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Part of the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Suite of Assessments WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test W-APT™ Test Administrator Manual KINDERGARTEN Revised August 2017
Part of the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Suite of Assessments
WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test W-APT™
Test Administrator Manual
KINDERGARTEN
Revised August 2017
2
Version 3, October 2013
© 2007 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, on behalf of the WIDA Consortium.
All rights reserved.
About this Document This WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)™ Test Administrator Manual applies only to Kindergarten.
Test administrators are required to read this manual in its entirety as training for administration of the Kindergarten W-APT™, and they should be completely comfortable with the Test Administrator’s Script for each domain (Listening and Speaking, Reading, or Writing) they will be testing.
The WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)™ Test Administrator Manual, Kindergarten was prepared by the Center for Applied Linguistics.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Introduction to ACCESS for ELLs® and W-APT™ 5
Background on the W-APT™ 5
Section 2: Kindergarten W-APT™ Materials 7
Printing and Binding Instructions 7
Test Security 7
Section 3: Preparing for the Kindergarten W-APT™ Administration 10
The Testing Environment and Test Document Handling 10
During and After Testing 10
Testing Environment 10
Section 4: Administering and Scoring the Kindergarten W-APT™ 11
General Procedures 11
General Listening/Speaking Test Scoring Guidelines 12
Listening/Speaking Part A 12
Listening/Speaking Part B 12
Listening/Speaking Part C 12
Listening/Speaking Part D 12
Listening/Speaking Part E 13
General Reading Test Scoring Guidelines 13
General Writing Test Scoring Guidelines 13
Section 5: Understanding and Using Kindergarten Scoring Sheets 14
Section 6: Interpreting Test Results 16
General Interpretation Guidelines 16
How to Interpret the Kindergarten W-APT™ Scores 16
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Listening/Speaking Score 16
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Reading Scores 16
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Writing Scores 17
Making Placement Decisions Using the K- WAPT™ Score 18
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Appendix A: Writing Samples and Scoring Rationale 21
Part A Introduction 21
Part A 23
Part B 24
Part C 26
Part D 28
Part E 29
Appendix B: Test Accommodations for ELLs with Disabilities 32
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Section 1: Introduction to ACCESS for ELLs® and W-APT™
Background on the W-APT™ WIDA has created a comprehensive assessment system anchored in the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards. Aligned to these standards is the ACCESS for ELLs® test of school-based English language proficiency (ELP). This suite of assessments gives educators and parents information about the ELP level of English language learners (ELLs) in Kindergarten through Grade 12 in the skill areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
For ELLs new to the U.S. school system or to a particular district, it may be necessary to have an initial measure of the student’s English language proficiency in order to determine if the student is in need of English language instructional services and, if so, at what level. The WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)™, aligned to the WIDA ELP Standards and ACCESS for ELLs®, is designed to provide this baseline information. All scoring of the W-APT™ is completed on site by the test administrator. The W-APT™ is semi-secure and available for use at any time.
The W-APT™ for Kindergarten has two main purposes:
• To identify students who may be candidates for English as a Second Language (ESL) and/or bilingual services; and
• To determine the academic English language proficiency level of students new to a school or to the U.S. school system in order to determine appropriate levels and amounts of instructional services.
For either purpose the Kindergarten W-APT™ should be considered as only one element in the decision making process. Decisions to exit a student from ELL services should be supported by the student’s annual progress on the ACCESS for ELLs® assessment, and on other evidence as well, such as academic content assessments, teacher recommendations, and other informative documentation.
W-APT™ test forms align with the 2007 WIDA Standards and the WIDA Consortium’s approach to instructing and assessing English language learners in all grade clusters. The Kindergarten W-APT™ is aligned to preliminary Pre-K and Kindergarten standards. It is an adaptive test whose components can be administered to children in pre-K1, Kindergarten, or first grade, depending on a child’s individual circumstances. Pre-K children would take only the Listening and Speaking components, which are combined in one test. A child entering in the second half of the Kindergarten year could take all four components: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, or only the oral portions (Listening and Speaking). A child entering first grade would take all four components of the
1 Pre-K in this context refers to the spring or summer prior to Kindergarten enrollment when children are participating in the registration and screening process for Kindergarten entrance.
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Kindergarten W-APT™.
