World Class Instructional Design and Assessment

Transition to WIDA

• Starting in the 2021-2022 school year, Washington State transitioned from the ELPA21 Consortium to the WIDA Consortium. ​​
• The WIDA Consortium is a member-based organization made up of U.S. states, territories and federal agencies dedicated to the research, design and implementation of a high-quality, standards-based system for K-12 English language learners.

WIDA Can Do Philosophy

“At WIDA, we believe that everyone brings valuable resources to the education community. Linguistically and culturally diverse learners, in particular, bring a unique set of assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners and educators. As these young children and students learn additional languages, educators can draw on these assets for the benefit of both the learners themselves and for everyone in the community. By focusing on what language learners can do, we send a powerful message that students from diverse linguistic, cultural, and experiential backgrounds contribute to the vibrancy of our early childhood programs and K–12 schools. The efforts of every stakeholder in the school community, from home care providers to superintendents, can enhance the education of language learners. The more we know about their cultural backgrounds, home environments, and formative experiences, and the positive contributions these experiences afford our school communities, the more effective standards-based instruction will be. We believe practitioners and educators have the power to recognize and unleash the potential that language learners bring to their learning communities. Everything WIDA does is supported by the Can Do Philosophy. Our work begins with articulating examples of language learners’ assets, and continues with how we support education systems, how we design our products, and how we conduct our research.“

Learn more about the WIDA Can Do Philosophy  and watch a video about the WIDA Can Do Philosophy.

WIDA Guiding Principles of Language Development:

• WIDA Guiding Principles of Language Development (PDF)
• Illustrated WIDA Guiding Principles of Language Development (PDF)