EL Assessment Updates are posted on the DESE ACCESS web page.
Results of the 2023 ACCESS tests were provided to schools electronically on May 12, 2023 in WIDA AMS.
2023 ACCESS printed reports were delivered to schools on May 17, 2023. Districts should have received a District Frequency Report. Schools should have received a shipment of the following ACCESS for ELLs printed reports:
Schools are expected to send a copy of the printed Individual Student Report (ISR) to the home of each student. Schools and/or districts with a secure communication system, such as a password-protected "parent portal," may use it to send the reports electronically to parents; please provide paper copies of the reports to parents who do not have the ability to receive them electronically. If student reports have already been sent after the 2022–2023 school year ended, there is no need to send new reports for last school year this fall.
Student-level 2023 ACCESS for ELLs electronic results can be found in DropBox (ACCESS2023_Student_Level_R2_) and in Edwin (EL627 — ACCESS for ELLs Student Roster) in the Security Portal. These include:
School and District information available in Edwin (EL327 — ACCESS for ELLs Student Roster) includes:
It is important that EL students are reported accurately in the district's October 2023 Student Information Management System (SIMS) and that this report includes removal of the "EL" designation if a student has exited EL status. Inform your District Directory Administrator of students who have exited EL status and should no longer be reported as EL.
Please ensure that the names and contact information for staff in the roles of EL Program Director (EL Director), ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator, Educational Technology Director, and Principal have been updated by your district's Directory Administrator in the Department's School and District Profiles, if this information has changed since last year. These roles should also be updated in the WIDA Secure Portal and in WIDA AMS by the District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator.
A WIDA personal account will be required to access the training materials and other resources available on the WIDA website. If you already have a WIDA personal account, then it is still valid for the 2023–2024 school year. If you need a new account, please contact your District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator to ask that one be created for you. If you are a new District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator, please see Instructions for Creating WIDA Accounts on the DESE ACCESS web page.
Please update your WIDA AMS account if your contact information has changed. The WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) supports the administration of ACCESS for ELLs tests, including entering and editing student information, managing students taking ACCESS tests, and viewing ACCESS test results. If you need a new account, please contact your District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator to ask that one be created for you. If you are a new District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator, please see Instructions for Creating WIDA Accounts on the DESE ACCESS web page.
*This date occurs during break for many districts. Please plan accordingly.
Test administrators must be trained and qualified to administer the tests they will be responsible for. Please see page 7 of the "Identification and Placement Guidance" document found on the Massachusetts state page of the WIDA website for more information. Test administrator certification is required every two years.
Note: The WIDA Alternate ACCESS is new this year, therefore, everyone who will be administering the WIDA Alternate ACCESS will need to complete the training and pass the certification quizzes.
All WIDA Alternate ACCESS test administrators should read part 2, section 7 of the Test Administrator Manual in its entirety as they complete the redesigned training course.
Those administering the Online ACCESS for ELLs or Paper ACCESS for ELLs in 2024 should review the redesigned training courses as there have been DRC Enhancements for 2023-24. Certification quizzes are not necessary for those who certified last year. Please see What to know: WIDA assessments in 2023-24 school year for information regarding upcoming assessments, training, and changes to WIDA AMS.
Thank you for your attention to this important information from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Please contact Student Assessment Services with any questions about ACCESS for ELLs testing at ACCESS@mass.gov or by phone at 781-338-3625.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
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