WHAT ASSESSMENTS DOES AN EL STUDENT HAVE TO TAKE? In addition to the annual English language proficiency assessment, ACCESS for ELLs, an EL student like all students are assessed for academic achievement as follows pursuant to New Mexico Administrative Code (NMAC) 6.29.1.9L(1)-(2): A student who has been in US schools under three years can be assessed in the home language of Spanish in language arts (SBA Spanish), in math ( PARCC Spanish math), and in science (SBA Spanish science). A student can receive a Testing in English waiver for testing in the home language of Spanish for the above-mentioned tests if the districts request this through the Testing in English waiver process. This waiver is valid for one year and can be requested up two times. No more, than two waivers are allowed. In order to be granted a Testing in English Waiver, a student must be an EL and must have attended a US school for no more than five years including kindergarten. Please note: Students who are enrolled for the first year in a U.S. school may receive a language exemption from the standards-based assessment for the reading subtest only. In this situation, the student’s score on the ACCESS for ELLs assessment, if available, will be substituted for the reading score.