ACCESS

Wyoming Department of Education > For District Leadership > Assessment – State System > ACCESS

Contact Information

EL/Foreign Language Consultant
Antoinette Hallam
(307) 777-5217
antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT

An English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) assesses students’ progress towards attaining English proficiency. Wyoming’s ELPA is called the ACCESS for ELLs® and WIDA Alternate ACCESS from the WIDA consortium.  Active English learners are required to participate in ACCESS once per year. WIDA Alternate ACCESS is available for English learners who have been designated as a Student with the Most Significant Cognitive Disability (SMSCD) for the purposes of state assessments.

Assessment Links:

ASSESSING ENGLISH LEARNERS

ACCESS for ELLs is a secure, large-scale, English language proficiency assessment developed by the WIDA consortium. Wyoming joined the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) consortium in 2009. The WIDA consortium’s goal is to provide research-based assessments, standards, and professional development to its member states. The WIDA consortium is dedicated to the design and implementation of high standards and equitable educational opportunities for English learners.

ACCESS assessments are administered to Kindergarten through 12th-grade students who have been identified as Active ELs. It is given annually to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards and assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.

In Wyoming, Active English learners taking the WY-TOPP or the WY-ALT may be exempt from the English Language Arts portion of the statewide annual assessment during their first year as an English learner. Starting their second year, English learners must participate in all content areas of the statewide annual assessment.

WIDA Screener 

WIDA Screener for Kindergarten or WIDA Screener

Wyoming uses the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten to identify English Learners (ELs) in Kindergarten and WIDA Screener for Grades 1-12. These screeners are used upon enrollment for the following purposes:

  • To identify students who may or may not be candidates for EL and/or bilingual services.
  • To determine the academic English language proficiency levels of students new to a school of to the U.S. school system in order to assign appropriate levels and amount of instructional services.
  • To accurately assign students identified as ELs to one of the tiers for ACCESS for ELLs.

WIDA Model Kindergarten Screener

Wyoming also uses WIDA MODEL Kindergarten Screener to identify ELs in Kindergarten. This screener is used upon enrollment for the following purposes:

  • To identify students who may or may not be candidates for EL and/or bilingual services.
  • To determine the academic English language proficiency levels of students new to the U.S. school system in order to assign appropriate levels and amount of instructional services.
  • To accurately assign students identified as ELs to one of the tiers for ACCESS for ELLs.

ACCESS for ELLs®

Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners, also known as, ACCESS for ELLs is a secure large-scale online and paper-based English language proficiency assessment. It is administered to Kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as ELs during the annual testing window, which typically lasts from mid-January through late February. It is given annually in WIDA Consortium member states to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards and assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Districts provide accommodations and support on ACCESS tests and list them in a students’ Individual English Learner Plan, 504, and/or Individual Educational Program (IEP).

WIDA Alternate ACCESS

WIDA Alternate ACCESS is the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) for English Learner in grades K-12 designated as a Student with the Most Significant Cognitive Disability (SMSCD) for the purposes of assessment. WIDA Alternate ACCESS meets federal accountability requirements and provides educators with a measure for English Learners designated as SMSCD. Participation in the WIDA Alternate ACCESS is determined by the student’s IEP team.

Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Participation Criteria:
  • The student has been classified as an EL and is eligible for special education services under IDEA.
  • The student has been given the designation of student with the most significant cognitive disability (SMSCD) by the IEP team and will participate in the WY-ALT.

In order to receive meaningful information from WIDA Alternate ACCESS, it is very important that only students who are ELs and meet the alternate assessment participation criteria use WIDA Alternate ACCESS. Other ELs should continue to take the existing ACCESS for ELLs assessment, with appropriate accommodations as necessary. Districts provide accommodations on ACCESS and list them in the student’s 504 or IEPs.

WIDA MODEL Interim Assessments (K-12)

WIDA MODEL (Measure of Developing English Language) is a suite of English language proficiency assessments for grades K-12. As a flexible, on-demand language proficiency assessment, WIDA MODEL can be administered at any time during the school year, depending on the needs of the district, school, teacher or student. In Wyoming, one administration is available per student from October 1, 2023 to June 15, 2024, and each license allows for one administration.  When administered in October, scores may be used to show needed instructional areas before the ACCESS for ELLs testing window opens in January. If utilized in May or June, scores may be used to plan programming for next year. MODEL Interim Assessments are meant to be more formative because scores are instantly available. More information can be found on the MODEL FAQ.

Purpose and Usage of Assessment 

The purpose of the English language proficiency (ELP) assessment is to help educators make decisions about their students’ English academic language and to facilitate their language development. 

Wyoming uses these test results for accountability purposes under the WAEA, as a measure for educators to make decisions about individual student supports and programs, and to support decisions about placement and progress in an English learner program. 

Helpful Links:

ACCESS for ELLs Technical Report

Please contact  Becca Velikaneye, WDE Assessment Supervisor, at 307-777-6804 or rebecca.velikaneye@wyo.gov for a copy of the ACCESS for ELLs Technical Report.