06-03-2021 | June 2021 Edition
Released June 14-16, 2021
In WIDA AMS, district-level users may view both district-level and school-level reporting. School-level users may view school-level reporting only. The DRC begins mailing printed reports to schools and school districts in June.
Districts: This shipment will contain the following reports:
- Grades K-12 ACCESS for ELLs District Frequency Distribution Reports.
- Grades 1-12 Alternate ACCESS for ELLs District Frequency Distribution Reports (if applicable). District boxes may also include boxes for schools (this is the same process for delivering test materials).
Schools: This shipment will contain the following reports:
- Grades K-12 ACCESS for ELLs School Frequency Distribution Reports.
- Grades K-12 ACCESS for ELLs School Roster Reports.
- Grades K-12 ACCESS for ELLs Individual Student Reports.
- Grades 1-12 Alternate ACCESS for ELLs School Frequency Distribution Reports (if applicable).
- Grades 1-12 Alternate ACCESS for ELLs School Roster Reports (if applicable).
- Grades 1-12 Alternate ACCESS for ELLs Individual Student Reports (if applicable).
For more information, contact DRC Customer Support at 1-855-787-9615 or WIDA@DataRecognitionCorp.com.
New This Year: Parent Letters In 47 Languages
WIDA has compiled a list of key resources to better explain and assist in communicating about student scores:
Find sample reports and additional information about ACCESS scores on the ACCESS for ELLs Scores and Reports and Alternate ACCESS Scores and Reports pages.
Participants Must Attend All Three Live Webinars
- This eFacilitated workshop allows school leaders to reflect on their school’s policies and systems to craft a team-based leadership action plan that promotes equitable educational opportunities for multilingual learners. Participants will engage in interactive tasks related to equitable instruction for multilingual learners including: using discussion boards, participating in self-reflections, viewing video and analyzing, and creating action plans.
- This webinar series is designed for school principals. However, administrators, EL district coordinators, and leadership teams, EL educators are encouraged to attend with school leadership to provide feedback.
- Registration is required and limited to the first 40 participants.
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From 1-3 p.m. MDT on Wednesday, July 7, 2021
This is a Wyoming specific overview. Participants will be able to understand the purpose and background of the WIDA Kindergarten Screener.
- Explore the logistics for preparing to administer the Screener.
- Review the Kindergarten Screener materials.
- Identify the available accommodations on the Screener.
- Examine the test administration preparation.
- Ask questions.
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Click here to join.
NOTE: This is not a replacement for the online training course or the WIDA Kindergarten Screener face-to-face workshop.
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May 21-June 25, 2021
A key purpose of the WDE684 collection is to identify the number of Active ELs and any students in Monitor Status. Once the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) receives all the WDE684 data, validations will be performed, and an error report will be created. Districts will be contacted and provided with any identified EL errors.
- The data clean up period is June 26 through July 7, 2021. Take this time to review and validate all WDE684 student information.
For more information on the WDE684, contact Antoinette Hallam, EL Consultant, at 307-777-8751 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov. For more information on the WDE684, refer to the WDE684 Guidebook, or contact April Strong, Records and Data Management Analyst, at 307-777-8751 or april.strong@wyo.gov.
One-Day Virtual on Thursday, October 14, 2021
This one-day virtual event will include 20 live sessions with interactive breakout groups, presentation handouts and materials, a keynote speaker and access to all recorded content through the end of 2021. eConference sessions will align with the conference theme “Reimagining Opportunity and Access for Multilingual Learners'' and will be designed for educators of K-12 multilingual learners. The keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr. Viet Thanh Nguyen. View agenda and register here.
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Contest Runs June 7-13, 2021
Next week on Instagram WIDA will be giving away one free registration to the 2021 WIDA eConference. Head over to Instagram to learn how you can win. The full WIDA eConference conference schedule, speaker biographies and registration details are available on the WIDA eConference website.
Post-Reporting Data Validation
The ACCESS assessment data review of state data will be June 29-June 30, 2021. This will be the last opportunity for districts to review EL assessment results and identify potential errors in your data.
Honor an Exceptional EL Colleague
WIDA’s Featured Educator is a monthly article that highlights educators who strive to make a difference in the lives of multilingual learners. Featured educators are education practitioners who support multilingual learning in some capacity, whether it’s in an early childhood setting, a K-12 learning space or a university campus. Complete the nomination form to honor a colleague who makes a difference for English Learners.
The 2021-22 administration of WIDA Screener Online opens in WIDA AMS on Friday, June 25. Existing users are assigned permissions for the new WIDA Screener administration prior to this date. All Speaking and Writing responses from this school year’s administration need to be scored by Thursday, June 24, before the 2020-21 administration changes to read only.
For questions related to WIDA AMS, please contact DRC Customer Service at wida@datarecognitioncorp.com or (855) 787-9615.
From 10 p.m. MDT on June 5, 2021 to 10 a.m. MDT on June 6, 2021
A planned system outage affecting WIDA AMS will take place in June. The WDE and DRC thank you for your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused by this routine maintenance.
Survey Currently Underway
WIDA would like to know what educators think of the ACCESS Online Speaking test, as well as what speaking activities educators use in the classroom.
Your feedback will help to improve the ACCESS Online Speaking test. The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete, and the opportunity for input closes on June 28, 2021.
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Below is a list of answers to commonly asked questions from EL professionals across the state:
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Where can I find information on the process for an EL Override case?
- Districts may contact Antoinette Hallam, EL Consultant, at 307-777-8751 or antoinette.hallam@wyo.gov. Information on the process and documents needed for an override case will be added to the 21-22 EL Guidebook.
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How does a District Test Coordinator (DTC) add a TA to the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten privileges?
- A DTC will log into the WIDA Secure Portal and go to the Account Management and Training Status button. The DTC can add the Screener for Kindergarten privilege to any TA who will be administering the Screener.
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Are there recordings of the WIDA webinars?
- WIDA Webinars are recorded and are available via the Secure Portal in the Download Library.
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Is there a change to the K-2 Wyoming Foreign Language Law?
- There has been no change to the K-2 Foreign Language Law and the requirements are still in place.
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The links below include access to additional resources, guidance, and the opportunity to network within the EL community:
- May 21-June 25: May/June WDE684 Collection.
- June 14-16: Districts Receive ACCESS Printed Reports.
- June 25-July 7: May/June WDE684 Data Clean-Up Period.
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July 1: Registration Deadline for “School Leaders: Ensuring Equity for Multilingual Learners” Training on July 8, July 22 & July 29.
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July 7: WIDA Kindergarten Screener Overview.
- January 18-February 25, 2022: ACCESS Assessment Window.
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