ACCESS for ELLs®
ACCESS for ELLs® stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners. This large-scale test addresses the academic English language proficiency (ELP) standards at the core of the WIDA Consortium's approach to instructing and evaluating the progress of English language learners. To alleviate any confusion, the WIDA ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)™, more aptly known as a screening tool, has a different purpose and format from the ACCESS test. To understand the relationship between the two tests, see Comparing W-APT™ and ACCESS for ELLs®.
This page addresses the development of the ACCESS test and provides information on score reports and accommodating ELLs with disabilities.
Why is ACCESS Unique?
In sum, because it assesses both social and academic English. The following links explain WIDA's innovative English language proficiency levels and the tiered assessment system of the ACCESS for ELLs® test.
Next, you will find a background on the history of the WIDA Consortium and its field test development process:
The article encompassing each of the previous sections is available in Word or PDF format.
Score Reports
Log in to view the ACCESS for ELLs® Interpretive Guide for Score Reports 2006. The Interpretive Guide is only available to WIDA Consortium educators and coordinators who have a W-APT username and password.
Translations of Parent/Guardian Report: Translations are currently available in Amharic, Bosnian-Croatian (Roman alphabet), Creole, French, Gujarati, Hmong, Korean, Lao, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic alphabet), Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Traditional Chinese, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Sample Letters to Parents/Guardians to Accompany Score Reports: Courtesy of Appleton Area School District and the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin, we offer samples of a letter to parents intended to introduce the ACCESS for ELLs® score report. You are free to download, edit, and use these letters for your own purposes if appropriate. If you translate these or other similar letters, other Consortium members could probably benefit from your work. Translations can be sent to info@wida.us.
Parent Sample Letter A: English, Hmong, Spanish
Parent Sample Letter B: English, Spanish
Accommodating Disabilities
The WIDA Consortium encourages the participation of all English language learners in the ACCESS for ELLs® testing program and feels that it is an appropriate assessment for all but the most severely disabled. The ACCESS for ELLs® has "built in" certain standard features of the test that might lessen the need for accommodations. For example, ACCESS for ELLs® is not a timed test. Students may take longer than the average time noted in each section's test manual. The thematic orientation of the test and the heavy reliance on graphic support are features that should lend themselves to enhanced comprehension, not only for ELLs in general, but for many students with special needs. However, certain testing accommodations may be appropriate for some students.
Testing accommodations are changes in the way a student is given a test or asked to respond to test questions. They are meant to offset the challenges caused by a disability without changing what the test measures. Testing accommodations strive to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to demonstrate their English language proficiency. To maximize fairness while maintaining the integrity of the ACCESS for ELLs® test, WIDA provides the following guidelines for appropriate accommodations for English Language Learners with disabilities.
ACCESS for ELLs® Test Administration Training
Online ACCESS for ELLs® test administration training and certification is accomplished through the D2L course website 
. Go to the D2L / Account Creator page or your state's name in the green menu on the left side of this screen to find out more about getting an account. To see some additional multimedia training resources for ACCESS, visit Test Administrator Training. To learn about other WIDA training opportunities, see the Professional Development section of this site.
ACCESS for ELLs® Technical Reports
Please click
here to see the ACCESS for ELLs
® Technical Reports.
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