Mississippi

Contacts
Organization	Name	Email	Phone	External Links
State Education Agency (MS Dept. of Education)	Yvette Gilbert, Title III and ESOL	ygilbert@mde.k12.ms.us	601-359-3499	MS Dept of Education, Office of Student Assessment, Office of Innovative Support
State Education Agency (MS Dept. of Education)	Rogina Thomas, Assessment Administration	rthomas@mde.k12.ms.us	601-359-3052
WIDA Consortium	WIDA Help	help@wida.us	Toll Free 1-866-276-7735	www.wida.us
MetriTech	MetriTech	wida@metritech.com	1-800-747-4868 (ask for WIDA Support)	www.metritech.com

Important ACCESS for ELLs^® Dates
Task	Start Date	End Date
Test Ordering	01/30/09	02/20/09
Pre-ID Ordering	01/30/09	02/20/09
Districts Receive Test Materials	-	3/25/09
Test Window	04/01/09	04/30/09
Order Additional Materials Deadline	-	04/16/09
Reports Shipped to Districts*	07/06/09	07/10/09*
Correction Window	07/10/09	08/07/09

Professional Development Opportunities
Dates	Information	Contact
Nov. 11	ACCESS for ELLs® test administration training, Hattiesburg*	MDE Hosted Event Registration Registration Questions: Trishon Wilson, 601-359-305
Nov. 12	ACCESS for ELLs® test administration training, Oxford*
Nov. 13	ACCESS for ELLs® test administration training, Raymond*

* Please note: each district is to send at least one representative to this training even if at this time the district has no students identified as ELLs. Each district is limited to ONLY two participants. Registration for each session will begin at 8:30 am, training sessions will begin at 9:00 am, and will end at approximately 4:00 pm. Each session is limited to 100 participants.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Assessment Materials and Training

1. How do I gain access to view and/or download the W-APT™ screener materials?

You must contact your district or state facilitator to request the username and password for your district. Rogina Thomas (contact information above) has a copy of the master list of W-APT™ logins for Mississippi.

2. How do I use W-APT scores to determine whether or not a student is eligible for ELL program support?

Always use multiple criteria for placement decisions, particularly the student's classroom performance and the judgment of teachers who know the student.

If students in grades 1-12 receive a composite proficiency level of 5.0 or above, the student does *not* have to be placed in the ELL program.

For kindergarten students, please use the ranges as follows:
a) The student (kindergarten) does *not* have to be placed in the ELL program if the student is tested in the 1st semester and scores 27 or above on Speaking and Listening.

b) The student (kindergarten) does *not* have to be placed in the ELL program if the student is tested in the 2nd semester and scores a 27 or above on Speaking and Listening **AND a 14 or above on Reading and a 17 or above on Writing.**

3. How should I keep record of a student's W-APT™ results?

After you have completed the W-APT™ for all applicable students, place the results in the students' cumulative folders. No information on the screener test should be sent to MDE. However, if the district is audited, the documentation should be in the student's file to verify adherence to the state and federal policies.

4. How do I enroll in WIDA's online training course? How do I order Pre-ID labels for the ACCESS for ELLs® test?

Instructions for enrollment are available by contacting WIDA Help at toll free 1-866-276-7735 or help@wida.us. Instructions for ordering test materials will be provided at the November training sessions and in the online training course.