Question of the Week
Q: When will the ACCESS/ WIDA Alternate ACCESS testing window for English Learners (ELs) occur for the 2023-2024 school year?
A:The testing window for ACCESS/WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELs for 2023-2024 will be Jan. 4-February 16. More schedule details will be released in the 2023 Back to School Trainings for ACCESS/WIDA Alternate ACCESS in early August.
New High School Feedback Reports are Available for Review
The Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYStats) is providing High School Feedback Reports (HSFR) for the graduating class of 2021 for district review. The review window is through Friday, August 11, with the public release planned for later that month. Superintendents were informed of this release in the Commissioner’s Monday, 7/10 email. District assessment coordinators (DACs) are being provided an URL and password to access the reports and are asked to download these reports and share with superintendents and principals.
These reports should be considered DRAFT; all district reports are currently viewable through the link, but reports may change if data issues are found. These draft reports are for internal review only and should not be shared until public release. Districts are asked to review the report on college going and success for the high school graduating class of 2021. The report compares: student outcomes including college-going rates, types of schools attended, how students performed in their first year at in-state public colleges and universities and financial aid received by students.
To access the reports:
URL: SignIn - KYSTATS
Password: Please contact Barret Ross if you need the password
If DACs have questions, please contact Barrett Ross at KYStats.
2023-2024 WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Updates
The Accessibility and Accommodations Manual and related resources for accessibility have been posted to the WIDA website.
Find Accommodations Checklists in Appendix D of the Accessibility and Accommodations Manual and in the Resource Library on the WIDA website.
2023-2024 LEA WIDA Q&A Webinar Schedule
The 2023-2024 Local Educational Agency (LEA) Q&A Webinar dates and links are posted to the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal. This is a series of 23 live webinars presented by DRC and WIDA. They are intended to help test coordinators, test administrators, and technology coordinators prepare to administer the ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Screener assessments.
All Q&A webinars are recorded and will be available on the WIDA Secure Portal approximately one week after they are presented. Each month, WIDA will announce upcoming webinars in WIDA Monday Mail.
New this year:
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The Welcome Back: What’s new this year? webinar has been expanded to 90 minutes to allow for additional educator Q&A time.
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The During Testing: Technology Troubleshooting webinar has been moved from January to December, allowing technology coordinators to attend earlier in the testing season.
As a reminder, LEA Q&A webinars are designed to provide supplementary information on WIDA assessments and test administration procedures. They are not designed to replace the assessment training courses located in the WIDA Secure Portal.
July and August WIDA Screeners Q&A Webinars
Please join WIDA and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) to learn about the following assessment topics:
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WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Tuesday, July 25 at 1-2 p.m. CT
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WIDA Screener Online Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 1-2 p.m. CT
Learn more and add these upcoming webinars to the calendar on the Webinars page (login required).
Can’t make it? The recordings for WIDA Q&A Webinars are posted to the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page within a week of the presentation.
WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT Updates Available
The 2023-2024 updates to WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT are available.
New applications for student and test management, and new ways to import students, and access score reports are now available in WIDA AMS for the 2023-2024 WIDA Screener Online administration. Additionally, the DRC INSIGHT secure student browser has been redesigned for a more accessible student testing experience. As district and school staff familiarize with these changes, keep the following in mind:
- Get more information: Read Get Ready for 2023-24 Updates to WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT for all the details or watch the DRC Technical Enhancements for 2023-2024 webinar recording, located on the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal.
- Prepare for testing: Visit the Public Test Resources section of the WIDA AMS home page to view an updated test demo, test practice, and online sample items for WIDA Screener Online. Learn to navigate the new student browser so you can support your students.
- Import students correctly in WIDA AMS: Make sure to use the correct WIDA Student Import sample file and file layout for 2023-2024. Columns in the file layout have been reorganized and all accommodations will now be entered in a single field. Find the file layout and instructions in WIDA AMS in the online help feature of Import Management.
- Know where to go for more support: Click on the question mark icon in the upper right corner of Import, Student, or Test Management to access the new online help feature.
Still need assistance? Contact DRC Customer Service or phone (855) 787-9615
2023-2024 WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT Technology Documentation
The following documents are now available in WIDA AMS, under My Applications > General Information > Documents. Unless otherwise indicated, no changes were made to the content of the document.
- DRC INSIGHT Technology User Guide-this user guide has been updated to include the new requirement that only an admin user may update the DRC INSIGHT secure student browser.
- WIDA AMS User Guide-Information regarding the Import Management, Student Management, and Test Management applications has been removed from this document and can be found in the Online Help feature of WIDA AMS.
- ACCESS for ELLs Headset Specifications
- DRC Network Evaluation and Troubleshooting
- Site Technology Readiness Checklist
- Testing Site Capacity Estimator
- Chrome OS Device Support for 2023-2024
- DRC INSIGHT Supported System Requirements for June 2023 – October 2023
- Tech Bulletin: Windows All-in-One Quick Reference Guide-references to enabling the auto-update feature have been removed.
- Tech Bulletin: macOS All-in-One Quick Reference Guide-references to enabling the auto-update feature have been removed.
- Tech Bulletin: Extended Retries
- Tech Bulletin: Updating DRC INSIGHT Secure Browser on Windows and Mac Testing Devices
- Technology Troubleshooting and Issue Report Form
Upcoming Change to WIDA Customer Service Hours
The WIDA Client Services Center will be closed on the following dates and times to allow staff to participate in organization-wide professional development activities.
- Monday, July 17: Closed from 12-5 p.m. CT
- Tuesday, July 18: Closed
- Wednesday, July 19: Closed from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. CT
- Thursday, July 20: Closed from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. CT
Deadline for G-Codes to be Entered into IC for 2022-2023 School Year (Reminder)
The end of the school year is a very busy time and there are many actions to take to complete the year. As a reminder, the Graduation Codes (G-Codes) are due soon. Rodney Bennett, with the Division of District Services, monitors G-code entry and the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will use that data for Graduation Rate reporting this fall in the School Report Card. The deadline for G-codes to be entered in Infinite Campus (IC) was June 30. The G-code end status and graduation tab must be complete in IC for all summer school graduates by July 31. OAA will run and provide to districts initial graduation rates based on final year G-codes from June 30. OAA will monitor for any data quality issues and follow-up with DACs in July and calculate final graduation rates in early August based on any changes from summer graduates.
For assistance with cohort questions, in SDRR, click on the I NEED HELP button and choose Cohort. If you do not find the answer there, contact David Curd via e-mail or phone (502) 564-9853, ext. 4744.
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