WIDA Consortium


WIDA Consortium

The is an educational consortium of state departments of education. Currently, 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, participate in the WIDA Consortium. WIDA designs and implements proficiency standards and assessment for grade K-12 students who are English-language learners, as well as a set of proficiency standards and assessments for Spanish language learners. WIDA also provides professional development to educators and conducts research on instructional practices, as well as the results and use of the ACCESS and W-APT English language proficiency assessments.
WIDA was established in 2003 with a from the U.S. Department of Education to the for the purpose of creating English language proficiency standards and assessments. The purpose of such is to support State activities designed to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of state academic assessments beyond the requirements for such assessments described in section 111 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The consortium originally began with Wisconsin, Delaware, and Arkansas, which were the sources of the acronym WIDA, although Arkansas dropped out. The acronym definitions are no longer used.
Member StateDepartment of Education Website
Alabamahttp://www.alsde.edu/html/home.asp
Alaskahttps://education.alaska.gov/
Coloradohttp://www.cde.state.co.us/
Delawarehttp://www.doe.k12.de.us/
District of Columbiahttp://dcps.dc.gov/portal/site/DCPS/
Floridahttp://fldoe.org/
Georgiahttp://www.doe.k12.ga.us/
Hawaiihttp://doe.k12.hi.us/index.php
Idahohttps://www.sde.idaho.gov/
Illinoishttps://web.archive.org/web/20140209093725/http://www.isbe.state.il.us/
Indianahttp://www.doe.in.gov/
Kentuckyhttps://web.archive.org/web/20091022061228/http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/
Mainehttp://www.maine.gov/education/
Marylandhttp://www.mdk12.org/
Massachusettshttp://www.doe.mass.edu/
Michiganhttp://www.michigan.gov/mde
Minnesotahttp://education.state.mn.us/mde/index.html
Missourihttp://dese.mo.gov/
Montanahttp://mt.gov/education/default.mcpx
Nevadahttp://www.doe.nv.gov/
New Hampshirehttp://www.education.nh.gov/
New Jerseyhttp://www.nj.gov/education/
New Mexicohttp://www.ped.state.nm.us/
North Carolinahttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/
North Dakotahttp://www.dpi.state.nd.us/
Northern Mariana Islandshttp://www.cnmipss.org/
Oklahomahttps://web.archive.org/web/20110528085923/http://www.sde.state.ok.us/
Pennsylvaniahttp://www.education.state.pa.us
Puerto Ricohttp://www.de.gobierno.pr/
Rhode Islandhttp://www.ride.ri.gov/
South Carolinahttps://ed.sc.gov/
South Dakotahttp://doe.sd.gov/
Tennesseehttps://www.tn.gov/education/
Utahhttp://www.schools.utah.gov/main/
Vermonthttp://www.education.vermont.gov/
Virginiahttp://www.doe.virginia.gov/
Wisconsinhttp://dpi.wi.gov/
Wyominghttps://web.archive.org/web/20090902153639/http://www.k12.wy.us/

WIDA provides several assessments for use with English language learners. The W-APT is most often used as a screening test to determine the language level of students entering a school system. These results are used most frequently to determine if a student is eligible for ESL or ESOL services. The W-APT test has been in use since 2006. The ACCESS test is given yearly and the results are used to determine the student's growth and progress, as well as to inform instruction for the next year. This test has been administered annually in WIDA member states beginning in the 2005-06 academic year. The assessment is used in the U.S. and several other countries as a test of English language proficiency.
In addition to its consortium member state partners, the WIDA project partners with the in Washington, D.C. and of Champaign, IL, and most recently, Data Recognition Corporation, Maple Grove, MN.
The WIDA Consortium administrative office is located in the at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.