WIDA understands the challenges educators are facing in teaching literacy, especially as they navigate diverse student needs and follow various research-driven and legislated approaches to the science of reading. WIDA also recognizes the complexity of the job and the dedication required to adapt to evolving practices — all while focusing on student success.
As is the case with any learning initiative, further research will continue to strengthen reading approaches; specifically, research that centers multilingual learners, their assets and their experiences. Taking existing research into account, WIDA recommends that the following components be included in literacy instruction for multilingual learners.
- Building on students’ cultural and linguistic assets so they are encouraged to leverage their background knowledge in reading and text comprehension.
- Developing oral language skills through classroom interactions and discussions, as well as learning the meaning of new words and concepts in context-rich situations.
- Expanding and strengthening vocabulary, word knowledge and word recognition to build a foundation of knowledge of words and ideas that students may encounter in texts, as well as the ability to connect this knowledge to what they already know in other languages.
- Developing reading comprehension and academic literacies to give students multiple strategies to draw from when making sense of texts, and to expand their ways of thinking and reasoning in different subject areas.
- Fostering equitable literacy learning to ensure that multilingual learners at any grade level have an appropriate mix of instruction that builds their reading skills and engages them in rich and authentic literacy practices.
The WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, is supported by proven research and educator practice on the essential elements that inform language development, while celebrating and leveraging the rich linguistic and cultural backgrounds of multilingual learners and their communities. WIDA’s standards are designed for use across grade levels, ages and literacy experiences. They inform language development in each of the content areas, such as the language for language arts and the language for mathematics. Furthermore, WIDA standards are intentionally designed and operationalized as a foundational framework for a diverse group of educators and students and are intended for implementation in a variety of circumstances and local practice. For those reasons, the WIDA ELD Standards Framework is designed to complement, not replace, state or local ELA standards and instructional approaches.
In addition to that, when multilingual learners take ACCESS for ELLs, they demonstrate their language proficiency in English and not their ability to apply academic skills from the content areas. The Reading domain assessed as part of ACCESS for ELLs does not measure multilingual learners’ reading skills in the content area of language arts, but rather their language proficiency to engage with reading materials across all content areas. As such, the interpretation and use of WIDA assessment results should also incorporate other criteria to fully evaluate adequate growth.
A comprehensive, culturally responsive approach to literacy instruction — one that includes and goes beyond foundational skills and addresses the unique needs of multilingual learners — is essential to enhance reading instruction. That includes further research and collaboration between ELA and ESL/bilingual teachers, both of which are critical to this work. WIDA’s mission is to advance academic language development and academic achievement for children and youth who are culturally and linguistically diverse through high-quality standards, assessments, research and professional learning for educators. WIDA is committed to continuing to engage with experts in the field to find valuable solutions and continue learning about the implications of recent literacy mandates for educators.
Tim Boals is the founder and director of WIDA. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with an emphasis on the education of multilingual learners. His background includes language education, educational policy and Spanish language and literature.
WIDA, an educational services organization within the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education, has spent 20 years contributing to research and being a thought leader in the field of language learning. WIDA offers a comprehensive system of assessments, standards, professional learning and resources that inform educators’ work with multilingual learners, their families and communities. That system is used by members of the WIDA Consortium, a U.S.-based collaborative group of 41 member states, territories and federal agencies.
