WIDA in New York: WIDA ACCESS training and certification

In this edition

• Learn about the websites and accounts you’ll need to support WIDA ACCESS testing.
• Find out how to become certified to administer WIDA ACCESS.
• Identify resources to help test coordinators oversee training and certification.
• Get must-have information about placing your initial materials order.
• Mark your calendar with upcoming webinars and identify actions you can take this month.

What you need to know: WIDA ACCESS training and certification

There are three key websites for ACCESS testing:

• The WIDA website is where you’ll find all publicly accessible resources, including our Accessibility and Accommodations Manual, the WIDA ACCESS Interpretive Guide for Score Reports and handouts to explain testing to families. You’ll also get to the New York state page through the WIDA website.
• The WIDA Secure Portal houses all assessment training courses and resources, as well as the professional learning opportunities available to you as a consortium member. You need an individual account to access the Secure Portal.
• The WIDA Assessment Management System (WIDA AMS) is where test coordinators order materials, download score reports, manage student information and set up test registrations for WIDA ACCESS Online. This site is managed by our partner organization Data Recognition Corporation (DRC), which provides the online test platforms, prints and distributes test materials, and provides the scores and reports for the WIDA ACCESS assessments. WIDA AMS requires a separate individual login. Your school or district will determine whether you need a WIDA AMS account.

Get certified to administer WIDA ACCESS

WIDA worked with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to create WIDA Secure Portal accounts for district and school test coordinators. If an account was created for you, you received an email from “WIDA Help” yesterday evening, September 8 (if you can’t find it in your inbox, check your spam or junk folder). Educators may contact their district test coordinator or WIDA Client Services to request an account any time after September 9.

All test administrators must complete the training course and pass the certification quiz for the test they will administer. Ask your test coordinator which tests you will be responsible for. Visit the Assessment Training page in the Secure Portal to become familiar with the available training courses.

WIDA recommends all test coordinators complete the training course for the tests they are supporting. Staff who are present in the room during test administration must also complete the training and get certified.

Tip: You’ll also find important manuals in the WIDA Secure Portal. The WIDA ACCESS Test Administrator Manual and District and School Test Coordinator Manual contain all the in-depth information you need to know about testing, based on your role. Read through the manual(s) as you complete your training in the fall and review them as necessary closer to the test window.

Consult your WIDA ACCESS Checklist

Your WIDA ACCESS Checklist is a state-specific document that guides you throughout ACCESS testing. The checklist highlights all tasks that need to be completed before, during and after testing within a school or district and indicates who typically completes those tasks in your state. Find it on the New York member/state page.

Tip: While some courses – like WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring – are geared towards test administrators only, others – like WIDA ACCESS Online: Administration – contain information for both test administrators and test coordinators. Rely on the information in your ACCESS Checklist and in the training course to guide you to modules you need to take based on your role.

Test coordinator corner

Create accounts for your colleagues

As a test coordinator, you’re responsible for overseeing all training and certification in your school or district and for making sure that your test administrators have what they need to prepare for and administer WIDA ACCESS.

Visit the Get Help page in the WIDA Secure Portal to learn how to manage users and monitor test administrator certification. Make sure the users in your school or district have the correct permissions on their account; only staff who are supporting WIDA ACCESS testing need to have access to Assessment Training.

Test coordinators are also responsible for creating accounts for test administrators in WIDA AMS if necessary. Because WIDA AMS contains student information, local test coordinators must provide the appropriate level of access for other staff members. WIDA and DRC are working with NYSED to create WIDA AMS accounts for district and school test coordinators. Those individuals will receive an email from DRC with instructions on September 14.

After September 14, refer to the User Management Menu section of the WIDA AMS User Guide to create accounts for other staff members in your school or district.

Order test materials

Test coordinators are also responsible for ordering WIDA ACCESS materials. During New York’s initial materials ordering window, school test coordinators will log in to WIDA AMS and enter the number of students taking each ACCESS test. Initial materials orders are placed separately by school.

Don’t “pad” your numbers, even if you expect to receive more English learners throughout the year. Your initial materials order includes overage, and you can order additional materials closer to your test window, if needed. Learn more in Module 2 of the WIDA ACCESS Online: Administration training course.

With a few exceptions, DRC will ship test materials to a central district location, where they will need to be inventoried and distributed to individual schools. Make sure you have secure storage space to hold materials before they are distributed to schools and when they are collected to return to DRC after the testing window.

Watch for communications from DRC

Throughout the school year, DRC will send emails to test coordinators, and sometimes technology coordinators and test administrators. These emails will usually alert you to the opening of an upcoming window or deadline. All DRC emails will be related to tasks conducted in WIDA AMS. DRC will not provide information related to test content or training and certification.

Upcoming webinars

WIDA Assessment Webinars provide an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about WIDA assessments. They are presented live through Zoom. All webinars are recorded and available in the WIDA Secure Portal approximately one week after the presentation. Visit the Webinars page in the WIDA Secure Portal to learn more and add webinars to your calendar. No registration is required.

New York-specific assessment webinars

• WIDA ACCESS for New District Test Coordinators in New York – September 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET
• User Management in WIDA AMS for New York – September 17 at 2:00 p.m. ET
• WIDA ACCESS for New Test Administrators in New York – September 24 at 2:00 p.m. ET
• WIDA ACCESS Software Overview and Tech Readiness Checklist for New York – October 1 at 2:00 p.m. ET
• WIDA ACCESS Technology Installation for New York – October 13 at 2:00 p.m. ET

General assessment webinars

• Ordering WIDA ACCESS Materials in WIDA AMS – September 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Take action

This month, here are some ways you can take action to prepare for WIDA ACCESS testing.

Test administrators

• Contact your test coordinator or WIDA Client Services to get your WIDA Secure Portal account and begin exploring assessment training resources.
• Tip: You can begin training for WIDA ACCESS anytime between September 9 and your test window, but WIDA recommends completing training 2-3 weeks before you administer the test so the information is fresh in your mind.
• Visit the Webinars page of the WIDA Secure Portal to add upcoming webinars to your calendar.

Test coordinators

• Explore the WIDA Secure Portal Manage menu. Learn how to create and edit user accounts and oversee training and certification.
• Get familiar with WIDA AMS, especially the User Management and Materials menus. (Accounts will be created for test coordinators on September 14.)
• Review Section 3: Test Security and Materials Management of the District and School Test Coordinator Manual to get ready for initial materials ordering.

Have questions? Let us help!

Reach out to the experts at the WIDA Client Services Center with questions you have about WIDA resources, products and services. Find contact information and hours of operation for the WIDA Client Services Center and DRC Customer Service on the Contact Us page.

Spread the word! Share the WIDA in New York newsletter signup form with your New York educator colleagues. Visit the New York member/state page on the WIDA website for additional news and resources.