Administering the ACCESS for ELLs ® Listening, Reading, and Writing Tests

1. Administering the ACCESS for ELLs®Listening, Reading, and Writing Tests Emily Evans, Center for Applied LinguisticsJanuary 2007New Jersey Department of Education Developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics

2. Training Objectives • To understand the organization of the ACCESS for ELLs® test booklet • To understand administration requirements of the Listening, Reading and Writing components of the ACCESS for ELLs®

3. Outline • General Information • Test Administration Overview • Listening Test • Reading Test • Writing Test

4. General Information • All test sessions must take place within a state’s testing window. NJ’s testing window is April 16th – June 1st, 2007 • Tests are secure and you must follow state test security regulations. • The Test Administration Manual contains guidance on test accommodations for students with disabilities.

5. Test Administration Overview Listening, Reading and Writing • Administered in groups of up to 20 students • Centrally scored by MetriTech, not by the Test Administrator • Each grade level cluster and each tier must have separate group sessions • The administrator’s scripts arrive with the test booklets • Scripts are different for each test form

6. Test Booklet Organization • Test booklet order: 1) Listening 2) Reading 3) Writing • Each test will begin with practice items or a model • Tests are organized by theme folders – A series of questions about one topic with graphic and/or text support • Each theme folder for Listening and Reading contains 3-5 items (test questions) • Each theme folder for Writing contains 1-4 items per theme folder in Tier A for all grade levels and form 1-2B. The theme folders for the rest of the forms contain one item per theme folder.

7. Test Administration Times • Listening and Reading are administered together in one group session • Listening Administration: 20-25 minutes • Breakin between Listening and Reading sections: 5 minutes • Reading Administration: 35-40 minutes • Logistics: 15 minutes (approximately) (including break in between sections) • Total: 75 minutes (approximately) • Writing is administered in a separate group session • Writing Administration: 60 minutes • Logistics: 15 minutes (approximately) • Total: 75 minutes (approximately) • 15-20 students per group session

8. Scheduling Guidelines Example • Assume there are 90 students in the same grade level cluster with 30 students per Tier tested 15 at a time • You can test all students in both Listening/Reading and Writing in a total of 12 sessions over 4 days • This example assumes there is a Single Test Administrator in the school Number of test takers per time block

9. How to read the Script • Read all of the text in Bold aloud example: “Part A: Classroom Objects” • The text which is not bolded serves as a guideline and should not be read aloud example:“Pause”, “… make sure all students are in the right place.”

10. How to read the Script (con’t) • The test item is in Blue and should be read aloud

11. Listening Test Overview • Format: Multiple choice • Time: 20-25 minutes • Scoring: Machine scored (by MetriTech) • Weight: • 30% of comprehension score • 15% of composite score • 6-7 thematic folders with at least one from each standard (Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Social Instructional) • Test items read aloud only one time

12. Listening Test Overview (con’t) • Keep the test going at a steady pace • Follow pause times given in the script • After an item is read, give students up to 25 seconds to mark their answers • Follow the Test Administration Script exactly

13. Listening Test: Introduction • The beginning of the listening test starts with a scripted introduction.

14. Listening Test: Practice Problems Practice problems • Occur at the beginning of the test, after the introduction, and are scripted • Must be administered • Help students understand the structure of the test

15. Listening Test: Practice Problems

16. Listening Test: Practice Problems Script:First the boy and girl play catch, and then they ride their bikes. Find the set of pictures that shows this in the right order. PAUSE.

17. Listening Item Example: Science 1-2 A

18. Listening Example Levels 1 and 2 - Scripts Script: A seed is small. Find the small seed. Script: One day the seed will grow into something large, round, and heavy. Find what the seed grows into.

19. Reading Test Overview • Format: Multiple choice • Time: 35-40 minutes • Scoring: Machine scored (by MetriTech) • Weight: • 70% of comprehension score • 35% of composite score • 6-7 thematic folders with at least one from each standard • Follow the Test Administration Script exactly

20. Reading Test Scripting Requirements • Begins with an Introduction

21. Reading Practice Problems • Practice problems follow the introduction and must be administered.

22. Sample Items Within a Reading Test • Only on forms 1-2A and 1-2B • 1-2A occur after every folder and are scripted (the answer is filled in together as a group) • 1-2B occur after some folders and are not scripted • Purpose: Extra assistance for the student

23. Individual and Group Check-ins • Intended to help guide students though parts of the test and are indicated with a stop sign • Whole-group check-ins – Check in with all of the students at the same time and explain the next part of the test. Occurs after every section in the 1-2A Reading Test. • Individual check-ins – Students raise their hand when they arrive at a stop sign and you check to see the student has completed the section. Invite them to respond to any skipped questions. • Halfway through 1-2B, 1-2C, 3-5A, 3-5B, 6-8A, 9-12A • At the end of every tier and grade level

