Washington
Member of the WIDA Consortium since 2021.
Assessments
Washington uses WIDA assessments for placement and annual testing. The WIDA Screener is used to identify students eligible for English Language Development (ELD) services, and the WIDA ACCESS is administered to all Multilingual Learners (MLs) during the annual testing window and is used to determine continued eligibility for ELD services.
Testing Dates
| 12/4/26 | Pre-Identification Deadline |
|---|---|
| 12/31/26 - 3/19/27 | WIDA AMS Test Setup Available for Registrations |
| 1/19/27 - 1/20/27 | Districts Receive Test Materials |
| 1/25/27 - 3/19/27 | Test Window |
| 1/19/27 - 3/12/27 | Additional Test Material Ordering Window in WIDA AMS |
| 3/26/27 | Deadline for Shipping Completed Test Materials to DRC - Postmark date |
| 4/21/27 - 4/29/27 | Pre-Reporting Data Validation – LEAs in WIDA AMS |
| 5/20/27 | Districts Receive ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports and Data - Posted in WIDA AMS |
| 6/14/27 - 6/15/27 | Districts Receive Printed ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Reports |
| 6/11/27 - 6/25/27 | Post-Reporting Data Validation – LEAs in WIDA AMS |
| 6/25/27 | ACCESS Late Return 2 File Available – Posted in WIDA AMS (if applicable) |
| 7/9/27 | Updated ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS Data - Posted in WIDA AMS for SEA and Districts |
| 8/6/27 | ACCESS Data Corrections 1 File Available – Posted in WIDA AMS (if applicable) |
Resources and Requirements
See the sections below for state-specific information and resources related to EL assessments, 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 Identification and Placement Guidance
- State Testing Guidance
All students test on grade level in Washington. For placement assessments, the WIDA Screener utilized depends on grade level and student need. The WIDA Screener for Kindergarten is administered to kindergarten students with Listening and Speaking administered through December 31 and all four domains administered from January 1 to the end of the school year. All other grade levels take the WIDA Screener Online unless there is a documented need for a different screener form. For the WIDA Screener Paper, students must have a paper accommodation documented in an IEP or 504, and the assessment must be requested from OSPI. For the WIDA Alternate Screener, students must have an IEP or 504 and already be identified for alternate assessment. State testing guidance for annual testing echoes placement assessments. All MLs must take the WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS (kindergarten only) and the WIDA ACCESS Online (grades 1-12) unless the student requires an accommodation that is met with the WIDA Alternate ACCESS, the WIDA ACCESS Paper, students in grades 4-12 who need to handwrite their responses, or other accommodated test forms. These accommodations must be documented in an IEP or 504 plan. Additional questions about accommodations can be sent to ELPAssessments@k12.wa.us.
- Test Preparation and Training
Guidance for test preparation and training in Washington can be found on OSPI’s English Language Proficiency Assessment Resources website. This includes user management, student management, materials management, test administration management, and records management.
Standards and Instructional Support
OSPI provides additional resources to support the implementation of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020. These resources can be found on OSPI’s WIDA Standards, Assessments, and Professional Learning website.
Professional Learning
WIDA Core Learning Collection
All educators in the WIDA Consortium have complete access to the self-paced workshops, on-demand videos and resources in the Core Learning Collection. Titles include:
Self-Paced Workshops
- Desarollando el español: las expectativas del lenguaje
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
- Evaluaciones del desarrollo del lenguaje a nivel de salón
- 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
- Supporting Multilingual Learners With Disabilities in Language and Communication
- Teaching Multilingual Learners Social Studies through Multiple Perspectives
- The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
On-Demand Videos
- Exploring WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten
- Exploring WIDA ACCESS Online 1–12
- Introduction to the Marco DALE
- Introduction to the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework
- Understanding WIDA ACCESS Score Reports for Instruction
- Understanding WIDA Alternate ACCESS Score Reports
- WIDA Standards Frameworks for Bilingual Educators
Find all the Core Learning Collection offerings in the WIDA Secure Portal. Contact the WIDA Client Services Center at help@wida.wisc.edu or (866) 276-7735 to create a new WIDA Secure Portal account.