Maine
Member of the WIDA Consortium since 2004.
Assessments
Maine uses WIDA Screener for Kindergarten and WIDA Screener Online for Grades 1-12 to identify multilingual learners. All multilingual learners in Grades K-12 are required to participate in ACCESS. Multilingual learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities, who participate in state alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards, participate in Alternate ACCESS. Both WIDA ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS are administered during the same window: January 6 – February 28, 2025
Note that WIDA does not offer a screening assessment for PreK at this time. The Maine Department of Education allows districts to use the PreK screening assessment of their choosing. Reference Maine’s 2025-2026 Identification and Placement Guidance document for suggested assessments and identification scores. Contact Jane Armstrong with any questions regarding identification at Jane.Armstrong@maine.gov
Testing Dates
| 11/20/25 - 2/27/26 | WIDA AMS Test Setup Available for Registrations |
|---|---|
| 12/11/25 - 12/12/25 | Districts Receive Test Materials |
| 12/11/25 - 2/20/26 | Additional Test Material Ordering Window in WIDA AMS |
| 1/5/26 - 2/27/26 | Test Window |
| 3/10/26 | Deadline for Shipping Completed Test Materials to DRC - Postmark date |
| 4/29/26 | Districts Receive ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports and Data - Posted in WIDA AMS |
| 5/15/26 - 5/18/26 | Districts Receive Printed ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports |
| 6/11/26 | 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 Checklist, where you can find each step in the ACCESS testing process from beginning to end.
WIDA ACCESS Online Checklist WIDA ACCESS Paper Checklist Identification and Placement Guidance
- State Testing Requirements
- Maine students in grades 1-12 participate in the WIDA ACCESS Online assessment. The Kindergarten ACCESS remains a paper-based assessment only.
- Paper-based forms for students in Grades 1-12 are available for students as an IEP/504 Plan accommodation only. The Director/Coordinator of Multilingual Programs must complete a paper-based form request prior to October 24, 2025 and email to: mechelle.ganglfinger@maine.gov. The request can be found at: English Language Proficiency Assessments | Department of Education (maine.gov)
- Beginning in 4th grade, students participate in the Writing domain online. Grades 1-3 participate via student writing booklets. Grade 4 ACCESS Paper Based Writing Domain option will be available for select students.
- Test Preparation and Training
- Your personal WIDA Secure Portal account provides access to WIDA Screener and ACCESS training materials.
- Training courses and certification quizzes for ACCESS are located in the WIDA Secure Portal.
- District ACCESS Test Coordinators ensure that all educators administering ACCESS in SY2025-2026 complete the appropriate training course in the WIDA Secure Portal as well as the certification quiz with a score of 80% or greater.
- Required Trainings
Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA ACCESS Paper
- Speaking for Grades 1-5 (and/or 6-12): Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille
- ACCESS Braille Speaking (if administering Braille)
- Kindergarten ACCESS: Administration and Scoring (available beginning 9/29/25)
- WIDA Screener – Speaking and Writing
- ACCESS 4th grade Writing Domain (paper booklet) - Maine DOE specific
- Recommended Annual Recertification
- Online ACCESS: Administration
- Paper ACCESS: Administration
- WIDA Alternate ACCESS: Administration and Scoring
- Additional information about ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS testing in Maine is available on the Maine Department of Education ELP Assessment webpage: English Language Proficiency Assessments | Department of Education (maine.gov)
- WIDA Alternate Screener
- The WIDA Alternate Screener is a paper-based screening tool designed to assist schools in determining whether incoming students in grades K-12 with the most significant cognitive disabilities are eligible to receive English language development services. Training materials for the WIDA Alternate Screener can be accessed through the WIDA Secure Portal Assessment Training tab. Please see the Massachusetts Guidance on Administering the WIDA Alternate Screener and the PowerPoint slides for the October 1, 2025 webinar for more information.
- Additional Contacts
Jodi Bossio-Smith
Director of Assessment
(207) 530-1462
jodi.bossio-smith@maine.govDaniel Weeks
Title III & V Specialist and Regional Program Coordinator
(207) 624-6766
daniel.r.weeks@maine.gov
Standards and Instructional Support
Together with the Maine Learning Results, the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition forms the foundation for ESOL programs in the state of Maine. All school administrative units (SAUs) are to implement the ELD standards as an essential part of the core instructional program for students who are multilingual learners.
Multiple professional learning opportunities are available to support schools as they work to implement the standards. Visit Maine DOE website for details or, to request assistance, contact Jane Armstrong, ESOL State Specialist, at jane.armstrong@maine.gov or Melanie Junkins, Multilingual and Bilingual Education Specialist, at melanie.junkins@maine.gov.
Professional Learning
For Self-Paced Workshops:
All Maine PreK-12 educators have free unlimited access to twelve Self-Paced Workshops that offer relevant, practical content that will build capacity in supporting multilingual learners. Workshop titles include:
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
- Exploring the WIDA PreK-3 Essential Actions
- Let’s Play! Multilingual Children’s Joyful Learning in PreK-3
- Making Language Visible in the Classroom
- Newcomers: Promoting Success through Strengthening Practice
- Reading Comprehension Across Content Areas with Multilingual Learners
- Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners
- Teaching Multilingual Learners Social Studies through Multiple Perspectives
- The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
- WIDA Español: Desarollando el español: las expectativas del lenguaje
- WIDA Español: Evaluaciones del desarrollo del lenguaje a nivel de salón - Classroom assessment for language development
All Self-Paced Workshops are accessible via the WIDA Secure Portal. To obtain a WIDA Secure Portal account, contact WIDA Client Services directly at help@wida.us or (866) 276-7735.
For Facilitated Virtual Workshops:
Maine will be offering the following facilitated virtual workshops:
- Expanding Reading Instruction with Multilingual Learners. Participation on both dates required: 10/6/25 and 10/20/25 (3:00-4:30 p.m.)
- When Language and Disability Meet: Planning Instruction to Support Multilingual Learners Who are Dually Identified. Participation on both dates required: 11/13/25 and 11/20/25 (3:15-5 p.m.)
Please see the Maine DOE Event Calendar as well as the Maine DOE website to learn more about WIDA Facilitated Virtual Workshop opportunities and how to register.