The WIDAStandards & Assessment System

Based on research and educator expertise

Based on strengths of language learners

WIDA offers a comprehensive standards and assessment system to support language learners.

Our resources are based on leading research and contributions from thousands of educators who are committed to the language development and academic success of this diverse population of students.

Collaborative and innovative education of language learners builds on the assets, contributions, and potential all students bring to their learning communities.

To be effective, language instruction and assessment must complement one another.

Educators continually gather and use information about their students in order to craft data-informed, linguistically- and culturally-responsive instruction and assessment throughout the teaching and learning cycle. The WIDA standards and assessment system promotes academic language development in meaningful contexts with carefully selected instructional supports to meet students’ needs.

WIDA’s Can Do Philosophy: Prompts educators to ask, “What are the assets, contributions, and potential my students bring to our learning community? How can I leverage those strengths to expand their language development?”

WIDA’s Guiding Principles of Language Development:Present research-based core beliefs about language development, prompting educators to ask, “How does my practice reflect these principles?”

Essential Actions Handbook:Outlines 15 Actions educators take to expand their implementation of English language development standards in collaboration and reflective practice. Each Action is accompanied by discussion questions about day-to-day practice and possibilities for growth and systemic improvements.

WIDA English Language Development Standards and Resources Guide, International Edition:Outlines language expectations and suggests possible instructional supports needed for students at each level of language proficiency. Offers examples of language-focused instructional planning for Kindergarten through Grade 12 within a wide range of subject areas.

WIDA Can Do Descriptors:Describe how students process and produce language at each proficiency level. The Descriptors support collaboration between language specialists and content area or general education teachers to communicate the results of assessments to students, allowing multiple stakeholders to support students’ growth from one proficiency level to the next.

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Discussion Questions• How do you engage diverse families

into your school community?

• How do your instruction and assessment practices incorporate students’ interests and cultural/linguistic assets?

• How do you collaborate to analyze and use student learning data?

Discussion Questions• How do students engage with new

vocabulary, language forms, and discourse structures in all content areas?

• How do you help students progress from one proficiency level to the next in all four domains?

• How do you set goals for students’ academic language growth and how do you communicate those goals?

“Teaching and learning should revolve around who our language learners are, what they can do, and how we can benefit from the

tremendous assets they bring to school.”

~ Margo Gottlieb, WIDA Lead Developer

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WIDA’s Performance Definitions:Show how students use language to express information, ideas, or concepts in either oral or written communication at all levels of language proficiency. Can be used to differentiate language instruction and observe progress on classroom activities within the language domains of listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

Supports for Instruction and Assessment:WIDA categorizes linguistic instructional supports as sensory, graphic, or interactive and believes that ELLs need these supports to show what they know and can do in all subject areas. Scaffolding can, and should, be offered throughout instruction and assessment of ELLs.

Discussion Questions

• How do you differentiate instruction and assessment based on level of language proficiency?

• How do you collaborate to support language development and provide access to content learning?

• How do you measure students’ progress in academic language development?

Discussion Questions

• How do you use the results of your assessments?

• How do you communicate with colleagues, students, and families about academic language development?

• How do you use assessment information to inform your next steps and evaluate your program?

WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT):Available through membership in the WIDA International Schools Consortium

Adaptable assessment used for the identification and placement of ELLs; administered once to new students.

WIDA MODEL:Versatile and flexible assessment of English language proficiency. Can be used for identification/placement, as an interim assessment up to two times per year, or as an annual progress measure for accountability purposes.

Available on paper Grades K-12, and online for Grades 1-12.

WIDA helps educators to…• understand their students’ backgrounds, interests, and strengths• create opportunities for students to develop academic language within engaging and

relevant contexts• apply differentiated supports to build on each student’s unique assets and interests• make decisions every day that impact their students’ future opportunities

For more WIDA information, visit: www.wida.us

For WIDA International School Consortium information, visit: wisc.wceps.org

To purchase WIDA Publications & Training Materials, visit: www.wceps.org/Store/WIDA

Discover what your learners Can Do.

WIDA is a research center within the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Our mission is to advance academic language development and academic achievement for linguistically diverse students through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional development for educators.

WIDA Creates Language Development Standards.WIDA creates high-quality standards for language development in form of the WIDA English Language, Spanish Language, and Early Language Development Standards which outline language progression and exemplify how to provide a developmentally sound framework for supporting, instructing, and assessing language learners.

WIDA Connects Educators.Our Consortium is a cooperative network whose purpose is to develop standards, assessments, research, and professional development that promote educational equity for English language learners. Currently, the WIDA Consortium consists of 36 States Education Agencies and the WIDA International School Consortium consists of 179 schools in 63 countries.

WIDA Develops Assessments.WIDA is committed to providing fair and culturally responsive assessments for English language learners. Every WIDA assessment measures language proficiency in the four domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Development is informed by research and contributions from the global community of educators.

WIDA Provides Professional Learning.We building on learners' assets to engage educators in meaningful, transformative, and enduring professional learning. WIDA creates opportunities for reciprocal professional learning, helping educators to share resources, create systems, and build capacity to serve language learners.