Resources/Recursos

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

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

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

The Alternate Can Do Descriptors (Alt Can Dos) are the first-ever Can Do Descriptors for multilingual learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The Alt Can Dos exemplify what students can do with communication and language at various stages of English language development.

The Alt Can Dos are arranged into the same grade-level clusters (K–2, 3–5, 6–8 and 9–12) as WIDA Alternate ACCESS. Within each grade-level cluster, the Alt Can Dos are organized by interpretive (listening and reading) and expressive (speaking and writing) communication modes for each WIDA ELD Standard and the five levels of English language development.

Released October 2024

This report describe how WIDA applied Differential Item Functioning analysis among multiple disability groups of our Alternate ACCESS Field Test items in 2023.

Released December 2023

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

The Alternate Proficiency Level Descriptors (Alternate PLDs) are an extension of the PLDs found in the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards, 2020 Edition, and describe the continuum of language development for ELs with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The Alternate PLDs are organized into five levels of English language proficiency for two communication modes: interpretive and expressive. Refer to the Glossary and Text Examples section for definitions of terms and examples of student responses. WIDA, with the help of classroom educators, created these proficiency levels to be unique to WIDA Alternate ACCESS.

Released August 2023

This technical report aids WIDA Consortium members and stakeholders in producing imputed overall composite scale scores and proficiency levels for students who are missing scores in one or two domains due to a disability. 

Published September 2020 
Author: Narek Sahakyan

Released September 2020

This study examined how English learners in grades 1-12, with and without disabilities, used online accessibility features during an ELP assessment. These accessibility features are designed to provide the necessary support for the general EL population, including ELs with disabilities.

Published March 2019 
Authors: Ahyoung Alicia Kim, Meltem Yumsek, Mark Chapman, H. Gary Cook

Released March 2019

This WIDA Focus Bulletin outlines ways in which educators can provide English Language Learners with disabilities access to complex language via classroom activities and engagement opportunities.

Published March 2017 
Authors: Lynn Shafer Willner, Cynthia Lundgren, Mira Monroe, Julia Cortada

Released February 2017

This report examines how Alternate ACCESS for ELLs serves as a tool that identifies English proficiency attainment for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities.

Published December 2014 
Author: H. Gary Cook

Released December 2014