What is WIDA? And How Can I Use it as a Teacher?

WIDA is an organization which promotes equality and equal opportunity within the classroom for non-English speaking students. It is WIDA's goal to advance the development and academic achievement for English-language learning (ELL) students through the implementation of specialized teacher training, standards and assessments specifically for ELL students, and through the ongoing research of ELLs carried out by WIDA within classrooms across the country. WIDA devises a four step plan for ELL students which mirrors their success in areas such as listening, speaking, and writing. There are four "WIDA levels" for students, with one being the entry level for ELL students (or students who speak, read, and write little to no English), and five being nearly fluent in all three areas assessed. If a student is at level 5, and completes the corresponding WIDA exam in the areas of listening, reading, and writing, then that student is said to be sufficient in the English language. Similarly, students can improve their WIDA levels by passing numerous evaluations in reading writing, and listening. Thus, some students may be at different levels in their speaking compared with their reading, often listening is at a higher level than speaking. 

Instructors are given "Can do" behavior charts in which they can classify ELL students into one of the four categories, but then can also look at the "Can do" behaviors provided by WIDA to alter their instructions and evaluations of students to better fit their abilities. Based on the "Can do" chart below, one can see that under WIDA level 1, ELL students should be able to point and identify certain words, pictures, or phrases. This is an extremely helpful tool for teachers to determine not only if a student is at an entry level, middle level, or upper level in learning the language, but also allows teachers to thoroughly understand precisely what an ELL student should be capable of doing at each level. Teachers are also encouraged to use both the "Can do" behaviors as well as the testing to ensure proper student placement within the WIDA levels. WIDA scores are an essential tool for teacher's with students learning English within their classrooms, and is an encouraging program for ELL students to ensure that they're efficiently maximizing their learning within a classroom that can be tailored around their abilities.