Our Connect to Literacy WIDA Mastery program offers ELD Benchmarks for 1st-12th grades that may be used to monitor students' English language proficiency throughout the school year.
Each communication mode has two domains:
- Interpretive Mode has the Listening and Reading domains
- Expressive Mode has the Speaking and Writing domains
Each domain is subject to separate testing and monitoring, using the following three periodic benchmarks:
- Pre-test
- Interim
- Summative
Benchmarks must be unlocked before being administered. Administration of benchmarks has to happen within testing windows set by the district, if any.
Preparing the Testing Environment
Implementation of ELD Benchmarks
Preparing the Testing Environment
We recommend emulating the WIDA ACCESS testing environment as much as possible during benchmark administration. Recommendations include, but are not limited to:
- Privacy folders/dividers
- Spacing students
- Minimizing outside noise
- Reviewing testing expectations with students
- Ensuring a functioning headset
- Enabling accommodations
Summit K12 strongly advises consulting your district’s guidelines to ensure your testing environment best aligns with the district’s expectations.
Visit Connect to Literacy: Manual of Best Practices (Test Administration) for additional practices on how to prepare and ensure that the testing session runs smoothly when administering a Summit K12 benchmark.
Navigating ELD Benchmarks
Summit K12’s benchmarks align with the expectations of the WIDA ACCESS, providing students with the experience of a testing environment that mirrors the one they will encounter taking the state exam.
Below are some things students should expect when navigating benchmarks:
- ELD Benchmarks require the students to listen to several prompts, which provide details and information needed to answer the questions successfully. In each benchmark, these prompts are indicated by an i and have audio playback only.
- On numbered questions, an audio playback automatically starts and only stops once it has completed providing information*, then the student can press Next to answer the question.
- Students cannot return to a previous question once completed, so it is important for them to answer to the best of their ability before selecting Next.
- If the student exits the exam early or navigates away from the benchmark, the audio playback will not replay nor will it allow the student to select an answer to the question. To resolve this issue, the student can clear the cache on their web browser, and it will replay the audio and allow the student to select an answer or continue on to the next question.
*WIDA Accommodations can be selected to change the audio playback options. Visit Accommodations-WIDA to learn more.
Additional tips for navigating Speaking benchmarks:
- Speaking items typically take longer for students to complete because each question requires students to prepare an answer*. Teachers may also encourage students to practice reading their responses out loud before recording themselves.
- Questions requiring the submission of a speaking recording will only allow for one attempt. Recording attempts, once used, cannot be reset and will need to be submitted as is.
- Summit K12 recommends reviewing Student Guide - How to Record - WIDA and Microphone Test on Summit K12 with students prior to administering the assessment to ensure students are set up for success.
*Student Speaking graphic organizers can be found in the Teacher's Guide.
Visit Understanding the WIDA ELD Benchmark Test Experience and Troubleshooting to learn more.
Implementation of ELD Benchmarks
The benchmarks will vary in length, so for each Pre-test and Interim, we suggest allocating one class period per benchmark (approximately 45-60 minutes per benchmark). Each Summative is a full-length WIDA practice test that may take up to two class periods to complete.
The tables below provide an estimated breakdown of how many questions are in each benchmark per domain*.
*Table is up-to-date as of April 2024. Changes in the number of questions per ELD Benchmark are subject to change.
Following the completion of a benchmark, an Individualized Language Learning Plan (ILLP) will be automatically generated for each student.
Not sure when to administer the benchmarks? Consider viewing our Implementation Guides and seeking additional guidance from your administration if needed.
If you experience any issues during the administration of the WIDA assessments, refer to ELD Benchmark Troubleshooting WIDA or contact Summit K12 for additional assistance.
Tags: WIDA, ELD Benchmarks, telpaslistening&group, telpas_reading_writing&group