All English Learners (ELs), in K-12, are expected to take the ACCESS for ELLs or the WIDA Alternate ACCESS annually to fulfill the federal and state requirement of measuring English Learners’ progress in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. There is no assessment exemption for an Active EL or students who “opt-out” of the Language Instruction English Program (LIEP) or services. However, for those Active EL students with an IEP or 504 plan that cannot access a domain (i.e., Listening), an ACCESS Domain Exemption Request, SAER System, may be submitted.
The ACCESS for ELLs assessment window is open from January 21 through February 28. Testing administrators should consult the Wyoming ACCESS for ELLs Checklist to review each step in the testing process and ensure preparedness to administer these assessments.
Signed Wyoming Assessment Security Agreements for K-12 Statewide Assessments for administering the ACCESS are required. For more information on assessment security measures, refer to Wyoming’s Assessment Security Guide.
Administrators must abide by all Assessment Security and Administration best practices including:
- WIDA and WDE do not recommend scheduling all testing for any given student consecutively on one day to allow students to focus and show their best work.
- Never administer different domain tests to a single testing group. For example, don’t have one student take the Listening test while another student takes the Reading, Writing, or Speaking test.
- Administer each language domain test in a single test administration session. Do not split a domain test across multiple days or multiple testing sessions within a single day. To avoid this scenario, be sure to schedule plenty of time for students to complete the test. Plan ahead so that students don’t stop in the middle of a domain test for recess, lunch, or the end of the school day.
- The four Alternate ACCESS for ELLs domain tests can be administered in any order and are not timed.
For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, Education Consultant – English Learner, at antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov or 307-777-5217.
