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Updated family notification letters are being loaded on our Family Communication Templates webpage and should be ready early next week. These include:
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Notification of Placement for new students which must be sent within 10 days of new student placement.
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Notification of Continued Eligibility for students who are continuing in program. These must be sent within the first 30 calendar days of the start of the school year.
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Notification of Continued Eligibility for students who take the Alternate ACCESS.
All notifications have been translated with 40 languages available. Please note that Marshallese is delayed but should be ready sometime next week. We will review these letters and tips for managing notifications at the Aug. 4 Information Session.
Kindergarten Screener Update
OSPI is updating the policy around screening kindergarten students. Incoming kindergarten students who enroll and begin attending prior to January 1 of their kindergarten year must be screened only in the listening and speaking domain on the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten. For incoming kindergarten students who enroll or begin attending on or after January 1 of their kindergarten year, all domains must be completed on the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten. With this shift in policy a revision to the eligibility criteria was needed. For kindergarten students who screen prior to January 1, they must achieve a level 5 on both speaking and listening domains as well as an oral language score of 5. Kindergarten students who screen on or after January 1 will continue to have the same eligibility requirements, a minimum of 4 in all four domains and an overall score of 4.5.
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Time of Year
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Domain Score Minimum
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Composite Score Minimum
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Prior to January 1
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5 (speaking and listening only)
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5 Oral language
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On or after January 1
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4 (all four domains)
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4.5 Overall
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Transitional Kindergarten Screening Update
Students who may be eligible for English language development (ELD) services are required to be screened and be provided with those services, including students in Transitional Kindergarten (TK) programs. However, our state-approved English language proficiency assessment, the WIDA Kindergarten Screener and WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs assessment have not been validated for children under 5, and therefore, are not appropriate for screening TK students until they are closer to the typical age of kindergarten students. See the July 28 ELP Assessment Update for more information on Sunsetting Provisional Status, and how to code Kindergarten and TK students.
Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the following procedure should be used for screening TK students:
1) Home Language Survey – Require the Home Language Survey for all TK students and use the information from questions 2 and 3 to determine possible eligibility.
2) Provisional Qualification – Record all TK students who are possibly eligible based on the Home Language Survey as provisionally-qualified English learners without a screener score, using their date of enrollment as their Initial Placement Test Date.
3) Spring WIDA Screening – Beginning May 1st, all TK students must be given the WIDA Kindergarten Screener prior to the end of their time in TK, following the guidance for early kindergarten screening (listening and speaking only). This screening will fulfill the requirement for annual English language proficiency assessment and will determine their eligibility for ELD services the following school year upon entering kindergarten.
Provisionally-qualified TK students will be eligible for ELD services and will be able to be claimed on the P-223 count for Transitional Bilingual Instruction Programs (TBIP) and Title III funding. Best practice for early multilingual learners is to provide inclusive services through co-teaching or through professional development for TK educators to integrate ELD supports and strategies into the early learning environment. Pull-out services are not best practice and are discouraged. For more information on early learning strategies for multilingual learners, see the WIDA Early Years Can Do Descriptors and WIDA Focus Bulletin: Promoting Equity for Young Multilingual Children and Their Families.
Out-of-State Transfer Students Policy Update
If a student has not been enrolled in a Washington State public school in the past 12 months and meets the identification criteria on the home language survey, the student must take the WIDA Screener to determine eligibility for ELD services. The exception to this rule is a student who enrolls in a Washington State public school with WIDA ACCESS scores. WIDA ACCESS scores from out-of-state can be used in lieu of screening under the following conditions:
- If a student met the current Washington State WIDA Exit Criteria at any point on the annual WIDA ACCESS, then the student is ineligible for ELD services.
- If a student has WIDA ACCESS scores from within the previous 12 months and did not meet the Washington State Exit Criteria, the student is eligible for services.
- If the student has not taken the WIDA ACCESS in the last 12 months and has not met the current exit criteria based on a previous ACCESS score, then the student must be screened using the WIDA Screener. Washington State does not accept WIDA Screener scores from out of state.
All WIDA scores must reflect the requirements for the grade level the student was enrolled in when the student completed the test. Regardless of how eligibility is determined, the student must be identified for services within 10 school days of attending a Washington public school. If out-of-state scores are not available within 10 days, the school will need to administer a WIDA screener assessment to determine eligibility.
If a student who previously transitioned (exited) from the TBIP program returns to Washington after having lived outside the United States in a non-English-speaking country for twelve or more months, the district can administer the WIDA Screener to determine if there has been a loss of English language proficiency. The student can re-qualify for TBIP services based on the new placement test results.
