WIDA and ACCESS:Companion Pieces to RETELL

Links to Resources for Districts

A Vision for Equity

RETELL is guided by the premise that English Language Learners deserve equity of access to learning. By preparing the teachers to best serve the multifaceted needs of the ELL population, educators will be better positioned to teach.

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Review of Terms RETELL: Rethinking Equity in the Teaching of

English Language Learners

WIDA: World Class instructional Design and Assessment.

Note: The WIDA “Can Do” Descriptors are commonly used by ESL teachers in coaching general education teachers about differentiated instruction for English language learners (ELLs). They can also be used to plan lessons or observe students' progress.

ACCESS Assessment: Starting January 2013)

W-APT stands for the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test.

SEI Endorsement: Sheltered English Immersion

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Companion Pieces for RETELL: WIDA and ACCESS

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WIDA and ACCESS Defined

New system of standards, curriculum, and instruction for ELLs, aligned to MA curriculum frameworks WIDA: World-Class Instructional Design and

Assessment (WIDA), a multi-state consortium

ACCESS: New English language proficiency state assessment, aligned with WIDA standards and will be administered starting in January 2013

Technical assistance and PD available to districts

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

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WIDA Implementation in 2012-2013

The WIDA standards are in effect beginning this school year. The standards can be viewed and downloaded on the WIDA website at http://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx#2007.

School districts are required to begin integrating WIDA ELD standards into their ELD curriculum and content area curricula of classes where ELLs participate. 6

WIDA-ACCESS Placement TestW-APT: WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test.

The W-APT is one component of WIDA's comprehensive assessment system English language proficiency "screener" test given to incoming students who may be designated as English language learners. Available on the WIDA site.

Assists educators with programmatic placement decisions such as identification and placement of ELLs.

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Administration of W-APT W-APT: There are no requirements to administer the W-APT,

though familiarity with the instrument (and with ELLs) is a requirement. See information and guidance documents on the WIDA W-APT web page at http://www.wida.us/assessment/w-apt/.

Test Administrator Requirements: Prospective test administrators of ACCESS for ELLs must complete one or more online training modules and a brief quiz after each, in order to administer the test. Information on setting up personal accounts to take these training modules and document their completion. Note: Test administrators must be education professionals working for the district, and must have successfully completed the module. http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/training-certification.html.

Additional Information: Contact Paulette Watson, ACCESS for ELLs Coordinator, in the Student Assessment office at 781-338-3625 or at pwatson@doe.mass.edu

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Final Thoughts and Suggestions on Partnering with General Ed Teachers

The new regulations under RETELL and the WIDA ELD standards both acknowledge the important role of collaboration between general educators who teach ELLs and ESL teachers. General education teachers providing instruction to

ELLs, or Sheltered English Instruction teachers, are responsible for:

Providing instruction that gives ELLs in a way that addresses their language needs and

Giving them access to rigorous content area standards.9

WIDA and ESL ClassesThe WIDA ELD Standards do not have a separate

English Language Development Standard. Does that mean ESL classes are no longer required? No, the WIDA standards see English language

development as a process that occurs throughout instruction in the content areas, but which does not exclude targeted language instruction in ESL classes.

Districts should continue offering language classes (ESL classes) to ELLs, while also incorporating language development objectives in their content area classes as the new WIDA standards stipulate

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WIDA Resources WIDA Website: http://wida.us./ Assessment Resources:

W-APT WIDA Webpage: http://www.wida.us/assessment/w.apt/

WIDA Model Webpage: http://www.wida.us/assessment/MODEL/

ACCESS for ELLs WIDA Webpage: http://wida.us/assessment/ACCESS/

ACCESS for ELLs ESE Webpage: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access

Guidance for interpreting assessment results (MEPA; ACCESS guidance coming out next summer): http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/mepa/2009/guidance.pdf

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ACCESS Testing and Administration

Ordering materials and participation criteria: ESE ACCESS Webpage: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/participation/ell.pdf MA state webpage on WIDA website:

http://wida.us/membership/states/Massachusetts.aspx Required Training for Test Administrators:

ESE Webpage: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/access/training-certification.html

ESE ACCESS for ELLs Coordinator: Paulette Watson (pwatson@doe.mass.edu. 781-338-3625)

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ESE Website for RETELL

http://www.doe.mass.edu/retell/

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