New Year, New WIDA Webinars

We have four new WIDA Webinars scheduled for 2026. These are free professional learning opportunities that span a wide range of topics related to multilingual learners. You can register to attend in real time or to get notified once the recording is posted.

How to Use WIDA MODEL Test Scores to Inform Instructional Planning

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 on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. CT.

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

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, on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, from 10:00-11:15 a.m. CT.

Centering Family Voices: Using Cultural Humility to Inform Educational Opportunities

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 on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. CT.

Strategies for Aligning Your Curriculums to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework

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 on Monday, April 20, 2026, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. CT.

All past WIDA Webinar recordings are available for viewing. You’ll find webinars on all sorts of topics, such as supporting newcomers, reading instruction and guidance on implementing the WIDA ELD Standards Framework.