Question of the Week
Q: When will the 2026 ACCESS Data Validation occur in WIDA AMS for district and school staff to complete?
A: The WIDA ACCESS (online and paper, WIDA Alternate ACCESS, WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten, Accommodated -- Large Print and Braille) Data Validation window for English Learners (ELs) is March 18-April 1. Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) communicated instructions for logging into the WIDA Assessment Management System (AMS) and completing this process to District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) on March 11. This is the last opportunity with DRC to correct any student demographics prior to districts receiving the WIDA ACCESS reports online in WIDA AMS on Monday, April 27 and printed reports in the districts starting on May 7-8. Resources on WIDA ACCESS Data Validation -- (March 3) recording can be found on the webinars page under the WIDA Secure Portal, March DAC Webcast (March 12), Knowledge Articles and WIDA AMS User Guide Supplement-Data Validation in WIDA AMS and in the WIDA Secure Portal.
Districts will need to ensure the following tasks have been completed so that the WIDA ACCESS reports will be accurate:
- Verify that all student demographics are correct except for the district and state-defined optional data fields. If any information is incorrect or missing for a student, please update.
- Fix all duplicate student records and students who tested in grades 1-3 that may have two records. Please avoid deleting any records. To do this, the following fields must be the same and have no blanks for both records:
- Students’ Last Name and First Name
- Birthdate
- SSID -- no Social Security numbers or District IDs
- Grade
- District
- School
- For student records needing to be invalidated (do not score code), contact Chris Williams.
- Save all changes.
For assistance or any questions with the WIDA ACCESS Data Validation process, please contact Chris Williams.
New WIDA Article on Sensemaking with MLs in Science
Science class is the perfect place for Multilingual Learners (MLs) to explore, communicate and make sense of the world through hands-on, language-rich experiences. In the article “Sensemaking with Multilingual Learners in Science,” WIDA Professional Learning Curriculum Specialist Lauren Bartholomae outlines key practices that can foster sensemaking actively trying to figure out how the world works for MLs in science classrooms.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
Updated WIDA Interpretive Guides for Score Reports
The WIDA ACCESS Interpretive Guide for Score Reports and WIDA Alternate ACCESS Interpretive Guide for Score Reports for the 2025-2026 test year are now available on the WIDA website.
New for this year:
- The WIDA ACCESS Interpretive Guide contains guidance related to using scale scores in 2025-2026. WIDA recommends treating this year’s scores as a new baseline to measure growth against. This year’s scale scores cannot be compared with scores from previous years.
- A new section has been added to both documents to explain why some students may receive overall composite scores with missing domains.
- The Kindergarten Scores section of the WIDA ACCESS Interpretive Guide has been revised to explain why proficiency level score limits will still apply to the test in 2025-2026.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
WIDA ACCESS Theme Generator Recruitment
WIDA and the test development partners at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) are looking for educators to serve as Theme Generators for new WIDA ACCESS test items in April 2026. This is a chance for educators to be a part of the test development process. See below for additional information:
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Activity format: Virtual
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Anticipated time commitment: 60-90 minutes per survey
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Level of experience needed: Any educator who has had experience with students in grades 1-12 in a WIDA member state during the previous two years.
To apply, review the theme generator recruitment flyer and then complete the application link by Friday, March 20, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
For questions, please contact Chris Williams.
Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration - Window Week 2 Summary
The Kentucky SAT Junior State Administration continues. As of the close of business on Friday, March 13, nearly 60% of all registered juniors in the state had submitted a test! Way to go, Kentucky!
As a reminder, all testing, including make-up testing, must occur by Friday, April 10. For test administration manuals, recorded training sessions, and other important information regarding this spring’s SAT administration, visit the College Board Kentucky website.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration - Accommodation Information
If a student is approved for extended time for Reading, the student will receive extended time on the entire test. Since the student is approved for extended time, the student will also automatically receive extra breaks, due to the student’s test session potentially being longer. This will be reflected in the State Data Management System (SDMS) and the Test Day Toolkit. For example, if a student is approved for up to time and one-half for Reading, the student will receive up to time and one-half for both the Reading and Writing and the Math Sections, as well as an additional 5-minute break between the modules within the sections.
For information on accommodations, timing tables, and more, visit the Accommodations and Supports Handbook.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration - Retesting and Scheduling Make-up Sessions
For the Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration, retesting and scheduling make-up sessions are handled differently within the Test Day Toolkit platform. Students who are absent will still test in the Primary test event in Test Day Toolkit with the original test ticket.
Once a retest has been provisioned for a student due to a reported irregularity, such as falling ill during a test session, an additional test event will appear in the primary test coordinator’s dropdown of test events upon login to Test Day Toolkit. These students will need new test tickets printed and will need to complete exam setup again.
For more information on retesting and scheduling make-up sessions, visit your Test Coordinator and Proctor Manuals located in the Publications section of College Board Kentucky website.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
March DAC Webcast Highlights
The Office of Assessment and Accountability (OAA), Division of Assessment and Accountability Support (DAAS), hosted its live monthly DAC Webcast on Thursday, March 12, from 11 a.m. - 12 noon ET. Director, Shara Savage, along with Jessica Brumley, Tiffany Christopher, Krista Mullins, Christen Roseberry and Chris Williams, shared timely updates on assessment and accountability, including:
- K Screen Reminders
- Alternate Kentucky Summative Assessment (AKSA) Updates
- KSA Updates and Reminders
- College Admissions Exam – SAT Updates and Reminders
- ACT Scores and Transcripts
- Student Data Review and Roster (SDRR) Application
- WIDA ACCESS Assessments Updates
- Accountability Update
The recording and presentation materials are now available on the KDE Media Portal and the KDE Meetings and Trainings webpage. Future broadcasts are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month at 11 a.m. ET.
ACT Scores and Transcripts in IC
ACT assessment scores are no longer available to KDE to publish to school districts. The ACT contract ended on June 30, 2025, when the state’s required college admissions exam changed to the SAT. This change may affect student transcripts if the district has previously included state-published scores. Districts that wish to continue including ACT scores on transcripts can do so by publishing those scores locally. Instructions for loading assessment scores can be found in the Infinite Campus (IC) Assessment Score Import Wizard instructions.
For any questions, please contact KDE Data Services.
Reminder: Deadline to make TTS and IEP calculator selections in IC
To prepare for the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), Individual Education Programs (IEPs) need to be locked in IC for information pull by the end of the day on Friday, March 20. This is the deadline to verify students in IC who will need access to Text-to-Speech (TTS) or an IEP calculator (to use for Mathematics Part A) for the 2026 KSA administration. Having the IEP locked by this deadline will save schools and districts one additional step in the process of creating rosters and test sessions when PearsonAccessnext (PAN) opens Monday, March 30.
Students with unlocked plans in IC, or plans identified after March 20, will not appear in the upload and will need to be added manually. As a point of emphasis, it is very important that all plans are locked by the end of the day on Friday, March 20 for a successful pull to occur. For students who need to be added manually, see the directions in the Pearson Access Next Guidance documents.
Students with a 504 Plan are not reported to the U.S. Department of Education, so the system used to extract students within IC is not permitted to pull students who are flagged with a 504. Any student that may qualify for TTS or a calculator through a 504 Plan may still use these accommodations on the state assessment; however, these accommodations need to be added manually.
For any questions regarding the KSA administration, please contact Jessica Brumley.
Reminder: KSA Office Hours
OAA, in collaboration with Pearson, will be hosting office hour sessions for the spring 2026 administration of the KSA. Pearson will provide tutorials to assist DACs and Building Assessment Coordinators (BACs) with the tasks required in PAN. DACs, BACs and all test administrators will be able to ask questions and receive assistance during this time. Questions can be submitted prior to the office hour using the KSA Office Hour Form. A link to the Teams meeting will be provided in an upcoming Monday DAC email. The dates and times for office hours are listed below:
KSA Office Hour Session 1 – Wednesday, March 25, 10-11 a.m. ET
KSA Office Hour Session 2 – Wednesday, April 15, 10-11 a.m. ET
KSA Office Hour Session 3 – Wednesday, May 13, 10-11 a.m. ET
Please note that the questions asked during the office hour sessions should be specific to the KSA administration. For questions, please contact Jessica Brumley.
Reminder: Spring 2026 SAT Junior State Administration-Office Hour #5
OAA and College Board will host an office hour on Wednesday, March 18, from 10-11 a.m. ET focused on irregularities, retests, and post-test activities. There will be approximately 10 minutes for a review of topics already covered in prior training, followed by time for questions. Registration is not required for this office hour. As a reminder, office hours are not recorded.
For any questions, please contact Christen Roseberry.
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