ACCESS for ELLs

Florida uses the ACCESS for ELLs suite of assessments as a tool to measure English Language Learners (ELLs) proficiency in the English language; thus, ensuring the skills needed in school to achieve at high levels, academically. The ACCESS for ELLs suite is a product of a collaborative effort by the multistate WIDA Consortium that is designed to provide:

• Evidence of program accountability in accordance with Title I and III of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (formerly the No Child Left Behind Act), which calls for schools and districts to meet state accountability objectives for increasing the English-language proficiency of English Language Learners.
• Data useful for charting student progress over time and, for the newly arrived students, charting progress over the first year.
• Information about the language proficiency levels of individual students that can be used in making decisions regarding exit from the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.
• Diagnostically useful information about students’ strengths and weaknesses in English (with as much specificity as possible within the limitations of a large-scale standardized test).

The ACCESS for ELLs suite of assessments includes:

• ACCESS for ELLs, a paper-based assessment for Grades 1–12
  • Students are administered the Speaking section of the test one-on-one with a teacher; the Listening, Reading, and Writing sections may be administered in a group setting.
  • Students are administered all sections of the test, one-on-one with a teacher.
  • Students are administered all sections of the test, one-on-one with a teacher.

  Each test is based on the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards that form the core of WIDA’s approach to instructing and assessing ELLs in Grades K–12. For more information about Florida standards, course descriptions and standards resources, please visit the CPALMS website.

  State Laws and Federal Guidance

  • Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
  • IDEA
  • Rule 6A-6.0902, Florida Administration Code (F.A.C.), Requirements for Identification, Eligibility and Programmatic Assessments of English Language Learners
  • Rule 6A-6.09021, F.A.C., Annual English Language Proficiency Assessment for English Language Learners (ELLs)
  • Rule 6A-1.0943, F.A.C., Statewide Assessment for Students with Disabilities
  • Rule 6A-1.09432, F.A.C., Assessment of English Language Learners
  • Rule 6A-6.0903, F.A.C., Requirements for Exiting English Language Learners from the English for Speakers of Other Languages Program

  State and District Contacts

  • District Assessment Coordinators (PDF)
  • WIDA Florida ACCESS Manager
    • Sabrina Read: 850-245-0843, Sabrina.Read@fldoe.org

    Presentations