Media Resources

WIDA is built to serve multilingual learners, their educators and their families

WIDA provides language development resources to those who support the academic success of multilingual learners. We offer a comprehensive, research-based system of language standards, assessments, professional learning and educator support. WIDA’s resources are used by educators around the world, including members of the WIDA Consortium, a U.S.-based collaborative group of 41 member states, territories and federal agencies.

WIDA is part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, which ranks in the top five education schools in the nation. WIDA is housed in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER).

WIDA is not an acronym

The name WIDA originally stood for the three states on the founding grant proposal: Wisconsin, Delaware and Arkansas.

Today, the name WIDA has come to represent the full Consortium of states, territories and federal agencies, as well as an ever-expanding community of educators of multilingual learners.

WIDA at UW-Madison

More than 130 WIDA staff members
11 doctoral degrees completed by staff with financial support from WIDA; 5 more underway
100+ students employed by WIDA over the last decade

WIDA Language Standards

WIDA has established language development standards for English and Spanish. These standards represent the language students need to be successful in grades K-12. The first standard, Social and Instructional Language, reflects the ways in which students interact socially to build community and establish working relationships with peers and teachers in ways that support learning. The remaining four standards present ways multilingual learners can communicate information, ideas and concepts necessary for academic success in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.