Mission and History
Continuously responding to educator needs and advancing the field of language development
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 comprehensive system is used by members of the WIDA Consortium, a U.S.-based collaborative group of 42 member states, territories and federal agencies.
WIDA is housed within the top-ranked School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Can Do Philosophy
At WIDA, we believe that everyone brings valuable resources to the education community. Children and youth who are linguistically and culturally diverse, bring a unique set of assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners and educators. Educators can draw on these assets for the benefit of both the learners themselves and for everyone in the community. By focusing on what language learners can do, we send a powerful message that children and youth from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds contribute to the vibrancy of our early childhood programs and K–12 schools.
Read More About the WIDA Can Do Philosophy
Mission
To engage, equip and inspire the educators who impact the lives of multilingual learners.
Vision
A future where every classroom is designed for multilingual learners to thrive.
Values
Centering Multilingual Learners
We design our work around the real experiences of multilingual learners — listening closely, responding to their needs, and building tools and practices to support high-quality educational opportunities.
Continuous Learning
We embrace research, innovation, evidence and lived experience to evolve our practices and deepen our impact on those we serve.
Partnership
We collaborate across educational systems—building relationships, co-creating solutions and convening communities of shared purpose.
Can Do Philosophy
We recognize and build upon the assets, contributions and potential of multilingual learners.
History
WIDA’s story begins with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which brought English learners into the national spotlight. As a result of this change, WIDA was born in 2003, when an Enhanced Assessment Grant was awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Public Education, WIDA’s first home. 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.
Funded by the grant, WIDA developed the 2004 WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards, which served as the basis for the ACCESS for ELLs test of English Language Proficiency. WIDA also created professional development workshops to support educators in the WIDA Consortium member states.
In 2006, WIDA moved to its current home at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. WIDA was initially a project within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, one of the first, largest and most productive education research centers in the world.
In 2025, WIDA shifted to a department under the School of Education. At UW–Madison, WIDA has expanded and improved its comprehensive system of assessments and instructional support for educators and practitioners who serve multilingual learners.
Today, the WIDA ACCESS suite of offerings includes and online test, Kindergarten ACCESS, and WIDA Alternate ACCESS for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Additional assessments offered include WIDA Screener and WIDA MODEL.
The WIDA Consortium has grown from three states to 42 member states, territories and federal agencies. WIDA also supports educators of Spanish language learners in grades K-12 with WIDA Español.