Voorhees Township Public Schools officials recently presented an overview of the district’s multilingual learner population, ACCESS for ELLs results and strategies being used to support students as they develop English-language proficiency.
The presentation was part of the Voorhees Township Board of Education’s Aug. 24 meeting and focused on results from the 2025-26 school year, along with trends from the past four years.
ACCESS for ELLs is an annual English-language proficiency assessment given to students identified as multilingual learners. New Jersey is a member of the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium and uses the assessment to measure how well students can understand and communicate in academic English.
Rather than testing students on a single subject such as math or science, ACCESS measures English-language skills across four areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The results help educators monitor students’ language development, determine the level of support they may need and track their progress toward English proficiency.
The assessment includes versions designed for different students. Kindergarten students receive an assessment specifically tailored to their grade level, while a standard ACCESS assessment is administered to students in grades one through eight in the Voorhees district. Alternate ACCESS is available for multilingual learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
The district noted that terminology surrounding the students has also changed. In 2023, New Jersey shifted from referring to students as English Language Learners to the more asset-based term “Multilingual Learners,” or MLs.
ACCESS results place students into six proficiency levels: Entering, Emerging, Developing, Expanding, Bridging and Reaching.
At Level 1, or Entering, students are just beginning to acquire English and may have a limited ability to communicate and understand the language, often requiring substantial support. Level 2 students are Emerging and can understand and use simple English in familiar situations but still need ongoing assistance.
Students at Level 3, Developing, have a growing command of English, while those at Level 4, Expanding, can handle most academic tasks with less support and participate more easily in discussions.
Level 5, Bridging, represents students approaching full proficiency, while Level 6, Reaching, indicates a high level of English proficiency and an ability to generally complete academic tasks independently.
Voorhees tested 110 multilingual students in kindergarten through eighth grade during the 2025-26 school year. Of those students, 20 scored at Level 1; 15 at Level 2; 38 at Level 3; 31 at Level 4; five at Level 5; and one at Level 6.
The number tested was down from 120 students in 2024-25 but remained close to totals recorded during the previous two years. The district tested 112 students in 2023-24 and 106 in 2022-23.
Over that four-year period, Level 4 results have remained relatively consistent. The percentage of students scoring at the Expanding level was 28% in 2022-23, 32% in 2023-24, 28% in 2024-25 and 28% in 2025-26, for a four-year average of 29%.
District officials also highlighted students approaching the proficiency needed to exit the program. A score of 4.5 or higher is the first indicator for exiting. During 2025-26, 19 students scored between 4.0 and 4.4, while another 11 scored between 4.5 and 4.9.
The presentation showed that 39 multilingual learners exited the program in 2025-26, compared with 23 in 2024-25, 20 in 2023-24 and 21 in 2022-23.
Among students currently participating in the program, 40 are in their first year, 24 in their second, 19 in their third, nine in their fourth and four in their fifth year.
Officials noted that the population taking ACCESS can change from year to year as students enter or exit the multilingual learner program or move into or out of the district.
The district also identified areas where additional support is needed. Most students in each subgroup examined scored at Level 3 or Level 4, but officials reported increases within those levels among students who are chronically absent and those from low-income households.
Results from the Alternate ACCESS for ELLs assessment were not publicly reported. Because fewer than 10 Voorhees students were included in that group, the district said results were suppressed to protect student confidentiality.
Along with reviewing the data, the district outlined intervention strategies for multilingual learners.
Those plans include continued data analysis with the ESL team, collaboration between classroom and ESL teachers, work between the ESL team and building principals to address chronic absenteeism and annual professional development for teachers and administrators on ACCESS and the needs of multilingual students.
Thirty elementary staff members received Sheltered English Instruction training during the 2025-26 school year, and the district is working to have all staff trained during 2026-27. The approach provides language-rich, grade-level instruction in English that is designed to be comprehensible to multilingual learners, allowing them to progress academically while developing English proficiency.
Other supports include daily ESL services, differentiated small-group instruction, the district’s tiered intervention process, basic-skills instruction and additional intervention periods and programs for students who need them.
Support also extends beyond the classroom. The district highlighted its Title III Multilingual Family Night, which includes recognition for students who have exited the program, activities with ESL teachers in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and connections to community resources.
Together, the ACCESS results and intervention efforts give Voorhees educators a way to measure language growth while identifying students who may need additional support on their path toward English proficiency.
