EL Assessment

Quick Links

DESE supports you as you continue to focus on the health and well-being of your students; find innovative ways to continue teaching and learning; and provide as much normalcy as possible for students, faculty and staff. Refer to the DESE-related COVID-19 webpage for links to useful information. If you have questions about assessment, send them to assessment@dese.mo.gov or call 573-751-3545.

Missouri joined the WIDA (pronounced Wee-Duh) consortium in 2010 in response to both wanting to improve the EL standards within the state and to help provide better service and assessment to a growing EL population. The WIDA Consortium is a non-profit group whose purpose is to promote educational success for ELs. Through the development and delivery of standards, assessments, research and professional development, WIDA provides meaningful tools, training and information to educators working with ELs, which are anchored in research-based practices for serving these diverse learners.

Aside from professional development and English Language Development resources, WIDA provides the state with screener and summative English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessments.​

ELP Summative Assessment

WIDA's ACCESS for ELLs is the English language proficiency assessment that Missouri  has selected to meet the requirement of the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) to annually assess Missouri's students who are eligible for EL (English Learner) services, including students with disabilities. ACCESS allows educators, students, and families to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English in the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and will be aligned with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards.

WIDA offer three assessments:

  • ACCESS for ELLs - The online assessment for students in grades 1-12 (a paper version is available for those with an IEP and for students with very limited exposure to technology)
  • Kindergarten ACCESS - A Paper-Based Kindergarten assessment that comes in a kit with manipulatives
  • Alternate ACCESS - An assessment of English language proficiency for students in grades 1 – 12 who are classified as ELs and have significant cognitive disabilities (those who do or would qualify for MAP-A) that prevent their meaningful participation in the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0  assessment. The assessment is based on Alternate Model Performance Indicators (AMPIs), which provide expectations of what students should be able to process and produce at a given Alternate ELP level.

More information about the summative ELP assessments can be found in the tabs below labeled ACCESS, K-ACCESS and Alt. ACCESS. Additionally information can be found in the annual LEA Guide to ELP Assessments.

Important Dates

Dates Event
September 27, 2021 to November 04, 2021 ACCESS Test Materials Ordering
October 04, 2021 to October 29, 2021 ACCESS Pre-Code Window
November 08, 2021 to March 04, 2022 ACCESS Test Setup Available
December 06, 2021 to February 25, 2022 ACCESS Additional Test Materials Ordering
DUE December 06, 2021 ACCESS Materials Arrive In Districts
January 10, 2022 to March 04, 2022 ACCESS 2021-2022 Testing Window
DUE April 08, 2022 ACCESS Deadline To Ship Materials To DRC
May 03, 2022 to May 10, 2022 ACCESS Pre-Reporting Data Validation
DUE May 26, 2022 ACCESS Initial Data Available In WIDA AMS
June 15, 2022 to June 23, 2021 ACCESS Post-Reporting Data Validation
DUE June 15, 2022 ACCESS Districts Receive Individual Student Reports (ISR)
DUE July 08, 2022 ACCESS Districts Receive Final Data

Resources

Resources

Some links may require a login to the WIDA Website.

Manuals/Guides

ACCESS Resources

Test Preparation

Technology Resources

Contact Information

CONTACT PHONE EMAIL
Drew Linkon - Assistant Director of Assessment
EL Screening and EL Assessment
DESE EL Assessment		 573-751-8285 drew.linkon@dese.mo.gov
Shawn Cockrum - Director of MELL, Title III, Migrant
Title III, LAU Plan, EL Law
English Language Administrative		 573-751-8280 shawn.cockrum@dese.mo.gov
Cammy Goucher - ELD Curriculum Director
EL Instruction, building capacity in educational programs and strategies, assistance to LEAs in enhancing English language proficiency and academic achievement of ELs
English Language Development		 573-751-3926 cammy.goucher@dese.mo.gov
WIDA Client Services Center
Administration Questions, Screener, Standards, WIDA Logins
wida.wisc.edu		 866-276-7735 help@wida.us
Data Recognition Corp. (DRC)
Assessment Management System (AMS), INSIGHT Testing Platform, COS, Technical Support
www.wida-ams.us		 855-787-9615 wida@datarecognitioncorp.com

Identification

Identification

Upon enrollment, Missouri districts are required to give a language use survey (LUS). The questions are:

  • What was the student’s first language?
  • Which language(s) does the student use (speak) at home and with others?
  • Which language(s) does the student hear at home and understand?

If the answer to any of these questions notes a language other than English is either spoken or understood, or if a Local Education Agency (LEA) feels that a child might have an English language learning need due to unreported exposure to another language, the student is potentially an EL and the district must take active steps to determine if the student qualifies for language instruction educational program (LIEP).

More information about the Kindergarten W-APT Screener and the 1-12 Online Screener can be found in the EL Screening Guide.

Additional information and resources about identification can be found on the Identification tab on the DESE English Language Development page.

