Criteria For Tier Selection
ACCESS for ELLs is divided into three tiers: A, B, and C. While the tiers overlap, each tier assesses a different range of language
proficiency. Therefore, to ensure the best possible testing experience for each student and the most meaningful results, it is
necessary to place each student into the tier that best matches his or her proficiency level.
The selection of a student's tier is best made by his or her teachers, based on the information they have about the
student's language proficiency. Criteria may include the student's progress in the classroom as well as test results from past
administrations of ACCESS for ELLs, WIDA MODEL, and/or the W-APT.
It is important to note that students who take the Tier A assessment cannot score higher than a 4.0 proficiency level in the
domains of Reading and Listening. Likewise, students who take the Tier B assessment cannot receive higher than 5.0 on
Reading or Listening. For this reason, students who are nearing these proficiency levels should be assigned the next higher
tier so that their ability to show progress in these domains is not limited.
English Language Proficiency Levels
