• Dear Parents and Guardians,

    February 4-6 our school will be conducting a state required assessment for English Language Learners.  This assessment is called ACCESS and provides important feedback about the progress of our English Language Learners in Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing.   Students will take the test using our school’s computers.  Only students who are currently identified as members of the English Language Learners (ELL) Program will be assessed.   Most of the assessments will be completed during the first two weeks of February but some may continue into March.  More information about the ACCESS assessment can be found on the Alaska Department of Education and Early Childhood Development’s ACCESS page, http://education.alaska.gov/assessments/elp.

     

    If you have any questions about this test, you are encouraged to contact us here at school 907-742-6200.  You may also contact the District’s ELL Department at 742-4452.  Information about the English Language Learners Program in the School District can be found on ASD’s website.

    As always, with testing, we ask that families plan so that their students are in school and are well rested for testing.  Your patience and support for this process is very much appreciated as this assessment does provide useful information that helps our district and school improve programs for English Language Learners.

    Sincerely,

    Jocelyn Hemenway
    Curriculum Principal
    General Information
    What is it? 
    ACCESS for ELLs is the state-adopted English language proficiency assessment for students who have been identified as English Learners. ACCESS for ELLs is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards and assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. English language proficiency assessment is a federal requirement of all school districts with English learners. 
     
    Who takes it?
    ACCESS for ELLs is given annually to monitor student progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs must be administered to all identified ELs in the State of Alaska during the test administration window. 
     
    When is it?
    Feb 3-14, 2025 with makeups through March 7, 2025
     
    Where is it? 
    9th-12th: All domains tested online, preferably on Chromebooks