Screener Resources

ACCESS for ELLs

Alternate ACCESS

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, is an assessment of English language proficiency for students in grades 1 – 12 who are classified as English learners (ELs) and have significant cognitive disabilities (those who do or would qualify for MAP-A) that prevent their meaningful participation in the ACCESS for ELLs  assessment.

The assessment is based on Alternate Model Performance Indicators (AMPIs), which provide expectations of what students should be able to process and produce at a given Alternate ELP level.

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs provides students with additional opportunities to demonstrate their English language proficiency through scripted cues in the Listening and Readings Sections and auxiliary questions in the Speaking Section. It also includes modeled tasks in the Writing Section to allow students to observe the test administrator perform the task before trying it. Other unique features of the test include simplified language, repetition of questions, increased graphic support, larger testing materials, and graphics.

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is an individually administered paper and pencil test. All sections of the assessment are scored locally by the test administrator.

Test Materials

Alternate ACCESS testing materials are ordered during the state ordering window through WIDA AMS.

Test Scheduling

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment is individually administered for all four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) of the test. WIDA recommends that each test section be administered in a separate testing session.

The different test sections can be administered on different days, with no minimum or maximum break between administrations, as long as the entire assessment is administered within your district’s allotted testing window. Each section of the test is estimated to take approximately 20 minutes, although the test is not timed. Please see the Test Administration Manual for additional details on scheduling the test.

Alternate ACCESS Training Course

Test administration training and certification is crucial for successful administration of Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, and the answers to many frequently asked questions about test administration can be found in the training. WIDA requires test administrators to complete the Alternate ACCESS Training Course before administering the test. It is the district test coordinators responsibility to monitor whether test administrators have passed the quiz and are prepared to administer the assessment. District Test Coordinators can monitor their district educators’ training certification results via the WIDA website.

K-ACCESS

Kindergarten ACCESS

About Kindergarten ACCESS

The test is an individually-administered, adaptive assessment. It is based on the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards that form the core of the WIDA Consortium's approach to instructing and assessing English language learners.

The Kindergarten ACCESS assessment is:

  • Individually administered
  • Not tiered; all students take the same test
  • All domains (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing) are tested twice, once within the expository section and once within the narrative section
  • Speaking and Listening are presented together, alternating between a listening task followed by a speaking task
  • All sections are adaptive, meaning items are presented until the student reaches his/her performance "ceiling"
  • Scored locally by the Test Administrator
  • High-interest stories
  • Engaging color graphics
  • Improved item types using manipulatives (cards, an Activity Board, and a Storybook)
  • Thematic integration of the language domains (Listening, Speaking, Writing, Reading)

Test Scheduling

The Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs assessment is individually administered.

WIDA recommends that Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs be administered during one session. If test administration has to be divided into two sessions, the break must occur between the administration of the narrative and expository sections and the break should last no more than 2 consecutive school days.

The administration of Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs is estimated to take approximately 45 minutes per student. The test is not timed.

Kindergarten Training Course

WIDA requires test administrators to complete the Kindergarten ACCESS Test Administration Quiz before administering the test. It is the district test coordinators responsibility to monitor whether test administrators have passed the quiz and are prepared to administer the assessment. District Test Coordinators can monitor their district educators’ training certification results via the WIDA website.

Alt. ACCESS

Alternate ACCESS

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, is an assessment of English language proficiency for students in grades 1 – 12 who are classified as English learners (ELs) and have significant cognitive disabilities (those who do or would qualify for MAP-A) that prevent their meaningful participation in the ACCESS for ELLs  assessment.

The assessment is based on Alternate Model Performance Indicators (AMPIs), which provide expectations of what students should be able to process and produce at a given Alternate ELP level.

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs provides students with additional opportunities to demonstrate their English language proficiency through scripted cues in the Listening and Readings Sections and auxiliary questions in the Speaking Section. It also includes modeled tasks in the Writing Section to allow students to observe the test administrator perform the task before trying it. Other unique features of the test include simplified language, repetition of questions, increased graphic support, larger testing materials, and graphics.

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs is an individually administered paper and pencil test. All sections of the assessment are scored locally by the test administrator.

Test Materials

Alternate ACCESS testing materials are ordered during the state ordering window through WIDA AMS.

Test Scheduling

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment is individually administered for all four sections (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) of the test. WIDA recommends that each test section be administered in a separate testing session.

The different test sections can be administered on different days, with no minimum or maximum break between administrations, as long as the entire assessment is administered within your district’s allotted testing window. Each section of the test is estimated to take approximately 20 minutes, although the test is not timed. Please see the Test Administration Manual for additional details on scheduling the test.

Alternate ACCESS Training Course

Test administration training and certification is crucial for successful administration of Alternate ACCESS for ELLs, and the answers to many frequently asked questions about test administration can be found in the training. WIDA requires test administrators to complete the Alternate ACCESS Training Course before administering the test. It is the district test coordinators responsibility to monitor whether test administrators have passed the quiz and are prepared to administer the assessment. District Test Coordinators can monitor their district educators’ training certification results via the WIDA website.