ASSESSING THE ENGLISH PROFICIENCY OF ENGLISH LEARNERS WITH DISABILITIES Presentation by: Audrey Lesondak EL – Education Consultant Office of Educational Accountability 125 S. Webster Street Madison, WI

Take Away: Knowledge Language assessments available to English learners with disabilities: The ACCESS for ELLs® The Alternate ACCESS™ ASSETS (2015) Criteria for the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ available to ELs with significant cognitive disabilities

Take Away: Able to do… Determine the appropriate language assessment using a specific protocol Document appropriate language accommodations on the Participation in Language Assessment worksheet Identify where and how EL and SE professionals can train to administer the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ Access available resources online

According to Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 section 3113 (b)(3)(D) all Limited English Proficient/English Learner (LEP/EL) students are required to take a language assessment in all four language domains of reading, writing, speaking and listening annually regardless of disability status. ACCOUNTABILITY

Specific to Special Education Providers New language assessment tool available for students with significant cognitive disabilities May be administered by Special Education professionals IEP teams may involve both Special Education and English Learner (EL) professionals A worksheet is now available to help IEP teams

Access for ELLs ® Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ Language Assessment Options beginning in This school year districts have the option of administering the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ as a pilot for eligible students.

Future Language Assessment: ASSETS A state-led consortium with the aim of providing innovative and comprehensive assessment tools in order to help English learners succeed in becoming college- and career-ready. Grantor: Department of Education Enhanced Assessment Grant (EAG) Award Amount: $10,486,195 Timeframe: Sept. 30, 2011 to Sept. 29, 2015 Consortium: 29 member states Managing Partner: World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA)

ASSETS System 8

Content assessments are administered to all students in grades 3-8 & 10 Language assessments are administered to English learners in grades K-12 Language Assessment Administration

ACCESS for ELLs Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Accommodations No Accommodations What Language Assessment? Accommodations No Accommodations Both language assessments were created by the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium.

About Language Assessment Language of Content English Language Development (ELD) Standards Model Performance Indicators Tiers, domains and grade level clusters

What is the ACCESS for ELLs ® ? A paper and paper test for LEP/ELs Administered in overlapping Tiers: A –Beginners, B –Intermediate, C -Advanced Grade level clusters for grades k-12 Based on ELD standards (corresponds to the common core) Administered individually (speaking) and in groups (listening, reading & writing)

Levels of English Proficiency (ELP/ELD) 1 Entering 2* Beginning 3 Developing 4 Expanding 5 Bridging *2012 renamed Emerging

ELP* Standards Academic Language Social Instructional Language Language of Language Arts Language of Mathematics Language of Science Language of Social Studies *ELP standards to become ELD standards SS Only on ACCESS for ELLs

What is the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™? Specifically for students identified as English learners with significant cognitive disabilities Based on the Alternative Model Performance Indicators(AMPIs) Paper and pencil assessment All components of the tests are individually administered Administered to students in grades 1-12

ELP Standards Grade Level Clusters Language Domains Alternate ACCESS Proficiency Levels Alternate Model Performance Indicators Organization for Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ WIDA

Alternate ACCESS Proficiency Levels

Organization of AMPIs AMPI STRAND

Sample test item Test administrators administer the Alternate ACCESS for all language domains.

Who’s eligible for the Alternate ACCESS for ELLS™? Only ELs with significant cognitive disabilities Students that have one or more of the existing categories of disabilities under IDEA (e.g.; some students with intellectual disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, multiple disabilities, etc.) Students who can’t meaningfully participate in the ACCESS for ELLs® even with accommodations Students in grades 1-12

Participation Criteria YESYES NONO 1. The student is classified as an English Language Learner (ELL) or English learner (EL). 2. The student must have a significant cognitive disability and receive special education services under IDEA (2004). 3. The student’s academic program must follow an alternative curriculum based on Wisconsin’s Extended Grade Band Standards. 4. The student participates or is expected to participate in the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) for grades the test is administered.

The IEP team needs to determine if a student will need testing accommodations A list of appropriate accommodations can be found in their respective manuals. The ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs accommodations matrices can be found the DPI/OEA webpage at Further details about accommodations can be found in our guiding manuals at:

IEP Team decides: check only one  The student will be taking the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™.  The student will be taking the ACCESS for ELLs ®. Language Accommodations  No accommodations  Reading  Writing  Speaking  Listening

Student will partici- pate in the: ACCESS for ELLs ® without accommo- dations in the language domains of: ACCESS for ELLs ® with accommodations (list accommodations for each language domain) Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ (list accommodations for each content area) SpeakingAccommodations: ListeningAccommodations: ReadingAccommodations: Accommodations: WritingAccommodations: Accommodations:

Because these are language not content tests, some accommodations appropriate for the WKCE or the WAA- SwD may not be appropriate for a language test. (For example it may note be appropriate to rephrase a listening question or it will not be appropriate to translate a test question or answer in the student’s first language. These are allowable accommodations for some portions of the WKCE.) Note about language accommodations for information on content test accommodations

The language assessment used and any accommodations should be documented in the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) Documentation

The Individualized Education Program: Participation in Statewide Language Assessment Checklist and Accommodations worksheet* is available to IEP teams and incorporated into a student’s IEP plan for English Learners with disabilities *This worksheet and its guiding document can be found in with other materials related to I-7 regarding state and district assessment.

Test Administration

Administration Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ Document in the student’s IEP Administered by Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ trained and licensed professional during the December – February assessment window District Assessment Coordinator orders Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ from MetriTech along with other ACCESS for ELL ® test materials during the October test ordering window.

Visit the WIDA website at

Who Administrators the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ™ ? A licensed trained professional familiar with the student can administer the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™.

Test proctors must complete the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ training modules found on the WIDA website.

Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ Training To access the website, proctors will need a username and password District Assessment Coordinators (DACs) create a training account for each proctor DACs may obtain a username and password from DPI/OEA. Contact Audrey Lesondak at or

Q & A Can a paraprofessional or classroom aid administer the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ since they often work most closely with the student? No. if a paraprofessional works with the student, in a classroom setting then as an accommodation, he or she can assist or support the student during the administration of the assessment. Must the test administrator of the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ be training in administering all parts of the ACCESS for ELLs®? No, only the Alternate ACCESS. Test proctors must be training only for the tests they proctor.

Q & A Can a student take portions of each: the Access for ELLs® and the Alternate ACCESS for ELL™? No. if the student with significant cognitive disabilities qualifies to take the Alternate ACCESS, the student completes the test for all four language domains. Do we have to complete the worksheet for participation in statewide language assessments for all students with disabilities? All accommodations must be document in the students IEP, this form can be used for that purpose.

Thank You Presentation by: Audrey Lesondak