ELP Assessment Update November 22, 2021
As we move through this season of gratitude, OSPI would like to express our appreciation for the staff at schools and districts across the state. We value your time and patience as we move through this difficult year. Thank you for your work in making the assessments, both screener and content, work this fall. We know it has been a challenge, and we could not have had the success we did without your dedication, time, and effort. We wish you all a relaxing and rejuvenating long weekend.
With the decreased flexibility from the federal government around testing, requirements are returning to pre-pandemic expectations. Students who are new to district in January will be expected to screen within 10 days of beginning attendance and, if they are eligible for ELD services, the student will need to take the annual WIDA ACCESS assessment between January 31 and March 25.
Students who are remote, along with all students who identify for ELD services, will be expected to test during the annual assessment window (from January 31 to March 25). It is understandable that some families are still hesitant to send their children to school; however, the expectation is that districts will encourage families to allow their child to test while ensuring or stressing that safety protocols are in place.
Some districts have experienced greater success testing remote learners by implementing the following strategies
- Create testing times and ask families to choose from a provide list of testing times instead of asking them if they would like their child to test this year.
- Provide dedicated district space (not a school) where families can bring their children to a place with few people in the building.
- Assure families that all staff involved in their child’s testing have been vaccinated against Covid-19.
- Make it possible for families with multiple children to test at the same time. (Kindergarten ACCESS and Alt ACCESS are 1:1 test administrations, Grades 1-3 have different domains of the test that can be done together and grades 4-12 online can test together)
- Engage family liaisons and interpreters in the work of helping families feel comfortable with the testing process.
Students who are remote will need to take the WIDA Screener if they have not been identified for ELD services prior to taking the WIDA ACCESS annual assessment.
If you have families who want to refuse ELP annual testing, please follow your local guidance on test refusals. Please also ensure that families are aware that testing on the annual assessment is the only way a student can exit ELD services. OSPI does not collect refusal documentation, but we recommend documentation be kept in the student’s record in case it is needed in the future.
OSPI will pull the data from CEDARS in December. The CEDARS data pulled on December 14 will be the data used to determine appropriate materials for the annual WIDA assessments. OSPI does not order specific numbers of tests or testing kits for the annual assessment. DRC plans to send Kindergarten testing kits to any school that has a kindergarten student identified in the December file as needing to test on the WIDA Kindergarten Screener. If a school has between one and 15 students identified to test on the WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS, the district will receive a Kindergarten ACCESS testing kit for that school. If there are more than 15 students, the district will receive 1 kit for every 15 students. There is no need to ask OSPI for additional Kindergarten ACCESS kits. OSPI cannot order additional kits for you.
The most common problem schools are experiencing with CEDARS errors in the WIDA Screener process is on element J21, Placement Status.
When you choose “WIDA Screener (10)” for element J18 the only options in element J21 are 5 (tested and qualified) or 6 (tested and did not qualify). If any number other than 5 or 6 is chosen when J18 is marked for “WIDA Screener” then you will get an error in CEDARS.
If you need additional support in identifying errors you are receiving from your CEDARS uploads, please consult the English Language Proficiency Screeners (WIDA): New and Updated CEDARS Reporting Requirements document. This document can be found on the ELP Screeners page.
Please join us for Lunch with Leslie on Mondays at noon. This is a good place to ask your questions about the upcoming annual WIDA assessments and to learn about specific components of the WIDA AMS. Topics and links are below.
November 29 at noon: How does student data live in AMS? https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82188058468
December 6 at noon: Test Session Management https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84413598374
December 13 at noon: Test Design/ Day of Test https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88441277131
December 20 & 27 at noon: We will hold these two meetings if requested.
January 3 at noon: Topic TBD https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87582641963
January 10 at noon: Topic TBD https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87803126596
If you have any additional questions or need additional support, please reach out to OSPI.
Leslie Huff (leslie.huff@k12.wa.us) - questions about policy, guidance, and timelines.
ELPAssessments@k12.wa.us - questions about resetting a test, unlocking screener scoring, request screener materials, request Braille ACCESS materials
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