WorkKeys
WorkKeys is a researched-based assessment that measures work skills needed for career success across industries. Grade 11 and 12 students are eligible to take the WorkKeys exam. Students will have the opportunity to take Reading for Information, Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information and are eligible to earn the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate.
In 2006, WorkKeys® was introduced in legislation as an alternative test to qualify for the Hathaway Provisional Opportunity Scholarship. Since then, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has teamed up with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) to combine efforts in order to meet similar objectives.
The National Career Readiness Certificate is a national program designed to foster economic and workforce development in the state of Wyoming. The National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), powered by WorkKeys™a product of ACT, Inc., is a nationally-recognized credential which denotes that the holder possesses the fundamental skills required to achieve success in the workplace and become a productive, valuable employee.
A National Career Readiness Certificate is earned by completing the three WorkKeys Assessments:
- Applied Math
- Workplace Documents
- Graphic Literacy
Students who take the WorkKeys® on the WorkKeys® state test day may be eligible to receive an NCRC on top of qualifying for a Hathaway Provisional Opportunity Scholarship.
ACCESS for English Language Learners
Wyoming has a standards-based English language proficiency test for English Learners (ELs) in kindergarten through grade twelve, which is administered annually. The assessment is to measure ELs English-language proficiency. It should be noted that in the first year, students may be excused from taking the reading/language arts domain.
WIDA Screener Tests
KW-APT (Kindergarten WIDA ACCESS Placement Test), WIDA Model or WIDA Screener)
Wyoming uses KW-APT or WIDA MODEL to identify ELs in Kindergarten and the WIDA Screener for Grades 1-12.
ACCESS for ELs is given to all ELs during the annual testing window, which typically lasts from mid-January through late February. Its purposes are the following:
- To identify students who may or may not be candidates for English as a Second Language (ESL) and/or bilingual services.
- To determine the academic English language proficiency levels of students new to a school of to the U.S. school system in order to assign appropriate levels and amount of instructional services.
- To accurately assign students identified as ELs to one of the tiers for ACCESS.
ACCESS 2.0®
Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners
ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is a secure large-scale online and paper-based English language proficiency assessment administered to Kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as ELs. It is given annually, to monitor students’ progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Alternate ACCESS for ELs
The Alternate ACCESS (ALT-ACCESS) is an assessment of English language proficiency for students in grades 1-12 who are classified as ELs and have a significant cognitive disability and are using the Wyoming Content and Performance Extended Standards (WYCPES).
IEP teams should determine if a student with a disability and ELs should take the ALT-ACCESS or ACCESS and the decision should be included in the student’s IEP.