General Administration Guidance 

For students in Grade 1-2, the IEP team needs to determine how that child will be assessed—are they able to participate in schoolwide or grade level assessments, or do they need an alternate form of assessment.  They should address ACCESS if the child is an EL child.


WIDA ACCESS

Overview Grades K-12

Allowable accommodations for EL students with disabilities taking ACCESS for ELLs are indicated in the accommodation tables found in this handbook and the WIDA Accessibility & Accommodations Supplement. WIDA’s timing guidance for ACCESS for ELLs is provided for scheduling and planning purposes and is not intended to be a strict limit. Typically, a planned extended testing session is one and a half times the recommended testing time. However, any student who is actively engaged in testing can continue working up to the end of the school day. Additional time provided over the recommended times found in the associated manuals and afforded to students must be consistent with the amount of time given to them during classroom assessments. Accordingly, School Test Coordinators must ensure individual student’s test sessions are scheduled such that they are not interrupted by lunch, school dismissal, or other routine activities. Extended testing interruptions must be reported to the Office of Assessment and Accountability as irregularities.


WIDA Alternate ACCESS

Overview Grades 1-12 

Federal law requires that all students identified as English learners be assessed annually for English language proficiency. This requirement includes students who require special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). WIDA Alternate ACCESS is individually administered. It is intended only for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities that are severe enough to prevent meaningful participation in the WIDA ACCESS assessment. Alternate ACCESS is not intended for ELs who can be served with special education accommodations on ACCESS for ELLs. Decisions regarding a student’s participation must be made by an IEP team. WIDA Alternate ACCESS is a paper-based form administration. 


Qualifying Criteria: 

1. The student has been classified as an EL. 

2. The student has been classified as a special education student and is receiving special education services. 

3. The student has a significant cognitive disability. 

4. The student is eligible for the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA 2.0). 


Students shall not be administered both the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs and the ACCESS for ELLs.


WIDA ACCESS, WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS, WIDA Alternate ACCESS (ALT), and WIDA Screener Allowable Accommodations

Administration policy, protocols, and eligibility guidance are provided in the Student Assessment Handbook, related Test Administration Manuals and training opportunities.


GO-IEP TIP: You must verify the allowable accommodations from the WIDA Accessibility & Accommodations Manual to verify allowable accommodations for each of the WIDA Assessments.