The ACCESS for ELLs secure, large-scale English language proficiency assessment has been designed by the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium.
WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional learning for educators. -WIDA’s Mission Statement
English language proficiency scores were reported for each grade level for each of the following three language domains and the composite as determined by WIDA:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Oral Language (Listening 50%, Speaking 50%)
Figure 1: WIDA Proficiency Levels
The students’ proficiency, as evidenced in the WIDA scores, reflected the natural progression of children learning language:
- Listening:
Children must hear the words of the language before they can speak. The kindergarten students were certainly successful in listening. - Speaking:
The research showed that the first and second graders scored high in speaking and oral language. - Reading:
By third grade, children should develop reading skills. The GrapeSEED students achieved reading proficiency by the end of second grade.
