Correct Response: B. ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0, the WIDA Consortium's English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, meets federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for monitoring and reporting English learners' progress toward English language proficiency. However, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires states to use alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in statewide assessments, even with accommodations. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ fulfills these federal requirements for English learners in grades 1–12 who have significant cognitive disabilities and who are unable to participate meaningfully in the ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0. The ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0, rather than the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™, is generally one of multiple assessments used to help determine whether an English learner is a student with a limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) (A). The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ does not cover prekindergarten or kindergarten (C); a separate test, Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs™, is available. The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ is not used for English learners whose discrepancy between their Oral Language and Literacy scores on the state ELP assessment is greater than three levels, with or without scaled scores (D).