Who takes each part of the K-WAPT™? Pre-K 1st semester K 2nd semester K 1st semester Grade 1
Oral proficiency test (Listening and Speaking )
Diagnostic Reading and Writing Test
The Listening and Speaking components of the Kindergarten W-APT ™ provide an Oral Proficiency score, which can be used to determine the level and extent of services appropriate for each student. The results of the Reading and Writing components provide diagnostic information that may be used as additional criteria to guide instruction and service delivery.
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Section 2: Kindergarten W-APT™ Materials The Kindergarten W-APT™ materials consist of:
• This Test Administrator Manual, which includes Writing Samples and Scoring Rationale (Appendix A), and
• For Listening and Speaking:
o A non-consumable test booklet that contains the Listening and Speaking test,
o A non-consumable Test Administrator’s Script for Listening and Speaking, and
o A consumable Listening and Speaking scoring sheet;
• For Reading and Writing:
o A non-consumable test booklet that contains the Reading test,
o A consumable Writing test booklet for students,
o A Test Administrator’s Script for Reading and Writing, and
o A consumable Reading and Writing scoring sheet.
All Kindergarten W-APT™ materials must be accessed and downloaded from user’s “My Account & Secure Portal” at www.wida.us. District and school assessment staff will be provided with password access to the site, and authorized individuals may access the site to download electronic files of the tests. These files are made available in PDF formats, which may be printed using the freely available Adobe Reader® software. Downloaded files must be printed by the district or school and made available to test administrators.
Printing and Binding Instructions For proper administration of the Kindergarten W-APT™, all materials should be printed single-sided. If double-sided printing is available, some but not all of the W-APT materials may be printed double-sided to conserve paper. Please use the chart in Figure 2 on page 9 to determine whether two-sided printing is allowable, and whether binding the booklets is recommended.
Test Security The school assessment coordinators or staff of district intake centers are responsible for coordinating the administration of the Kindergarten W-APT™. They print and coordinate the distribution of all test materials. The Kindergarten W-APT™ is a semi-secure test, and it is important to take measures to maintain confidentiality of all testing materials. Place all secure testing materials in locked storage and do not leave materials unattended before or after testing. The district assessment coordinator should conduct a test briefing with school assessment coordinators and test administrators to go over all aspects of the Kindergarten W-
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APT™, including materials, policies, and procedures. The personnel involved with testing are responsible for ensuring that no specific test information is shared with students prior to or after testing.
It is particularly important to also secure the consumable materials—the writing test booklet and the scoring sheets, since these contain answer keys and prompts. Either destroy these materials following the recording of student scores or file the test documents within the student’s secure file folder if they are to be retained.
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Figure 1: Kindergarten W-APT™ Printing Instructions for the Various Test Documents
Document Reusable? Recommendations for Binding Printing Instructions
Listening and Speaking Picture Cue Booklet YES (Print only one copy.)
Bind on long edge or staple in upper-left corner
MU
ST B
E S
ING
LE-
SID
ED
Reading Picture Cue Booklet YES (Print only one copy.)
Writing Picture Cue Booklet NO (Print one copy for each student.)
Listening and Speaking Scoring Sheet NO (Print one copy for each student.)
Staple in upper-left corner
Dou
ble-
side
d if
poss
ible
Reading and Writing Scoring Sheet NO (Print one copy for each student.)
Listening and Speaking Script YES (Print only one copy.)
Booklet/saddle-stitch Reading and Writing Script YES (Print only one copy.)
Test Administrator Manual YES (Print only one copy.)
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Section 3: Preparing for the Kindergarten W-APT™ Administration
The Testing Environment and Test Document Handling
During and After Testing • The test administrator assures that the student’s name and background
information is written in the appropriate place on the scoring sheet and consumable test forms.
• The test administrator completes recording and scoring of all sections administered.
• Unused tests and tests that are not kept for internal records should be destroyed.
Testing Environment This test is designed to be administered in a variety of testing environments, such as intake centers, classrooms, and other locations. Students will be tested individually in a one-on-one interview format in a private room or carrel. Preparing an appropriate testing environment will facilitate a smooth test administration, but the details are left to the discretion of the test administrator. The following considerations should be addressed, however:
• Testing should occur in a quiet room. Post a Do Not Disturb: Testing sign on the testing room door on test days.
• It is not necessary to cover any print on the walls or on classroom materials.
