Resources/Recursos

This research project explored the patterns of district-level ELL “growth” for the 2007-2011 time period and identified the existence of “high-flying” and “low-cruising” districts within ACCESS for ELLs in terms of ELL growth.

Published May 2013
Author: Narek Sahakyan

Released May 2023

The WIDA Early Language Development Standards, available for English and Spanish language development, are designed for use with children ages 2.5–5.5 years old and correspond to five domains of children’s development and learning: approaches to learning, language and communication development, cognition and general knowledge, physical well-being and motor development, and social and emotional development.

Released April 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

This report ​examines English learner testing, proficiency, and growth in the years surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. This research builds on an October 2021 report on the impact of the pandemic, and includes data from the 2021-22 ACCESS for ELLs test administration. Findings indicate that in some grades and language domains EL's average proficiency and growth have returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, for most grades and language domains the evidence points to a continuing impact of COVID-19 on English learners’ English language development.

Published April 2023
Author: Narek Sahakyan, Glenn Poole

Released April 2023

This report describes how different student ability restrictions may affect item characteristics in the ACCESS multistage adaptive testing, and presents options for item administration in field testing.

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

This version of the report is for educators and provides information about a student’s scores on the Alternate ACCESS English language proficiency test. This test is based on the WIDA Alternate English Language Development Standards and is used to measure students’ progress in learning English. Scores are reported as Language Proficiency Levels and as Scale Scores.

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

WIDA research findings show that MODEL Online overall composite scale scores can predict overall composite proficiency level (PL) scores on ACCESS for ELLs. Use the table in this document to look up a student's overall composite scale score on MODEL Online and estimate the PL score that they would be likely to receive on ACCESS.

Released October 2022

Are you looking for an interim ELP assessment to predict student performance on ACCESS for ELLs? This flyer provides information on why you should try WIDA MODEL.

Released August 2022

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.

Released August 2022

Envíe este volante a los hogares con los estudiantes, junto con el Informe individual del estudiante de ACCESS for ELLs. 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 July 2022

This flyer provides a breakdown of the role school/district-level educators, state-level administrators and WIDA play in using or developing ACCESS Online and Paper test scores, interpreting scores and making decisions based on scores to best serve English learners. Plus, there’s a checklist outlining the positive and intended outcomes of using ACCESS Online and Paper scores, so you’ll always know what it takes to ensure your students have the supports they need.

Released July 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

​​Complete list of references cited in the WIDA Guiding Principles of Language Development.

Released June 2022

Este informe brinda información sobre el nivel de desarrollo del estudiante en la prueba alternativa de desempeño lingüístico en inglés ACCESS. Esta prueba se basa en los estándares alternativos sobre el desarrollo del idioma inglés de WIDA y se utiliza para medir el progreso de los estudiantes en el aprendizaje del inglés. Los puntajes se informan como Niveles de desempeño lingüístico del idioma y como Escalas de puntaje.

Released February 2022

This WIDA Snapshot provides an overview of who multilingual children are, the benefits of promoting home language(s), and initial ideas for developing reciprocal partnerships with multilingual families.

Released February 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

Motivated by findings of a 2018 WIDA report pointing to large overlap between ELs with Individualized Education Program (IEP) designations and those ELs who could be identified as LTELs, this study further focuses on these dual-identified students. Grouping ELs by ever-IEP (i.e., being assigned an IEP at any point in the longitudinal record) and never-IEP status, we compare these two subgroups’ English language growth trajectories across time. Our findings show consistent trends of differential growth and reclassification rates for these two subgroups.

Published November 2021 
Authors: Narek Sahakyan, Glenn Poole

Released November 2021