WIDA: Lessons Learned

Tim Boals WIDA Executive DirectorWisconsin Center for Education Research

Meredith Alt WIDA ASSETS Project ManagerGay Pickner South Dakota Dept. of EducationIlhye Yoon Maryland State Dept. of EducationEd Roeber WIDA ConsultantTroy Couillard Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction

The WIDA Consortium

31 member states

WIDA’s Mission

WIDA advances academic language development and academic achievement for linguistically diverse students through high quality standards, assessments, research, and professional development for educators.

WIDA History

2001 - 2004 2005 - 2008 2009 - 2012 2013 - 2016

• Passage of No Child Left Behind Act

• WIDA grant proposal submitted

• First publication of WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards (2004)

• ACCESS for ELLs administered in 12 states (2005)

• WIDA moved to new home at WCER

• Second publication: WIDA ELP Standards & Resource Guide, 2007 Ed.

• ACCESS for ELLs administered in 22 states (2009)

• Third publication: WIDA English Language Development Standards, 2012 Ed. (with amplifications)

• ACCESS for ELLs to be administered in 30+ states/territories (2013)

• ACCESS 2.0 and new materials to be administered online

Organization of Consortium Activities

WIDA’s ELD Standards

Academic Language

Sociocultural Context

Academic Content

Language Proficiency

Academic Language Proficiency

WIDA ELP Assessments

Theoretical Conceptualization

Definition and Description

Operationalization

Performance Level

Definitions

Features of

Academic Language

WIDA ELP Assessment System

WIDA by the Numbers

Students Tested Trends

WIDA Central – Consortium Roles

Why Has WIDA Been Successful?• Membership includes more than large-scale

assessment, such as professional development and research

• Program for bringing new members “into the family”

• Steady growth• MOUs consistent but flexible for all states• Camaraderie among members• Membership costs are known and reasonable

(usually less than would be for state alone)

Advice to Other Consortia

• Role of the Sponsoring Organization?• Role of the States?• Role of the Contractor(s)?• Cost to States?– A la carte for each program and service versus

package?– Same price or differentiated price for

membership

Advice to Other Consortia

• Functions to be Included in the Costs– Sponsoring organization management costs?– Assessment development?– Assessment administration?– Professional development for educators?– Teaching/learning resources for teachers and

students?– Research on the assessment and the uses of the

assessment?– Technical assistance to SEAs/LEAs?

SEA WIDA Experiences

Considerations in Joining the Consortium – South Dakota

•Alignment between screener and summative•Close relationship and support from WIDA and partners•Teachers/LEAs involved in various workgroups

•Alignment between screener and summative•Close relationship and support from WIDA and partners•Teachers/LEAs involved in various workgroups

• Professional Development for teachers

• Monthly webinars and communications with other states

• “WIDA Family” despite growth

• Great ELL standards

• Professional Development for teachers

• Monthly webinars and communications with other states

• “WIDA Family” despite growth

• Great ELL standards

What it Means to Be a Member …South Dakota’s Perspective• Membership costs and what it includes• Of particular importance to South Dakota:–WIDA ELD Standards– Professional Development– Placement tool (W-APT™)– ACCESS for ELLs™ language proficiency test– Alternate ACCESS for ELLs language

proficiency test for students with cognitive disabilities

WIDA Governance at Work• Annual Board Meeting as decision-making

forum– Everyone’s voice is heard; aim for consensus

• Advisory bodies comprised of member states:– WIDA Executive Committee– ASSETS Steering Committee – Subcommittees to discuss research,

assessments, and policy implications

• Same voting rights for all states and discussions among states with similar incidence of ELLs

Considerations in Joining the Consortium - Maryland

• Compliance with NCLB requirements and data/reports that show student growth

• An assessment that is rigorous and meaningfully aligns with the ELD standards

• Compliance with NCLB requirements and data/reports that show student growth

• An assessment that is rigorous and meaningfully aligns with the ELD standards

• Comprehensive services: assessments, standards, professional development, technical assistance

• Standards that address content language and correspond to the Common Core State Standards

• Comprehensive services: assessments, standards, professional development, technical assistance

• Standards that address content language and correspond to the Common Core State Standards

“And we love WIDA's Can Do Philosophy!”“And we love WIDA's Can Do Philosophy!”

