About ACCESS Testing

English Learners are identified at registration by the Home Language Survey completed by the family. If the student is new to the system, this kick-starts a process of screening, placement, and testing within the ESOL Department. It looks a little something like this:

ACCESS 2.0, a language proficiency assessment developed by WIDA, is used throughout South Carolina and other states to gauge the English language development of our English Learners. Students are assessed on the five overarching English Language Development Standards:

ELD Standard 1: Social and Instructional Language

ELD Standard 2: The Language of Language Arts

ELD Standard 3: The Language of Mathematics

ELD Standard 4: The Language of Science

ELD Standard 5: The Language of Social Studies

ACCESS 2.0 focuses on how a student uses the English language to gather and share information about content. Throughout the exam, a student's Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing is assessed.

Helping EL Students Prepare for ACCESS Testing

As educators, we all know that students perform at their best when they know what to expect and what they need to do in order to be successful. WIDA provides many resources to help teachers better prepare their students for the ACCESS 2.0.

While English language proficiency testing has always been important, a stronger emphasis is now being placed on it at the state level. For those schools with 20 or more EL students, performance on the ACCESS 2.0 will be factored in as a portion of the school's overall accountability.

With that in mind, take a look at what students can expect to see on this exam. How could you help your EL students prepare for success?

WIDA_gettingready_access online.pdf

The Speaking portion of the ACCESS test can be tricky for some students. The test requires students to listen to a prompt (for most kids, they may only hear it once), and respond accordingly within a certain time limit. As we work with students throughout the school year, training them to think about a response before supplying it will be vital! Check out the "Online Speaking Guidance" flyer for your appropriate grade level cluster to find more tips about how students can be more successful on this part of ACCESS 2.0.

WIDA_flyer_Speaking 1-3.pdf

WIDA_flyer_Speaking 4-5.pdf

WIDA_flyer_Speaking 6-12.pdf

And last, but certainly not least...WIDA provides several demos and test practice platforms where students can pretend as if they are actually taking the ACCESS 2.0!

ACCESS 2.0 Test Demo

ACCESS 2.0 Sample Test Items

ACCESS 2.0 Practice Test