• Use a rectangular or circular table at which to test the student. Place yourself at a right angle to the student, rather than across from or right next to the student.
• Make sure students can see the test materials when they lie flat on the table.
• Provide at least two sharpened pencils: one for you and one for the student to use during the Writing test. Have extra pencils available, as sharpening pencils during a test session could be a distraction.
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Section 4: Administering and Scoring the Kindergarten W-APT™
General Procedures The Kindergarten W-APT™ is an adaptive test whose components can be administered to students in pre-K, Kindergarten, or 1st semester grade 1, depending on a student’s individual circumstances. Pre-K students would take only the Listening and Speaking components, which are combined in one test that uses pictures to alternate between Speaking and Listening tasks. A student entering in the second half of the Kindergarten year would take all four components: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, or only the oral portion (Listening and Speaking). A student entering first grade would take all four components of the Kindergarten W-APT™.
For each of the language domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing), the Kindergarten W-APT™ consists of five parts, each containing three tasks. The test is designed to take 10-15 minutes for Listening and Speaking, and an additional 10-15 minutes if the Reading and Writing sections are also administered. Testing time may vary significantly. Depending on a student’s age, schooling and proficiency level, the Kindergarten W-APT™ may take anywhere from five minutes (for very low-level students) on up to 30 minutes (for high-performing students). Scoring procedures for the Kindergarten Test are discussed on page 12.
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General Listening/Speaking Test Scoring Guidelines When scoring the Listening items, follow the key provided on the scoring sheet and mark responses as right (with a 1 or a check mark) or wrong (with a 0) When scoring Speaking, in order to be counted as correct a response 1) must be in English; 2) must be understandable, even though it might require some effort on your part to comprehend; and 3) must contain real words of English. In assessing whether an individual word is in English, though, do not be overly strict regarding correct pronunciation. Variant or dialectal pronunciations of English are acceptable.
Listening/Speaking Part A For Listening, follow the key. For Speaking, score the response as correct when the student can tell you the correct word for what you are pointing to in that task. If a student responds by telling you the word for another object close to the one in the task, then the response can be accepted. For example, if you point to the tree and the student identifies the bird sitting in the tree and says “bird,” that response is acceptable. In general, any reasonable response is acceptable, even if it is not quite correct, such as the student saying “bush” when you point to the tree.
Listening/Speaking Part B For Listening, follow the key. For Speaking, score the response as correct if the student responds in English telling you something about the picture. Give 1 point for each description and use the prompt in the script as needed. Once the student gives three descriptions, calculate the total score and move to Part C.
Listening/Speaking Part C For Listening, follow the key and if the student points to at least one of the two sequencing steps, score correct. For Speaking, score the response as correct if the student responds in English telling you something about the picture. Any reasonable response is acceptable.
Listening/Speaking Part D For Listening, credit is given if the student points to the two pictures in the correct sequence. If the Listening response is incorrect, withhold scoring until you hear the student’s response for the corresponding Speaking task. If the student’s Listening response is in the wrong sequence, but the Speaking response is in the right order, then mark both Listening and Speaking correct. It is not necessary for the student to use sequential language (e.g. “first," or “then”) in order to retell the story correctly. For Speaking, the response is correct if the student tells what happened in the story in the correct sequence. The student must score at least 4 out of 6 to move to Part E.
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Listening/Speaking Part E For Listening, withhold the Listening score until you hear the student’s response for the corresponding Speaking task. If the student responds to the wrong picture, but the Speaking response includes the correct ending to the story, then mark both Listening and Speaking correct. It is not necessary for the student to use sequential language (e.g. “first" or “then”) in order to retell the story correctly. For Speaking, the response is correct if the student tells what happened in the story in the correct sequence with an appropriate ending. Extended discourse is expected in order to give credit. Completeness of the story the student retells is most important. The response should be more than just a one word description about each picture.
General Reading Test Scoring Guidelines When scoring the Reading section, the student must correctly match the prompt to the correct response in order to be scored correct. In Part A, students must identify pictures; in Part B, letters; Part C, words; Part D, phrases; and Part E, sentences. Students are allowed, but not required, to read the letters, words, etc. out loud or to sound them out in order to complete the task.
General Writing Test Scoring Guidelines When scoring the writing section, invented spellings and reversed letters are acceptable, but letters and words should be generally recognizable. Scribbles do not count.
