ELL State Testing & Requirements

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ELL State Testing & Requirements

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are required to administer the WIDA Screener within 30 days of enrollment within the first month of school, and within 10 days of enrollment thereafter. (Students are eligible for English language services if they earn a score of 1-4 on Screener for grades K-12.)

To be certified to administer and score Utah WIDA assessments, test administrators must annually complete the WIDA online training course for the appropriate assessment and grade span.

All English language learners (ELLs) must be tested annually using the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. When students earn a Proficiency Level of 5.0 or higher, they are considered fluent in English. Students are then re-designated to monitoring status for four years. Students are not required to take the ACCESS for ELLs assessment during these four years of monitoring.

The LEA may use appropriate data, evaluation, and team-based problem solving to consider reclassifying the student as EL if, while in monitoring status, students demonstrate consistent and continued need for increased language support services.

For more information, please visit the USBE Assessment and Accountability website.

Guidelines for Assessment of ELLs
English language learners (ELLs) who have been enrolled in a school in the U.S. for less than one year may be exempt from some assessments. ELLs who have been enrolled in a school in the U.S. for less than three years are not included in some growth and achievement calculations.

ELLs who are enrolled on or after April 15 of the current school year who are new to the U.S. (first year of enrollment in any U.S. school) are not required to take any ELA, math, or science statewide summative assessment. However, they are required to participate in Acadience Reading and Math.

ELLs who are enrolled before April 15 during the current school year who are new to the U.S. (first year of enrollment in any U.S. school) are required to participate in:

  1. Acadience Reading and Math
  2. ACCESS for ELLs
  3. KEEP
  4. ELA Summative (included in participation only; scores are not included in growth and achievement reports)
  5. Math Summative (included in participation only; scores are not included in growth and achievement reports)
  6. Science Summative (included in participation only; scores are not included in growth and achievement reports)

ELLs in their second year of enrollment (in any U.S. school) are required to take:

  1. Acadience Reading and Math (if enrolled in grades 1–3; included in growth)
  2. ACCESS for ELLs
  3. KEEP
  4. ELA Summative (included in participation and growth only; scores are not included in achievement reports)
  5. Math Summative (included in participation and growth only; scores are not included in achievement reports)
  6. Science Summative (included in participation and growth only; scores are not included in achievement reports)

ELLs enrolled three or more years (in any U.S. school) are included in all statewide reports and are required to take:

  1. Acadience Reading and Math (if enrolled in grades 1–3; included in growth)
  2. ACCESS for ELLs
  3. KEEP
  4. ELA Summative (included in participation, growth, and achievement reports)
  5. Math Summative (included in participation, growth, and achievement reports)
  6. Science Summative (included in participation, growth, and achievement reports)

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