Massachusetts
Member of the WIDA Consortium since 2012.
Assessments
Massachusetts uses WIDA Screener for Kindergarten, WIDA Screener for Grades 1-12, and WIDA Alternate Screener to identify English learners (ELs). WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten, WIDA ACCESS, or WIDA Alternate ACCESS, as appropriate, is given to all ELs during the annual testing window, which extends from early January through February.
Testing Dates
| 12/4/26 - 2/26/27 | WIDA AMS Test Setup Available for Registrations |
|---|---|
| 1/4/27 - 1/5/27 | Districts Receive Test Materials |
| 1/6/27 - 2/12/27 | Test Window |
| 2/15/27 - 2/26/27 | Make-up Test Window |
| 1/4/27 - 2/19/27 | Additional Test Material Ordering Window in WIDA AMS |
| 3/2/27 | Deadline for Shipping Completed Test Materials to DRC - Postmark date |
| 3/29/27 - 4/2/27 | Pre-Reporting Data Validation – LEAs in WIDA AMS |
| 4/30/27 | Districts Receive ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports and Data - Posted in WIDA AMS |
| 5/13/27 - 5/14/27 | Districts Receive Printed ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports |
| 6/10/27 | Updated ACCESS and Alternate Access Data - Posted in WIDA AMS for SEA and Districts |
Requirements and Resources
See below for state-specific information and resources related to EL assessment, including your state’s WIDA ACCESS Checklists, indicating each step in the WIDA ACCESS testing process from beginning to end.
WIDA ACCESS Online Checklist WIDA ACCESS Paper Checklist Identification and Placement Guidance
- State Testing Requirements
Guidance on selecting either online or paper-based WIDA ACCESS testing:
- Schools are required to administer the WIDA ACCESS Online for students in grades 1-12. WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten and WIDA Alternate ACCESS tests will be administered on paper. Students with disabilities and first-year ELs will be allowed online handwriting booklets should they require them. Paper-based tests will also be available for students with disabilities as an accommodation, and to first-year ELs who require paper testing.
- Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities may be considered for participation in the WIDA Alternate ACCESS. See MA Participation Guidelines for WIDA Alternate ACCESS for eligibility criteria.
- Test Preparation and Training
Certification is required every two years for WIDA ACCESS test coordinators and administrators.
WIDA ACCESS Online
- Training course and certification quiz completed on or after September 1, 2025
- WIDA ACCESS Online: Administration
WIDA ACCESS Paper
- Training courses and certification quizzes completed on or after September 1, 2025
- WIDA ACCESS Paper: Administration, Speaking for Grades 1-5: Scoring WIDA ACCESS Paper (or Speaking for Grades 6-12 as applicable)
WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten
- Training course and certification quizzes completed on or after September 29, 2025
- WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring
WIDA Alternate ACCESS
- Training course and certification quiz completed on or after September 1, 2025
- WIDA Alternate ACCESS: Administration and Scoring
WIDA ACCESS Braille
- New! WIDA ACCESS Braille: Administration
- WIDA ACCESS Paper: Administration, Speaking for Grades 1-5 or Speaking for Grades 6-12: Scoring WIDA ACCESS Paper (on or after September 1, 2025)
For domains and tests which are hand-scored by the test administrators, annual recertification is highly recommended.
- Manuals, Guides and Workshops
WIDA ACCESS Round 2 Reporting-Interpreting and Using Results
- Part 1; Part 2
- This presentation hosted by DESE Student Assessment Services and the Office of Language Acquisition, supports districts and schools in accessing, understanding, and utilizing WIDA ACCESS 2026 data, including prospective progress targets for 2027.
2026 WIDA ACCESS Pre-Reporting Data Validation – March 2026
- This DESE presentation outlines the purposes and steps of pre-reporting data validation by district and school test coordinators. This year DESE offers reference files provided via DropBox, designed to support at the local level while reviewing and validating data in WIDA AMS. The pre-reporting validation window takes place from 3/30/26 – 4/3/26.
Data for EL Equity - June 10, 2026
Standards and Instructional Support
The WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition was released in December 2020. Massachusetts will be offering a series of workshops to support districts with implementing the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.
