WIDA ACCESS

The WIDA ACCESS (formerly ACCESS for ELLs) assessment is a state assessment that measures a student's English language proficiency.

WIDA ACCESS provides educators and parents with student English language proficiency levels and information that is used to enhance instruction and learning for ELL students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is administered annually to kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as ELLs and who are Non-English or Limited-English proficient.

The assessment meets state and federal testing requirements.

How to View Assessment Data on Student Insights

WIDA ACCESS Overview

Who's Required to Test?

Understanding the Assessment

The WIDA ACCESS assessment provides student English proficiency levels and other information in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

The results from the assessment is used as a data point in the annual body of evidence to determine English language proficiency. Once students are considered Fluent-English Proficient (FEP), they will not take the WIDA ACCESS assessment any longer. Below are the cut points for each language proficiency area. Please note that Jeffco uses multiple sources of data to determine the overall proficiency area of students. Please visit Jeffco's English as a Second Language site for more information.

Non-English Proficient (NEP): Overall Score of 1.0 - 2.4
Limited-English Proficient (LEP): Overall Score of 2.5 - 3.9
Fluent-English Proficient (FEP): Overall Score AND Literacy Score of 4.0

Click Here to View Sample Test Items

Please view the sections below for more information on specific test types.

Kindergarten

Non-English and Limited-English Proficient kindergarten students take a special, paper-based version of the WIDA ACCESS assessment designed just for their age group. The test assesses English acquisition in the areas of listening, reading, writing and speaking using an interactive, adaptive, and engaging format. It takes about 45 minutes to complete and allows for several accommodations to meet the student's needs.

1st-12th Grade

Non-English and Limited-English Proficient students in grades 1st-12th take an online, semi-adaptive version of the WIDA ACCESS assessment in the domains, or areas, of listening, reading, speaking, and writing. First through third grade students take the writing on paper. Students with IEPs or 504s that are unable to access a computer-based assessment, are allowed to have a paper-based assessment on all domains if their plan and disability reflect this need. The time estimates below are the approximate administration times of the assessment, not including directions or passing out materials.

Listening Domain: (~20-40 minutes) Students listen to audio on the test and are asked to select a response related to the information provided through a multiple-choice format.
Reading Domain: (~50 minutes) Students read text on the test and are asked to answer questions related to the text in a multiple-choice format.
Speaking Domain: (~15-30 minutes) Students are asked to speak into a microphone in response to cues given by the test.
Writing Domain: (~35-40 minutes) Students are asked to write responses based off of prompts given by the test.

Alternate

The Alternate WIDA ACCESS assessment measures English language proficiency in Non-English and Limited-English Proficient students who have the most severe, cognitive disabilities. Students who take the alternate assessment must be learning toward the Extended Evidence Outcomes, or the Alternate Colorado Academic Standards, and must have a severe cognitive disability as reflected in their IEP. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment is paper based and separated by the four domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing - each taking approximately 30 minutes to complete. The alternate version of the test allows for multiple supports.

2025-26 Testing Window

Family Resources

WIDA ACCESS Flyers

Please view this WIDA ACCESS family flyer for an overview of the assessment.

Below are translations of the document:

Reports & Results

How to View Results

Student Insights

WIDA ACCESS score reports are available to be viewed in Student Insights. Growth reports will be added to Student Insights when they are released by the state in late summer as well. Growth reports are only for students who have participated in ACCESS in a prior year and show how a student is growing from year to year.

Paper Reports

Paper reports are distributed to families in the spring before the end of the school year. Please reach out to your child's school if you did not receive a report. Translations are also available in several languages at request of the school.

Understanding Results

Your child's WIDA ACCESS results will help your child's teachers, school, and district understand where they are at in English language development and how to better support them. The results can also help you, as the family, understand how to better support your child in developing their English language at home.

The results you will see will show you a proficiency level and a scale score that will determine how your child is learning the English language. Below are the different levels of English language proficiency, keeping in mind that WIDA ACCESS scores are only one data point and Jeffco uses many different sources to determine language proficiency.

Non-English Proficient (NEP): Overall Score of 1.0 - 2.4
Limited-English Proficient (LEP): Overall Score of 2.5 - 3.9
Fluent-English Proficient (FEP): Overall Score AND Literacy Score of 4.0

Below are some helpful resources:

Alternate ACCESS

Helping Your Child At Home

Contact Us

Assessment and Research

Phone: 303-982-6565