All ELE students are tested in English proficiency in January using the WIDA ACCESS. WIDA stands for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment. ACCESS stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State. It is an organization that has developed standards and assessments for states to use with their ELE students. Massachusetts has been a member of the WIDA consortium since 2012. You can find more information about WIDA at their website www.wida.us.

Results from ACCESS testing are received in late spring of each year and results are sent home to parents before the end of the school year. English proficiency levels range from level 1, which is called Emerging and would be considered an early beginner, to level 6, which is called Reaching which indicates that the ELE student is ready to exit the ELE program. In addition, ELE  students are responsible to participate in and pass the MCAS test. (ELE students are provided with DESE approved word-to-word dictionaries and glossaries).

If you have any questions about the ELE testing process, please feel free to contact the ELE Coordinator, Marion Mako, at (978) 794-0124.