Sunsetting Provisional Status
With the return to pre-pandemic operating procedures in the 2022-23 school year, provisional status will no longer be an option for potentially eligible multilingual learners, except for TK students. Whether students attend brick-and-mortar schools or online schools, students who are potentially eligible for ELD services must screen using the WIDA Screener.
WIDA Screener Webinars
Please join WIDA to learn about the following topics:
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WIDA Screener Online: Tuesday, August 2 at 1:00pm-2:00pm CT
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WIDA Screener Paper: Thursday, August 4 at 1:00pm-2:00pm CT
More information and login details can be found in the WIDA Secure Portal on the Webinars page. 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.
The Zoom at Noon
OSPI is bringing back Lunch with Leslie for the 2022-23 school year. This is an opportunity on Mondays at noon for districts to hear updates from OSPI, ask questions about WIDA assessments, or find out how other districts are approaching testing processes.
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August 8 at noon | Topic: End Domain Incomplete, Resetting a screener | Zoom
WIDA Screener Materials
The WIDA Store has developed a new process for ordering materials for Kindergarten Screener. Only district level staff can order materials for WIDA Kindergarten Screener. See the July 14 ELP Assessment Update for more information.
OSPI will be printing and shipping Grade 1 Tier A and Tier B/C and Grade 2-3 Tier A and Tier B/C writing booklets based on the average need in these grades from previous screening years. Districts will need to print additional booklets from the WIDA Secure Portal when they run out of OSPI-provided test materials. These materials are due in districts on August 1.
WIDA Screener Reports
WIDA Screener Online Individual Student Reports (ISRs) will be ADA compliant and available in multiple languages in 2022-23. These reports will be available in WIDA AMS under My Applications > Report Delivery > On Demand Reports.
DRC Task-based Articles
DRC Customer Service has developed articles to help answer some of the most common questions about WIDA AMS and the DRC systems and processes used in WIDA test administration. Documents are organized by topic and located under My Applications > DRC Customer Services > WIDA AMS Knowledge Articles. There are 62 articles that address various processes and questions in the categories below.
- Reports
- Screener
- Materials
- User Management
- Test Management
- Student Management
Meet our Multilingual Program's Newest Team Members!
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Katie Sperling, MIT - Multilingual Program Supervisor - ESD 101 & 171 | Katie Sperling is a passionate advocate for Multilingual Education. She has taught in and led K-12 language development programs on the East and West sides of Washington State for the past 22 years. Katie learned Spanish while studying and living in Central Mexico. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in language development and dual language education. Katie lives in the Chelan Valley with her husband and two children. In her free time she enjoys travel, yoga and spending time in her garden.
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Teresa Mendoza-Casby, M.Ed. - Dual Language Program Supervisor | As a native Spanish-speaker and former English Learner, her goal is to make a difference in her community through the lens of equity. Teresa attended the University of Michoacan and graduated from Heritage University with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, endorsements in Spanish, ELL, and Bilingual Education, and a master’s degree in Educational Administration. She has over 15 years teaching experience in Spanish and English in PK-12 and at Yakima College. She has three children, including one with special needs, and a granddaughter and loves dancing, listening to music, reading, art, and travel. We are happy to welcome Teresa to the OSPI team!
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Ema Shirk, M.A., M.Ed. - Dual Language Program Supervisor | Ema Shirk is a new program supervisor with experience teaching and providing support for dual language education, heritage language programs, and language support services for multilingual learners. Her areas of practice include sustainable secondary dual and heritage language programming and inclusive practices that provide meaningful access to all multilingual learners. Ema earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish from the University of Washington, Seattle, holds a master’s in Rhetoric and Writing Studies from San Diego State University, and earned her Administrator certification from Seattle University. She has taught and studied in the United States, Spain, and the People's Republic of China.
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Program Evaluation Data
Both the TBIP and Title III grants require districts to complete a table that includes their most recent data for multilingual learners and continuous improvement plans based on those data. Some of these data are readily available in WIDA-AMS while others are more difficult to obtain. OSPI is working on a data dashboard to provide these data in the Secure Tableau Server in EDS but it may not be ready before TBIP grants are due.
For data that you are unable to provide locally, please list “No Data Available” and still provide action steps you have planned to address the needs of each of these groups (current ML students, exited students, LTELs, and dual-qualified MLs with disabilities) to the best of your ability. Data should be available before Title III grants are due in the fall.
Title III Grant Application in EGMS
Title III Grant Applications are now a part of the ESEA Consolidated Grant Application (CGA) within EGMS. The recommended submission date for the Pre-Application was July 1st. For support completing the Pre-Application for the Consortium Grant, visit the EGMS website and view the Instructions to Complete the Title III Consortium Grant Application in EGMS (pdf).
