ACCESS for ELLs Student Profile Builder

Alabama is a WIDA consortium state. Therefore, you should be familiar with ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA English Language Proficiency standards. Two important questions I get from teachers regarding ACCESS for ELLs test scores are: What do the scores mean and how do we use them? Let's answer these questions:

What do the scores mean? The scores are from the English Language Profiency scale that ranges from 1 to 6. A score of 1 is a demonstration of little to no English where level 6 is near native speaking abilities.

Online resources: The WIDA ELP Resource Guide pages RG:12, RG:45 at: http://www.wida.us/standards/Resource_Guide_web.pdf


You can read more about the ACCESS for ELLs test at: http://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS/index.aspx.

How to use the scores? The scores are an indicator of what the student can understand and produce within the English language. WIDA has created CAN DO Descriptors to assist educators in understanding what students can do where they are and how they should progress in the language. It is a scaffolding process. The descriptors start off more general with Performance Definitions and PreK-12 grade CAN DO Descriptors. Then, they go more specific with the grade level clusters.

There is a great ACCESS for ELLs Student Profile Builder tool that will assist you with creating a profile for individual students that includes all their ACCESS scores for each language domain (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). It is a quick resource to help you with developing lessons by taking students' language proficiency levels into consideration. Find this tool on the Alabama State Department of Education website for ELLs by clicking here.

To learn more about how students' academic language is tested by the ACCESS for ELLs test and to see some sample test items, visit: http://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS/index.aspx

Where to begin: ALSDE ELL Website

If you have only one English Language Learner or if you have ten in your classroom this blog will be helpful to you. As an Alabama State Department of Education Regional ELL Coach, I'm always asked about useful online resources that can assist teachers in effectively instructing ELL students and administrators in providing the best in their ELL program.



For Alabama educators, the best place to begin is the ELL component of the State Department of Education ALEX website at: http://alex.state.al.us/ell/



There are a few links that are under construction at this time. However, there are several very useful resources available.

The working resources on this website include:

• ELL Program Administration


• Title III


• Professional Development


• State Resources


• WIDA


• ELL PDA


• National Resources


• Instruction


• Standards


• Online Resources


• Materials for Classroom/ELL Teachers


• Assessment


• Parental Involvement


• State ELL Manual


• Transcripts A-Z

Throughout the next few posts I will be pointing out useful and important information from this website.

For both administrator and teacher, I recommend starting off by reading through the State ELL Manual to gain more knowledge on the state's ELL Policy and Procedures.