Schools must test their English language learners' progress annually to determine whether language instruction services are still needed or whether such programs can be discontinued. In nearly 40 states, this test is known as the WIDA ACCESS test..
What is the WIDA ACCESS test used for?
Available in both online and paper formats, ACCESS tests students' skills in four areas: speaking, reading, listening, and writing English. The questions were modeled after academic content found in regular classes. For example, a reading question might be about a science topic. This test checks language use in an academic context, not content knowledge or social language.
Teachers who specialize in English language education say their general education colleagues play an important role in preparing students for success on the ACCESS test. And researchers who study English acquisition agree.
This collaboration between general and specialist teachers is now even more important, researchers say. That's because a new analysis of national ACCESS scores shows that average scores continue to trend downward. This has been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If general education teachers want to more effectively support the language acquisition of English language learners in their classrooms, they should start by becoming familiar with the tests themselves and what the scores can tell them. Describe students' language needs.
“There is a gap between what general education teachers know about the WIDA test because they don’t get to see it administered,” said Missy Testerman, the 2024 National Teacher of the Year. and a K-8 second language teacher in Rogersville, Tennessee. “I think the requirements for English language learners are much more stringent than most people realize.”
The WIDA ACCESS test covers language use in an academic context.
The ACCESS test takes up to four hours to complete, but timing can vary and is usually split over multiple days a week.
The 36 states (plus additional territories and federal agencies) that use this test are part of the WIDA consortium, which provides common standards for measuring English proficiency. Tests are structured around these standards in terms of level of difficulty. It is also an adaptive test. Online tests, in particular, increase or decrease difficulty levels (called tiers) as students progress, said Mark Chapman, senior innovation researcher at WIDA. For paper-based tests, administrators set the difficulty level for each student.
States then individually set the scores students must earn in the four areas to demonstrate English proficiency. Their scores determine whether they can remain in or leave the English language learning program.
ACCESS is not a test for students to study for. However, students who consistently use and are exposed to language in academic contexts throughout the school day are better prepared for exams.
“It’s really important to understand the everyday social language that many students born in the United States and raised in the United States tend to be very proficient in,” Chapman said. (Many English language learners were born or raised in the United States.)
“But this does not necessarily mean that they can understand the language needed to describe a scientific experiment or that they have the language to communicate through the solution of a math problem. “It’s the different types of language development we’re trying to assess.”
What is it like for students to use WIDA ACCESS?
Both the online and paper versions of the test include several visual elements that help keep students engaged and serve as additional support for young English learners and new students who are not yet comfortable with English, said Fabiana MacMillan, WIDA's director of test development. He said he was doing it.
Students can select answers from multiple choice options, write or type sentences and paragraphs, click and drag images, and even record themselves responding to prompts.
For the past several years, to guide general education colleagues in working with English language learners, Testerman has made sample questions and practice tests available for free on the WIDA website. We moved into a regular classroom and led the activity as a whole class.
“It’s really, really interesting because sometimes general education teachers are shocked by how crowded their classes are. [non-English-learner] Students in general education classrooms especially struggle with tasks involving writing,” Testerman said.
“In some cases, I think it was given to me. [English-learner] Students have more respect for their teachers and classmates because they can see the type of work they need to do on the WIDA exam,” she added.
What can WIDA ACCESS test results tell teachers about their students?
At Volusia County Public Schools in Florida, Betsy Sotomayor, the district's English for Other Languages resource teacher, meets regularly with general education teachers to review ACCESS sample questions and their students' scores and what they mean for their grades. General class work.
For example, a student may score low on the speaking portion of ACCESS but high on the reading portion. Teachers may ask questions such as: Does the student have enough time in the classroom to practice speaking in an academic context?
Teachers can then better understand what language practice is needed in a typical classroom, Sotomayor said.
“It’s just fear of the unknown. But one time [teachers] “We understand how valuable this assessment is, everyone is participating, and we are truly grateful,” she said.
General education teachers can improve academic language use for all students
All educators need the right mindset to better support the language development of English language learners.
Just because English learners' vocabularies aren't as extensive as others or that they write in phrases rather than sentences doesn't mean they don't make connections to academic content, said Leslie Grimm, assistant director for educator learning, research and practice. At WIDA. They may not yet be able to fully express their content knowledge in English.
“If you think you're 100 percent aware, if you acknowledge and respect where they are in their learning trajectory and what they know and what they can do, I think you're going to set up a more rigorous classroom. It’s the environment,” Grimm said. “Because the reality is that the classroom environment has to be rigorous to meet any standard, whether it’s English language development standards or content standards.”
Whether you're preparing English language learners for state standardized tests or ACCESS tests, Grimm offers one big piece of advice to all teachers: The idea is to maximize opportunities for students to engage across language modalities. (speaking, writing, etc.)
English learners need opportunities to practice speaking and writing in class. Grimm suggests setting up group activities that, given a topic, include turns and dialogue that allow one student to say something and another student to say something else, but that builds on and expands on previous ideas.
Students should also receive clear instructions about what they are doing throughout the form. For example, if a student was asked to describe something they discovered in a science experiment and had to write it down, what kind of language would they use? They can name what they are studying, but later describe it using pronouns instead of mentioning the name again.
If students are required to participate in a classroom discussion at the end of a social studies class, there are specific language skills that students will need to practice throughout the unit when speaking in the discussion.
Testerman said encouraging the use of formal language in mainstream classrooms is something that benefits all students. This is because language learning never stops, especially as the language itself develops. For example, the word Zoom used to mean moving at a fast pace, but is now more often used to refer to a virtual meeting platform and the verb to use that platform, she said.
But Testerman also knows how busy teachers are. That's why she wants district leaders to facilitate time for mainstream classroom teachers to plan with English as a Second Language teachers so they can review language goals and learning standards together and decide how best to foster language development. This is why I advocate that you make a plan for it. All day long at school.