Schools will not order ACCESS for ELLs test materials for their schools in October as they have in the past. Instead, the Department will pre-order tests for every school. Test materials will be pre-ordered based on each school's October SIMS data and the test formats and other accommodations used by students the previous year. If a student enrolls after the district's October SIMS submission, or if a different test is needed for a student than was pre-ordered, the school should order the appropriate test materials during the Additional Test Materials Ordering Window between January 2–31, 2020.
By December 5, DESE will post the Pre-ID files that were used to place test orders for each school in their DESE DropBox on the Security Portal. Students listed in the file will have tests ordered for them based on the October SIMS data and the test format they took last year. The accommodations used previously will also be included in the file. Schools should review these files during the test set-up window (December 5, 2019 – February 7, 2020) and make any changes needed, including the addition of new students, by downloading the file in Excel. Once changes are made, the file should be saved in csv format before uploading to WIDA AMS. Changes made in WIDA AMS will override what was pre-loaded.
Three accommodations will be pre-ordered for students who used these last year, including:
ACCESS Test Coordinators should make sure those accommodation(s) are still required and are listed (or updated) in WIDA AMS prior to testing the student.
Virtually all students are expected to take computer-based (i.e., online) tests, with the following exceptions. Paper-based tests may be provided as an accommodation if the student is either a first-year EL with no familiarity with computers, or an EL with a disability that would prevent him or her from testing on a computer. Students in grades 1–3 will take the test online but will be provided paper "handwriting" booklets in which to record their responses on the Writing test. "Handwriting" booklets will arrive with test materials shipped to your school and will include overage that should be used as needed before ordering additional materials. Additionally, paper tests will be ordered for students in Kindergarten. Students who took either the Braille test or Alternate ACCESS in 2019 will also have those test formats pre-ordered for 2020.
By December 5, schools may begin the process of Test Set-up, during which ACCESS Test Coordinators can verify and change test sessions, update student demographic information (including accommodations), and add students who enrolled in their school after the October SIMS count was submitted to DESE. More information on test set-up is available on pages 71–78 of the Test Administrator Manual.
The DRC INSIGHT Testing Site Manager software application (TSM) used by schools and districts to download test content has been retired. Please ensure that your district's Educational Technology staff has successfully retired TSMs and migrated to the Central Office Service (COS) - Service Device in all local configurations. TSMs will no longer be supported, and users with a TSM in a COS Configuration will receive an error message when DRC INSIGHT is launched if TSMs have not been migrated to COS-SD.
The resources listed below provide information on the process of installing a COS Service Device and integrating this into an existing configuration using Central Office Services. These resources are available in WIDA AMS (WIDA AMS account log-in required) under All Applications>General Information>Documents>Show Documents.
Additional resources for Educational Technology Directors are available in the WIDA Download Library. The resources cover topics such as making the transition from TSM to COS-SD, ACCESS for ELLs Headset Specifications, Technology Readiness Checklist, and more.
EL students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades 1–12 should participate in the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs only if they are also designated for the MCAS-Alt; or if they are reported in grades 1, 2, 9, 11, or 12, would participate in the MCAS-Alt if it were offered in those grades. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is not available for students in Kindergarten.
In order to determine whether the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is appropriate for a student, all of the following criteria must be met:
Please see the "Alternate ACCESS for ELLs: Participation Guidelines" in the WIDA Secure Portal Download Library for more information.
All ACCESS Test Administrators and Test Coordinators must complete the online training course(s) listed below between October 2019 and the start of testing (preferably, as close as possible to the time of testing) for the tests they will administer. See the 2019-2020 ACCESS for ELLs Checklists for more information regarding required online training modules. The 2019-2020 ACCESS for ELLs training tutorials are available in the WIDA Secure Portal by clicking on either the Paper-Based Grades 1–12 or Online Grades 1–12 tiles.
The following resources contain useful information regarding test preparation, management and administration. Please review them prior to and during test administration.
DESE will conduct webinars for new and returning ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinators this fall, according to the schedule below. Each district may register up to two participant log-ins, unless your District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator received an email indicating a different number. The Department will post a recording of the webinar on the ACCESS web page approximately one week after the first New and Returning Test Coordinator presentation. The webinar for new Test Coordinators will also be posted to the WIDA MA State Page by mid-December. Prior to attending the webinar, please ensure that you have taken the online training(s) in the WIDA Secure Portal for the tests you will administer.
Dates for the webinars are:
Please register.
Massachusetts educators who have a WIDA personal account will receive weekly emails from WIDA regarding relevant information on the instruction and assessment of ELs in Massachusetts. Please review this important information when it is sent to you. If you are not receiving these emails, please make sure your account is updated with your correct email address.
If you do not have a WIDA personal account and wish to create one for the first time, please see the Instructions for Creating WIDA Accounts on the DESE website. Those with an existing account that may be outdated may wish to update their account information in the WIDA Secure Portal. Please see the instructions page on the DESE website for information how to update your WIDA account.
Students taking the ACCESS Speaking test should practice using the headset and speaking into the microphone prior to taking the test. Practice tests and guides for preparing students for online ACCESS testing are located on the WIDA website. In addition, a guide to preparing students for the Speaking test is available on the DESE website. The ACCESS for ELLs Speaking Scoring Scale, available in the WIDA Secure Portal Download library, is also useful in understanding how students will be scored on the Speaking domain. Finally, the ACCESS for ELLs: Speaking Domain, 7-23-19 webinar is another useful resource available in the WIDA Secure Portal Download Library.
For those administering the paper-based test, the Supplemental Training for the Speaking test is available within the ACCESS for ELLs Paper training course. WIDA has also made available the Speaking Test at a Glance that provides guidance for test administrators who are planning to administer the ACCESS for ELLs Paper-based Speaking Test.
WIDA will hold monthly webinars from September 2019–March 2020. The webinar schedule, topics, and the links to join webinars are available in the WIDA Secure Portal Download Library accessed through your WIDA personal account.
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.
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.