ACCESS for ELLs®

ACCESS for ELLs® stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English for English Language Learners. It is a large-scale test that first and foremost addresses the English language development standards that form the core of Wisconsin’s approach to instructing and testing English language learners. These standards incorporate a set of model performance indicators (PIs) that describe the expectations educators have of ELL students at five different grade level clusters and in five different content areas.

ACCESS for ELLs® assesses language proficiency and does not assess content area knowledge, unlike the WKCE which assesses a student's comprehension in the content area.

The grade level clusters include K, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. There are five content areas of the standards. The first is called social and instructional language (SI), which incorporates proficiencies needed to deal with the general language of the classroom and the school. The others are English language arts (LA), mathematics (MA), science (SC), and social studies (SS).

For each grade cluster, then, the standards specify one or more performance indicators for each content area within each of the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. The continuum of language development within the five proficiency levels are:

Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Entering	Beginning	Developing	Expanding	Bridging

These levels describe the spectrum of a learner’s progression from knowing little to no English to acquiring the English skills necessary to be successful in an English-only mainstream classroom without extra support. This final, exit stage for ELL status is designated Level 6 (formerly ELL). Level 7 is used for students who are native English speakers or who have never been designated as ELL. Within each combination of grade level, content area, and language domain, there is a PI at each of the five points on the proficiency ladder, and the sequence of these five PIs together describe a logical progression and accumulation of skills on the path to full proficiency.

The goal of the ACCESS for ELLs® test is to allow students to demonstrate their level of language proficiency.

Important Dates - ACCESS for ELLs® Administration Timeline

ACCESS for ELLs® Data Flow

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Standards:

• English Language Proficiency Levels - Definitions of the five limited-English proficiency levels, as well as the two fully-English language proficiency levels 6-7. PDF Format
  
  
• WIDA's English Language Standards - The WIDA Consortium's English Language Proficiency Standards for ELLs in Kindergarten through Grade 12 ("the WIDA Standards") encompass five English language proficiency (ELP) standards and over 800 accompanying model performance indicators.

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ACCESS for ELLs® Training Opportunities-

• ACCESS for ELLs® training:
  This presentation is designed for individuals who will be test administrators for the ACCESS for ELLs® assessment for grades 1-12.
  
  
• ACCESS for ELLs® Kindergarten Training:
  This presentation is designed for individuals who will be test administrators on the ACCESS for ELLs® assessment for Kindergarten students.
  
  
• English Language Proficiency Standards Training:
  This presentation is designed for any individual who works with English language learners. This presentation will discuss Wisconsin’s English language proficiency standards and discuss how to incorporate them into the classroom.
  
  

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Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO):

• Accountability for English Language Learners - The No Child Left Behind Act Requires districts to meet Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for English Language Proficiency (ELP) under Title III Part A accountability requirements.
  
  
• Title III - The school districts that receive Title III funds are reviewed to see if they meet the following three AMAOs for their English learners:
  1. Progress in English language acquisition
  2. Progress in the percentage of students who become proficient in English and no longer qualify for language assistance programs
  3. Satisfactory academic performance on the attainment of academic standards based on the results of the WKCE and the WAA-SwD

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Reclassification

• Criteria for reclassification of ELL students as fully English proficient.
  
  
• District Request & Certification of Change (removal of ACCESS Composite Score from ISES during open data collection) - (a rare request for removal of ACCESS Composite Score from ISES when system is open ~ June through September) - Schools and districts that discover that an English speaking student receives an ACCESS score in error should complete this request for and certification of the necessary correction to non-ELL (ELP 7).

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Contact Information by Topic

	Department of Public Instruction Renae Fjeld Accardo (608) 267-5153 renae.fjeldaccardo@dpi.wi.gov or Kristen Kehoe (608) 267-3164 kristen.kehoe@dpi.wi.gov	WIDA (866) 276-7735 www.wida.us	MetriTech (800) 747-4868 www.metritech.com
Before the test window	Creating an account (W-APT™) Data field questions Forgotten password (W-APT™) Professional development Who must take the ACCESS for ELLs® Assessment	Forgotten password Professional development	Label information Ordering test materials
During the test window	Delivery of test materials What to do if a student moves	Questions about test constructs	How to order additional test booklets
After the test window	Interpreting test results Professional development	Interpreting test results	Incorrect data

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For questions about this information, contact oeamail@dpi.wi.gov

Last updated on 11/9/2009 6:38:57 AM