DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O.
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 83
April 11, 2008
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Billy
K. Cannaday, Jr. Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Board
Approval Process for Locally Developed or Selected English Language
Proficiency Assessments |
Section 1111 (b) (7)
of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
requires that school divisions annually assess the English language proficiency
of limited English proficient (LEP) students in kindergarten through grade 12. As
communicated to school divisions via Informational Superintendent’s Memorandum,
Number 218, dated October 5, 2007, the Virginia Board of Education selected Assessing Communication and Comprehension in
English State to State for English Language Learners® (ACCESS for ELLs®)
as the state-approved English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessment for the
2008-2009 school year.
School divisions may
continue to submit locally developed or selected ELP assessments to be used
instead of ACCESS for ELLs®.
However, any locally developed or selected assessments must be aligned to the
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessments (WIDA) Consortium ELP
Standards of Learning. Further, formal studies demonstrating the comparability
of scores resulting from the locally selected or developed assessment to scores
resulting from ACCESS for ELLs® must be provided. A list of criteria and detailed
information for submitting locally developed or selected ELP assessments for approval
by the Virginia Board of Education is in Attachment A. The division’s proposed ELP assessment and
required documentation must be submitted to the Virginia Department of
Education by June 27, 2008. A panel will
evaluate the assessment and present recommendations to the Board of Education
for final approval.
If you have
questions or need additional information, please contact the Office of Test
Administration, Scoring, and Reporting by e-mail at Student_Assessment@doe.virginia.gov
or by phone at (804) 225-2107.
BKCJr/SLR/cd
Attachment
a. Criteria and Form for Submitting Locally Developed or Selected ELP Assessments For Board Approval (PDF)