Welcome, Massachusetts!

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Earlier this month, Massachusetts announced that it had joined the WIDA Consortium.  This means that beginning in 2012-2013, Massachusetts educators will use the WIDA ELD Standards and administer the ACCESS for ELLs assessment.  For those of you keeping count, that brings the total to 28 states.  Here is the full map.  

Here is a snippet of what Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D. the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education had to say about the WIDA Consortium. 

WIDA provides a rigorous system of standards and assessments to advance the language development and academic achievement of ELL students. The WIDA English proficiency standards and assessments were developed by national English language experts and are already in use in 27 other states. The WIDA standards promote academic language development for ELL students in four content areas-language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies-and thereby facilitate students' success in school. Of particular significance is that these standards align with the 2011 MA English language arts curriculum frameworks (which incorporate the Common Core State Standards) and have been embraced by professional associations such as TESOL and MATSOL.

On behalf of WIDA, I would like to welcome you to the Consortium.  Subscribe to our blog for weekly tips on how to best educate the English language learners in your school. 

Written by: Tammy King