1. What is the WIDA Assessment Management System?
Supports preparation for the administration of Access for ELLs assessment and WIDA Screener online. However, you might use WIDA to view student or testing information. Last, the online interface for administrative functions associated with giving ACCESS for ELLs.
2. Explicitly describe the WIDA Assessment, including test content and results or the scoring procedures.
● What does the test measure?
How well a student listen, read, speak, and write in the English language.
● Are all 4 domains addressed? If so, how?
Yes, all 4 domains are addressed online.
● What is the format of the assessment?
Students will take the listening test first, then the reading. After that, the speaking and writing test will be taken.
● How long does the assessment take?
The assessment length depends on the test administrator and test coordinator. Usually one domain is taken per day. A total of four days.
● Explanation of the results?
○ Raw scores,
Raw scores is, the number of items correct (for Listening and Reading) or the initial rating (for Speaking and Writing). Raw scores are not very meaningful by themselves because they do not account for test difficulty. If a student responds correctly to several questions on a difficult test form, she or he should receive a higher score overall than when getting the same number of questions correct on an easier test form.
○ Percentile scores,
Scale scores precisely track student growth over time and across grades. Because scale scores take into account differences in item difficulty, they place all students on a single continuum that stretches from kindergarten through grade 12. In addition, scale scores allow you to compare student performance across grades, within each domain, with more granularity than you’ll see with proficiency levels. For example, using scale scores, you can track how much a student’s listening ability increases from grade 6 to grade 7, or you might compare the speaking skills of your school’s second graders to that of the fifth graders when evaluating curricula. Scale scores are not raw scores. A raw score is simply a tally of correct responses.
○ Scoring procedures,
Different methods are used to score the different domain tests of ACCESS for ELLs. • The multiple-choice items of the Listening and Reading tests are machine scored. • The constructed response items of the Writing test are scored by trained raters who use the WIDA Writing Scoring Scale. • The constructed response items of the Speaking domain are scored locally by certified test administrators when students take ACCESS for ELLs Paper. Recorded responses are scored centrally by trained raters when students take ACCESS for ELLs Online. Both test administrators and centralized raters use the WIDA Speaking Scoring Scale.
○ Growth measure
Multiple consecutive years of data are necessary to analyze student growth. Consider the first year a student takes ACCESS for ELLs as an opportunity to establish a baseline of test performance. Results from the second year can show growth, and only with three years or more of test results can you see trends in the student’s language development.Both proficiency levels and scale scores can help you understand student growth year over year. Proficiency levels are a practical way to understand students’ skills, while scale scores offer a more nuanced measure of how much a student’s language use and control is changing.
3. What are the tiers of the Speaking Test?
Tier Pre-A, Tier A, and Tier B/C
4. Why must Listening and Reading be administered before Speaking and Writing?
Students placement in Speaking and Writing Test depends on their performance in
Listening and Reading.
5. When scheduling Listening and Reading test sessions, which students may take the test together?
Students in any grade and any cluster.
6. Which piece of equipment is necessary for a student to respond to tasks in the speaking
Test?
Headset with a microphone
7. How do you share the results with the students and parents?
A hard copy is mailed and emailed to both parents and students in their home language. Additionally, students receive scores the first week of school to compare to the previous year and to set a new goal for the upcoming school year.
8. How is the WIDA used to guide instructional and curricular decisions for learners (multiple contents)?
All student test scores are provided to content teachers along with the Can-do-descriptors for teachers to use when planning lessons to understand what each student can do successfully at each level. Also, results of student scores can be used to group students. Last, the benefits provide clear learning goals that promote equity for all and model the process for integrating content and language in instruction.
9. How does the WIDA differ from ACCESS Testing? Are both interdependent?
WIDA provides the- language development process and how the WIDA Standards Framework represents the joining of grade-level academic content and language. Access testing determines the level an EL learner is on based on the WIDA teachings. Therefor, they are not interdependent of one another.
