Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to assess the English language proficiency of students receiving English language development (ELD) services at school. Washington State uses the  WIDA consortium assessments to measure English proficiency for these students. WIDA assessments were developed by a consortium of states that use the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition. Washington State began administering the WIDA ACESS as the annual assessment in the 2021-22 school year.

For additional information regarding the WIDA consortium please visit the consortium's website.

Quick Start Guide

OSPI has created a WIDA Quick Start Guide to help districts get a better understanding of WIDA systems and assessments.

2022 Summative Testing Window

 January 31 to March 25, 2022

ELP Assessments

The annual WIDA ACCESS assessment is an online annual assessment given to all students who qualify for English language development (ELD) services through the placement test. The annual assessment measures students' English language proficiency, both knowledge and skills, in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Results from this test determine which students remain eligible to continue receiving ELD services.

The ELP Screener

The WIDA Screener is used to determine initial eligibility for ELD services. Like the WIDA ACCESS assessment, this is an online assessment that measures proficiency in the four language domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This test is typically administered to potential English learners upon initial enrollment in a Washington school.

The WIDA Kindergarten Screener is a paper-based assessment used to determine initial eligibility for ELD services for in-coming kindergarten students.  This test measures a student's English language proficiency across the four language domains for reading, speaking, writing, and listening. This test is typically administered to potential English learners upon initial enrollment in a Washington school.

• WIDA's Can Do Descriptors

Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessment

OSPI has adopted with WIDA^TM Alternate ACCESS for ELLs to assess the language proficiency for English Learners (ELs) with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This assessment is a paper-based assessment and measures the four language domains of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students who are eligible for this test, sit for the test annually.

Overview of Annual ELP Assessment Activities

This document lays out a number of the annual activities associated with administering ELP assessments in WA.

ELP Assessment Updates