WIDA Screener and WIDA ACCESS Get Accessibility Updates for 2026-2027

By Katie Stenz

One of our priorities at WIDA is to improve the accessibility of our assessments for all students. As part of our efforts to do that and meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we added new accommodations and accessibility features to WIDA Screener Online and WIDA ACCESS Online for the 2026-2027 school year.

Making Accessibility Updates That Improve Testing Experience

We made accessibility updates to both WIDA Screener Online and WIDA ACCESS Online that affect the overall testing experience for students. Here’s what we did:

• We modified our use of color on test items for better contrast and to avoid using color alone to convey meaning.
• We replaced Listening and Reading items that use drag-and-drop response methods – these items were not accessible to students who rely on various types of assistive technologies to access assessment content.
• We gave the Speaking domain a new user interface for the microphone check and the recording buttons.

These updates take effect for WIDA Screener Online on June 26, 2026, and for WIDA ACCESS Online in December 2026.

Adding New Assessment Accommodations

We added new accommodations for WIDA Screener Online and WIDA ACCESS Online that will help students with disabilities interact with the online test platform.

New Accommodation: Assistive Technology (AT)

The Assistive Technology (AT) accommodation allows students with hearing, visual, cognitive or physical disabilities to use specific external devices or third-party software to access and interact with test content. It helps students who use tools like voice command software, head trackers and/or eye-gaze devices. Supported AT devices and software include Windows Voice Access, Smyle Mouse and Windows-based eye-tracking software.

Students receiving this accommodation should be accustomed to using assistive technology tools as part of their everyday classroom instruction.  

Updated Accommodation: Manual Control of Item Audio (MC)

The Manual Control of Item Audio (MC) accommodation will only be applicable to WIDA ACCESS Paper and WIDA Screener Paper starting in the 2026-2027 school year.

New! All students taking WIDA ACCESS Online and WIDA Screener Online will select the Play button on each screen to begin playing audio. The audio will no longer play automatically.

New Accommodation: Speech-to-Text (STT)

Speech-to-text is third-party software that uses voice recognition to convert speech into written text in applications and text boxes. It helps students who have challenges with typing due to physical motor difficulties, fatigue, dysgraphia or dyslexia. In the 2026-2027 school year, WIDA will support STT on Windows and Chromebook only.

Students receiving this accommodation should be accustomed to using speech-to-text as part of their everyday classroom instruction.

Using the New Assessment Accommodations

Before you use any of the accommodations for WIDA Screener Online or WIDA ACCESS Online, make sure you are familiar with the following guides:

• WIDA Accessibility and Accommodations Manual (the 2026-2027 edition is available on July 1, 2026): It includes descriptions of all the accessibility features and accommodations for WIDA Screener and WIDA ACCESS.
• Accommodation Checklists for WIDA Screener and WIDA ACCESS: They help local education support teams determine appropriate accommodations for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans. Remember: Accommodation decisions must be made collaboratively by the IEP or 504 team!
• Configuring Online Assistive Technologies for WIDA ACCESS and WIDA Screener: This new guide has configuration instructions for the AT and STT accommodations.

Getting Acquainted With the Accessibility and Accommodations Changes

The best way to help students get familiar with the new accessibility features and accommodations is to use the test demos, test practice and online sample items.

• Help students get familiar with WIDA Screener Online by using the WIDA Screener Online Test Demos and Test Practice (the 2026-2027 versions are available on June 26, 2026).
• Help students get familiar with WIDA ACCESS Online by using the WIDA ACCESS Online Test Practice and Sample Items (the 2026-2027 versions are available in September 2026).