Research Publications

Implementing the WIDA ELD Standards Framework takes time and looks different across different contexts. While some educators are working with different grade-level content curricula, English language specialists may be working with language curricula focusing on a range of proficiency levels. When instructing multilingual learners, it is especially important that curricula strike a balance between content and language. Although it is tempting to start at the lesson level to begin implementation since it feels more manageable to start small, starting at the curricular level is more effective at building a yearlong, cohesive learning experience that builds on current knowledge and experiences and more intentionally towards new understandings and skills. This Focus Bulletin supports educators to take a genre-based approach to making decisions throughout all units of curricula that can both begin and deepen the alignment of the current academic curricula being used to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework.

This WIDA Focus Bulletin addresses how English Language Learners engage with technology within the classroom.

Published October 2014 
Authors: Meagan Rothschild, Julia Cortada

This focus bulletin explores translanguaging from the perspective of four educators, spanning kindergarten through high school. Translanguaging, a common practice among multilingual people, can be explained as using all languages and language varieties available to communicate and understand the world around oneself. The bulletin provides specific ideas on how to use translanguaging to create spaces for students' multilingualism and includes reflection questions to help educators adopt translanguaging strategies in their practice.

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As teachers, staff and administrators in school buildings, district offices and educational agencies across the country, we play a critical role in responding to the individual needs of students in our teaching and learning settings. Trauma can be experienced by any student, but for those who are also learning English as an additional language or who are adjusting to a new culture, these experiences add another dimension of care to be addressed by educators. Through this focus bulletin, readers will be introduced to a research based guide for working with multilingual learners who may benefit from trauma informed practices, including discussions on special populations, the sharing of empowering and engaging strategies, a raising of awareness about prompting adverse behaviors, and building rapport across whole school, student and family networks.

This WIDA Focus Bulletin explores educators’ and students’ perceptions of the accessibility tools available to all students when taking an online WIDA assessment. The bulletin emphasizes the ways in which the universal tools can support the test-taking experience for multilingual learners.

Published October 2023 
Authors: Jason A. Kemp, Ahyoung Alicia Kim

In this Focus Bulletin, we aim to help readers better understand how WIDA MODEL test scores may be used to support instructional planning decisions for multilingual learners and their teachers. We describe the rich resources available from WIDA to help educators understand what the test scores mean. We also explain how these resources may be used, along with MODEL test scores to help inform where multilingual learners have opportunities to further develop their English language skills.

Published February 2022
Authors: Mark Chapman, Heather Elliott, Jennifer Feldmann

​When educators think of language instruction in science, the traditional practice of pre-teaching vocabulary comes to mind. This Focus Bulletin builds on new research and offers resources for embedding vocabulary instruction into students’ participation in the science and engineering practices.