I.+ASSESSMENT+OF+STUDENTS

=Student Assessment =

http://maldenells.wikispaces.com/Assessment+and+Benchmarks

A. Identifying and Assessing All Potential EL Students One of the most critical “affirmative steps” and “appropriate action[s]” that school districts must take to open instructional programs to EL students and to address their limited English proficiency is to first identify EL students in need of language assistance services in a timely manner. 28 School districts must provide notices within thirty days from the beginning of the school year to all parents of EL students regarding the EL student’s identification and placement in a language instruction educational program. 29 School districts must, to the extent practicable, translate such notices in a language that the parent can understand. 30 If written translations are not practicable, school districts must offer LEP parents free oral interpretation of the written information. 31 In light of these obligations and the duty to timely identify all EL students, school districts will need to assess potential EL students’ English proficiency and identify non- proficient students as EL as soon as practicable and well before the thirty-day notice deadline. Most school districts use a home language survey (HLS) at the time of enrollment to gather information about a student’s language background ( e.g., first language learned, language the student uses most often, and languages used in the home). The HLS identifies those students who should be referred for an English language proficiency (“ELP”) assessment to determine whether they should be classified as EL students, who are entitled to language assistance services. Students initially identified by an HLS or other means for English proficiency testing are often referred to as those with a Primary or Home Language Other than English (PHLOTE). School districts must have procedures in place to accurately and timely identify PHLOTE students and determine if they are EL students through a valid and reliable ELP assessment. 32

ACCESS for ELLs
== (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners) ==

=== Background ===

Federal and state laws require that English language learner (ELL) students be assessed annually to measure their proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking English, as well as the progress they are making in learning English. In fulfillment of these laws, ELL students are required to participate in ACCESS for ELLs tests, which replace MEPA tests, beginning in the 2012-2013 school year.

ACCESS for ELLs will be administered once annually in January-February, beginning in January 2013. ACCESS for ELLs tests are based on the WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) English Language Development standards.

(Scheduled for Early 2015)
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Accommodations for ELLs with Disabilities
The accommodations routinely used by ELLs with disabilities on the ACCESS tests are also available for these students on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 field test. For more information, please call 781-338-3625 or email mcas@doe.mass.edu.

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==== 2014 Interpretive Materials ====  Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Interpretive Guide for Score Reports (Spring 2014)
 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_pdf.gif caption="Download PDF Document" link="http://www.wida.us/DownloadDocs/assessment/AlternateACCESS/2014AlternateACCESSIG.pdf"]] ||
 * Download PDF Document ||

 ACCESS for ELLs Interpretive Guide for Score Reports (Spring 2014)
 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_pdf.gif caption="Download PDF Document" link="http://www.wida.us/DownloadDocs/assessment/ACCESS/ScoreReports/ACCESSInterpretiveGuide2014.pdf"]] ||
 * Download PDF Document ||


 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_pdf.gif caption="Download PDF Document" link="http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/2014/results/pgguide.pdf"]] ||
 * Download PDF Document ||

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia,palatino,times,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 14px;">Understanding the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Parent/Guardian Report
 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_pptx.gif caption="Download Powerpoint Presentation" link="http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/2014/results/pgguide.pptx"]] ||
 * Download Powerpoint Presentation ||

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,times,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: right;">
 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_pdf.gif caption="Download PDF Document" link="http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/2014/results/pgletter.pdf"]] ||
 * Download PDF Document ||

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: georgia,palatino,times,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 14px;">Sample Letter to Accompany the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Parent/Guardian Report (English)
 * [[image:http://www.doe.mass.edu/images/icon_docx.gif caption="Download MS WORD Document" link="http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/2014/results/pgletter.docx"]] ||
 * Download MS WORD Document ||