Writing Part A and Part B Letter shapes must be recognizable and approximate the expected letter. If the student writes the incorrect letter in the space, it should be scored incorrect.
Writing Part C Writing must be a word or approximate a word, not just one letter. Words copied from the sample should be scored incorrect.
Writing Part D Writing must be a phrase or sentence of more than one word. Misspellings or missing words are acceptable as long as the response is generally comprehensible.
Writing Part E Writing must be a sentence of more than a single word or phrase. Misspellings or missing words are acceptable as long as the response is generally comprehensible.
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Section 5: Understanding and Using Kindergarten Scoring Sheets
The Listening and Speaking portions of the Kindergarten W-APT™ are integrated. Within each of the first three of the five parts of the test, you first give the student three Listening tasks, and then three Speaking tasks that relate to the Listening tasks. After administering all six of the tasks in any one part of the test, you will use the criteria for advancement listed on the scoring sheet to determine whether the student will advance to the next part of the test. The sample scoring sheet (Figure 2 below) shows the sequence of tasks. The down arrows show that all Listening tasks in Part A must be administered before moving on to the Speaking tasks for Part A. The same applies to Parts B and C. The diagonal arrows indicate that once the Listening score has been entered, the three Speaking tasks are then administered. Next the administrator totals the Listening and Speaking score for each part and uses the Criterion column to determine whether to advance to the next part. For Parts D and E, a Listening task is followed immediately by a Speaking task, before moving on to the following Listening task. The task numbering on the scoring sheet for all parts indicates the proper administration sequence.
If the student does not meet the criterion in any part of the Listening and Speaking test, bring the test to a close using guidance provided in the script. Once any part of the test is started, complete that part before deciding whether to continue the test. The second page of the Kindergarten W-APT™ Scoring Sheet for Listening and Speaking provides examples of acceptable responses to each test item. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive. You will certainly encounter other possibilities.
Upon completion of test administration, use the Kindergarten W-APT™ Scoring Sheet to record the total correct in each portion of the test that was given. Then transfer the raw scores to the Kindergarten W-APT™ Summary Scoring Sheet. Use the conversion tables to translate the raw scores to the student’s oral proficiency score, and, if applicable, Reading and Writing skills descriptions. These score interpretations and conversion tables are discussed in Section 7: Interpreting Test Results.
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Figure 2: Kindergarten W-APT™ Scoring Sheet for Listening and Speaking
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Section 6: Interpreting Test Results
General Interpretation Guidelines If the Kindergarten W-APT™ is being used as a criterion to determine eligibility for and placement in ELL services, follow the established procedures in your district and state for interpreting the score for these purposes. WIDA does not prescribe criteria for matching particular ELL services to particular scores on the test. This is a matter of interpretation of state or local policy guidelines. See the example later in this section on Making Placement Decisions Using the KW-APT™ Scores.
For additional information see the ACCESS for ELLs® Score Interpretation Guide posted at www.wida.us.
How to Interpret the Kindergarten W-APT™ Scores
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Listening/Speaking Score The Listening/Speaking portion of the Kindergarten W-APT™ results in a raw score that can be interpreted as an oral proficiency score. To determine the student's oral proficiency (listening and speaking skills combined), take the total for Listening and Speaking on page 1 of the Kindergarten W-APT™ Scoring Sheet and find the corresponding proficiency score in Figure 3 below.
Figure 3: Raw Score Conversion for Kindergarten Oral Proficiency
Raw Score for Listening and
Speaking
Oral Proficiency Score
0-10 Low
11-18 Mid
19-28 High
29-30 Exceptional
These scores are intended to be only general groupings useful for making placement decisions based on a rating of Low to High proficiency. The occasional student might score an Exceptional.
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Reading Scores Although the Listening/Speaking part of the Kindergarten W-APT™ results in a proficiency score, the Reading and Writing sections provide only diagnostic information. The results on the Reading and Writing sections of the test reflect the degree to which a student is able to demonstrate the literacy skills described in Figure 4 below. Use Figure 4 to translate the raw score for Reading (from page 2
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of the Kindergarten W-APT™ scoring sheet) into diagnostic information about a student's reading ability.