WIDA Beyond the AssessmentSEA and Educator Participation

SEA InvolvementSEA Involvement

• Ongoing input and recommendations at annual Board Meetings

• Opportunities to collaborate with WIDA and colleagues through subcommittees

• ACCESS for ELLs Quality Control events

• Participation in the events that include educators

Teacher InvolvementTeacher Involvement

• Item writing course• Standards/strand

development• Cog labs & field testing• Bias, sensitivity &

content reviews• Post-field test review• Alignment studies• Professional

development

WIDA Beyond the AssessmentInvolving SEAs and Educators (cont.)Professional Development Opportunities

•Workshops, academies, trainings in member states and via webinars•Process: by SEA requests and with WIDA collaboration•Emphasis on collaboration among ELL educators and content teachers•Additional resources to support educators

WIDA Upcoming Work

• ACCESS 2.0 and resources being developed through the ASSETS grant

• Research that expands beyond the core of the consortium, anticipating where states are headed

• Spanish language development standards and early childhood standards

• Alternate ACCESS and accessibility issues for ELLs with disabilities

• International work

Transition to the New WIDA Assessment System

WIDA and ASSETS States

The ASSETS Grant – Deliverables• Technology-based summative

assessment: ACCESS 2.0• Similar to ACCESS for ELLs but with more

innovative items

• Technology-based screener• Conceptually based on the W-APT screener

• Interim measures/benchmark assessments

• New!

• Foundations for Formative resources• New! Dynamic Language Learning Progressions

ASSETS System

2015-16: Fully Operational

ASSETS Development Timeline

Progress to Date: Test Development/Interoperability

Progress to Date: EL Definition/ Collaboration to Support States

• Continue cognitive laboratories and pilot testing through summer 2013

• Recruit districts and prepare for Phase 1 field testing, to be held March – June 2014

• Work with partners to create/ensure interoperable test items

• Collaborate with other consortia and subcommittees on technology readiness and implementation issues

Next Six Months

• As the grant comes to conclusion, WIDA will face a number of key decisions in moving ahead– What will stay the same and what will change?– How many districts will be able to transition to

giving the WIDA assessments online?– As professional development changes, what

options will be available and which are members entitled to?

– What will be included in membership and what added features will be at added cost?

– How to revise the current MOUs with states to bring them into the new assessment system?

Planning for Transition

Change or Remain the Same?• States and the WIDA organization need to

consider what has worked well and should remain the same, and what will need to change with the new assessment system

• WIDA is using its current governance structure (Board, Executive Committee and advisory groups) to start the process

• An internal cross-function working group will tackle the transition, under the direction of Ed Roeber, Tim Boals and Elizabeth Cranley

Online Assessment

• The various WIDA assessments – the screener, the annual summative assessment and the periodic interim assessments – are all slated to be offered online

• How many states will be tech-ready in 2015-16 (the year after PARCC/SBAC) to give the assessments online?

• How long will paper versions need to be provided?

• At what point can they be eliminated?

Professional Development

• The current model of “stand-and-deliver” model is increasingly uneconomical and not useful

• A coaching model may be more effective/useful

• What types of PD offerings do states, local districts, and individual educators want?

• How can these offerings be provided in a cost-effective manner?

• What role(s) will states need to assume in the provision of these PD opportunities?

The Process of Change

• WIDA will need to determine what membership includes and what is extra

• Membership costs will continue to include both assessment and management costs

• WIDA is assuming that much of the current structures and membership provisions will remain the same

• States’ MOUs may need to be updated to reflect the new assessment system

For More Information …• WIDA Website www.wida.us

• ASSETS Project Website www.assetsproject.org

• WDPI ASSETS Website http://oea.dpi.wi.gov/oea_assets

• UCLA Dynamic Language Learning Progressions (DLLPs) Website www.dllp.org