Access for ELLS

Access for ELLs

The Virginia Board of Education selected the WIDA Consortium’s Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs®) test in 2007 as the state-approved English language proficiency (ELP) assessment. The ACCESS for ELLs® test is an English language proficiency assessment based on the Model Performance Indicators (MPIs) of the WIDA English language development (ELD) standards for students K-12. The ACCESS for ELLs® test assesses social and instructional English used within the school context as well as academic English associated with language arts, mathematics, science and social studies across the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. The ACCESS for ELLs® test is administered annually to EL students in grades K-12 to monitor their progress in acquiring English proficiency

As required in Section 1111(b)(7) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), school divisions must provide an annual assessment of English proficiency to all English learners (EL).