DESE – WIDA ACCESS 

For more complete information about English Language Proficiency assessments, please see the LEA Guide to ELP Assessments available HERE. According to Federal Compliance regulations (in regard to equal opportunity for all students) from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the reauthorization through Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to meet Title I and Title III requirements, states are mandated to annually administer a standards-based English language proficiency test to all ELLs in grades K-12.As part of the WIDA consortium, 

Missouri uses an annual summative assessment called the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. The assessment is a secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment given to K-12 students who have been identified as ELLs. It is mostly an online assessment, for ELLs in Grades 1-12, while the Kindergarten version is given individually to students by a trained staff member. The assessment allows educators, students, and families to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards.WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assesses each of the four language domains--Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing separately. It also attempts to replicate the kinds of communicative situations (and the language needed to be processed or produced within them) that might be encountered in different school contexts. Each assessment item and task will target at least one of the five WIDA ELD Standards:

·  Social and Instructional Language

·  Language of Language Arts

·  Language of Mathematics

·  Language of Science

·  Language of Social Studies

Purpose and Use of WIDA ACCESS 2.0

·  Helps students understand their current level of English language proficiency along the developmental continuum.

·  Serves as one of multiple measures used to determine those students prepared to exit English language support programs.

·  Provides teachers with information they can subsequently use to enhance instruction and learning in programs for their English language learners.

·  Provides districts with information that will help them evaluate the effectiveness of their ESL/bilingual programs.

·  Meets federal requirements for the monitoring of ELL student progress toward English language proficiency.

ACCESS 2.0 Clusters Language and cognition develop quickly in younger children, broadening in depth and breadth as they mature. In order to better measure younger students' language development, ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 will include a separate test form for Grades 1-2, while Grades 3-5 will form a new grade cluster. The two remaining test forms will assess the proficiency of middle school (Grades 6-8) and high school (Grades 9-12) English language learners. 

The ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Summative Assessment will be a mostly online test for grades 1-12. In addition to standardizing the test-taking experience for all students, it is expected that the multimedia and dynamism of a computer-delivered assessment will more readily engage students--from item presentation and capturing responses, to accessibility and scoring efficiency.

Who Takes ACCESS for ELLs?
Students who are K-12 students that are identified for ESL services AND Enrolled in a Missouri public school or charter school are required to take the ACCESS assessment. Students who are in monitored status (MY1, MY2) do not take the assessment. If the student transfers into the LEA after the state ACCESS for ELLs testing window has already begun, then the LEA is not required to test the student, but has the option to do so.

Alternate ACCESS for ELLs
The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is an English language proficiency assessment designed for ELL students with significant cognitive disabilities and who receive special education services under the IDEA act of 2004. This includes students who require substantial supports and extensive direct individualized instruction to achieve measurable gains in grade level curriculum. ELL students are eligible to take the Alternate ACCESS test if they will be taking other statewide alternative assessments, such as the MAP-A for Missouri.