Question of the Week
Q: What information will be used for exiting students from English Learner services for the 2025 WIDA Alternate ACCESS assessment?
A: 2025 WIDA Alternate ACCESS student reports from WIDA and Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) will be provided as proficiency levels (PL1, PL2, PL3, PL4, PL5) based on the WIDA Alternate ACCESS Interpretive Guide for Score Reports. However, the data that will be loaded into the Infinite Campus (IC) student assessment tab will be based on the previous proficiency levels (A1, A2 A3, P1, P2 and P3) using the concordance tables.
For the 2024-2025 school year, district and school staff should not remove students from English Learner (EL) services or exit the EL students based on the score reports provided online in WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) starting on April 28 or with paper reports shipped to the districts on May 7-8. Exiting of students with an overall composite P2 should be determined once the WIDA Alternate scores are available in IC. The Kentucky Department Education (KDE) will work to import the scores for districts in state edition of IC in late summer to ensure districts have time to make these determinations prior to start of school, to meet the 30-day notification deadline. Communication will be shared with districts once the WIDA Alternate ACCESS scores are available in IC.
Note: Once the new WIDA Alternate exit criteria are set next year, then the Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA) will use the new PL 1-5.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
New DAC Contact Lookup Tool Now Available
OAA has launched a new web application to support District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) during the upcoming Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) testing season. The DAC Contact Lookup Tool is now live and accessible on the Accountability and Data Release Resources webpage.
The tool provides real-time updates of DAC contact information, including email addresses and office phone numbers, to ensure accurate and timely communication across districts. The resource supports coordination for KSA student transfers, K Screen Online Management System (OMS) transfers, verification of enrollment data during 100-day accountability review in SDRR, and additional assessment-related processes.
To maintain accurate information, please submit updates using the appropriate forms:
- Use the DAC Contact Information Update Form to report changes in the designated DAC. Accurate DAC identification ensures proper access to assessment communications, resources, and reporting tools.
- Use the DAC Address Update Form to update the shipping address for testing materials. Correct shipping information ensures secure and timely delivery of test materials for statewide assessments.
For questions and technical support, please contact Ben Riley.
ACT Spring 2025 Junior State Administration – State Testing Satisfaction Survey
With the ACT Spring 2025 Junior State Administration complete, ACT will send a state testing satisfaction survey to school and district testing staff today, April 21. The survey is intended to gather input from testing staff to be considered for the purposes of continuous improvement. Thank you for your time and participation
For questions and assistance, please contact Christen Roseberry.
District Test Window Collection for KSA
District Test Window Collection for the KSA closed on March 28 in the Student Data Review and Rosters (SDRR) application. If district staff need to make changes to the district’s school calendars in Infinite Campus (IC) due to HB 241, inclement weather closures, or for any other reason that impacts the district testing window in SDRR, DACs need to email kdeassessment@education.ky.gov.
SDRR "Hot Topic" Office Hour Reminder
The Student Data Review and Roster (SDRR) team in the OAA will be hosting the second SDRR "Hot Topic" Office Hour on Spring Rosters Task List and Ticketing Basics tomorrow, April 22, from 1-2 p.m. ET in Microsoft Teams.
Please refer to the SDRR February DAC Training PPT for additional SDRR "Hot Topic" Office Hours and the Microsoft Teams login information for each session.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
Kindergarten ACCESS Training Course
Now that the Kindergarten ACCESS Field Test is complete, WIDA can redesign the Kindergarten ACCESS training course so that it matches the new assessment, WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten.
The Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs: Administration and Scoring training course will be unavailable from April 30 through Sept. 28. Even though the course will be unavailable, district and school staff will still be able to access the existing certificates in the WIDA Secure Portal.
The redesigned WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring training course will go live on Sept. 29.
Note: The reason the course gets released a few weeks after other ACCESS courses is because WIDA needs this extra time to process hundreds of Speaking and Writing samples from the field test and choose the ones to be added to the course.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
WIDA ACCESS and WIDA Screener Speaking Scoring Training Course Changes
In the 2025-2026 WIDA testing year, WIDA is releasing WIDA ACCESS, which will incorporate the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, and will have a new Speaking Scoring Rubric. WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille will continue to use the Speaking Scoring Scale. Since speaking scoring will differ among tests, WIDA will have to split up the training courses in the WIDA Secure Portal.
2025-2026 Speaking scoring courses:
Available July 1
- Speaking for Grades 1-5: Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
- Speaking for Grades 6-12: Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
Available Sept. 1
- Speaking for Grades 1-5: Scoring ACCESS Paper
- Speaking for Grades 6-12: Scoring ACCESS Paper
Note: If district and school staff are administering both ACCESS Paper and WIDA Screener, or ACCESS Paper and ACCESS Braille, district and school staff will have to certify on separate courses in 2025-2026. Refer to Kentucky's member/state page this summer and fall for Kentucky's certification requirements.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
Engaging Multilingual Learners in Social Studies Classrooms
Teaching and learning social studies provide a unique opportunity for multilingual learners (MLs) to make connections between their global citizenship, academic learning and their roles across communities. Read the article on Engaging Multilingual Learners in Social Studies Classrooms to learn how inquiry, storytelling and multimodal resources can build bridges between language, culture and content learning, and encourage authentic engagement of MLs during social studies class.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
K Screen Train the Trainers for New Staff Reminder
KDE and Curriculum Associates will host a virtual Kindergarten Screen Train the Trainers, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 30, via Zoom. This training is required for new K Screen coordinators, who will need to provide the three-hour training to teachers and district staff. This training is only required for new K Screen coordinators.
Participants are asked to bring the following items to assist with the training:
- Copy of the K&1 Screen III;
- The manipulatives (packages of blocks and shapes); and
- Children’s books with at least three pages of text on each page.
Register for the K Screen Train the Trainers event by completing this Google Form. KDE will be accepting registrations until 5 p.m. ET on Friday, April 25.
Attendees will receive 6 hours of Effective Instructional Leadership Act (EILA) credit. KDE will also be hosting an in-person Train the Trainers on July 15 at the Sower building in Frankfort for those who cannot make it to the April event. More information for registration will be shared soon.
For questions, please contact Tiffany Christopher.
K Screen Entering Prior Settings in IC Instructional Video Now Available
A new training video, Entering Prior Settings in Infinite Campus, is now available to support district and school staff. This training is designed to ensure the accurate and timely entry of prior settings data in both the current version of Infinite Campus and the upcoming newly released version.
The video provides detailed guidance to assist staff in meeting federal data reporting requirements and supporting accurate data collection for the Kentucky K Screen program. Accurate entry of prior settings is a critical component of the process and plays a key role in maintaining data integrity across districts and schools.
The training video resource can be accessed from the KDE Common Kindergarten Entry Screener webpage. These resources are especially helpful for new DACs or anyone involved in data entry and verification tasks within IC.
If district and school staff have questions, please contact Tiffany Christopher.
K Screen Materials Replacement Process Due to Flood Damage
KDE and Curriculum Associates recognize the challenges districts and schools may be facing in the wake of recent flooding. To assist with the recovery process, KDE is offering a pathway for districts to request replacement K Screen materials that were damaged due to flooding.
If the current district order for 2025-2026 K Screen materials or materials already in the district’s possession, such as reusable teacher kits, manipulatives, or student data sheets from prior years, were affected by flooding, please complete the following Google form to request replacements.
This form will help KDE and Curriculum Associates assess the needs and coordinate the appropriate support. KDE understands the burden that natural disasters can place on schools and communities and are here to assist districts through the process.
If districts have questions or need further assistance, please contact Tiffany Christopher.
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