ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs)

The ACCESS for ELLs assessment provides valuable information for educators and parents, used for several key purposes:

• Measuring English Language Proficiency: To determine a student's current English language proficiency levels across listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

• Enhancing Instruction and Learning: To provide information that helps educators enhance instruction and learning specifically tailored for multilingual learners.

• Monitoring Progress: To track students' progress in acquiring academic English.

• Determining Proficiency Status: Results are used as part of the annual review process to determine when students achieve Fluent-English Proficient (FEP) status, at which point they no longer take the assessment.

• ACCESS for ELLs is administered annually to kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as Non-English or Limited-English Proficient.

• There is an Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment designed for qualifying students who have the most severe cognitive disabilities, as reflected in their IEPs, and are learning toward the Extended Evidence Outcomes (alternate Colorado Academic Standards).

ACCESS for ELLs assessments are administered annually to eligible students.

The duration of ACCESS for ELLs assessments varies by grade level and test type:

Kindergarten

• Takes an average of 30 minutes to complete. This is a special, paper-based, interactive, adaptive, and engaging version.

1st-12th Grade (Online, Semi-Adaptive)

• Listening Domain: Approximately 35-50 minutes

• Reading Domain: Approximately 45 minutes

• Speaking Domain: Approximately 35 minutes

• Writing Domain: Approximately 50-75 minutes

• Note: First through third-grade students take the writing portion on paper. Students with IEPs or 504s unable to access a computer-based assessment may take a paper-based assessment for all domains if reflected in their plan and disability.

Alternate ACCESS for ELLs

• Each domain takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. This is a paper-based assessment.

The ACCESS assessment covers four domains: 

• Listening: The Listening domain assesses students' ability to comprehend spoken English. Students listen to audio and select responses related to the information provided in a multiple-choice format.

• Reading: The Reading domain assesses students' ability to comprehend written English. Students read text and answer questions related to the text in a multiple-choice format.

• Speaking: The Speaking domain assesses students' ability to produce spoken English. Students speak into a microphone in response to cues given by the test.

• Writing: The Writing domain assesses students' ability to produce written English. Students formulate written responses to information provided by the test.