Resources/Recursos

Featured Resources

Curriculum Amplification Guide and Template
The Marco ALE de WIDA: A sociocultural approach to the creation of Spanish language arts standards
WIDA Webinar: Strategies for Supporting Multilingual Newcomers

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Resources/Recursos


Comprendiendo los descriptores del nivel de desempeño del Marco DALE

Los descriptores del desempeño lingüístico del Marco DALE proporcionan un lineamiento de cómo los y las estudiantes pueden desarrollar su desempeño lingüístico al procesar y producir el lenguaje de acuerdo con los modos de comunicación (interpretativo, expresivo e interactivo).

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Released February 2025

Understanding the Proficiency Level Descriptors of Marco DALE

Los descriptores del desempeño lingüístico in Marco DALE provide guidance on how bi/multilingual students can develop language that they can interpret, interact and express in each of the communication modes (interpretative, interactive and expressive).

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Released February 2025

Alternate Can Do Descriptors

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.

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Released October 2024

Introducing WIDA Screener for Kindergarten

This WIDA Screener for Kindergarten eSummit session recording provides an in depth look at the test.

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Released October 2024

Marco DALE Digital Explorer

This website serves as a digital database of the Marco de los estándares del desarrollo auténtico del lenguaje español de WIDA (Marco DALE). It categorizes Language Expectations in two ways: by the Marco DALE standard statement and grade-level clusters, and by the Key Language Use and communication mode. Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) can be explored by grade level (K-1 and 2-12) and communication mode.

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Released September 2024

Can Do Philosophy

This document articulates the WIDA Can Do Philosophy, which expresses the foundational belief that every learner brings valuable contributions to everything they do.

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Released May 2024

WIDA ELD Standards Framework Implementation: What, When and How?

This webinar offers guidance on using the implementation guide for the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.

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Released January 2024

WIDA Proficiency Level Descriptors: Informing Expectations and Scaffolding

This Snapshot will give K-12 educators ideas on how to apply the Proficiency Level Descriptors as they consider scaffolding practices that support multilingual students in meeting grade level content learning goals.

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Released November 2023

WIDA All Year Long

Learn how WIDA is more than a test! Mr. Vega is a 6th grade EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher at an international school who works with colleagues and families to support multilingual learners. Follow Mr. Vega all year long, as he focuses on what his students can do, using WIDA resources to collaborate and plan effective learning activities throughout the school year.

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Released September 2023

Alternate Proficiency Level Descriptors

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.

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Released August 2023

WIDA Early Years Guiding Principles of Language Development

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.

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Released June 2023

Supporting Multilingual Learners' Language Growth Through Language Development Portfolios

​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

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Released December 2022

Gathering and Reflecting on Families’ Language and Cultural Goals

This WIDA Snapshot focuses on how you can gather information and reflect on the language and cultural goals families have for their children.

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Released November 2022

WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Digital Explorer

This website serves as a digital database of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework. It categorizes Language Expectations in two ways: by ELD standard statement and grade-level cluster, and by Key Language Use and communication mode. Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) can be explored by grade-level cluster and communication mode.

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Released August 2022

Embedding the Can Do Cycle Throughout the School Year

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

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Released April 2022

Planning for Languaging and Learning

In early care and education (ECE) settings, planning for multilingual children includes fostering the many ways we use language to make meaning of our environments, experiences, and learning. This WIDA Snapshot includes ideas for gathering information from families, community members, and classroom observations to use while planning.

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Released April 2022

Illustrated Guiding Principles of Language Development: Printable Posters

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.

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Released January 2022

Putting It All Together: Next Steps for Using the 2020 Edition

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.

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Released March 2021

Curricular Considerations: Introduction to Collaborating Around the 2020 Edition

The WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition brings new practical ways for all educators working with multilingual learners to conceptualize the development of content and language together through asset-based, equitable, and rigorous approaches in curricular design. This session will encourage participants to think about what collaboration looks like in these contexts.

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Released February 2021

Introduction to the Updated Key Language Uses

One of the components of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework is the Key Language Uses (KLUs). The KLUs summarize the most prominent language uses across disciplines, helping educators organize and prioritize curriculum and instruction. Learn about the updated KLUs – Inform, Narrate, Explain and Argue.

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Released February 2021