Resources/Recursos

The WIDA Early Years Guiding Principles of Language Development provide practitioners with a broad perspective on key concepts related to the language development of young children learning multiple languages. To further clarify the guiding principles, these research highlights provide practitioners with research-based descriptions and examples of effective practices.

Released June 2023

What should PreK educators consider as they adopt a language-focused approach to planning equitable learning opportunities for multilingual children? Use this Annotated Guide to explore guiding questions designed to help you use the Language-Focused Planning Tool.

Released June 2023

This guide offers practical ways to apply the ELD Standards Framework into curriculum and instruction at the classroom level. Its primary audiences are content and language teachers, specialists, coaches and instructional leaders. This guide is accompanied by the Administrator Supplement that focuses on programmatic aspects of standards implementation.

Released June 2023

Making Connections: Using the Michigan Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children is a comprehensive resource that offers suggestions, tools, and sample plans for teachers who use the Michigan Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA resources to plan equitable learning opportunities for young multilingual children.​​

Released February 2023

​This Focus Bulletin illustrates how teachers and students can use language development portfolios to interpret and document language growth. The bulletin follows the story of how a grade-level team introduced portfolios to their practice, posing several questions the team asked as they refined their usage. It closes by offering two sample tools that teachers can use and adapt to capture multilingual learners’ language growth using modified Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) from the WIDA English Language Development Framework, 2020 Edition.

Published: December 2022 
Authors: Fernanda Marinho Kray, Margo Gottlieb, Lynn Shafer Willner

Released December 2022

In this Focus Bulletin, WIDA revisits landmark legislation and policies that shaped language education in the U.S. It presents unintended consequences on programming and instruction of bi/multilingual students; showcases how field practitioners address language policy and its consequences; and includes tools for reflection, collaboration, professional learning and community engagement.

Vea y descargue en español

Published November 2022
Author: Mariana Castro

Released November 2022

This WIDA Focus Bulletin provides examples of specific macro-scaffolding and micro-scaffolding practices in action in a math classroom and includes guidance for developing these scaffolding practices over time.​

Published June 2018
Authors: Jen Daniels, Ruslana Westerlund

Released November 2022

This Focus Bulletin emphasizes how multilingual learners' everyday language can be an asset to science teachers in their efforts to promote classroom engagement. It provides educators with real-world examples and guiding questions to help create learning spaces where sensemaking, co-construction, language development and equity can flourish simultaneously.

Published June 2022
Authors: Rita MacDonald, David Crowther, Jennifer Wilfrid

Released June 2022

This Focus Bulletin reframes the WIDA Can Do Philosophy as a can do cycle of actions that can be embedded into teaching and learning experiences throughout the entire school year. In it, we offer resource banks of questions that can be used to elicit student assets and reflect on ways to build on student assets at the beginning of each unit, during each unit, and at the end of each unit.

Published April 2022
Authors: Maya Martinez-Hart, Christina Nelson

Released April 2022

These posters bring each of the 10 WIDA Guiding Principles of Language Development to life and can be used by educators in classrooms and with parents, families and community members. Each illustrated guiding principle is set up for printing on a color laser printer. The finished printed size is 8.5x11 inches.

Released January 2022

​​This Focus Bulletin explores how interactive learning can benefit multilingual learners. Expressing and co-constructing ideas are discussed as two aspects of interactive learning that are important for the learning and wellbeing of multilingual youth.

Published December 2021 
Authors: Jennifer Wilfrid, Daniella Molle

Released November 2021

Making Connections: Using the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards and WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children is a comprehensive resource that offers suggestions, tools, and sample plans for teachers who use the Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Standards and WIDA resources to plan equitable learning opportunities for young multilingual children.

Released November 2021

Marco de referencia de las artes del lenguaje del español de WIDA: Aplicación para la actualización y desarrollo de estándares is the first Spanish language arts framework of its kind in the United States. This document serves as a guide to learn more about the elements of Marco ALE and how to apply them in the enhancement, development, and alignment of Spanish language arts standards.

Written in Spanish with English summaries

Released October 2021

This Focus Bulletin investigates how educators of bi/multilingual learners can leverage multiliteracies for instruction. Drawing from a fictional scenario in a language arts classroom, this bulletin shows how multiliteracies can be leveraged throughout the teaching and learning cycle. The Focus Bulletin includes various perspectives from experts in the field to illustrate the role of multiliteracies, as well as tools for reflection and implementation in the bilingual classroom.

Vea y descargue en español.

Released September 2021

Making Connections: Using the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards and WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children is a comprehensive resource that offers suggestions, tools, and sample plans for teachers who use the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards and WIDA resources to plan equitable learning opportunities for young multilingual children.

Released September 2021

Making Connections: Using the Alabama Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children is a comprehensive resource that offers suggestions, tools, and sample plans for teachers who use the Alabama Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA resources to plan equitable learning opportunities for young multilingual children.

Released August 2021

Making Connections: Using the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA Early Years Resources to Plan Instruction for Young Multilingual Children is a comprehensive resource that offers suggestions, tools, and sample plans for teachers who use the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards and WIDA resources to plan equitable learning opportunities for young multilingual children.

Released August 2021

Marco de referencia de las artes del lenguaje del español de WIDA: Aplicación para la enseñanza is the first Spanish language arts framework of its kind in the United States. This document serves as a guide to learn more about the elements of Marco ALE and how to apply them in the teaching of Spanish language arts. Note: This is a sample of the document. Visit the WIDA Store to purchase the complete version.

Written in Spanish with English summaries

Released August 2021

Collaboration is one of the four Big Ideas of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework. This two-page "comic" strip shows the story of how a science teacher and an ESL teacher work together on their multilingual learners' language development and ways of meaningfully engaging with the content of a science unit. This step-by-step example can be used in tandem with Section 4 of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, that has a more detailed look at the collaborative planning process.

Released July 2021

In this webinar, the WIDA standards development team discusses and models the tools, provided in the 2020 Edition, for initiating critical conversations with school leaders and colleagues.

Released March 2021