Available on November 30, 2020

The Test Setup Window for ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs begins Monday, November 30, 2020, and will continue through the ACCESS test window, which ends on February 26, 2020. Test setup gives users the ability to view students and modify test sessions in WIDA AMS. If you are administering ACCESS for ELLs online, you must ensure your students are entered in the appropriate test sessions. 

Students for whom Pre-ID data was submitted will automatically be placed into generic test sessions based on grade cluster and domain. To view the test sessions, log into WIDA AMS, click on Test Management, and then click on Manage Test Sessions. This view can be filtered by a specific district or school and displays the status of the test session: Not Started, In Progress, or Completed.

For detailed instructions on Test Setup, refer to the WIDA Assessment Management System (WIDA AMS) User Guide located in WIDA AMS under My Applications > General Information > Documents. 

Reminder: For online testing this year, with COS-SD, it is required to check and verify that the test content is downloaded and updated for the most current administrations. For the 2020-21 school year, administrations for EWD904 - WIDA ACCESS for ELLs, EWD908 - WIDA Screener, and EWD372 - Sample Items will need to be checked and downloaded under Content Management for each active COS Configuration in Central Office Services.

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

Register by November 30, 2020

This eWorkshop is a series of live webinars and associated tasks to be completed between webinars. The entire webinar series and tasks will take approximately 6 hours. Using the latest research regarding newcomer multilingual learners’ success in schools, this eWorkshop will focus on how language specialists can build a network of educators in their buildings to support newcomer students in their schools. 

Upon completion of the eWorkshop, participants will be able to:

• Respond to the social and emotional needs of multilingual newcomers.
• Implement instructional strategies that will benefit multilingual newcomers.
• Build collegial relationships and implement systems that will assist multilingual newcomers.

The three live webinars will not exceed 90 minutes each. Webinars will not be recorded. Alternate tasks will be available for participants not able to attend. All materials and the webinar platform will be housed in the WIDA eLearning Center, which can be accessed by participants with a WIDA Secure Portal login.

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

A planned system outage affecting WIDA AMS will take place from 10 p.m. Saturday, December 5 through 10 a.m. Sunday, December 6. WIDA and DRC apologize for any inconvenience caused by this routine maintenance. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

WIDA has changed social media handles: 

• Twitter: @WIDA_UW 
• Facebook: @WIDA.UW 
• LinkedIn: @WIDA-UW 

WIDA is part of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. They strive to provide multilingual learners – of all ages and all levels of language development, in programs and classrooms around the world – with an equitable opportunity to obtain a quality education that leverages their assets. 

If you currently follow WIDA on any of the social media platforms, there is no need to make any change, your account will continue to follow their new handle. If you want to tag them on a Twitter post, remember to use the new handle and tag @WIDA_UW so that they connect.

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.

WIDA has created a resource to supplement the existing Test Administrator and Test Coordinator Manuals to support educators as they administer ACCESS for ELLs (Alternate, Kindergarten, Online, and Paper) and WIDA Screener (Online and Paper) during COVID-19.

Please note: The guidance in this document reflects WIDA’s analysis of current best practices. It is not medical advice. It does not replace or amend guidance provided by the CDC, your state, your county, or your district. This document can be accessed in the Key Resources Box in the ACCESS and Screener training courses in the WIDA Secure Portal, and in the Download Library. 

For more information, contact Antoinette Hallam, WDE EL Consultant, at 307-777-5217 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov.