Research Publications

Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) is an overarching term used to describe a diverse subset of learners among the larger multilingual learner population. Knowing and understanding your multilingual learners identified as SLIFE is essential for ensuring their success in your teaching and learning context and their new communities at large. This Focus Bulletin explains how multilingual learners identified as SLIFE are showing up in our classrooms and what can educators do to support their unique needs.

Released October 2025

Educators of bi/multilingual learners engage in multiple roles within their school communities to advocate for student success. When educators engage in research practices, they gain a deeper understanding of their students’ cultural backgrounds and academic and emotional needs. This Focus Bulletin features some approaches to encourage practitioners to engage in research more intentionally, not only to inform their classroom practice but to contribute to the field and elevate their dual roles as practitioners and academics and this way honor and value their pracademic identity.

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Released October 2025

This report template for action research serves as a guide to share action research results. It may be adapted and modified according to the contextual needs of each pracademic. The template is an authorized adaptation of “Writing a Report of Action Research/Teacher Research,” by Kathy Short, 2018.

This template is meant to be used in tandem with The Pracademics Pathway to Support Multilingual Learners Focus Bulletin.

Released October 2025

This planning template for action research serves as a guide to become involved in action research processes in the classroom. It may be adapted and modified according to the contextual needs of each pracademic. The template is an authorized adaptation of “Research Proposal for Action Research/Teacher Research,” by Kathy Short, 2018.

This template is meant to be used in tandem with The Pracademics Pathway to Support Multilingual Learners Focus Bulletin.

Released September 2025

As educators, leaders, and community partners dedicated to supporting Indigenous students, we share a responsibility to sustain and revitalize languages and cultures that have often been underrepresented in educational spaces. Indigenous language and culture reclamation goes beyond simply keeping languages and cultures alive; it is also about affirming identity, strengthening sovereignty, and nurturing resilience. This Focus Bulletin highlights strategies and examples of how community partnerships can sustain Indigenous languages and cultures. Drawing from the experiences of WIDA’s Indigenous partners — California Indian Education for All, the Lower Kuskokwim School District, and Sealaska Heritage Institute — it showcases practices that foster trust, center Indigenous knowledge, and advance educational sovereignty. Educators will find practical classroom considerations, insights for creating culturally sustaining learning environments, and guidance for cultivating respectful and reciprocal partnerships with Indigenous communities. These perspectives emphasize how community-rooted collaboration can support Indigenous students’ success as well as honor the vitality of their languages and cultures.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Report explores how item and task development – a critical component of assessment design – might be implemented for an alternate assessment of English language proficiency standards.

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to distinguish between language and communication. The brief covers how multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities use both language and communication.

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to learn about nonverbal communication, which is an important component of communication for multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities. The brief explores the individual cultural differences in nonverbal communication for these students.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief explains the Language and Disability Needs Framework. The brief focuses on considerations of students’ language-related and disability-related needs and their implications for instruction and assessment.

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief as a step-by-step guide on how to best serve multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities more effectively.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief provides case examples of multilingual learners who have significant cognitive disabilities. The brief has five student examples: Sabeen (grade 1), Chung (grade 2), Chue (grade 4), Isabel (grade 6) and Luis (grade 10).

Released September 2025

Use this ALTELLA Research Brief to plan and prepare for IEP meetings for multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities. The brief highlights key elements to consider, including the importance of the student’s home language and the need to build cultural responsiveness among all educators.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA Research Brief defines “English learners with significant cognitive disabilities” and explores related key concepts.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA report examines pilot findings from the ALTELLA Individual Characteristics Questionnaire, which surveyed educators about their students. The report explores survey information that may be useful to states in developing accountability policies, alternate academic achievement standards, and other state policies and guidance materials.

Released September 2025

This ALTELLA report highlights findings from 88 classroom observations and 94 follow-up interviews with educators of these classes. These findings shed light on the classroom practices used to support the English language development of students who are dually identified as English learners and students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Released September 2025

This research brief explores specific case studies on what pracademics looks in practice. The cases presented illustrate that research within the classroom is both feasible and impactful. Educators have a lot to meaningfully contribute to scholarship through their work. However, these examples also raise awareness on the fact that while these are exemplary educators and efforts, there are systemic changes that need to occur to address the challenges that the general educator population could face and that not all examples can be successful if the needed supports are not in place.

Released July 2025

ACCESS for ELLs Paper technical reports provide evidence for validity and reliability of ACCESS for ELLs Paper and support intended uses, interpretations, and decision made with the test. This is the redacted report for the 2023-2024 administration of ACCESS for ELLs Paper without item information.

NOTE: Both the View and Download Now links will prompt a download of a zip file that contains three files: Part 1: Executive Summary, Purpose, Design, and Implementation; Part 2: Technical Results; Part 3: References.

Released June 2025

ACCESS for ELLs Online technical reports provide evidence for validity and reliability of ACCESS for ELLs Online and support intended uses, interpretations, and decision made with the test. This is the redacted report for the 2023-2024 administration of ACCESS for ELLs Online without item information.

NOTE: Both the View and Download Now links will prompt a download of a zip file that contains three files: Part 1: Executive Summary, Purpose, Design, and Implementation; Part 2: Technical Results; Part 3: References.

Released June 2025

WIDA Alternate ACCESS technical reports provide evidence for validity and reliability of Alternate ACCESS and support intended uses, interpretations and decisions made with the test.

This is the redacted report for the 2023-2024 administration of Alternate ACCESS. Item information is removed from the report.

Released June 2025

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.

Released May 2025