Unit 1: Inclusion/Integration of MLLs
Lesson 1: How are MLLs assessed?
To begin this course, it is important to have a solid, foundational understanding of how Multilingual Learners are assessed and placed in schools. For starters, there are a variety of terms that are used to describe students whose first language is not English; English Language Learners, Multi-Language Learners, Multilingual Learners, English as a Second Language, etc. For this course, I will refer to these students as Multilingual Learners and use the abbreviation MLLs.
Multilingual Learners (MLLs) take a variety of assessments to determine if they qualify as an MLL, and if so, to what degree. These assessments differ between states, but a majority of states are a part of WIDA, which is an educational consortium of the state departments of education. WIDA provides a lot more than we will dig into for this course, but for this unit, we will be focusing on ACCESS and other assessments for MLLs. This unit will focus on ACCESS, as it is widely used, but there will be a reflection at the end that encourages you to explore your own state’s standards. There are also many similarities between all of the assessments that are used, so much of this information will still be beneficial, even if you do not teach in a WIDA state.
ACCESS is an assessment that is given annually and is very similar to state testing in that it takes place over multiple weeks/days. Students’ scores are on a scale of 1 to 6 which describes their level of English proficiency:
Level 1: Entering
Level 2: Emerging
Level 3: Developing
Level 4: Expanding
Level 5: Bridging
Level 6: Reaching
These scores are typically a whole number followed by a decimal to be as specific as possible. The whole number shows the level at which the student is performing, while the number after the decimal shows their progression through that given level. For example, a student who scores a 4.8 is Expanding but has made over half the progress to Bridging.
This is a great resource for all educators, WIDA state or not, which provides Can-Do Descriptors for every grade, for every level of English Language proficiency. For example, if I am teaching a 5th-grade student who is at Level 3 Developing, I know that the student should be able to use keywords and phrases reflective of the main ideas in their writing. Take the time to look through this resource, especially if you teach MLLs and have access to their ACCESS scores.
As mentioned previously, some states do not partake in ACCESS. As a part of your required work for this course, I have attached a Google Slides presentation that provides links to each state’s MLL testing, along with an empty slide for you to take notes on your specific state’s testing.
Document to check your state's testing.
Once you have completed the Slides, please move on to Lesson 2: How are MLLs and SLIFEs both separated and integrated?