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This test is called the Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment Placement Test or WELPA Placement Test.
There are five grade bands for student booklets:
- K & 1
- 2 & 3
- 4 & 5
- 6 through 8
- 9 through 12
There are two Directions for Administration, for K-5 and for 6-12.
Districts’ baseline amounts listed on WAMS are available at no cost. Additional orders, however, will generate a cost to districts.
At this time, it is not offered in large print; contact the Assessment Office at OSPI for assistance regarding large print materials, (360) 725-6348 or email assessment@k12.wa.us. Braille kits can be ordered through the WAMS materials order page.
Deaf and hearing impaired students can qualify for the TBIP based on an administrative decision. Contact your OSPI bilingual program supervisor for additional information, at (360) 725-6147.
Yes. Test proctors, school assessment coordinators and district assessment coordinators must follow security protocols outlined in the Washington State Assessment Coordinators Manual.
All test proctors must sign a Test Security Assurance Form that is collected by the school assessment coordinator. They also sign the Test Proctor/Administrator/Staff Training Log each year, attesting that they have attended training for the current school year.
The District Assessment Coordinator will collect and keep the School Site Administration and Security Reports and submit District Administration and Security Reports to OSPI.
Students must be tested within ten days of attendance in a Washington State school. Entering kindergartners may be tested as early as May 1 preceding their attendance in the fall.
Every student in Grades K through 12 who has qualified for ELD services in the STBIP takes the WELPA. Native American students in a Title III program also take the WELPA, as will students in private schools that accept ELD services. Districts working in partnership with the Office for Civil Rights may be required to assess selected students with the WELPA.
Students whose parents have waived program services are required to participate in the annual administration of the WELPA.
Yes. The district assessment coordinator (DAC) is responsible for training school administrators, school assessment coordinators, test proctors, scribes, persons assisting with sign language and persons assisting with processing secure test materials before the test administration.
Proctors must also attend a refresher training each year.
No. Volunteers may not administer or assist in the administration of any state assessments. They are not permitted to assist with handling secure test material. Volunteers may assist in the supervision of students who need a break or have completed testing.
The Placement Test is estimated to take 25 – 30 minutes in all to administer; students can complete all subtests in one sitting. However, it is up to the district to determine a test schedule that allows students to complete each subtest the same day it was begun.
Yes. Districts can administer subtests in whatever order they prefer.
No. Directions must be read VERBATIM.
Follow the script in the Directions for Administration exactly and note that, unlike the Annual Test, there are specific prohibitions against repeating directions and/or item parts in much of the Placement Test.
Yes. Students may be asked to repeat a response to a Speaking item if the proctor could not hear what was said.
Yes. This will help proctors confirm that the correct scores have been assigned. Trained proctors can listen together to recorded responses to assure standardization of scoring.
In order to determine eligibility for ELD services, students should have the opportunity to respond to each item. Proctors can assist students by redirecting them to the next item(s) after a reasonable period of time.
The WELPA Placement Test is untimed. For Speaking items, the proctor should wait five seconds for a response and then move on to the next item. For other items, students who remain productively engaged in the assessment should be allowed to finish their work.
The Placement Test is to be given to establish a student’s initial eligibility for English Language Development (ELD) services as determined by the State Transitional Bilingual Instructional Program (STBIP), and for identifying Native American students for Title III services.
Yes. All students who transfer from other states and who indicate on the Home Language Survey that a language other than English is their primary language must be tested with the WELPA Placement Test, even if they were identified or exited ELLs in the other states.
If a Placement Test was administered within a year of re-entry, then re-testing is not required. If the absence from the state exceeds that period, then the student must be re-tested. For example, if the student leaves in March 2013 and returns in April 2014, the student would be re-tested with the WELPA Placement Test.
The first test given is used to determine program eligibility, and the second is invalidated.
Students who qualify for ELD services based on Placement Test results must also take the Annual Test.
No. Foreign exchange students cannot be served in the state’s TBIP program.
All Placement Test items are locally scored. Test proctors must attend training sessions and demonstrate understanding of scoring rubrics in order to score Speaking and Writing responses.
The WELPA Placement Test is a measure of English knowledge and skills. Responses to items in a language other than English earn a score of zero (0).
Scores for every student who took a Placement Test must be entered in CEDARS (Comprehensive Education Data and Research System). A copy of the Student Results Sheet should be filed in the each student’s cumulative record at the district level.
School Assessment Coordinators keep scored placement test books in a locked, secured area to check the accuracy of the scores as well as to respond to family requests to view their child’s placement test results, until the administration of the following Annual Test is complete. Then School Assessment Coordinators will dispose of scored Placement Tests according to the district’s plan for secure materials.
Refer to the Guidelines for the Washington State Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program and other program-related guidance at
http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/BilingualProgram.aspx.
Refer to the Washington state Accommodations Guidelines for Statewide Assessments at
http://www.k12.wa.us/TestAdministration/Laws/default.aspx.
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