10-25-19 | WDE Assessment Updates | Volume 7, Issue 09
English Language Development for English Learners
This workshop explores formative assessment practices that focus students' and teachers' attention on English language development within the context of subject-area classrooms. The purpose is to prepare participants to incorporate new formative language assessment practices into their educational contexts.
Audience: Though teams are encouraged, individual participants will also benefit from this opportunity. This workshop is for all those interested in supporting and learning more about language development.
Through reading, observation, discussions, and professional reflection, participants will be able to:
- Identify relevant formative assessment practices that advance content learning and language development.
- Leverage expert roles within disciplinary practices to create opportunities for purposeful language use.
- Create learning goals and success criteria that support content learning and language development.
- Use routines that elicit evidence to inform formative feedback.
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 WIDA is developing a new Kindergarten Screener that can be used to identify Kindergarten English Learners.This test will replace the KW-APT. WDE encourages Wyoming educators to participate and is seeking schools that can administer the Kindergarten Screener during a field test in early 2020. WIDA will provide all test materials and a test administration manual to make the testing process as easy as possible.
PLEASE NOTE: WIDA Screener for Kindergarten is in test development and sites will not receive scores for the students they test. Results will only be used for the test development. Participants who complete the field test process will receive $100 as compensation.
For more information, contact Joy Pfeiffer, Assessment Administrative Coordinator: jcpfeiffer2@wisc.edu or at 608-263-2735.
To Sign Up: Complete the participation interest form.
Learn About the Overall Administration of ACCESS and the Responsibilities for District Test Coordinators and Test Administrators
During the training, participants will learn about the procedures for facilitating the overall administration of ACCESS for ELLs suite of assessments. All participants must have computers or tablets to access sample items in the WIDA Assessment Management System.
Audience: This training is designed for Test Coordinators and Test Administrators. It is available for all those interested in supporting, and learning more about, language development: EL educators, school principals, administrators, curriculum coordinators, regular classroom teachers, etc.
Participants will be able to:
- Discuss the features of each of the different ACCESS for ELLs suite of assessments.
- Describe the training requirements and preparation.
- Identify the purpose of the WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Framework.
- Explain the technology basics for ACCESS for ELLs.
- Describe the administrative functions of test coordination in WIDA AMS.
- Explain test administration monitoring and materials management.
- Identify the different aspects of online test administration such as:
- Domain test details.
- Accessibility and accommodations.
- Monitoring the test administration.
- Preparing students for the online test platform.
- Describe the process of test materials management.
- Identify the WIDA AMS responsibilities for test administrators.
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Seeking Wyoming Educators
The WIDA Assessment team is looking for educators to participate in the Bias, Sensitivity, and Content (BSC) Review of the new ACCESS for ELLs Writing test content. The purpose of this review is to ensure that test item content is grade-level appropriate and factually accurate, as well as free of material that might favor any subgroup of students over another on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity, home language, religion, culture, region, or socio-economic status. This review also helps ensure that test items are free of material that might be upsetting to students. These reviews are conducted during online meetings the week of November 18, 2019, so no travel is necessary to participate.
WIDA is asking educators interested in participating to complete a short survey.
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At the WDE, we have heard your concerns regarding the travel required to attend the Test Administrators (TAs) Training and have been collaborating on possible options that maintain the strength of the training while making it accessible to all who need the training. We are contracted with AIR, the assessment vendor, to provide the ALT-TA Training. At this time it is too late in the planning cycle to viably administer training fully online for first-time ALT-TAs, but we will continue to explore options for next year to provide online options.
For WY-ALT-TAs who did the initial training and administered the WY-ALT assessment last year, you only need to participate in the online refresher this year. The Online Refresher Training is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, January 23. The WDE is exploring the option with AIR to record this training for those who absolutely cannot attend. Please note, in a recording, participants would not have live technical assistance and we cannot guarantee the availability of a "make-up" option at this time.
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For information about the Spring 2020 ACT, including this year’s milestones please visit http://act.org/aap/wyoming. Please be aware of the following upcoming events:
- Reports for 2019 Admin are closing out. Access to the spring 2019 administration in PearsonAccessnext, including the published reports, will no longer be available. If you haven’t already, please save your reports to a secure location locally before they are no longer accessible. Follow the “How to Access Published Reports” instructions in the PearsonAccessnext User Guide for the ACT.
- Wyoming Spring 2020 ACT Accommodations Training
Date: Thursday, November 7, 2019
Time: 4:30 p.m. CST
Register Here: Wyoming Spring 2020 ACT Accommodations Training
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