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USBE stakeholder group recommends provisional WIDA alternate exit rules; full approval pending
Summary
Utah education staff presented a provisional recommendation for exiting students who take the WIDA alternate access assessment: a score of 5 would trigger an automatic exit while a score of 4 plus a DLM ELA score of 4 could support discretionary exit by the LEA/IEP team.
Utah State Board of Education staff presented a stakeholder recommendation to create provisional criteria for exiting English learner (EL) students who take the WIDA alternate access assessment.
Summary of the recommendation: a two-path provisional policy under which: - Primary pathway: any student taking the WIDA alternate access who receives a score of 5 would meet exit criteria automatically. - Secondary pathway (discretionary): a student who receives a WIDA alternate access score of 4 could be considered for exit if that student also receives a score of 4 on the DLM ELA alternate assessment; exit in that case would be at the LEA/IEP-team discretion and must include EL personnel at the decision table.
Why it matters: the proposal seeks to align language-proficiency exit decisions with alternate-assessment outcomes while exercising caution because of small sample sizes and timing issues. Staff and stakeholders cautioned that the mechanism would be provisional and that exiting decisions for K–3 students are problematic because DLM summer/fall score timing means a K–3 student may not yet have a DLM ELA score when the WIDA result is available.
Process and next steps: USBE staff said the recommendation will be presented to Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Assessment Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) in May, then go to public comment and ultimately to the full board for approval. If approved, the change will be provisional while USBE collects more data over subsequent years and analyzes impacts.
Stakeholder concerns and rationale: the stakeholder group reviewed federal guidance, compared state data where available and flagged that the number of students in the intersecting dataset is small (fewer than 500 in the initial review), which limited confidence. Participants favored a cautious, provisional approach and additional training for staff who administer the WIDA alternate assessment.
Ending: USBE staff requested comments and urged LEAs and special-education directors to share concerns or questions before USBE moves into the public-comment period.