24. Reading Item Example: Math 6-8 B

25. Reading Item Example: Math 6-8 B

26. Writing Test Overview • Format: Student constructed responses • Time: Up to 1 hour • A break can be given halfway through the test if necessary • Scoring: Rater scored (by MetriTech) • Weight: 35% of composite score • The following standards are covered: • Social Instructional (SI), Math (MA), Science (SC) • On Tier B and C: Integrated Task (IT) - combines Language Arts (LA), Social Studies (SS), and Social Instructional (SI) • Writing tasks are modeled to scaffold the student • Follow the Test Administration Script exactly

27. Writing test organization Tier A • 3 folders covering Social Instructional (SI), Math (MA), Science (SC) standards. About 15 minutes for each section. *Form 1-2A only has SI standards and there are 4 folders. Tier B and C • 3 folders (about 10 minutes each) covering SI, MA and SC standards. *Form 1-2B doesn’t cover the SC standard. • Fourth folder is an IT standard combining LA, SS, and SI standards (student is given about 30 minutes).

28. Individual and Group Check-ins • Whole-group check-ins – used to guide students through the model in Tier A for all grade levels and in all Tiers for grades 1-2 • Individual check-ins – Students raise their hand when they arrive at a stop sign which occurs at the end of every writing question.Check to make sure that they have completed the writing task. • After 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes, circulate in the room to monitor students’ progress. • If necessary, you can prompt students who are lagging behind by saying, “Make sure you save enough time for the other parts.”

29. Writing Item Example: IT 6-8 C

30. Writing Rubric

31. Writing Rubric (con’t)

32. Scoring an IT Writing item • Rater scored by MetriTech using a rubric • The preparing and planning sections are not scored. Planning sections not scored by MetriTech

33. Example of Modeled Writing Item Math 6-8Tier A Look at the sentence in the black box. Point to it in your test booklet. Scan the room and make sure all students are in the right place. It says, "For a math assignment, Andrei needs to find the area of a triangle.” Look at the diagram. The triangle is labeled with the Base and the Height. The formula for the area of a triangle is given as Area equals Base times Height times one half. Point to picture of triangle and formula in the book as you read it. Look at the next black box. It says “Andrei answered two questions about the math assignment.” What do the first question and answer say? Allow time for student response, or say: It says, “What is the name of the shape in the picture? Triangle.” What do the second question and answer say? Allow time for student response, or say: It says, “What do you need to do to find the area of the shape? I need to multiply the base times the height times one half.”

34. Example of Modeled Writing Item (con’t) Math 6-8Tier A Look at the last black box. It says, “The pictures show the steps to follow to find the area. Andrei explained each step in writing.” What did Andrei write for step 1? Allow time for student response, or say: First, I have to measure the length of the base. The base is six inches long. We can’t read everything Andrei wrote for step 2, only the beginning. What do you think he wrote for step 2? Allow time for student response, or say: Maybe he wrote something like, “Then I have to measure the height of the triangle. The height is four inches.” Step 3 shows us the formula again, and the math Andrei did to find the area of the triangle. On the lines we see the beginning of his answer. How did he begin? Allow time for student response, or say: He began, “Now I have to use the formula to find the area of the triangle. I multiplied…” Go to the top of the next page. It says, “Now it’s your turn to write!” Point to this in your test booklet. Scan the room and make sure all students are in the right place.

35. Example of Writing Item Task Now look at the directions in the black box. They say, “Now you have to find the area of the rectangle.” Find number 1 and look at the directions. You need to answer the questions in the box. You can use Andrei’s writing as a model for your own. You can begin in a moment, but first find number 2. The pictures show you how to find the area of a rectangle. On the lines you need to write at least 1 sentence to explain each step in the process. Again, remember that you can use Andrei’s writing as a model for your own. Before you begin, are there any questions? Answer any questions. Now you can begin writing on this page. You can have up to 15 minutes to do this part. Remember to stop when you get to the stop sign. Monitor the students’ work. When students have finished, remind them to check their work. If a student finishes early and wants to go back to complete Part A or Part B, he or she may do so. This part is over when all the students have finished or 15 minutes have passed, whichever comes first. (If 15 minutes have passed and some students are still working, say: If you are not finished, take a few more seconds to finish up this part. Pause 15 seconds.)

36. When the Test Administration is Complete • Collect test materials • This happens after the Listening/Reading sections AND the Writing section • Follow test security policies

37. Questions or Comments? For more information, please contact the WIDA Hotline:1-866-276-7735 or www.wida.us/helpform World Class Instructional Design and Assessment, www.wida.us Center for Applied Linguistics, www.cal.org Metritech, Inc., www.metritech.com