This update provides guidance to schools that are preparing to administer the ACCESS for ELLs tests in January–May, 2021.
In consideration of the need to test all English learners this school year, the Commissioner has extended the ACCESS for ELLs testing window from January 7 to May 20, 2021. Schools will be able to administer the ACCESS tests at any time between those dates, but should use their discretion to determine when to schedule testing for their English learners in light of additional MCAS testing scheduled for spring. Test materials should be returned to DRC on or before May 21, 2021. We will provide you with updates as they are made available. We appreciate the effort that schools and districts are making to prepare their facilities and students for testing this school year.
Schools should plan to receive their electronic 2021 ACCESS test results on or about August 5, with printed reports sent to schools in September once schools reopen. Please be aware that ACCESS results for all students will be returned at the same time, regardless of when tests are administered during the window. We realize this may delay your decision-making for programming and reclassification of EL students for the 2021–2022 school year but will allow many more students to participate in testing due to the longer testing window.
The Principal's Pre-Administration Manual has been updated to reflect the new timeline and has been reposted to the DESE ACCESS website.
Safety guidelines for schools before, during, and after the ACCESS test administration can be found in the Assessment Best Practices During COVID-19 publication on the DESE ACCESS website. This includes sections on managing test materials, preparing spaces for testing, scheduling, and sanitizing. General guidance regarding student safety during in-person learning can be found in the Department's Initial Fall School Reopening Guidance.
The following information pertains to students who were provisionally screened for their English language proficiency since last March 2020:
The Pre-ID Student Data File is now available in the Security Portal DropBox. This file contains a list of students in your school and/or district for whom the Department has already ordered ACCESS tests and is also available in WIDA AMS. Between December 3 and May 20, 2021, test coordinators will be able to review student data for their school in WIDA AMS and perform the following tasks:
Changes made in WIDA AMS will override what was pre-loaded.
Accommodations used by students the previous year will be carried over to the current Pre-ID File, except that first-year ELs who took a paper-based assessment last year will have an online test ordered for them this year. Kindergarten students who needed the Alternate ACCESS test last year and were coded SPD for all domains will have an Alternate ACCESS test ordered for them this year.
The initial delivery of test materials is scheduled to arrive in schools on January 4. Schools should ensure that someone is available to receive and securely store materials prior to use during testing. If a student enrolled 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 4–May 14, 2021. It generally takes about five days for additional order shipments to reach schools. Schools should make every effort to include all of their additional order requests in a single additional materials order.
Students for whom Pre-ID data was submitted will be grouped automatically in test sessions, by grade cluster, for each of the four tested domains (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking). Grouping in test sessions does not mean that these students must be tested together, only that similar students have been grouped together during the pre-loading of files. To view test sessions, log in to WIDA AMS, click on Test Management, and then click on Manage Test Sessions. This view can be filtered by a specific district or school and displays the status of the test session: Not Started, In Progress, or Completed. Detailed information on Test Sessions can be found in the WIDA AMS User Guide in the WIDA Secure Portal Download Library.
As of December 3, schools may begin the process of Test Setup during which ACCESS Test Coordinators can verify and change test sessions, update student demographic information (including accommodations), add students who enrolled in their school after the October SIMS count was submitted to DESE, remove from test sessions students who exited after October SIMS, remove from test sessions students who were provisionally identified as EL and were screened as non-EL after the October SIMS was submitted to DESE. More information on managing test sessions is available beginning on page 63 of the WIDA AMS User Guide.
Virtually all students are expected to take computer-based (i.e., online) tests. However, paper-based tests may be ordered during the Additional Test Materials Ordering window (January 4–May 14) for a student who is either a first-year EL with no familiarity with computers, or an EL with a disability that would prevent them 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. Paper tests were ordered for students in Kindergarten. Students who took either the Braille test or Alternate ACCESS in 2020 have had those test formats pre-ordered for 2021.
* UEB Technical ("Full UEB") ACCESS tests will be available in 2022.
We remind Educational Technology coordinators to review the documentation in the WIDA Secure Portal and WIDA AMS, including the Technology Readiness Checklist , Technology User Guide , and System Requirements , as well as the technology webinars available in the WIDA Secure Portal Download Library. Technology coordinators should also review the changes to supported operating systems, noted in this WIDA Monday Mail, and the changes to URLs that are allowed (formerly called "white-listed"), described on page 24 of the Technology User Guide.
For help with technology set-up and troubleshooting, please contact DRC at (855) 787-9615 or at wida@datarecognitioncorp.com.
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 would be expected to take the MCAS-Alt if they are reported in grades 1, 2, 9, 11, or 12. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is not available for students in Kindergarten.
To determine whether the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is appropriate for a student please see the Participation Guidelines: Which Students Should Take the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs?.
All ACCESS Test Administrators, Test Coordinators, and others (e.g., paraprofessionals) who will administer ACCESS tests must complete the online training course(s) listed below for the tests they will administer between now and the start of testing (preferably, as close as possible to the time of testing). See the ACCESS for ELLs Checklists for more information regarding required online training modules. The 2020-2021 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.
All Test Coordinators and Test Administrators administering ACCESS for the first time must view the online training modules for computer-based (online) testing, and pass the online Administration Quiz with a score of 80% or higher.
Technology Coordinators must view the training materials and complete the checklist for Technology Coordinators, located on the WIDA Secure Portal.
All Test Coordinators and Test Administrators administering ACCESS for the first time must view the online training modules for paper-based testing and pass the online Administration Quiz with a score of 80% or higher for any of the following assessments that will be administered:
The following resources contain useful information regarding test preparation, management and administration. Please review them prior to and during test administration.
The following forms are available on the Department's ACCESS for ELLs webpage:
Click on the link for the form that addresses the situation you are reporting. A response will be sent to the person whose contact information was provided on the form.
Students taking the ACCESS Speaking test should practice using the headset and speaking into the microphone prior to taking the test. WIDA has tested the audio quality of the recording while wearing a mask and has found that wearing a mask has negligible impact. However, please remind students to speak loudly and clearly into the microphone to obtain best results. Practice tests are located on the WIDA website. In addition, a guide to preparing students for the Speaking test is available on the DESE website.
For those administering the paper-based test, the Supplemental Training for the Speaking test is available within the ACCESS for ELLs Paper training course.
To be sure that your WIDA personal account and your WIDA AMS accounts have the correct permissions, please see the Instructions for Creating WIDA Accounts on the DESE ACCESS web page. If you currently have a WIDA personal account or WIDA AMS account, permissions can be updated by a District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator in your district. If you are a new District ACCESS for ELLs Test Coordinator, please see the instructions for how to obtain appropriate permissions with your WIDA personal account and WIDA AMS account.
WIDA will hold monthly webinars now through March 2021. 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@mass.gov or by phone at 781-338-3625.