WIDA News February 2020
WIDA Receives $4 Million to Support Multilingual Learners with Cognitive Disabilities
New educational tools and resources for assessing a small but important group of students will now become reality thanks to a $3.998 million U.S. Department of Education grant. The Advancing ALTELLA Project serves multilingual learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
Read the grant award news release for details.
WIDA 2020 English Language Development (ELD) Standards: Public Input Closed
Thank you to everyone who reviewed drafts of the WIDA ELD Standards 2020 Edition, completed the public input survey, and/or promoted the survey to colleagues. Your voice is so important in this process, and we are grateful for your partnership.
Throughout public input, WIDA heard from:
- over 1200 survey respondents from 43 states and 10 countries
- over 40 focus group participants from 19 states
Visit the WIDA 2020 Standards webpage for ongoing updates and the latest resources about the 2020 Edition.
Meet EL Teacher Anna Levy from Tennessee
This month's featured educator believes in the power of story. Whether it's helping her students respond to writing prompts based on historical text or encouraging them to write their own stories, EL Teacher Anna Levy works to challenge her students to be proud of themselves and recognize that they play an active role in shaping our future.
Complete a nomination form to honor an exceptional colleague.
Using Action-Based Data to Support School Improvement and Professional Development Planning
The WIDA School Improvement System (WIDA SIS) assesses key school-wide leadership practices that enhance teaching and learning for English Learners. The resulting action-based data can be used by school leaders to support school improvement planning and professional development planning. Watch a short demo video of the online reporting system to see how WIDA SIS can support you in your work.
Turn ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports into Action with Professional Learning
Consider hosting the WIDA Interpreting ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports for Instruction workshop to:
- Explain the purpose of the ACCESS for ELLs Assessment
- Identify the differences in the types of ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports and their uses
- Expose the academic language connection between score reports and WIDA Performance Definitions
This workshop supports educators of English learners who have taken the ACCESS for ELLs test, and now need to differentiate instruction based on scores received.
Contact wida.pl@wceps.org with questions or to schedule a workshop!
Connect with WIDA
Learn about the latest resources, exchange ideas and in engage in discussion.
Nominate an Educator
WIDA's Featured Educator is a monthly feature article that highlights classroom, district, or state-level educators who are making a difference in the lives of multilingual learners. Nominate an outstanding colleague today!