Assessments

   

 

Brunswick School Department

Maine Department of Education

WIDA

 
 

For English Learner Identification

 
To identify whether a speaker of another language is an English Learner and qualifies for additional services, all Maine public schools are required to administer the WIDA Screener.

  • For grade K, this test is a paper test.. 
  • For grades 1 through 12, this test is an online test. 
  • For students registering at the beginning of the school year, identification must occur within 30 days. 
  • For students registering during the school year, identification must occur within 2 weeks. 
  • The test measures a student’s academic English proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. 
  • Notification of the test and resulting score is sent to parents.
  • The state of Maine has defined an English Learners as a speaker of another language scoring below 4.5 on the test. That student qualifies for additional English support and instruction. 
  • If a student scores 4.5 or higher, that student is considered proficient. However, a teacher or parent can request a referral at any time if the student is struggling. 
  • Parents have the right to decline services.
 
 

For English Learner Progress Monitoring 

 
To determine if English Learners are making progress and to help determine if the school’s program is effective,the state of Maine requires that all public schools give the WIDA ACCESS test to English Learners each year. 

  • For grades 1 through 12, this test is an online test.
  • For grade K, this test is on paper. 
  • This test usually occurs between January and the first week of March in all Maine schools. For Brunswick School Department, this usually happens the last week of January and the first week of February.
  • The test measures a student’s academic (school) English proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. 
  • A letter is sent home to parents to explain the test and resulting scores. 
  • If the student scores 4.5 or higher, then the student is exited from the ESOL program and services but can continue to receive support if needed. 
  • If the student exits the program, he or she continues to be monitored for academic success for 2 years. 
  • If the student remains in the program, his or her English Language Development (ELD) plan is updated. 
 
 

For English Learner Mainstream Assessments

 
To maintain grade-level and content standards for all students, English Learners also take local and state assessments (such as MEA or SAT) as required. 

  • The only exception is for the English portion of a state test (Reading and Writing) if the student has been in U.S. schools for less than a year. The state of Maine determines the cut-off date for that exemption. 
  • English Learners must still take math, science, and other content assessments regardless of how long he or she has been in U.S. schools. 
 
       

 

The same applies to F-1 and J-1 visa students.