1. What Is WIDA?

WIDA is not just one thing — it’s an entire ecosystem for English Language Development. Here’s what falls under the WIDA umbrella:

Component	What It Is	Why It Matters
Consortium	Multi-state organization (40+ states & territories) housed at UW-Madison	Virginia is a member — WIDA standards & assessments are used statewide
ELD Standards Framework	The 2020 ELD Standards Framework: 5 standards + Key Language Uses + proficiency levels	The core of everything — drives curriculum, instruction, and assessment for ELs
Assessment System	ACCESS for ELLs, WIDA Screener, Alternate ACCESS, MODEL	Determines EL identification, proficiency levels, and program exit
Professional Learning	Workshops, online courses, WIDA eLearning, research publications	Ongoing PD for educators working with multilingual learners
Research Center	University of Wisconsin-Madison research hub	Informs evidence-based practices for EL instruction

2. The 5 ELD Standards

Each standard represents a content area where English learners develop academic language:

#	Standard	Focus	Example Language Demand
1	Social & Instructional Language	Language for navigating school, peer interactions, and classroom routines	Asking clarifying questions, following multi-step directions, collaborating in groups
2	Language of Language Arts	Language for ELA content: literature, informational text, writing	Analyzing character motivation, citing text evidence, constructing arguments
3	Language of Mathematics	Language for math concepts, problem-solving, and reasoning	Explaining solution strategies, interpreting word problems, justifying answers
4	Language of Science	Language for scientific inquiry, experiments, and phenomena	Describing observations, forming hypotheses, analyzing data patterns
5	Language of Social Studies	Language for history, geography, civics, and economics	Comparing perspectives, evaluating primary sources, explaining cause and effect

3. Domains vs. Key Language Uses (KLUs)

This is the most commonly confused distinction. Domains and KLUs are two completely different dimensions of language:

THE 4 DOMAINS	THE 4 KEY LANGUAGE USES
The HOW — the channels through which language is delivered Think: Modalities	The WHY — the purposes for which language is used Think: Functions (new in 2020 Framework)
👂 Listening 🗣️ Speaking 📖 Reading ✍️ Writing	Narrate — Tell stories, recount events, share experiences Inform — Present factual information, describe, report Explain — Clarify the “why” or “how” of ideas/processes Argue — Persuade, justify, make a case with evidence
Tested on: ACCESS for ELLs (scores reported by domain)	Used for: Instructional planning — identifying language demands in content

How Domains & KLUs Work Together

Domains and KLUs intersect — students use a domain FOR a KLU purpose. Here are classroom examples:

Domain	KLU	Classroom Example
Speaking	Argue	Student verbally defends their position in a Socratic seminar on immigration policy
Writing	Explain	Student writes a lab report explaining why the plant in sunlight grew taller
Reading	Narrate	Student reads a historical narrative about a soldier’s experience in WWI
Listening	Inform	Student listens to a teacher’s presentation on the branches of government
Writing	Argue	Student writes a persuasive essay using text evidence to support a claim
Speaking	Narrate	Student retells a personal experience during a morning circle share

4. The 6 Proficiency Levels

WIDA uses six proficiency levels (PLs) to describe a student’s English language development:

PL	Label	Student Can…	Instructional Implication
1	Entering	Use single words, memorized phrases; point, draw, gesture to communicate	Visuals, word banks, sentence frames, gestures, L1 support, labeled diagrams
2	Emerging	Use phrases and short sentences; participate with heavy scaffolding	Graphic organizers, word/picture banks, partner work, simplified texts
3	Developing	Use simple and some complex sentences; engage in content with moderate support	Sentence starters, collaborative structures, adapted grade-level texts
4	Expanding	Use a variety of sentence structures; engage with grade-level content with some support	Strategic scaffolding, pre-teaching key vocabulary, structured academic discussions
5	Bridging	Use technical and academic language; communicate with minimal errors near grade-level peers	Minimal scaffolding, focus on nuance and precision, content-area vocabulary refinement
6	Reaching	Use language comparable to English-proficient peers across content areas	Monitor for continued success; may still benefit from targeted academic language support

5. WIDA Assessments at a Glance

Assessment	Purpose	When Used	What It Measures
WIDA Screener	Identification — determine if a student qualifies for EL services	At enrollment when Home Language Survey indicates a language other than English	All 4 domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing
ACCESS for ELLs	Annual summative — measure ELP growth and determine program exit	Annually (Jan–March) for all identified ELs in WIDA states	All 4 domains; reports Overall Composite, Oral, Literacy scores (PLs 1–6)
Alternate ACCESS	For ELs with significant cognitive disabilities	Same window as ACCESS	Modified proficiency levels (A1–A3, P1–P2)
WIDA MODEL	Interim/diagnostic — formative check on student progress	As needed throughout the year (not required)	All 4 domains; mirrors ACCESS format

6. The “Stop Confusing These” Cheat Sheet

A quick-reference for the terms that trip everyone up:

Term	What It Actually Means	Common Mix-Up
Domains	The 4 language modalities: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing	Often confused with KLUs or with the 5 ELD Standards
Key Language Uses	The 4 purposes: Narrate, Inform, Explain, Argue	Often confused with Domains; KLUs are about purpose, not modality
Standards (1–5)	Content-area language expectations (Social, ELA, Math, Science, SS)	Not the same as proficiency levels or domains
Proficiency Levels	The 1–6 scale: Entering → Reaching	Not the same as Standards (1–5); PLs describe student ability, Standards describe content areas
Can Do Descriptors	Descriptions of what students CAN do at each proficiency level, by grade cluster and domain	Sometimes mistaken for the standards themselves; they’re a tool FOR the standards
ACCESS Scores	Overall Composite, Oral (L+S), Literacy (R+W), and individual domain scores	Composite ≠ average of all four; it’s a weighted combination

Quick Connection to Your Practice: The KLUs map beautifully onto Jeff Zwiers’ academic conversation framework. “Argue” lives in constructive conversation territory; “Explain” aligns with elaboration and clarification moves. When planning lessons, identify the KLU first, then scaffold the domain(s) students will use to get there.

Pro Tip for Interviews: Being able to articulate the difference between Domains and KLUs signals that you know the 2020 framework deeply — most candidates can’t.

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