World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS Transition

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS Online, World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS Paper, and World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS for Kindergarten are now fully aligned to the 2020 Edition of the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework. Standard setting will take place in summer 2026 to establish new scale cut scores and updates to proficiency levels. New scale scores in 2026 should not be compared the previous World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS scale scores.

District and school files and reports became available via the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) on April 28, with printed reports arriving at schools by May 18. Spring 2026 results should be used for exiting students from English Learner EL status and making preliminary plans for the upcoming school year. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE will maintain the current exit criteria and progress targets for English Learners ELs participating in the standard Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS through 2027.

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS 2026–2027 Important Dates

Dates subject to change

June 1–23, 2026: Schools submit test discrepancies, scoring appeals, and booklet search requests in ServiceNow for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS 2026.

Early July 2026: Round 1 of World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS results posted in DropBox Central. Results include exit and participation information.

July 1–13, 2026: Schools can email participation discrepancies to access@mass.gov (includes medical absence, which will reflect as test status MED in round 2 DropBox reporting).

July 27–31, 2026: World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA conducts the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS standard setting event with representation from Massachusetts educators to determine updates to scale and proficiency levels, which will not be finalized until October 2026.

August 2026: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE’s Round 2 of World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS results in DropBox will include updated results, student growth percentiles, and progress targets for 2027:

• Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS progress targets provided as scale scores with reference to corresponding proficiency levels
• Alternate Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS progress targets provided as scale scores

October 2026: Schools update Student Information Management System SIMS data to ensure all English learners are identified appropriately for 2027 World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS test administration.

January 6–February 12, 2027: Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS and Alternate Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS administration window. (Makeup window February 15–26, 2027)

Spring 2027:

• World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment WIDA Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS results (scale scores and proficiency levels) will be provided on the new scale.
• Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE will use current exit criteria of a 4.2 overall proficiency level and a 3.9 literacy composite proficiency level on the old 2017–2025 Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State ACCESS scale. Schools will need to use a conversion table provided by the state to assess exit in 2027.
• Progress can be monitored directly by comparing scale score progress targets to scale score performance.
• Updates to exit criteria may be considered for 2028 and beyond.

Last Updated: June 1, 2026