Mcas accessibility and Accommodations Manual for the Spring 2018 mcas grades 3–8 Tests

V. MCAS Participation Requirements for Students Who Are English Language Learners (ELLs)

ELL students must participate in all MCAS tests scheduled for their grades, regardless of the language program and services they are receiving or the amount of time they have been in the United States.

The one exception applies to first-year ELL students who enrolled in U.S. schools after March 1, 2017 and who were not reported in the March 2017 SIMS report, for whom ELA testing is optional. Schools may elect to administer the MCAS ELA tests to first-year ELLs, and must administer the ACCESS for ELLs test to first-year and all other ELL students. Students who enter a U.S. school for the first time after ACCESS for ELLs testing is completed are not required to participate in ELA testing.) First-year ELL students must participate in MCAS Mathematics and Science and Technology/Engineering tests, although results will be reported for diagnostic purposes only and students’ results will not be included in school and district summary results or in state accountability reporting.

ELL Participation Requirements for Spring 2018 Grades 38 MCAS Tests

	Content Area Test
	ELA	Mathematics	Science and Tech/Eng
First-Year ELL Students^1	Optional^2	Required	Required
All Other Students	Required	Required	Required

¹ Results for first-year ELL students are not included in MCAS school and district summary results.

² Optional, provided that the student has participated in ACCESS for ELLs testing.

Questions regarding the identification screening, placement, and reclassification of ELL students should be directed to the Office of English Language Acquisition and Academic Achievement at 781-338-3584 or via email at [e-mail]. For additional details, refer to the Guidance on Identification, Assessment, Placement, and Reclassification of English Language Learners.

Foreign Exchange Students
Foreign exchange students who are coded as #11 under “Reason for Enrollment” in SIMS in grades 38 and 10 are required to participate in the MCAS tests specified for the grade in which they are reported, unless they are already considered English proficient.

VI. MCAS Accessibility and Accommodations for ELL Students

In addition to the universal and designated accessibility features listed elsewhere in this manual that are available to ELLs, several additional accommodations are also available to ELLs. Table 6 describes which accommodations may be used by ELLs, while Table 7 describes the relative suitability of each accommodation for students at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English proficiency.

A. Individuals Involved in Selecting Accessibility Features and Accommodations for ELL Students

Decisions about universal and designated features, and accommodations for ELL students should be made by an informal group of educators familiar with the student; the group will identify the appropriate features and accommodations for each ELL student. The decisions of the informal decision-making team should be documented using either the sample form for Documentation of MCAS Accommodations

for an ELL Student provided in Appendix B, or using a similar, locally designed form.
Individuals involved in the decision-making process may include any of the following:

• 
  the student him- or herself
  
• 
  the student’s English as a Second Language (ESL) educator
  
• 
  school administrator (principal/assistant principal)
  
• 
  general educator (content area teacher)
  
• 
  special educator (if appropriate)
  
• 
  parent or guardian
  

Decision-making teams are encouraged to determine and assign features and accommodations to ELL students as early as possible in the school year to ensure that the student is familiar with their use. The student should not be introduced to an accessibility feature or accommodation on the day of the assessment. Appropriate features and accommodations are intended to allow ELL students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills more effectively.