We are excited to announce an important update regarding our website URL. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve functionality and increase internet security, we are changing our current URL from k12.wa.us to ospi.k12.wa.us. Read more about this change and its impact.
English Language Proficiency Assessments
Join us Mondays at noon for Lunch with Leslie Zoom meetings, to discuss WIDA assessments and the testing processes. This is an opportunity for district staff involved with ELP assessments to collaborate and share information.
There will be no Lunch with Leslie on Monday, October 16th, November 20th and December 4th
Contact Information
Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to assess the English language proficiency of students receiving English language development (ELD) services at school. Washington state uses the WIDA consortium assessments to measure English proficiency for these students. WIDA assessments are based on WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. Washington state began administering the WIDA ACCESS as the annual assessment in the 2021-22 school year.
For additional information regarding the WIDA consortium please visit the consortium's website.
Quick Start Guide
OSPI has created a WIDA Quick Start Guide to help districts better understand WIDA systems and assessments.
2024 Summative Testing Window
January 29 to March 22, 2024
ELP Annual Assessments
The WIDA ACCESS assessment is an online annual assessment given to all students who qualify for English language development (ELD) services. The annual assessment measures students' English language proficiency, both knowledge and skills, in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Results from this test determine which students remain eligible to continue receiving ELD services.
The ELP Screener
The WIDA Screener is used to determine initial eligibility for ELD services. Like the WIDA ACCESS assessment, this is an online assessment that measures proficiency in the four language domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This test is typically administered to potential English learners upon initial enrollment in a Washington school.
The WIDA Kindergarten Screener is a paper-based assessment used to determine initial eligibility for ELD services for incoming kindergarten students. This test measures a student's English language proficiency across the four language domains for reading, speaking, writing, and listening. This test is typically administered to potential English learners upon initial enrollment in a Washington school.
The ELP Alternate Assessment
The Alternate ACCESS is a paper-based annual assessment of English language proficiency for multilingual students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. IEP teams decide if ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS is the appropriate assessment path for a student. This assessment measures the four language domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students who are eligible for this test sit for the test annually.
Resources
- WIDA Assessment Guidance 2023-2024
- WIDA District Contact List
- WIDA Members List
- WIDA's Can Do Descriptors
- Overview of Annual ELP Assessment Activities This document lays out a number of the annual activities associated with administering ELP assessments in WA.
ELP Assessment Updates
- April 11, 2023 ELP Assessment Update
- January 4, 2023 ELP Assessment Update
- November 1, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- September 12, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- August 25, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- July 28, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- July 21, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- July 14, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- May 19, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- March 24, ELP Assessment Update
- March 11, ELP Assessment Update
- February 25, ELP Assessment Update
- February 4, ELP Assessment Update
- January 26, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- January 4, 2022 ELP Assessment Update
- December 12, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- November 22, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- October 29, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- October 5, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- September 20, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- September 15, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- September 3, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- August 5, 2021 ELP Assessment Update
- July 23, 2021 ELP Assessment Update