DESE is providing the following essential information to assist school personnel as they complete the annual federally mandated statewide assessment for students identified as English learners.
Registration is now available. DESE will make available the PowerPoint slides for the workshops on the Massachusetts state page on the WIDA website under Manuals, Guides and Workshops. New test coordinators should take the online training(s) in the WIDA Secure Portal for the tests they will administer before participating in the DESE training webinar.
Training and Certification Requirements for ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinators and Test Administrators — Prior to TestingBefore the start of testing, all ACCESS for ELLs test administrators and test coordinators must complete the online training course(s) and pass the certification quiz(zes) for the tests they will administer. Recertification is required every two years. Certified educators who administered the ACCESS tests in 2023 (last school year) should review the redesigned training courses for those assessments, as there have been DRC Enhancements for 2023–24, but need not requalify on the quiz(zes). Individual certification history is available in the WIDA Secure Portal, under Manage > My Profile.
Technology Coordinators must complete the Site Technology Readiness Checklist for Deploying WIDA Online Assessments, located in WIDA AMS under General Information > Documents.
See the ACCESS for ELLs Checklists for more information regarding required online training modules. The 2023–24 ACCESS for ELLs training modules are available in the WIDA Secure Portal under the "Assessment Training" tab.
All staff administering the WIDA Alternate ACCESS will need to complete the training and certification quizzes, as the test is brand new this year. Please visit WIDA Alternate ACCESS Updates for information about the new test.
Preordered ACCESS Test Materials and the Test Setup Window — Beginning November 30, 2023
a. Preordered Test MaterialsDESE will preorder tests for every school again this year, based on each school's certified October SIMS data and the test formats and accommodations used by students the previous year. If a student enrolls after the October SIMS was submitted, or if a different test is needed for a student than was preordered, the school should order the appropriate test materials during the additional test materials ordering window (January 4–February 9, 2024).
On or about November 30, DESE will post the Pre-ID files that were used to place test orders for each school in their ACCESS 2024 DropBox in the DESE Security Portal. Schools should review these files and make any necessary changes in WIDA AMS during the test setup window, which opens on November 30, 2023, as changes made in WIDA AMS will override the data that were uploaded in the Pre-ID file.
Students who were exited from EL status after October SIMS was submitted should be removed from test registrations during test setup and coded as non-EL in March SIMS. Students who enrolled after October SIMS should be added to test registrations. Please see the email that will be sent from DRC on or about November 22, 2023, announcing the opening of the test setup window and where to find information about making changes to test registrations.
Preordered AccommodationsThe following accommodations will be preordered for students who used them last year:
ACCESS test coordinators should confirm whether accommodations are still required and are listed (or updated) in WIDA AMS prior to testing students.
b. Test SetupOn November 30, schools may begin the process of Test Setup in WIDA AMS, during which ACCESS test coordinators can verify and change test registrations, update student demographic information (including accommodations), add students who enrolled in their school after the October SIMS was submitted to DESE, or remove students who exited after the October SIMS was submitted to DESE. More information on managing test registrations is available on page 80 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.
Testing Format and the Additional Materials Window — January 4–February 9, 2024Virtually all students are expected to take computer-based (i.e., online) tests, with the following exceptions:
Paper-based tests may be ordered during the additional test materials ordering window (January 4–February 9, 2024). A small overage of materials is shipped to each school in the initial shipment. Please check the overage before ordering additional materials.
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 an overage that should be used as needed before ordering additional materials. Paper tests will be ordered for students in kindergarten and students who took the Alternate ACCESS in 2023.
Based on the test formats taken in 2023, DESE has preordered the following test formats for 2024:
Redesigned WIDA Alternate ACCESSThe WIDA Alternate ACCESS has been redesigned this year and is only available for EL students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades K–12. Criteria for participation in the WIDA Alternate ACCESS are described in the Participation Guidelines for WIDA Alternate ACCESS 2023–2024.
As a reminder, all staff who will administer the WIDA Alternate ACCESS will need to complete the training and certification quizzes found in the WIDA Secure Portal.
More information about the assessment (which now includes kindergarten) can be found on the WIDA Alternate ACCESS Updates page.
Test Administration ResourcesThe following resources contain useful information regarding test preparation, management, and administration:
Tasks for Educational Technology Coordinators — Prior to TestingEducational technology coordinators must update their contact information in the DESE School and District Profiles and in WIDA AMS for school year 2023–24 if this information has changed since last year. District ACCESS for ELLs test coordinators are authorized to create new accounts for educational technology coordinators by following the instructions posted on the DESE ACCESS web page.
Educational technology directors and district ACCESS for ELLs test coordinators should also review the updates described in the email sent from DRC on or around November 18, 2023, in preparation for ACCESS for ELLs testing in January/February 2024.
Technology staff should also review the following documents posted in WIDA AMS under My Applications > General Information > Documents:
Thank you for your attention to this information. Please share this and future EL Assessment Updates with staff who will be involved with ACCESS testing.
Contact Student Assessment Services with any policy questions about ACCESS for ELLs testing at access@mass.gov or by phone at 781-338-3625. Contact DRC Customer Support at 855-787-9615 or wida@datarecognitioncorp.com with questions on logistics.
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.