Eligibility Process

Introduction to BSD’s Multilingual Learners (MLL) Programs Models

All multilingual students registering for school in the state of Washington are assessed to see if they qualify for English Language Services.

Washington State has moved to the WIDA suite of standards and assessments starting in the 2021-22 school year.
Students are considered multilingual based on the state’s Home Language Survey filled out at the time of registration.
- If the answer to Question #2 (Student’s first language learned) or Question #3 (Language spoken at home most by the student) is anything other than English, those students are considered eligible to be screened for services.
Students who are considered multilingual and who have not been previously tested in WA state will be initially assessed with the WIDA Screener to be eligible for services.
- Most students will complete the assessment when they start attending school unless they are contacted for testing during the summer.
Students are not eligible for services if they score a minimum of 4 in each of the tested language domains of Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing, AND an overall minimum of 4.5 (Grs K and1) and 5 (Grs 2-12).
All eligible MLL students must take the annual WIDA ACCESS for ELLs test or WIDA Alt-ACCESS test to determine whether they exit out of the program or continue to receive services for the following year.
Test information helps teachers plan how best to teach your child.