Resources/Recursos

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

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 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 to distinguish between language and communication. The brief covers how multilingual learners with significant cognitive disabilities use both language and communication.

Released September 2025

This Individual Characteristics Questionnaire was developed in 2018 by the ALTELLA project. Anyone can use the ALTELLA Individual Characteristics Questionnaire (fillable PDF) to collect characteristic information on a multilingual learner with a disability.

Note: A slightly different Individual Characteristics Questionnaire is part of the WIDA Alternate ACCESS test materials.

Released September 2025

Administrators can use this ALTELLA protocol (fillable PDF) to learn more about the instructional strategies teachers are using with the multilingual learners with disabilities in their classrooms.

Released September 2025

Administrators can use this ALTELLA protocol (fillable PDF) to learn more about the instructional strategies teachers are using with the multilingual learners with disabilities in their classrooms.

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

WIDA offers Professional Learning that you can complete when you want, where you want, and at your own pace. Ready to get started? This resource will show you what offerings are available and how you can access them.

Released September 2025

Engage with this video to learn about what meaningful engagement looks like directly from multilingual learners, families, community members and educators.

Released August 2025

This resource suggests questions you can use for your ongoing conversations with other educators to help build trust and collaborative relationships with multilingual students, families and communities.

For more context around this resource, please visit the Building Trust in Action Snapshot.

Released August 2025

This tool, provided in 17 languages, is designed to support families of multilingual learners as they navigate and engage with their child’s school. Consider how you might share this resource with the families you serve to empower them in advocating for their children.

Released August 2025

This resource offers topic areas and sample questions that families can ask educators to strengthen their collaborative advocacy efforts and engage in two-way, meaningful conversations.

Released August 2025

This resource offers topic areas and sample questions that educators can ask families to strengthen their collaborative advocacy efforts and engage in two-way, meaningful conversations.

Released August 2025

This resource suggests questions you can use for your ongoing conversations with community members to help build trust and collaborative relationships.

Released August 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 August 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 August 2025

This WIDA Snapshot offers an introduction to awareness, one of the six ABCs of Family and Community Engagement. The ABCs of Family and Community Engagement are six key considerations for educators who support multilingual learners and their families and communities. 

Released August 2025

This handout serves as a glossary of terms, including a definition of family and community engagement.

For more context around this resource, please visit the Engaging Families and Communities page.

Released August 2025

Use this visual resource to understand and apply the six key considerations of family and community engagement — Awareness, Advocacy, Building Trust, Breaking Barriers, Collaboration, and Connection to Learning. The “Look-Fors” section helps you identify example practices to spark ideas for your own context, and it offers actionable ideas to strengthen engagement in your context.

Review this resource along with the Literature Synopsis: ABCs of Family and Community Engagement. Together, they provide a visual roadmap for action plus a foundation of evidence to support conversations and decisions.

For more practical resources about the ABCs, please visit the Engaging Families and Communities page.

Released August 2025