WIDA: Teaching Multilingual Learners Online

Letter from Tim Boals, WIDA Director

Dear WIDA community,

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we know you are worried about your students, your community, and the world – WIDA is too. We cannot predict how the spread of the coronavirus will affect schools tomorrow, next week or months from now. However, we do know that educators across the world are leaders in understanding the power of unity, patience, and kindness. It is because of your steadfast commitment to multilingual learners and youth that our communities will persevere.

During this uncertain time, we remain committed to you by:

- Connecting with educators to provide support and share resources to serve the global education community: https://wida.wisc.edu/…/teaching-multilingual-learners-onli…
- Encouraging educators to stay connected and share resources through our social media channels: Facebook and Twitter
- Fielding calls and emails from educators via our Client Services Center – feel free to reach out with questions! help@wida.us or 866-276-7735
- Adding relevant and timely COVID-19 updates to our website wida.wisc.edu

WIDA, as an organization, recognizes our connection to humanity and understands the human complexities that global situations like this pandemic can evoke. In times like these, we must remain kind, we must remain strong, we must protect those that we can protect. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for all that you do to serve children and the community. We are all in this together.

Sincerely,
Tim Boals, WIDA Founder and Director

Teaching ELLs Online

WIDA has shared a great resource on Teaching ELLs Online. It includes 10 Guiding Principles for engaging English Learners online. Each guiding principle includes:

• What teachers can do
• What multilingual learners can do
• Practical examples and resources with links

These resources should be helpful as we support students in online learning.

Here is a LINK to the document from WIDA.

WIDA Resources to Strengthen Family Engagement

https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/learners/engagement

ACCESS Testing Update

March 2-12 is the pre-reporting data validation window. Please make sure to review your data between now and March 12. Make sure all student names are correct. Please double check that there are no split records for grades 1-3 due to a mismatched writing booklet. Let us know if you have any questions about this quick validation check of your data.

Upcoming ACCESS Dates:
April 24: Data available in WIDA AMS
Post-Reporting data validation open
May 1: Paper ISRs delivered
May 8: Post-reporting data validation closes

WIDA has extended the pubic comment period for the ELD Standards

WIDA has extended the public comment period for the 2020 Edition of their ELD standards through 1/20. If you'd like to view samples of their proposed new standards and provide feedback, you can do so here: https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/standards/eld

EL Professional Reading Resources

Are you looking for great articles on meeting the needs of English Learners? The December/January issue of Educational Leadership magazine is focused entirely on this topic! The issue is titled Building Bridges for ELLs and includes many great professional resources. Many of the articles are free and offer practical ideas for implementing best practices for English Learners. Topics include supporting long term ELs, seeing strengths, and conditions English Learners need to thrive. Click this LINK for a list of articles.

WIDA Standards Comment Period Opens on Nov. 18th

Public Comment Period for WIDA's new 2020 ELD Standards will run November 18 - December 15.

If you would like to get reminder emails about how to participate, send an email to join-opt-in-wida@lists.wisc.edu with the subject "Yes, sign me up for WIDA Standards Reminder Emails!".

Otherwise keep an eye on WIDA's Standards page for more info.
WIDA ELD Standards