WIDA News November 2019

Sign up for Standards Public Input Survey Reminders

The WIDA English language development Standards, 2020 Edition draft release and public input period begins on Monday, November 18, 2019. WIDA is offering a series of reminder emails with information and tips for reviewing the draft materials. By opting in to these "2020 Vision" emails, you'll get a reminder email about twice a week during the public input period (through December 15) with information about the design of the draft standards sent straight to your inbox. We'll help you understand the features of the drafts and offer tips for collaborating with colleagues to explore them together and share your thoughts with WIDA.​

Send an email to sign up now!

Learn more about the 2020 Edition of WIDA ELD Standards.

Meet Regional Coordinator Lori Menning from Wisconsin

​Lori Menning is the English Learner, Bilingual-Bicultural and World Language Consultant for Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 6 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She is a strong advocate for language learners at the local, state, and national level. Lori says she has been involved with WIDA before there even was a WIDA, "When I started in education, Tim Boals was at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and then he became the Founder and Director of WIDA. As I facilitate workshops and provide professional development, I share the WIDA Can Do Descriptors as a tool to assist teachers..."

Read the full interview.

WIDA Early Years Director Featured on PTA Podcast

Lorena Mancilla, director of WIDA Early Years, is featured on the most recent edition of the Parent Teacher Association production, "Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcast." The episode was recorded in Spanish and speaks to parents of multilingual children and learners. Look for the episode title ¿Está su Hijo Recibiendo los Servicios que Necesita? You will find the podcast recording on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast apps, as well as the PTA website.

There's Still Time to Participate in WIDA MODEL Field Testing!

Make sure your school and students are represented in the WIDA MODEL Online standalone Writing field test. There is no need to be a current WIDA MODEL customer. In fact, the field test offers you an opportunity to get a glimpse of current and new Writing domain test items for grades 1-12.

View and download the flyer​ for registration details today! Thanks for your support.

Free Registration - 3rd Annual AIERA Conference

WIDA is pleased to announce that (free) registration is open for the 3rd Annual AIERA Conference, December 3rd-5th, 2019 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Albuquerque, NM. The event celebrates Native languages, cultural preservation and culturally responsive instruction and assessment with tribes, districts & schools, BIE, and State Education Agencies. Event speakers include Rosalie Grant and Cynthia Lundgren from WIDA.

Register for the AIERA Conference.

2020 WIDA Annual Conference Call for Proposals

The 2020 WIDA Annual Conference call for proposals is now open! The conference will take place in Denver, CO on October 26-29, 2020 under the theme "Multilingualism for the Future". Concurrent session and workshop proposals will be accepted now through January 19, 2020. Proposal topics include:

• Early Years​
• Effective Instructional Practices
• Equity and Social Justice
• Family and Community Engagement
• Language Development and Bilingual/Multilingual Education
• Language Assessment
• Professional Learning in Schools and Districts
• Program Administration and Policy
• Specific Populations: Multilingual Learners with Disabilities; Newcomers; SLIFE; Migrant, Refugee, Long-term Multilingual Learners​
• Technology

Share your experience and contribute to a conference that is by teachers and for teachers by submitting your proposal today on the WIDA Annual Conference website!

WIDA SIS: Progress Monitoring for Continuous Improvement & Program Evaluation

According to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools that have been identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) need to conduct a Comprehensive Needs Assessment followed by evidence-based interventions. Many schools have completed that initial process and they are now in the position to evaluate their initiatives to support their ongoing work. In other words, they are engaging in progress monitoring to promote continuous improvement.

The WIDA School Improvement System (WIDA SIS) is designed to do just that. Learn how WIDA SIS can support schools identified for CSI and TSI. 

What's new with WIDA MODEL?

We hope you had a chance to learn more about WIDA MODEL interim assessments at the WIDA Annual Conference last month! Here is a short list of some key WIDA MODEL highlights for your reference.

• WIDA MODEL is the only assessment that predicts student performance on ACCESS for ELLs (secure portal account required)
• Using the MODEL-ACCESS concordance table reveals true score comparisons only found within the WIDA assessment system (secure portal account required)
• Your school can use WIDA MODEL data to document and monitor growth for your school improvement plans

Visit the WIDA Store or contact Suzanne Johar to discuss implementing WIDA MODEL assessments in your school.

Work with WIDA

WIDA continues to grow and our employment opportunities are updated on a regular basis. Check out the WIDA Careers page to see current openings.