Educators at the center of ACCESS standard setting

By Hannah Haynes

In July, 112 expert educators of multilingual learners gathered in Boston, Massachusetts, for a week of intensive, evidence-based work. These educators represented 37 of the 42 WIDA Consortium members and were there to recommend new proficiency level cut scores for WIDA ACCESS.

Why standard setting was needed

ACCESS (K-12) was updated to reflect the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. The updated assessment was first administered in the 2025-2026 school year. You can learn more about those updates in this article from 2025. For the consortium’s states, territories and federal agencies, that meant holding a standard setting event to ensure that the standards, assessment and proficiency levels are all aligned

What is standard setting

ACCESS proficiency level scores are reported on a scale of 1.0-6.0 and give a grade-level interpretation of WIDA’s 100-600 scale score. Standard setting is the process of determining the cut scores that separate one proficiency level from the next. These cut scores matter because they determine the minimum requirements students are expected to achieve in a given proficiency level.

Educators use proficiency levels to talk about a student’s strengths and growth areas. State education agencies (SEAs) use proficiency levels to help determine if a student should continue to receive English language support. Individual states determine when it’s the right time for a student to exit their language support program.

Educators may use scale scores to track students’ progress over time and across grades. Some SEAs use scale scores (and/or proficiency levels) as part of their English learner accountability measures.

How educators participated

Educators were at the center of the standard setting work. Before the event in July, SEAs nominated expert educators in their states, territories or federal agencies to apply. WIDA confirmed each educator met the participation requirements and made the final selection.

Those selected received training virtually before the event to understand the methodologies they would use. Then, they gathered in Boston and spent the first day reviewing that training and diving deeper. For the rest of the week, educators were divided into 13 small groups, each representing different grade levels. Some groups covered the Listening and Reading domains, and others covered Speaking and Writing. One group focused on kindergarten and covered all four domains. Each group reviewed multiple grade levels.

Panelists carefully analyzed student responses from the most recent ACCESS administration, discussed the evidence and made collective decisions about what English proficiency looks like at each level.

“I want other educators to know that ACCESS cut scores are not arbitrary. They’re carefully developed by teachers who understand what language proficiency actually looks like in the classroom,” said Nisrin Al Takriti of Mokena District 159 in Illinois. “This process gives real teacher voice and classroom experience a direct role in shaping how our students’ language growth is measured.”

Leticia Y. Hayes of Effingham County, Georgia, echoed that sentiment. “Standard setting is far more than choosing [cut] scores. It is a rigorous process that brings together educators from across the country who carefully analyze authentic student work, discuss evidence and collaborate to make decisions that best represent multilingual learners,” she said. “Every voice matters, and every decision is made with students at the center.”

For many panelists, the week was also a chance to learn. “This experience gave me a firsthand understanding of how ACCESS cut scores are determined, including the reasoning and data behind each proficiency level,” Al Takriti said. “As a result, I can interpret my students’ score reports with greater accuracy and confidence, moving beyond the numbers to understand what they truly reveal about a student’s language development.”

Hayes described a similar takeaway and added that the work will carry into her classroom: “I will return to my classroom with a deeper understanding of language proficiency that will strengthen my instruction and ultimately benefit my students.”

How SEAs and others participated

To ensure the process was rigorous and transparent, WIDA invited SEA leaders from across the consortium, and 36 attended the event as observers.

There were two to three SEA observers assigned to each group, and each observer stayed with their group for the entire event, observing without interfering. Afterward, they gave feedback on how the process went. Four of the SEA observers also serve on the WIDA Executive Committee, the advisory group tasked with evaluating WIDA’s standard setting processes. The Executive Committee includes SEA leads from each of WIDA’s subcommittees and SEA Community groups, the lead member of the LEA Advisory Committee, and three standing members from Florida, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Rachel Schweissing, District Test Coordinator Liaison for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, was one of those observers. “Educators sometimes had differing opinions and were very respectful with one another about it,” she said.

Her biggest takeaway was about educator involvement. “As an educator, you really do have a say in the assessment! You matter,” Schweissing said.

Three representatives from the WIDA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) also oversaw the process and recorded observations for review by the Executive Committee. The TAC reviews all test-related technical reports and advises WIDA on the psychometric issues of testing and any proposed policy changes with psychometric implications.

Greg Cizek, a School of Education professor emeritus from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a member of the TAC, was also an observer.

“The process was a faithful implementation of the WIDA-approved plan; participants were selected to be qualified to perform their tasks; and despite the large scale of the task, it appeared to proceed smoothly and according to standard practice,” he said.

Once the event wrapped up, the next big step was obtaining the endorsement of the process from the Executive Committee. The committee had an opportunity to review what happened at the event, examine the cut score recommendations and provide feedback. This is an extra level of accountability and transparency in the process. The Executive Committee gave their unanimous endorsement in September.

What the results mean

“The panelists’ recommendations resulted in new proficiency level cut scores that reflect the grade-level cluster proficiency level descriptors and language expectations in the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. These proficiency level cut scores demonstrate what students can do across proficiency levels,” said Grace Li, Chief Assessment Officer at WIDA.

When you receive a student’s 2027 WIDA ACCESS Individual Student Report, you may notice differences between their reported proficiency levels and what you and their other teachers expect. Because ACCESS tells you about a student’s abilities at one point in time, many factors can potentially impact their scores. State and district leaders should consider proficiency level cut score changes carefully when making decisions about student placement and support and when allocating resources.

“Since the new cut scores may affect each state a little differently, state leaders will need to do their own analysis of the data,” Li added.

Reach out to your SEA to learn about the specific next steps in your state. Find contact information on your WIDA member/state page.

What’s next

Now is a great time to start talking to your school and district colleagues about standard setting. WIDA’s communications toolkit has resources to help start those conversations. Find the toolkit at the bottom of the Learn About ACCESS Standard Setting 2026 page.

Score-specific information and resources will be available in the spring, along with resources for students and families.

Find all resources and information related to this on the Standard Setting webpage.