Here is an overview and calendar of all DESE-sponsored WIDA professional development opportunities for the 2024-25 school year. For more information or to register, please contact David Parker (david.e.parker@mass.gov).
You can access the Office of Language Acquisition (OLA)’s full Professional Learning Calendar on the DESE website.
DESE is also recommending a professional learning pathway of course offerings that support districts in the implementation of the WIDA 2020 Standards. The suggested sequence of courses recommends a professional learning pathway that will prepare educators and administrators to 1) unpack the WIDA 2020 Standards, 2) apply the Standards to planning for instruction, and 3) prepare to lead others in your district in doing the same work (Training of Trainers). These courses are offered at no charge to individual educators and teams who collaborate to provide the very best access and opportunities for all their students. Educators can select their entry point and earn PDPs for completing individual sessions and/or complete the full Pathway for a total of 19 PDPs, all of which may count toward licensure renewal requirements.
MA DESE’s NEW Multilingual Learning Look-for Tool
The Multilingual Learning Look-for Tool articulates essential expectations for effective teaching and learning aligned to the DESE Educational Vision<, the MA Blueprint for English Learner Success, and the Standards of Effective Practice.
The Look-Fors feature elements of effective instruction for MLs, which are aligned to specific pillars and building blocks from the MA Blueprint for English Learner Success. These pillars and building blocks are prioritized because they are most visible in classroom instruction. There are observable teacher and student actions aligned to each element. These actions break down and make visible culturally & linguistically sustaining practices that are essential across all classrooms that serve MLs, which can include sheltered content instruction, ESL, bilingual/dual language, and should apply across instructional models (push-in, pull-out, standalone, embedded, co-teaching, etc.).
Multilingual Learning Look-for Tool
Massachusetts Next Generation ESL Curriculum Project Resources
High-Quality NGESL Instructional Materials Review Process and ESL Curriculum Review Rubric
The High-Quality ESL Instructional Materials (HQIM-NGESL) review process guides educator teams in a step-by-step process to determine whether a given set of instructional materials can be considered high-quality for ESL instruction.
MA DESE’s Office of Language Acquisition has also developed a series of self-paced online modules that provide an overview of the High-Quality Next Generation ESL Instructional Materials Review Process and Rubric, information about resources that can be used to create high-quality instructional materials for ESL, and key considerations for ESL curriculum design.
NGESL Curriculum Design Modules
The Next Generation ESL Toolkit
The Next Generation ESL Toolkit provides a common entry point for educators to learn about Next Generation ESL (NGESL) instruction in Massachusetts. It includes connections to relevant guidance, tools, and resources educators at all different points in their journey can use to develop a deeper understanding and ability to implement high-quality ESL instruction, across all different program models. The ESL Toolkit was developed as part of the Next Generation ESL Curriculum and Instructional Support, building on a strong foundation of previous initiatives and projects defining the type of learning experiences English learners deserve and supports for educators to bring these to life.
Next Generation ESL Project: Model Curriculum Units (ESL MCUs)
The Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) led the field-based "Next Generation ESL Project: Model Curriculum Units" in a key partnership with the Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages (MATSOL), along with Northeast Comprehensive Center/WestEd and the support of other organizations such as the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and WIDA. The project included participation of over 30 districts across the state, as well as collaborations and consultations with local and national curriculum experts.
Collaboration Tool (Download the accessible version of the Collaboration Tool)
This is a multi-layered, multi-purpose tool designed to help curriculum writers operationalize WIDA Standards in conjunction with the Frameworks. The goal of the Collaboration Tool is to support curricular planning with the intentional, simultaneous development of language and the analytical practices embedded in the Frameworks. It highlights the need for collaboration between language and content educators and helps teachers prioritize and strategically plan around Key Uses of Academic Language in the context of key academic practices (Cheuk, 2013) common across content area Frameworks. The Collaboration Tool and related processes are planning resources that, among other uses, can help educators prepare to create clear, standards-based language learning goals for developing curricula using the ESL unit template.
Interactive Guide to the Collaboration Tool (Download the accessible version of the Interactive Guide to Collaboration Tool) This interactive guide will walk you through how you can use the Collaboration Tool in curriculum development, starting with Focus Language Goals.
Other Useful Resources: