ELP Assessment Updates
WIDA Alternate ACCESS
WIDA Alternate ACCESS
for ELLs TA Trainings
OSPI will offer three webinar-based training opportunities for
TAs who will be administering the WIDA Alternate ACCESS test this spring. These
trainings will be focused on the test administration. The trainings will be
webinar-based and will require registration to attend. Please register at the link provided to receive materials for the
ensure we are able to meet the demand.
March 5: 7:00 – 9:30 a.m. (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zk_n9QUcQnajDaDzxHE0og)
March 5: Noon – 2:30 p.m. (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OcEycZ88RdamQXrQqwty_Q)
March 6: 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9-dDaUp9QgSJDr7OhD6Tqw)
March 7: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IrC6uf8GQZixhZXsqwXiyg
Additional trainings will be scheduled for the weeks of March 12 and 19.
New Alternate ACCESS
Resource Page
OSPI has created a new resource page for WIDA Alternate
ACCESS test administration. The page can be accessed through the ELPA21 page or
this link: http://www.k12.wa.us/ELPA21/AlternateACCESS.aspx.
Resources on this page include the TAM, an FAQ document, the WIDA-AMS User
Guide and more.
Additional Materials
Order Process
Additional materials can be ordered by DACs through the
WIDA-AMS site.. Specific instructions for ordering materials can be found
beginning on page 52 of the WIDA AMS User Guide. https://www.wida.us/assessment/access%202.0/documents/WIDAAMSUserGuide.pdf
Non-Disclosure
Agreement
All test administrators will need to sign the Non-Disclosure
Agreement before administering the WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLs. This
document is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/ELPA21/AlternateACCESS.aspx.
District assessment coordinators will need to collect and keep these signed
agreements annually.
2018-19 Screener
Updates and Kindergarten Screening
In an effort to support districts in planning for kindergarten
English language screening for 2018-19, OSPI is offering a comparison of the ELPA21 screener for this year and the revised screener for next year. The revised screener will be available
in August. Our intent is to provide detailed information to inform district
decision-making.
Step 1: Step 1 of the screener will be significantly shorter next
year. The current version includes an average of 16 questions. Next year’s
version will include approximately 8 questions. This section will continue to
be administered 1:1 without exception.
Step 2: Step two, in the new version, will be split into two
sections, 2a and 2b. 2a will consist of approximately 5 speaking questions. These
questions will be scored by the TA as the student tests. These questions will
require 1:1 test administration. Section 2b will include select response
questions from the other three language domains. Step 2 is approximately the
same length next year as this year.
Step 3: Step 3 will remain approximately the same length as it is
this year. However, students whose test responses in step 2 indicate that they
will not score proficient will not enter Step 3.
1:1 Administration: In
the new screener version, Step 1 and Step 2 section A will require 1:1
administration. Similar to this year, the TA will decide if continued 1:1 administration
is necessary for Step 2 section b and Step 3.
Test Completion: In the current year, all students complete all
steps of the screener. In the next version of the screener, all students
complete Step 1 and both sections of Step 2. If students are not on a path to
reach proficient status, they will exit the test session at the end of Step 2.
Only students who may be proficient will enter Step 3 of the screener.
Overall Test Duration:
Due to the abbreviated Step 1 and the early decision at the end of Step 2, many
students will have a testing experience will take significantly less time than the
current version. Those who take all three steps of the test will have a shorter
experience than this year, but it will not be as significant a cut in the time.
Scoring: Section 2a is comprised of approximately speaking items.
TAs will be scoring these items as the student tests. The student’s testing experience is
momentarily stopped while the TA enters the scores for 2a. (Training and more
information will be provided prior to the screener opening in August). The remainder of Step 2 (2b) is scored by
machine. Step 3 has hand scoring items that are scored centrally through the
vendor.
Turnaround Time: This year, our vendor committed to a 7 day
turnaround. In reality, the vast majority of screeners were returned within 4
days. Our vendor continues to commit to a 7 day turnaround for all tests
needing hand scoring. However, tests that are ended after Step 2 will receive
scores within 24 hours.
It is our intention in providing this information to allow
districts planning for kindergarten screening to have the most current
information to make an informed decision. In August, the screener will open no
later than August 13. If you have any questions, please contact Leslie Huff (leslie.huff@k12.wa.us) in the Select
Assessments Office.
ELPA21 Screener: May Kindergarten Roundup (Repeated from previous communication)
For districts that administer ELPA21 screeners to potential
English Learners during any kindergarten registration activities in spring 2018
(for students starting school in autumn of 2018), use of temporary IDs will
likely be necessary. As a reminder: it is not critical that a student have a
permanent SSID to take the screener, nor is it critical that screeners taken
under temporary ID be migrated in TIDE/ORS to the student’s permanent record
(refer to the next item regarding Temporary IDs).
(Optional): If you prefer to make sure that students taking the
screener have their scores attached to their permanent SSID in AIR’s platform,
that SSID must be present in TIDE prior to sitting for the screener. This can
be done by:
1) Generating/retrieving an SSID
for a student and leveraging WAMS to move a record to TIDE.
2) Generating an SSID for the
student via CEDARS (SSID Issuance: “Screen Entry” or “Bulk Upload), ALSO
generating a temporary ID record for the student in TIDE, and PRIOR TO THE
STUDENT SITTING FOR THE SCREENER, copying and pasting the SSID over the
temporary ID on the record. Should you choose this option, always copy and
paste the SSID rather than typing to avoid typos.
ELPA21 Screener: Temporary IDs (2017-18 SY) (Repeated from previous communication)
There are roughly 5,300 records in TIDE with temporary IDs that
were created for ELPA21 screeners. The results of those screeners (still
associated with temporary IDs) have not been merged into the relevant students’
complete TIDE record originating from CEDARS. This is because TIDE programming
is limited such that it cannot automatically reconcile a case where a student’s
record is created after the result of a student's test is generated. In
other words, if a student tests on the ELPA21 screener using a temporary ID,
then the same student has a record created in TIDE with her/her permanent SSID,
the system thinks the test score cannot possibly belong to that student because
the student was not in TIDE when they sat for the test.
Migrating these screener scores within TIDE/ORS only provides
for the screener score to be associated to the student’s larger ORS
profile. Since the vendor’s proposed solution would require significant time
and effort from district staff (roughly 2 minutes per student record), the
decision has been made to not move those scores within the platform. Keep
in mind: a district’s obligation relative to screener scores is to retrieve
them from ORS whether attached to a temp ID record or complete student record
and report those scores to CEDARS. While leaving screener results attached to
temporary records in IDE is a bit messier than moving them and attaching them
to a student’s permanent SSID, districts have no obligation to engage in that
cleanup within TIDE/ORS.
AIR is developing functionality that is expected to replace the
use of temporary IDs. This functionality is tentatively schedule to be
available near the start of the 2018-19 school year. The goal of this
enhancement is to simplify for our districts the administrative burden of
screener administration by continuing to allow students to take the ELPA21
screener (and only the screener) prior to having had an SSID created for them
and sent to TIDE, but also simplifying the after-testing activities related to
the data management. OSPI will provide more information and guidance as it
becomes available.
If you have any questions regarding the information in this communication or any English language proficiency assessment issue, please contact Leslie Huff (leslie.huff@k12.wa.us) at OSPI.
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