1. So… WIDA? So What?
or, Now That You Got All That WIDA ACCESS Data, What Do You Do With It.
John Wolfe
Multilingual Program Facilitator
June 15, 2012

2. Today (June 15, 2012) The Essence of WIDA The DNA of WIDA
The WIDA Criteria
“Manifest Destiny,” Standards & the WIDA Criteria
WIDA in a Nutshell
3 ½ Steps
The Curriculum Writing Project
But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things! Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)
Analogy: Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
WIDA ≠ MAP (WIDA measures Language Proficiency, which is related to but different from Academic Achievement.)
Stoop vs. Stretch:
Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD
Your Data & Planning Time
Today (June 15, 2012)

3. About taking notes …

4. Relax … Everything (and more) is on The Wiki http://www. mplsesl

5. Prologue: Not Here To Make Your Life Easy
The task of psychoanalysis:
To transform neurotic misery to ordinary human unhappiness …
In the same way, supporting a kid’s meaningful access to grade-level instruction …

6. Doesn’t make me happy …

7. The Essence of WIDA WIDA gives you key info about the language that an English Learner can handle for grade-level learning.

8. The Essence of WIDA WIDA gives you key info about the language that an English Learner can handle for grade-level learning. How hard – how difficult, how challenging – can that language be?

9. In other words, Essence of WIDA …
What kind of language can the kid handle?
What can I reasonably expect from him?
He should be able to do this, right?
How do I know I’m not lowering my expectations?

10. WIDA Proficiency Levels (Nutshell Perspective)
WIDA Levels describe the difficulty of the language we can reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.

11. The Essence of WIDA: WIDA Levels describe the difficulty of the language we can reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.
The DNA of WIDA
The WIDA Criteria
“Manifest Destiny,” Standards & the WIDA Criteria
WIDA in a Nutshell
3 ½ Steps
The Curriculum Writing Project
But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things! Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)
Analogy: Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
WIDA ≠ MAP (WIDA measures Language Proficiency, which is related to but different from Academic Achievement.)
Stoop vs. Stretch:
Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD
Your Data & Planning Time
Today (June 15, 2012)

12. WIDA is a Complex System but …
But what might that look like in a particular lesson in a particular unit?
Remember! language serves content learning
But what does that look like at different grades? With different language domains? (Speak/Listen/ Read/Write)
What students can do with language BROADLY

13. WIDA Criteria = WIDA DNA

15. WIDA Criteria in Action: Modify the Demands

16. Linguistic Complexity Single words Vocabulary Usage
Describe how John Gast’s painting, “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” shows the relationship between technological change and the Westerward Expansion.
Social Studies Identify new technologies and innovations that transformed the United States' economy and society; explain how they influenced political and regional development. (Expansion and Reform: )
Reading/Literacy in History/SS: Cite specific textual, visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
1 – Entering
Linguistic Complexity
Single words
Vocabulary Usage
Most common vocabulary
Language Control
Memorized language

17. Linguistic Complexity Phrases, short sentences Vocabulary Usage
Describe how John Gast’s painting, “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” shows the relationship between technological change and the Westerward Expansion.
Social Studies Identify new technologies and innovations that transformed the United States' economy and society; explain how they influenced political and regional development. (Expansion and Reform: )
Reading/Literacy in History/SS: Cite specific textual, visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
2 – Emerging
Linguistic Complexity
Phrases, short sentences
Vocabulary Usage
High frequency vocabulary
Language Control
Errors inhibiting communication

18. Linguistic Complexity Series of related sentences Vocabulary Usage
Describe how John Gast’s painting, “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” shows the relationship between technological change and the Westerward Expansion.
Social Studies Identify new technologies and innovations that transformed the United States' economy and society; explain how they influenced political and regional development. (Expansion and Reform: )
Reading/Literacy in History/SS: Cite specific textual, visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
3 – Developing
Linguistic Complexity
Series of related sentences
Vocabulary Usage
General and some specific vocabulary
Language Control
Meaning overrides errors

19. Linguistic Complexity Moderate discourse Vocabulary Usage
Describe how John Gast’s painting, “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” shows the relationship between technological change and the Westerward Expansion.
Social Studies Identify new technologies and innovations that transformed the United States' economy and society; explain how they influenced political and regional development. (Expansion and Reform: )
Reading/Literacy in History/SS: Cite specific textual, visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
4 – Expanding
Linguistic Complexity
Moderate discourse
Vocabulary Usage
Specialized & some technical vocabulary
Language Control
Language w/minimal errors

20. Linguistic Complexity Complex discourse Vocabulary Usage
Describe how John Gast’s painting, “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” shows the relationship between technological change and the Westerward Expansion.
Social Studies Identify new technologies and innovations that transformed the United States' economy and society; explain how they influenced political and regional development. (Expansion and Reform: )
Reading/Literacy in History/SS: Cite specific textual, visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
5 – Bridging
Linguistic Complexity
Complex discourse
Vocabulary Usage
Specialized & technical vocabulary
Language Control
Language comparable to English peers

21. The Essence of WIDA: WIDA Levels describe the difficulty of the language we can reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.
The DNA of WIDA
The WIDA Criteria
“Manifest Destiny,” Standards & the WIDA Criteria
WIDA in a Nutshell
3 ½ Steps
The Curriculum Writing Project
But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things! Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)
Analogy: Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
WIDA ≠ MAP (WIDA measures Language Proficiency, which is related to but different from Academic Achievement.)
Stoop vs. Stretch:
Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD
Your Data & Planning Time
Today (June 15, 2012)

22. WIDA Philosophy in a Nutshell

23. WIDA: The Bigger Nutshell
Language is the tool for learning!
LEP’s are in mainstream classrooms. (95% of the time in MPS.)
LEP’s use their Limited English to learn in 5 basic contexts (Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Social & Amplification.)
EL’s English -- no matter how limited – is an asset for learning. You work with what you’ve got!
WIDA is designed to help all teachers modify the language demands of instruction to provide LEP students with meaningful access to content.

24. Modifying the Language Demands to Match the Learner’s Language Proficiency: The 3 ½-Step Process

26. Focused Instruction Curriculum Writing

27. The Essence of WIDA: WIDA Levels describe the difficulty of the language we can reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.
The DNA of WIDA
The WIDA Criteria
“Manifest Destiny,” Standards & the WIDA Criteria
WIDA in a Nutshell
3 ½ Steps
The Curriculum Writing Project
But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things! Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)
Stoop vs. Stretch:
Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD
WIDA ≠ MAP (WIDA measures Language Proficiency, which is related to but different from Academic Achievement.)
Analogy: Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
Your Data & Planning Time
Today (June 15, 2012)

30. Stoop down for content instruction ….
Because you can modify your language to meet your English Learners’ needs – but they can’t modify theirs to meet your demands.
Make students stretch for language instruction …
Stoop down for content instruction ….

36. Blue Whales and Buttercups = Level N = 3.0 G/L
The Code = Level 0
(a little above 3.0)

37. Where from here? “What use is a newborn baby?“ (Benjamin Franklin)
Look at your student data … their reading levels and English Proficiency levels (WIDA Levels).
Look at the CVC Criteria to suggest what type of language a student at that WIDA Level can bring to the task of content learning.
Review the language-based learning activities AND the language-based assessments – and keep going back to that key question: How can my student have meaningful interaction OR generate true evidence of learning within the constraints of his or her language?

38. Let the collaboration begin …