News

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.

Are you new to ACCESS for ELLs? Have you administered an ACCESS for ELLs test before but can’t remember where to find things like training, test prep and test materials? Look no further than this brief reference to all things ACCESS for ELLs.

Meet Jeanne Beck and Wenyue Ma, the 2022 WIDA Summer Research Interns! Jeanne and Wenyue are graduate students who spent the summer working with the WIDA assessment team. Read this interview to get to know Jeanne and Wenyue and what they worked on during their internships.

In this edition of the Voices from the Field article series, Molly Ross, sheltered English immersion instructional coach, and Kait Zanzerkia, elementary ELD teacher, reflect on their past teaching practices and discuss how their English language development department spent the past year familiarizing themselves with the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, and identifying ways to create units based on the ELD Standards Framework.

In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim talks to Mariana Castro, Nelson Flores and Sam Aguirre. Together, they discuss their work examining research on multilingual students and the practical recommendations and actions that educators can use to advocate for and enhance their success.

In case you missed it (and even if you didn’t), we highlight some of the 2022 WIDA Annual Conference happenings.

The 2022 WIDA Annual Conference, which takes place September 28-30 in Louisville, Kentucky, features two award-winning headliners and more than 100 sessions and workshops by teachers, for teachers. Educators of multilingual learners are set to share best practices and innovative classroom strategies. A curated virtual program is also available.

In this edition of WIDA Featured Student, we spotlight Elizabeth Carrillo, a 2022 WIDA high school summer intern. During her internship, Elizabeth spent eight weeks working with teams across WIDA on several projects. Read the article to learn more about Elizabeth, including her TV and book recommendations!

In this edition of the Voices from the Field article series, EL teacher Donna Devito walks us through a project-based learning activity that incorporated the WIDA ELD Standards Framework along with her state’s content standards. In the project, Wristbands for Refugees, multilingual learners organized and administered a fundraising project to raise money to help Ukrainian refugees.