Figure 4: Diagnostic Skill Descriptions for Kindergarten Reading
Reading Raw Score Skill(s) Description
0-2 No demonstrable ability
3-5 Can match simple pictures to each other
6-10 Can recognize letters
11-12 Can recognize words
13 Can read simple phrases
14-15 Can read simple sentences
It is important to note that a student performing at a specific raw score (for example, a 10) can perform the corresponding skills (e.g. “Can recognize letters”) as well as all skills associated with lower raw scores (“Can match simple pictures to each other,” etc.). This diagnostic information is not mapped to specific Proficiency Levels on the WIDA ELP scale.
Interpreting the Kindergarten W-APT™ Writing Scores Use the chart below to translate the raw score for Writing (from page 3 of the Kindergarten W-APT™ scoring sheet) into diagnostic information about a student's writing ability.
Figure 5: Diagnostic Skill Descriptions for Kindergarten Writing
Writing Raw Score Skill(s) Description
0-3 No ability
4-7 Can copy letters
8-11 Can complete simple words with initial letter
12-14 Can write simple words
15-16 Can write simple phrases
17-18 Can write simple sentences
It is important to note that a student provided a specific raw score can perform the corresponding skills at that level, as well as all skills associated with lower raw scores. For example, a student receiving a raw score of 11 can perform the skill indicator appropriate for that score (e.g., “Can complete simple words with initial letter”) and the skills associated with lower scores (e.g., “Can copy letters,” etc.).
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Making Placement Decisions Using the K-WAPT™ Score Qualification and program placement decisions are always subject to state and local policy, guidelines, and resources. Figure 6 on the next page shows an example of how one state, State X, has defined its placement decision-making process with regard to Kindergarten W-APT™ scores. For example, in State X, students with a combined Listening and Speaking raw score ranging from 19 to 28, a Reading score below 11, and a Writing score below 12 are considered Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students, and are thus eligible for language support services.
Figure 6 is intended only for illustrative purposes and does not reflect any official WIDA stance regarding how Kindergarten W-APT™ results should be interpreted. There are certainly other means of interpreting K W-APT™ scores, and these will be decided by state and local policy.
As in State X, the Reading and Writing domain tests could be used as additional criteria to determine if the student may be a candidate for language support services. Remember that the Reading and Writing portions of the Kindergarten W-APT™ are diagnostic and can provide specific information such as, “Can read/write simple words,” that may be useful in targeting specific services for the student.
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Figure 6. State X’s decision-making flowchart for Kindergarten LEP services
IllinoisW-APT™ Screener
for Pre-K and KindergartenStudents
Determining TBE/TPI Eligibility
Student is LEPand shall be
eligiblefor TBE/TPI
Services
Student meets Illinois’s minimum criteria for English
Language proficiency.However, the school district has
the discretion of usingadditional indicators, e.g., othertests, to determine whether the
student is LEP based onthe district’s established criteria.
If Yes
IsStudent’s
Reading score11 or higher andWriting score12 or higher?
If No
IsStudent’scombined
Listening & SpeakingRaw Score
29 or higher?
IsStudent’scombined
Listening & SpeakingRaw Score
between19 and 28?
If No
If Yes
If Yes
If No
AdministerReading & Writing
Tests
AdministerListening & Speaking
Tests
IllinoisW-APT™ Screener
for Pre-K and KindergartenStudents
Determining TBE/TPI Eligibility
Student is LEPand shall be
eligiblefor TBE/TPI
Services
Student meets Illinois’s minimum criteria for English
Language proficiency.However, the school district has
the discretion of usingadditional indicators, e.g., othertests, to determine whether the
student is LEP based onthe district’s established criteria.
If Yes
IsStudent’s
Reading score11 or higher andWriting score12 or higher?
If No
IsStudent’scombined
Listening & SpeakingRaw Score
29 or higher?
IsStudent’scombined
Listening & SpeakingRaw Score
between19 and 28?
If No
If Yes
If Yes
If No
AdministerReading & Writing
Tests
AdministerListening & Speaking
Tests
State X K W-APT Screener
for Pre-K and Kindergarten Students
Determining ELL eligibility
Student meets State X’s minimum criteria for English
Language proficiency. However, the school district has the discretion of using additional
indicators (e.g., teacher observation, home language
survey) to determine whether the student is LEP based on the district’s established criteria.
