WIDA Webinars

WIDA Webinars are a free virtual learning opportunity offering insights and resources on a variety of topics relevant to educators of multilingual learners. Here’s what you can expect:

  • Engage with WIDA's expert staff, researchers and facilitators.
  • Dive into specific topics crucial for multilingual education.
  • Ask questions and interact in real time during live sessions.

Can't make it live? No worries! All webinars will be recorded and readily available for your convenience.

All Upcoming Webinars

Instruction and Collaboration to Support Multilingual Learners With Disabilities

October 17, 2025   |  11:00 am - 12:15 pm CT

In this WIDA webinar, you’ll explore instructional planning and collaborative practices designed to meet the diverse strengths and needs of multilingual learners with disabilities. You’ll gain tools to support both language development and accessibility, along with strategies for fostering collaborative planning that brings together multiple perspectives to better understand the intersection of language and disability. Join professional learning facilitator Lori Hanna and professional learning curriculum specialist Emily Kurth.

Register for the multilingual learners with disabilities webinar.

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How to Use WIDA MODEL Test Scores to Inform Instructional Planning

January 21, 2026   |  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm CT

In this WIDA Webinar, you’ll learn how WIDA MODEL test scores can support instructional planning. WIDA MODEL is a flexible, on-demand interim language proficiency assessment that can be administered any time during the school year, depending on the needs of the student, school or district. Presenters will provide you with resources to help you better understand and use test scores, including using them to help predict scores on ACCESS and to support instruction for multilingual learners in grades K-12. Join assessment specialist Katie Schultz and WIDA researchers Mark Chapman and David MacGregor.

Register for the MODEL webinar.

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Partners in Language: Collaborating to Implement the WIDA ELD Standards Framework

February 17, 2026   |  10:00 am - 11:15 am CT

This webinar will explore practical ways of collaborating across roles to deliver language-rich lessons rooted in the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. Using a case study approach, it will feature an ESL educator reflecting on her journey applying practices and strategies to establish consistent communication, build a sense of shared responsibility, and ensure her multilingual learners receive grade-level instruction towards content and language learning. Join professional learning curriculum specialist Lauren Bartholomae and her co-presenter, educator Amanda Goddard.

Register for the partners in language webinar.

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Centering Family Voices: Using Cultural Humility to Inform Educational Opportunities

March 12, 2026   |  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm CT

In this WIDA Webinar, you’ll engage in a dynamic exploration of family engagement. It will focus on building authentic partnerships through cultural humility in the context of multilingualism. You’ll explore language-focused family engagement as a powerful approach to honoring and integrating families’ perspectives. The WIDA “Tell Us About Your Child” survey will be highlighted as a promising tool that centers on parental and caregiver voice in supporting students with complex communication needs. Join researcher Delis Cuellar, student researcher Lauren Avery Collins and director of assessment representation research Laurene Christensen.

Register for the centering family voices webinar.

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Strategies for Aligning Your Curriculums to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework

April 20, 2026   |  12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CT

One purpose of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework is to integrate direct-language instruction and grade-level content learning. This webinar will break down a genre-based approach to analyzing and amplifying the integration of content and language in curricula across three criteria. While it is common to work through curricula unit-by-unit or even lesson-by-lesson going part-to-whole, this webinar focuses on how we can implement the framework by working whole-to-part, scanning all units for specific criteria. This work can make unit and lesson planning more effective and efficient and create a more cohesive learning experience for multilingual learners. Join us as we take a close look at the Curriculum Amplification Guide and think about how it could work across various contexts. This webinar is tied to this WIDA Focus Bulletin. Join professional learning specialist Christina Nelson.

Register for the standards framework webinar.

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What Participants Say...

"This was a great PD to help connect content with language development. Particularly, the connection between PLDs and scaffolds was necessary and appreciated." 

"The WIDA ELD Framework Implementation PL modeled unit planning in a clear and crisp manner and provided a practical model for teachers to follow. I would recommend this as an excellent use of teacher time."