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

This 16-state survey of school districts with fewer than 500 English language learners revealed that few district-level English language learner staff had formal preparation in educating English language learner or using English language proficiency standards. A wide school-level disparity existed between English as a second language or bilingual teachers and general education teachers in terms of their engagement with proficiency standards and assessment data.

This WIDA Snapshot is grounded in WIDA’s ABCs of Family Engagement and can be used to initiate reflection and conversation on local efforts to engage with families of multilingual children.

WIDA Video Contest Winner

Mindy Lewis-Hitch develops a grade-level, standards-based unit and provides her ninth graders with clear modeling and guided practice using game-type activities for Romeo and Juliet. Mindy also demonstrates working with colleagues to help raise awareness of scaffolding lessons so all learners can be engaged.

This study examines how 476 K–12 educators in 35 U.S. states identify and place English learners in language instruction educational programs. Findings reveal information about these educators, the instruments and information sources they use for decision making, and their perceived appropriateness of the decisions. Results provide practical implications for improving the English learner identification and placement decision at the district and school levels.

This report shares findings from the Standards Implementation Study (Sep 2022-Feb 2024). The report explores the current status of the implementation of the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition across layers of the educational system, primarily through the perceptions of teachers, administrators, and policy makers. It identifies key educator and systems-level practices that support or hinder successful implementation; and identifies potentials and needs areas for additional resource development and continued research.

Published: May 2024
Author: Hannah Park

This research report provides a description of a study examining school districts in the WIDA Consortium whose English language learners (ELLs) exhibit consistently high growth on the ACCESS for ELLs (ACCESS) assessment.

Published August 2014 
Authors: Narek Sahakyan, H. Gary Cook

This report examines English learners’ (EL) testing, proficiency and growth in the academic years of 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21, using population-level data from ACCESS for ELLs Online, administered across the WIDA Consortium to students identified as ELs. The objective of the report is to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ELs’ educational outcomes.

October 2021 
Authors: Narek Sahakyan, H. Gary Cook

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

Many literacy programs were not designed to effectively use multilingual students’ knowledge, skills, and strengths. This Snapshot is the fifth in a five-part series that provides insights from relevant research and suggests ways to engage the significant strengths that multilingual learners bring to their literacy development. 

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

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.

Based on a U.S. Department of Education guide, these model analyses illustrate procedures a state could use to compare and contrast school-level overall and English learner accountability determinations for proficiency in reading/language arts. These examples are provided only to illustrate how a state could undertake them as part of its efforts to develop and explore a theory of action for assessment of recently arrived English learners.

This paper examine how 18 K–12 educators from 13 states and 12 parents from two states interpret and use score reports from the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs. Educators frequently referred to the proficiency level index of the four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and the composite domains to interpret student performance, to make school-level decisions about programming and lesson planning, and to inform district-level budgeting and professional development. Parents found the score report to be helpful, but rarely took additional actions to use its information.

WIDA builds the foundations of success one classroom at a time. We know what multilingual students and their educators can do! We continually establish the industry’s best practices, support student advocacy and offer second to none professional development opportunities for teachers. Watch how we work!

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

Members of the WIDA standards development team share a high-level overview of what’s new and exciting in the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. Intended for SEA representatives, district leaders, and EL and content teachers.

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.

This video provides an introductory overview of the WIDA English Language Development Standards, 2020 Edition. It briefly highlights how the 2020 Edition is centered on equity and fosters the assets, contributions, and potential of multilingual learners.

This report describes a research study conducted by WIDA to link scores on the WIDA MODEL Online tests of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The results of the study are cut scores for each of the four language domain tests that are recommended for classifying test takers according to the levels of the CEFR.