News

Three training courses, Online ACCESS for ELLs: Administration, Paper ACCESS for ELLs: Administration and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs: Administration and Scoring, will be unavailable June 30 through August 31, 2023. Read this article to learn more about what’s happening.

Changes are coming to WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT in 2023-24! When you log in to WIDA AMS on June 30, you’ll notice some big differences in the parts of the site you use most often. Read on to learn what’s changing, what’s not changing, and how your students will be impacted by the new look and feel of DRC INSIGHT. We’ll give you some tips on how to prepare and tell you where to find resources to support you with this transition.

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.

Recognizing the many valuable cultural and linguistic assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners, educators, classrooms and their communities during National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month.

Meet... Adriane Cioppa! Adriane is an English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist at John F. Kennedy School and Next Wave/Full Circle Schools in Somerville, Massachusetts. Read this edition of Featured Educator to uncover the teaching tactics Adriane uses in her classroom, plus learn how she supports multilingual learners with cognitive disabilities and collaborates with colleagues.

The research center will be housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and include a new membership-based global research-practice network. The center launches this summer.

In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim talks to expert collaborators Andrea Honigsfeld and Jon Nordmeyer. Together, they discuss how collaboration among colleagues can transform student learning and school communities. Plus, they talk about why collaboration has the potential to make your teaching and learning even more fun!

Listening option: Listen to the audio here or click “Read more” to continue reading.

The U.S. Department of Education recently released new guidance about how funding under the ESSER program may be used in response to the impact of COVID-19 on multilingual learners. This article focuses on how WIDA MODEL, an interim English language proficiency assessment, meets some of the new criteria from the US ED’s guidance.

Need help finding info on ACCESS for ELLs? The WIDA Client Services Center is here for you. In this article, they answer the top questions coming in about ACCESS. Read the article to learn things like where to go to get a WIDA Secure Portal account, find your testing window, and more!

In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim talks to Jessica Lee Stovall and Rita Kamani-Renedo. Jessica and Rita are working on doctorate degrees at Stanford Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Together, they discuss building classroom communities – everything from the how to the why. Plus, Jessica and Rita share their thoughts on how to stay engaged and excited about teaching.

Listening option: Listen to the audio here or click “Read more” to continue reading.