Resources/Recursos

Use this handout in intake centers or at parent-teacher conferences to help explain what WIDA Alternate Screener is and the process of screening students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and identifying them as English learners. This family handout, available in multiple languages, includes a section for families to take notes and ask questions about English language services.

Released June 2025

Use this handout in intake centers or at parent-teacher conferences to help explain what WIDA Screener is and the process of screening students and identifying them as English learners. This family handout, available in multiple languages, includes a section for families to take notes and ask questions about English language services.

Note: This handout replaces the Explaining ELL Status and What Is Language Testing? flyers, which were retired July 1, 2025.

Released June 2025

The Tell Us About Your Child Survey is a questionnaire that educators can give to families or caregivers of multilingual learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities to better understand a student's language and communication needs. In the survey, families or caregivers will answer questions about a student’s method of communication and language, their ability to understand communication and their preferred communication supports.

Released May 2025

This version of the report is for families and provides information about a student’s scores on the Alternate ACCESS English language proficiency test. The report contains the critical information families need to know and can be sent home with students and/or discussed at conferences with parents/guardians.

Released February 2025

Send this flyer home with students along with the Alternate ACCESS Individual Student Report for Families. This flyer explains each piece of score information included in the report for families. Use this guide, available in multiple languages, to help parents/guardians understand what scores mean and how they are used.

Released August 2024

PreK-3 educators can use this tool when planning to connect with families about their communities, family assets and interests.

Released July 2024

This Focus Bulletin centers on P.H. Miller School/Plano Early Learning to show how educators, families and community members collaborate to promote strong transitions for multilingual children in grades PreK-3. It provides reflections and advice from educators.

Released July 2024

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.

Released May 2024

The aim of this interpretive guide is to help educators and families better understand the scores reported for WIDA Screener Online, WIDA Screener Paper, WIDA Screener for Kindergarten and WIDA Alternate Screener.

Released April 2024

This Focus Bulletin offers expert advice, data on 2020-21 identification rates, data templates, common scenarios and resources for school teams identifying K-12 multilingual learners for Specific Learning Disabilities.

Originally published May 2017/Updated November 2023
Author: Lynn Shafer Willner

Released December 2023

This handout, available in multiple languages, is a resource that educators can send home with students to give families an introduction to WIDA Alternate ACCESS. The handout explains what WIDA Alternate ACCESS is and why students take this kind of assessment.

Released October 2023

Actividades para iniciar conversaciones con los niños sobre su familia, lo que les gusta jugar, cómo se sienten, qué sonidos escuchan en su hogar o comunidad, al igual que el clima.

Released September 2023

The Are We Ready? Educators Collaboration Guide is for PreK-3 educators to use for reflection and planning connected to promoting and providing equitable transitions for multilingual children and their families. Use the Are We Ready? Educators Notetaker to write down your own ideas and transition plans.

See the Teaching in PreK-3 page for context.

Released August 2023

The Are We Ready? Schools and Programs Collaboration Guide is for PreK-3 school and program leaders to use for reflection and planning connected to leading equitable transitions for multilingual children and their families. Use the Are We Ready? Schools and Programs Notetaker to write down your own ideas and transition plans.

See the Teaching in PreK-3 page for context.

Released August 2023

The Are We Ready? Districts and Programs Collaboration Guide is for PreK-3 district and program leaders to use for reflection and planning connected to leading equitable transitions for multilingual children and their families. Use the Are We Ready? Districts and Programs Notetaker to write down your own ideas and transition plans.

See the Teaching in PreK-3 page for context.

Released August 2023

This list has recommended readings and references for PreK-3 educators and leaders to use to explore equitable language-focused transitions for multilingual children and their families.

See the Teaching in PreK-3 page for context.

Released August 2023

This guide provides a set of actions PreK-3 educators, administrators and staff can take to support a language-focused approach to family and community engagement, and teaching and learning practices.

Released June 2023

Envíe este volante a los hogares con los estudiantes, junto con el Informe individual del estudiante de Alternate ACCESS. Este folleto provee información sobre cada aspecto de la puntuación incluida en el informe. Utilice esta guía en español para ayudar a los padres a comprender qué significan las puntuaciones y cómo se utilizan.

Released April 2023

Este informe brinda información sobre el nivel de desarrollo del alumno en la prueba de desempeño linguístico en inglés ACCESS for ELLs.

Released February 2023

This comprehensive document explains the types of scores reported by ACCESS for ELLs for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Released February 2023