DAVID Y. IGE
GOVERNOR

KATHRYN S. MATAYOSHI
SUPERINTENDENT

STATE OF HAWAI’I
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2360
HONOLULU, HAWAI’I 96804

OFFICE OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT SUPPORT

May 4, 2017
TO:

Deputy Superintendent, Complex Area Superintendents, Principals, Public Charter
School Executive Director, Public Charter School Directors, District Educational
Specialists, School Renewal Specialists, English Language Learner (ELL) Complex and
School Coordinators

FROM:

C. Suzanne Mulcahy
Assistant Superintendent

SUBJECT: School Year (SY) 2017-18 WIDA Screener Assessment of English Language
Proficiency (ELP) & ELL Program Eligibility
Hawaii Public Schools - Determining ELL Eligibility in SY 2017-18
 Grades 1-12: A new WIDA Screener Assessment of English Language Proficiency (ELP) will
be utilized to determine potential English Language Learners (ELLs) eligibility for grades 1-12 in
SY 2017-18 for language support services.


Kindergartners (& Grade 1 students entering school in the first semester): Schools will
continue to use the W-APT (WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test) as the initial assessment to
determine ELL Program eligibility.

WIDA Screener Benefits
 Better assists educators in making decisions and identifying whether a student is a candidate for
English language support via an ELL Program.
 Aligned to the updated annual ELP assessment, the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0.
SY 2017-18 WIDA Screener Preparation and Required Training
The WIDA website (https://www.wida.us/assessment/Screener/) and Attachment A provide details on the
WIDA Screener, including requirements and options below:
Preparation and Training
 Online preparation and training materials include mandatory speaking and writing domain
certification quizzes. Test administrators must successfully pass these quizzes PRIOR to
assessing any potential ELL students.
 ELL coordinators who have already been certified using the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 speaking test
need not complete the WIDA Speaking Screener Quizzes. However, ELL coordinators may opt
to recertify as a refresher.

 Deputy Superintendent, et al.
May 4, 2017
Page 2
Materials and Resources
 Schools will be provided at least one Paper Screener kit to assess students at the beginning of SY
2017-18.
o Additional materials can be copied from the kit or downloaded online from the WIDA
website at no cost.
Testing Options
 Paper Screener (recommended): https://www.wida.us/assessment/Screener/screener-paper.aspx
o Schools are strongly recommended to use the Paper Screener.
 Online Screener: https://www.wida.us/assessment/Screener/screener-online.aspx
o Only schools that administered the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Online in SY 2016-17 may
consider using the Online Screener. PLEASE NOTE: Technical assistance related to
technology set-up and system requirements will need to be supported at the school-level. For
additional information, visit: https://www.wida.us/assessment/Screener/screeneronline.aspx#tech
Screener Scores and Reports
 NEW--Test administrators will need to utilize the WIDA Scoring Calculator before transferring
scores to the student’s record in eCSSS:
o https://www.wida.us/assessment/screener/screenercalculator.aspx
o eCSSS-related training tools and navigation guides will be uploaded to the eCSSS ELL
Website prior to the start of the 2017-18 school year.
ELL Program - Entrance & Exit Criteria
ELL eligibility is dependent on the potential ELL student’s grade and test(s) taken per Attachment B.
Once identified, ELLs are exited based on meeting an overall score of 5.0 on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0.
For questions, contact your complex area ELL lead, or Andreas Wiegand, ELL Educational Specialist,
OCISS at (808) 305-9717, or via Lotus Notes.
CSM:aw
Attachment
c: Superintendent
Assistant Superintendents
Superintendent's Office Directors
Denise Yoshida, Director, Internal Audit
Christina Tydeman, Ph.D., Monitoring, Accountability and Compliance Office

 Attachment B
ELL Program – Entrance & Exit Criteria
ELL Program Entrance Criteria
ELL eligibility is dependent on the potential ELL student’s grade and test(s) taken per the table below.
Potential ELLs in:
Grade & Semester
Grades 1-12
(Grade 1 in second
semester)

Test

WIDA Screener
(All domains)
W-APT

Kindergarten
(First Semester)

Kindergarten
(Second Semester)
and
Grade 1
(First Semester)

(Only Listening and
Speaking Domains
are required;
Reading & Writing
are optional);
*Also administer
NLP when NEP

Score
Range

ELL
Eligible

Category

1.0 - 2.5
3.0 - 4.5
5.0 - 6.0
0 - 10

Yes
Yes
No
Yes

NEP
LEP
IFEP
NEP*

11 - 28

Yes

LEP

29 - 30

No

MFEP

Yes

NEP*

Yes

LEP

No

IFEP

● Combined listening & speaking
score 0-10; OR
W-APT
●
Reading score 0-5; OR
(All four domains
●
Writing score 0-7
must be taken:
● Combined listening & speaking
Listening,
score of 11- 26; OR
Speaking,
● Reading score of 6-10; OR
Reading, &
● Writing score of 8-11
Writing)
ALL Must be true:
*Also administer
● Combined listening & speaking
NLP when listening
score of 27-30; and
and speaking is 0-10
● Reading score of 11-15; and
● Writing score of 12-18

ELL Program Exit Criteria
ELL exit eligibility is based on the annual ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 test results.
Overall CPL
1.0 – 2.9
3.0 – 4.9
5.0 – 6.0

WIDA Standard
Proficiency Levels (1-6)
1 – Entering
2 – Emerging
3 – Developing
4 - Expanding
5 – Bridging
6 – Reaching

Student Category
(For Funding)

ELL Exit
Criteria
Met

NEP (Non English Proficient)

No

LEP (Limited English Proficient)

No

FEP (Functionally English Proficient)

Yes