In WIDA News: May 2023
Interested in WIDA news and events beyond the international news? Visit the WIDA News page for articles on a variety of topics of interest to educators, regardless of location.
Read the highlighted articles below, or visit the News page for all the latest updates.
2023 WIDA Annual Conference registration opens May 8!
The 2023 WIDA Annual Conference will take place October 17-20, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin under the theme Adelante with a Multilingual Mindset. New ‘need to know’ information is available on the 2023 WIDA Annual Conference website including a program at-a-glance, registration rates (look for the new Teacher Appreciation Week rate available May 8-14), and more. This year’s event also includes a virtual track that is designed for attendees to experience a sampling of this year's conference.
An expert’s take on supporting newcomer students
In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim talks to newcomer student expert Sam Finn. Together, they discuss what Sam’s research and experience can tell us about how to support newcomers and their families. Listen to the audio or read the article.
Enriching the experiences of all learners, educators, classrooms and their communities
April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month. In this article, Andrea Mercado and Edith Nava, WIDA professional learning specialists, share ways to recognize the many valuable cultural and linguistic assets that these students bring, and the ways in which these young people enrich the experiences of all learners, educators, classrooms and their communities.
WIDA, CAL and TESOL offer 2030 NAEP Writing Assessment Recommendations
A recent Language Magazine article details recommendations that WIDA, along with The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and TESOL International Association, have on the 2030 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Writing Assessment Framework.
“The previous NAEP guidelines made an unclear distinction between English Learners and students with disabilities by talking about them in the same section. We are collectively urging NAEP to recognize multilingualism and its impact on testing in English,” said Tim Boals, WIDA founder and director.
Read the recommendations in Language Magazine.
The Evolution of Terms Describing English Learners: An ELL Glossary
WIDA experts Diep Nguyen and Sam Aguirre, along with Mariana Castro of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, are featured in this recent Education Week article that details the evolution of terms describing multilingual learners.
WIDA in Global Contexts
Learn how WIDA serves multilingual students, and how educators around the world use WIDA to improve teaching and learning.