I have a question. Who should I call? (Hint: Not Ghostbusters)

Matt & Blake answering your questions

Greetings once again from the Client Services Center (CSC). We love to answer questions and assist with quite a variety of inquiries. As you can imagine, we receive a lot of questions from all over the Consortium and around the world! Most of these we are able to handle on the spot without any problems. However, sometimes we need to direct you to another entity such as your state department of education, Metritech, or WCEPS. If it’s a time-sensitive question, it helps to know who best to address your question from the get go.

In this post we’ll give you an overview of the four broad categories of questions. Feel free to print this post and stick it next to your phone and share it with your colleagues. While you’re at it, consider officially following our Blog by clicking on the “Join this site” button on the right hand side of the page.

Entity	Contact Information	Types of Questions
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment	E-mail: help@wida.us Toll-free: 1-866-276-7735 WIDA Consortium Wisconsin Center for Educational Research (WCER) University of Wisconsin-Madison 1025 W. Johnson Street, MD #23 Madison, WI 53706	ACCESS, MODEL or W-APT test administration questions Understanding and interpreting the scores from these assessments  Online training course for test administrators, including log in, navigating the course, and completing the training quizzes
	E-mail: wida@metritech.com Toll-free: 1-800-747-4868  MetriTech, Inc. Attn: Customer Service Representative 4106 Fieldstone Road P.O. Box 6479 Champaign, Illinois 61826-6479	Pre-ID labels for the ACCESS test Ordering ACCESS testing materials Return shipping of the ACCESS test
Your State’s Department of Education	Click on the map of WIDA states on the left or click HERE.  Once the new page opens, click on your state for contact information.	Obtaining a copy of your state’s Native Language Codes Establishment of entry and exit criteria for ESL and/or bilingual services in your state Test administration dates Local professional development opportunities Test administrator certification requirements for your state
Wisconsin Center for Education Products & Services	Email: info@wceps.org Toll Free: 1-877-272-5593 WCEPS 510 Charmany Drive Suite 269 Madison, WI 53719	·         Ordering MODEL kits/replacement parts ·         Ordering CAN-DO Descriptor Booklets ·         Ordering Standards Books Obtaining a W-9 Form for materials they have ordered

While this is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible questions related to testing, it is designed to give you a better idea of who to go to depending on the type of question that you have.  But if you aren’t sure, feel free to contact the us, the WIDA Client Services Center (CSC), and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.  

Frequently Asked Questions

The phones in the WIDA Client Services Center (CSC) are ringing off the hook, so wanted to answer three of the most common questions that we’re getting this time of year. 

So sit back, grab some popcorn (easy on the butter!) and enjoy the answers to your most common questions. Next month we’ll take a look at a few more questions, and with a little bit of luck we’ll be able to answer some of your inquiries before they even come up for you.

Question One: What’s my username and password?

Answer One: Good question! The short answer is, we don’t know your password. Not quite what you were expecting, but it’s true. As a security precaution, we can’t see any passwords. So if you lost yours, not to worry, you can retrieve it. Simply click on the “Forgot Password” button and you can have your username and a link for you to reset your password emailed to you. If you don’t get it within a few minutes, check your Spam or Junk Mail. If it’s still not there, give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll be happy to help you find it.  

Question Two: How long does it take to complete the training course and quizzes?

Answer Two: Another good question! And….we don’t have the answer to that one either. Well, not a definitive answer at least. Since it really all depends on how fast you read, how long it takes you to review all of the materials really depends on you. We can estimate that it might take you somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half, but realistically it could be shorter or longer than that. The most important part is that you know and understand how to administer the assessment to your students.

Question Three: If a student doesn’t have a Pre-ID label, what information do I need to fill out on the back cover of the test booklet?

Answer Three: Finally, one that we know the answer to! Basically, you need to fill out all of the boxes that directly pertain to your student. So if they don’t have any accommodations, you wouldn’t need to fill in the accommodations box. All of the boxes are explained in detail on pages 20-27 of the Test Administration Manual (TAM).

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for all the hard work that you do. If you have further questions (you know you do) feel free to send us an email or give us a call. We’re open from 8:00am-5:00pm Central Time, Monday-Friday. 866-276-7735 or help@wida.us

-Your Friendly CSC Team

Question mark image from Flickr via Creative Commons

Where Do Those ACCESS for ELLs Tests Go?

Have you ever wondered what happens to the ACCESS for ELLs boxes that you carefully pack up and ship back each year?  How do they score them?  Does some machine have to turn each page in those booklets?  If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you will love this!

Help Desk Helpers - Part Two

Ever wondered who is on the other end of the line when you contact the WIDA Help Desk?  In last week's post, you met Michelle.  This week, meet the rest of the WIDA Help Desk staff. You'll  learn about some of the common questions that the Help Desk receives and the WIDA states they would most like to visit.  Enjoy!

Introducing the Help Desk Staff

Hi, dear readers! Thanks for stopping by the WIDA Blog. I’m Michelle and what’s on tap for this and some future blog entries is an introduction to the Help Desk at WIDA. The Help Desk addresses your concerns and questions, provides you with log in information, and talks you through testing procedures. If you’ve never contacted us, you’re missing out—we’re awesome!  A common misconception we hear is that we’re housed in a giant corporate office full of cubicles with dozens of people (picture the AT&T call center), but we’re really just six people who