Student is LEP and may be eligible for language support
services
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Appendix A: Writing Samples and Scoring Rationale Part A Introduction
Sample 1
Score as correct
• Letters are all well-formed and easily recognizable.
Sample 2
Score as correct
• Even though sequencing of last letters is difficult to recognize, letter shapes are clearly identifiable.
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Sample 3
Sample 3: Score as incorrect.
• Student simply copied “My name” and did not write her own name.
• Letter “n” is not easily recognizable outside of context.
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Part A
Score all items as correct.
• Letters are all appropriately formed and recognizable.
• Letters are in correct order.
Please note: Item #3 on this page was replaced after the field test from which this writing sample was taken. “Hen” has been replaced with “fox” on the operational Kindergarten W-APT™.
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Part B Sample 1
Sample 1: Score items 4, 5 and 7 correct and item 6 as incorrect.
• Letter shapes are recognizable (though “s” in “sun” is reversed).
• Initial letter in 6 is inappropriate.
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Sample 2
Sample 2: Score items 4 and 5 as correct and 6 and 7 as incorrect.
• Student wrote the incorrect letter in the space for 6 and 7.
• Letters for 4 and 5 are appropriate and well formed.
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Part C Sample 1
Sample 2
Score all responses in both samples as correct.
• All responses are well-formed and correct.
• Response 1 in sample 2 uses invented spelling (“kit” for “kite”), but this is acceptable.
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Sample 3
Sample 4
Score both samples as incorrect.
• Sample 3 #10 appears to be random letters, rather than invented spelling.
• Words copied from practice item (#8) should not be recopied as in #9 of sample 4.
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Part D
Score practice item as correct.
• With some effort the writing can be seen to represent the phrase “help mommy.”
• Word breaking assists in interpreting the writing as containing multiple words.
Score item 1 as incorrect.
• Only with considerable effort can the student’s probable meaning “They’re reading.” be interpreted.
• Misspellings or missing words are acceptable, but not if word boundaries are not indicated.
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Part E Sample 1
Score both items as correct.
• Word breaking and use of punctuation facilitate comprehension.
• The interpretation of the practice item in sample 1 (“My family is playing.”) is easily seen.
• The interpretation of item 1 in sample 1 (“It is hot.”) is less obvious than in the practice item, but still apparent. Missing word in the sentence (“it”) is acceptable.
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Sample 2
Score both items as correct.
• Word breaking and use of punctuation facilitate comprehension.
• The interpretation of item 2 in sample 2 (“Lee’s family is on the farm.”) is evident, in spite of misspellings (“from” for “farm”) and incorrect preposition (“in” rather than “on”).
• The interpretation of item 3 in sample 2 (“Lee’s family is looking at a book.”) is readily accessible.
• Misspellings (“famlie” for “family”) and missing function words (“is” and “a”) do not significantly impede meaning.
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Sample 3
Score both items as incorrect.
• Writing in item 2 is a single word, not the required sentence.
• In item 3 the effort to interpret the writing (presumably, “They’re coloring.”) is seriously impeded by lack of word spacing and punctuation.
• Also in item 3, invented spelling, though consistent, deviates considerably from standard spelling and does not assist interpretation.
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Appendix B: Accessibility and Accommodations WIDA recognizes that the validity of the K W-APT results depend upon every eligible ELL participating in the assessment being provided appropriate access to the assessment.
Standard features of the K W-APT might lessen the need for accommodations. For example, while the assessment is paced appropriately, with time guidelines, it is not a timed test. ELLs may take longer than the average stated time in each section. The thematic orientation of the test and the heavy reliance on graphic supports are features that lend themselves to enhanced comprehension, for ELLs in general including ELLs with disabilities. Even with the test features that support access, testing accommodations may be appropriate for some students.
A test accommodation is an allowable change to the test presentation, response method, timing or environment to make the test as accessible as possible to ELLs with disabilities, without invalidating the results of the assessment. Accommodations ONLY APPLY TO ELLs WITH DISABILITIES and the testing accommodation must be indicated in the student’s Individual Education Program (IEP).
Testing accommodations may not change what the test measures. Testing accommodations allow ELLs with disabilities to demonstrate their true English language proficiency. To maximize fairness and validity while maintaining the integrity of the test, WIDA has provided the following guidelines for considering appropriate accommodations for ELLs with disabilities.
