ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS are the annual English proficiency assessments for English learners. The assessments measure a student’s English proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The language development standards for these tests are developed by the WIDA Consortium and were adopted by Minnesota in 2011.

Minnesota is a member of the WIDA Consortium. As a WIDA member, Minnesota’s school districts administer the ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs to all English learners in grades K–12.

For more information about supports for English Learners, visit MDE’s English Language and Multilingual Learning page.

• Statewide Assessments: What Families Need to Know about Using ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Results - 8/12/21