Walpole Public Schools currently offers a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) program to multilingual learners who are found eligible for an ELE program. SEI is a program that incorporates strategies to make content area instruction more comprehensible to multilingual learners in an ELE program and to promote English language development based on students’ language proficiency levels.

The SEI program consists of two components: Sheltered Content Instruction (SCI) and English for Multilingual Learners (EML). 

• SCI: Content area instruction that integrates sheltering strategies to make content comprehensive and develop content area academic language. MLs in the ELE program receive sheltered content instruction in English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science within the core content academic classroom.

• EML: Direct English language instruction focused on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in English. EML instruction occurs during the regular school day and is delivered in both core content academic classes as well as in small group settings based upon English language proficiency levels and needs.

Each year, students in the English Language Education (ELE) program take the WIDA ACCESS language proficiency assessment. This test measures academic English language in the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing for multilingual learners in the ELE program. WIDA ACCESS is administered to all students in an ELE program in Massachusetts as well as in many other states throughout the United States.

WIDA ACCESS runs annually from the first week of January until mid-February. Students will be assessed on multiple days during this test window. As with all school days, it is important that students arrive at school on time and ready for learning.

The results from WIDA ACCESS are used by many educational stakeholders. Schools and school districts use this information to help make decisions about instructional programming for multilingual students in the ELE program. Teachers of multilingual learners use the scores to monitor the progress that multilingual students in the ELE program make toward English proficiency. Parents/Guardians can use the test scores to advocate for their child(ren).  

Please contact us if you have questions about the WIDA ACCESS assessment.