English Language Proficiency Assessments

• Access the ELD standards here: WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition
• Access Maine's educational standards here: Content Standards | Department of Education

Test administrators participating in the required Test Administrator Training courses are a critical component in ensuring a valid and reliable administration of the assessment for all Maine students. In Maine, WIDA ACCESS Test Administrators are not required to carry an ESOL/660 endorsement. Test Administrators do need to meet the following criteria:

• Participation and completion of the applicable WIDA training course (see below)
• Knowledge of the student's Individual Language Acquisition Plan (ILAP), including familiarity with documented accommodations for instruction/assessment
   

Accommodations are changes to procedures that support equitable access for students with disabilities without lowering expectations or changing the measurement. Accommodations can be applied to the presentation, scheduling, response and setting, and should be selected by the full IEP Team (including ML educator) based on how the student is regularly accessing instruction and learning.

• For information about accommodations in assessment format, please see Special Forms below.
• For more information about accessibility features, including accommodations, on the ACCESS suite of assessments: Accessibility and Accommodations Manual

WIDA ACCESS Online and WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten data provide reporting resources at the state, SAU, school and student levels. To explore reporting resources, including WIDA ACCESS Proficiency Level Descriptors, visit the WIDA website and select Resources > Scores and Reports.

• For Maine DOE professional learning on this topic, please visit the Event Calendar at: Event Calendar | Department of Education
• For recorded WIDA webinars on this topic, please log in to the WIDA Secure Portal > Webinars at: WIDA (login required)

To view the Maine State Page/WIDA Consortium, please visit: Maine

For more information on identification, services and resources for multilingual learners and their families, please visit: Multilingual Learners

WIDA Alternate ACCESS is aligned to the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards 2020 Edition. The WIDA Alternate Can DO Descriptors serve as an additional resource exemplifying what students can do at various levels of English proficiency, and are reduced in depth, breadth and complexity for the 1% population of students.

Maine adopted the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition in spring 2021 as a critical companion to the state educational standards.

• Access the ELD standards here: WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition
• Access the WIDA Alternate Can Do Descriptors here: Alternate Can Do Descriptors

Test administrators participating in the required Test Administrator Training courses are a critical component in ensuring a valid and reliable administration of the assessment for all Maine students. In Maine, WIDA ACCESS Test Administrators are not required to carry an ESOL/660 endorsement. Test Administrators do need to meet the following criteria:

To obtain a new WIDA Secure Portal account, Maine educators can contact their local SAU Director/Coordinator of Multilingual Programs: Contact Search Dashboard

• Participation and completion of the required WIDA training course (see below)
• Knowledge of the student's Individual Language Acquisition Plan (ILAP) and IEP, including familiarity with documented accommodations for instruction/assessment

Accommodations are changes to procedures that support equitable access for students with disabilities without lowering expectations or changing the measurement. Accommodations can be applied to the presentation, scheduling, response and setting, and should be selected by the full IEP Team (including ML educator) based on how the student is regularly accessing instruction and learning.

• For information about accommodations in assessment format, please see Special Forms below.
• For more information about accessibility features, including accommodations, on the ACCESS suite of assessments: Accessibility and Accommodations Manual
   

WIDA Alternate ACCESS data produce reporting resources at the state, SAU, school and student levels. To explore reporting resources, visit the WIDA website and select Resources > Alternate ACCESS > Scores and Reports.

For information about the Alternate Proficiency Level Descriptors, please visit the WIDA Secure Portal (login required) and select Resources > Alternate ACCESS > Scores and Reports.

• For Maine DOE professional learning on this topic, please visit the Event Calendar
• For recorded WIDA webinars on this topic, please log in to the WIDA Secure Portal > Webinars at: WIDA (login required)

Maine's resources for IEP Teams determining eligibility for a student's participation in alternate assessment participation can found here: Multi-State Alternate Assessment (MSAA)