WIDA Alternate Screener
An assessment that helps identify students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as English learners
WIDA Alternate Screener (Alternate Screener) is a pencil-and-paper English language proficiency assessment that is individually administered to new students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades K–12. It helps educators identify if students are English learners.
Important! Refer to your member/state page for information on when and how to use Alternate Screener in your state.
Participation
To reliably assess the language proficiency of students with disabilities, students' Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 teams must determine whether the student should take one of the following, with or without accommodations:
- WIDA Screener Paper
- WIDA Screener Online
- WIDA Screener for Kindergarten
- WIDA Alternate Screener
IEP teams should follow their state-specific alternate assessment participation criteria. For additional guidance, refer to the WIDA Alternate Screener Participation Criteria Decision Tree.
Scores
Alternate Screener score reports give proficiency level scores for each completed language domain (Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing) and for four composite scores (Oral Language, Literacy, Comprehension and Overall).
Alternate Screener is intended to be used as one element in the decision-making process of identifying a student as an English learner. This decision should ideally be supported by additional evidence:
- Educational records from previous schooling
- Recommendations from previous teachers
- The student's home language survey (or any of the recommended or required criteria as determined by your state or district)
The specific Alternate Screener scores used in identification decisions are determined by your state.
Learn more about scores! For further explanation of proficiency levels, scores and how they connect, refer to the WIDA Screener Interpretive Guide.
Preparing for and Administering WIDA Alternate Screener
Preparing for Testing
Meet with a student's IEP team to determine if Alternate Screener is the appropriate assessment for the student. For more help, refer to your state-specific guidance on your member/state page.
Complete assessment training and review manuals. Educators must complete the WIDA Alternate Screener: Administration and Scoring training course and review the Test Administrator Manual before giving the test. Find all training resources in the WIDA Secure Portal.
Share information about the test with families. Scroll down to the Resources to Share With Families section to download and print the What Is Alternate Screener? handout.
Download and print test materials. Find test materials in the WIDA Secure Portal on the WIDA Alternate Screener: Administration and Scoring Course Resources page.
Schedule test sessions. Alternate Screener must be carefully scheduled to make sure students have enough time, space and supports.
Review and prepare test materials. As needed and appropriate for the student, you can adapt the Student Test Booklet by cutting it apart and presenting the graphics in another format. For example, you might attach them to an eye gaze board or mount them on foam core or blocks to give students a tactile method of responding. Always keep the pieces of a disassembled booklet together. For example, you might put all the pieces in a large envelope.
Administering and Scoring the Assessment
Monitor your students' level of engagement and your administration practices during testing. Adjust your approach to meet each student's individual needs as appropriate. Test administrators should be familiar with students' needs and set a positive tone for testing.
Follow the instructions in the Test Administrator Manual to score the assessment. The test administrator is the only person who evaluates and scores the student's responses.
Generate score reports. Use the WIDA Alternate Screener Score Calculator to convert raw scores – found in the Student Response Booklet – to Proficiency Levels and generate Individual Student Reports (ISRs).
Resources to Share With Families
Help families of students learn what to expect with Alternate Screener by sharing the What Is WIDA Alternate Screener? handout. The handout includes a section for families to take notes and ask questions about English language services.
The handout is translated into the 16 most popular languages in the WIDA Consortium.
Find other family handouts and resources on the Resources/Recursos page.
Related Resources