For more information on accessibility features and accommodations refer to the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement.
The following guidelines are divided into each of the four domains of the test—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—with indications of whether a particular accessibility support is appropriate for the domain (Yes), inappropriate and therefore not recommended (No), or Not Applicable (N/A) because the “accommodation” is already incorporated into the test design or is irrelevant for the domain.
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Accessibility FOR ALL ELLs
Assessment Domains
Listening Reading Writing Speaking
Explanation of directions (English) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Repeat directions Yes Yes Yes Yes
Translation of directions into native language Yes Yes Yes Yes
Use of highlighters (yellow only) by student Yes Yes Yes N/A
Use of marker to maintain place Yes Yes Yes N/A
Test administered by school personnel familiar to student Yes Yes Yes Yes
Alone in study carrel Yes Yes Yes Yes
Administer test in separate room Yes Yes Yes Yes
With small groups Yes Yes Yes Yes
Preferential seating Yes Yes Yes Yes
Individually Yes Yes Yes Yes
By special education personnel Yes Yes Yes Yes
Special lighting Yes Yes Yes Yes
Special acoustics Yes Yes Yes Yes
Special furniture Yes Yes Yes Yes
Write directly in test booklet Yes Yes Yes N/A
Provide verbal praise or tangible reinforcement to increase motivation Yes Yes Yes Yes
Administer practice test or examples before the administration date of the assessment Yes Yes Yes Yes
Use of equipment or technology that the student uses for other tests and school work (e.g., adapted pencils in size or grip, slant board, etc.)
Yes Yes Yes Yes
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Accommodation FOR ELLs WITH DISABILITIES
Assessment Domains
Listening Reading Writing Speaking
Sign directions to students Yes Yes Yes Yes
Oral reading in English No No Yes No
Large Print or visual magnification device Yes Yes Yes Yes
Audio amplification device or noise buffer Yes Yes Yes Yes
Student reads questions or responses aloud to self Yes Yes Yes N/A
Administer test with school personnel in non-school setting (e.g., home or hospital)
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Extended testing time (same day) Yes Yes Yes Yes
More breaks Yes Yes Yes Yes
Extending sessions over multiple days Yes Yes Yes No
Braille writers N/A N/A No N/A
Word processors or similar assistive device (Spell and grammar check and dictionary/thesaurus must be turned off)
N/A N/A Yes N/A
Tape recorders N/A N/A No N/A
Scribe1 Yes Yes Yes N/A
Answer orally, point to answer Yes Yes No N/A
Braille edition of assessment2 Possible Possible Possible Possible
Signing questions or answers3 Possible Possible Possible Possible
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(1) If an IEP team determines that a scribe is necessary, all student responses must be transcribed verbatim, including spelling, punctuation, and paragraph breaks.
(2) K−WAPT is not available in braille. WIDA does not recommend administration of K−WAPT to students who are not proficient in English braille (either EBAE or UEB). If an IEP team determines that it is in the best interest of a student to make the test available in braille, the following guidelines are recommended to ensure the integrity of the assessment:
a. The student must be braille proficient so as not to confound English language proficiency with proficiency in braille;
b. Tactile graphics must be included as this is a graphic dependent test; and
c. If the picture descriptions are used instead of or in conjunction with tactile graphics, such descriptions should be made in the student’s native language so as not to confound with English language listening skills;
d. The student’s responses must be transcribed verbatim by a school staff member into a regular K−WAPT test booklet for scoring;
e. The writing assessment must be transcribed verbatim into the test book. (See the Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement for transcription guidance.)
(3) Deaf and hard of hearing students, including those for whom American Sign Language (ASL) is their first language, can generally participate in the Reading and Writing sections of the test with few or no accommodations necessary. Lip-reading with spoken responses for those students who possess these abilities may be possible for the listening and speaking parts of the test. IEP teams should make such determinations on a case by case basis. Translating the listening and speaking prompts into ASL is equivalent to translating into another spoken language, such as Spanish or Arabic, and therefore is prohibited as it changes the construct and invalidates the test. Refer to the Accessibility and Accommodations Supplement for guidance on assessing students who use an English based manual communication systems other than ASL.
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Manual Errata or Changes
Appendix B: Accessibility and Accommodations p. 32-35: Updated to align with WIDA’s current accessibility and accommodations philosophy (Aug. 2017)