School districts that are required to complete Tribal consultation must do so prior to submitting the ESEA Consolidated Grant or Title III Consortium Grant Application in EGMS. See Bulletin 030–22 and on the EGMS webpage for more information.
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The August 4 Information Session will focus on WIDA Screening updates, tips for managing notification letters, grant updates, and WIDA professional learning opportunities.
- August 4 at 9:00–10:00 am | Zoom
- August 4 at 3:00–4:00 pm | Zoom
2022-23 Information Session Dates: Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, Jan. 5, Feb. 2, Mar. 2, Apr. 6, May 4, and Jun 1
Add sessions to calendar: AM Session (9-10 am) | PM Session (3-4 pm)
For previous resources please go to the Multilingual Education Webinars and Newsletters page.
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2022-23 Tribal, Heritage, and Dual Language Program Grant Opportunity
Professional Learning
WIDA Español Pedagogía con respeto: An Introduction to the Spanish Language Development Framework
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This free workshop will be given in Spanish and will introduce the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of the WIDA Spanish Language Development Framework and related tools, such as Las definiciones de desempeño, to inform instruction and assessment. Space is limited to 35 participants. The same workshop is being offered on four occasions:
White Paper Examines Challenges and Opportunities for Welcoming Newcomers with Disabilities into Dual Language Programs
New Publication from the National Dual Language Forum
Fred Genesee, John Hilliard, Cristina Sánchez-López, and Theresa Young
This white paper reviews evidence concerning the capacity of young learners with disabilities to acquire more than one language during the preschool and school years and the characteristics of dual language programs and classroom instruction and intervention practices that support their language development, learning, and well-being in school.
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Reporting World Language Proficiency, Competency-based Credits, and the Seal of Biliteracy
OSPI is hosting a series of free, virtual, 90-minute workshops about reporting world language competency-based credits and the Seal of Biliteracy. The workshops are intended for registrars, educators, counselor, administrators, assessment coordinators, and others who report world language proficiency data. Information and registration.
Dual Language Education and Resources page.
These professional learning opportunities are shared for your information but do not constitute an endorsement by OSPI of any specific organizations.
WAESOL – 2022 Grant, Award, and Scholarship Opportunities
WAESOL is accepting applications for professional development grants as well as conference scholarships for their 2022 Fall Conference. WAESOL is also accepting nominations for the Sally Wellman Excellence in Teaching Award and the Outstanding Volunteer Award. The deadline to submit is September 18, 2022.
See Grants, Awards, Scholarships – WAESOL for more information and to submit an application.
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Registration is now open for the 2022 WAESOL Conference | Where the World Meets | Join along with 300 of your colleagues, 40+ in person sessions, as well as approximately 10 online sessions. (Earn up to 19 Clock hours.)
Date: October 22
Time: 8 am - 5 pm
Venue: Highline College in Des Moines, WA (16 miles south of Seattle)
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Registration is open for the 2022 WABE Hybrid Fall Institute. | Supporting Language Learners in Washington is a critical endeavor. Students in our schools speak over 225 different languages, and all are learning English though a variety of methods. | Registration will close August 15, 2022.
Dates: October 21 – 22, 2022
Location: Wenatchee Convention Center and virtual attendance option.
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ELL Endorsement Academy | Seattle University’s College of Education offers an online English Language Learner (ELL) endorsement academy for Washington state teachers.
Start Date: Fall Quarter 2022
Duration: Intensive 9-month program with 24 credits
Cost: Post-BA Track: $300/per credit
For more information please visit the ELL Endorsement Academy website.
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Registration is open for the 2022 La Cosecha Dual Language Conference | Join us as we share current theories, best practices, resources, and build networks to fuel our community's efforts for a better future for our children!
Dates: November 2 – 5, 2022
Location: Santa Fe, NM
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 Kristin Percy Calaff, Ph.D. – Director of Multilingual Education | 564-999-3144c
Virginia Morales – Supporting (NW) ESD 121 & 189 | Multilingual Education Program Supervisor | 360-725-4477
Shannon Martin – Supporting (SW) ESD 112, 113 & 114 | Multilingual Education Program Supervisor | 360-725-4476
Katie Sperling – Supporting (NE) ESD 101 & 171 | Multilingual Education Program Supervisor
Sue Connolly – Supporting (SE) ESD 105, 123 & Charter Schools | Multilingual Education Program Supervisor | 360-522-0001c
Patty Finnegan, Ph.D. – Assistant Director of Dual Language | 360-725-4468
Ema Shirk – Supporting Dual Language for all districts | Dual Language Program Supervisor
Teresa Mendoza-Casby – Supporting Dual Language for all districts | Dual Language Program Supervisor
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