Idaho
Member of the WIDA Consortium since 2015.
Assessments
Idaho employs the Kindergarten WIDA ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) to Kindergarten and first-semester grade one students, and the WIDA Screener to second-semester grade 1 through grade 12 students as one part of Idaho’s English learner (EL) identification process.
ACCESS for ELLs is given annually to all identified ELs who have an EL status of ‘L1’, ‘LE’, or ‘EW’ reflected in Idaho’s English Learner Management System (ELMS). The annual test administration window typically opens in late January and runs through early March. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is given concurrently with the ACCESS for ELLs administration and is only available to students who have a significant cognitive disability and who have met the Idaho alternate assessment participation criteria.
Testing Dates
| 11/16/20 | Idaho SDE submits student Pre-ID file to WIDA AMS |
|---|---|
| 12/29/20-3/5/21 | WIDA AMS test setup available for test sessions |
| 1/14/21-1/18/21 | Districts receive test materials |
| 1/15/21-2/25/21 | Additional test materials ordering window in AMS |
| 1/25/21-3/5/21 | Test Window |
| 3/12/21 | Deadline for shipping completed test materials to DRC |
| 3/30/21-4/5/21 | Pre-reporting data validation – LEAs in AMS |
| 5/12/21 | Districts receive reports – Online |
| 5/19/21-5/21/21 | Districts receive reports – Printed |
Requirements and Resources
See below for state-specific information and resources related to English language proficiency assessments, including your Idaho’s ACCESS for ELLs Checklist, where you can find each step in the ACCESS testing process from beginning to end.
ACCESS for ELLs Checklist Identification and Placement Guidance
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State Testing Requirements
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- Public schools/charters are required to administer all sections of the ACCESS for ELLs Online* assessment to students in Grades 1-12, who have been identified as an EL on or before February 28, 2021.
- LEAs may consider administering the ACCESS for ELLs paper-based assessment on an individual basis contingent upon student needs or approved accommodation.
- Districts and schools must review the WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement to assign supports to ELs with a documented need prior to an ACCESS administration.
- Kindergarten students identified as an EL will complete the paper-based Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs.
- Students who have been identified as an EL and who have a significant cognitive disability and who meet the Idaho Alternate Assessment participation criteria are required to participate in the paper-based Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.
- LEAs must utilize the Kindergarten W-APT and WIDA Screener to assess the English language proficiency of provisional EL students entering into an Idaho district/charter for the first time.
- The Idaho SDE has put out the English Language Support Services Identification Procedure - For Use During Extended School Closures that LEAs are required to follow to pre-identify ELs during times when students cannot physically be on-site to verify Language Instruction Educational Program eligibility.
- LEAs must log into ELMS to verify whether a student has previously been identified as an EL prior to administering the K W-APT or WIDA Screener.
- Dependent on the grade and time of enrollment, students are required to meet the minimum screen-out scores for each language domain in-order to screen-out of language support services.
- EL Coordinators/ Test Administrators are required to submit the Kindergarten W-APT or WIDA Screener scores into ELMS following the completion of the screener assessment.
- Public schools/charters are required to administer all sections of the ACCESS for ELLs Online* assessment to students in Grades 1-12, who have been identified as an EL on or before February 28, 2021.
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Test Preparation and Training
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English Language Proficiency Assessment: WIDA Screener/ Kindergarten W-APT
- Districts/Charters must use the Idaho English Learner Management System to verify whether a current status exists for a student prior to administering a WIDA English language proficiency screener.
- Test Administrators (TAs) must become certified to proctor the Kindergarten W-APT/ WIDA Screener and recertify for the Screener Online for the 2021-2022 school year.
English Language Proficiency Assessment for ELLs: ACCESS
- Test administrators are required to recertify to administer ACCESS for the 2020-2021 school year.
- Test administrators must complete all grade-level and domain specific WIDA test trainings to proctor ACCESS for ELLs, Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs, and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs. TAs need to receive a score of 80% or higher to receive certification.
- Grade 4-12 students taking the ACCESS for ELLs record their responses for the Writing domain via computer keyboard.*
* An approved accommodation or documented extenuating circumstance may override the use of a keyboard.
Professional Learning
Beginning September 1st, 2020, all Idaho teachers and administrators will have access to eight WIDA self-paced eWorkshops. Topics include relevant and practical content and strategies to support students learning English. The eWorkshops cover the following topics: Social Studies: Doing and Talking STEM, WIDA Writing Rubric, Leading for Equity: Classroom Walkthrough, Engaging Newcomer Multilingual Learners, Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual through inquiry, School Improvement Planning for the Equitable Education of Multilingual Learners, and Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics. Review the eWorkshop flyer for full descriptions.
All eWorkshops are free to Idaho educators will be available within the WIDA Secure Portal. To get a Secure Portal account, contact WIDA at help@wida.us or call (866) 276-7735. You can also contact Andrew Bennett at abennett@sde.idaho.gov or Taylor Baggerly at tbaggerly@sde.idaho.gov for more information.