WIDA Language Levels in Action: From ACCESS to Classroom Support

What Are WIDA Proficiency Levels?

WIDA proficiency levels are part of a framework developed by WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) to describe the progression of English language development (ELD) for multilingual learners in the United States and internationally.

The WIDA framework is used in over 40 U.S. states and territories, offering a common language for assessing and supporting English language acquisition across grade levels and content areas.

WIDA defines six levels of English language proficiency:

1. Entering
2. Emerging
3. Developing
4. Expanding
5. Bridging
6. Reaching

Each level describes what a multilingual learner can do in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English, and reflects the increasing complexity of language use across academic content areas. It's important to note that these are proficiency levels, not instructional levels, and students at any level may be cognitively capable of engaging with grade-level content when provided with appropriate scaffolds.

WIDA English Language Proficiency Levels Explained

Level 1: Entering

• Relies heavily on gestures and visual support
• Produces single words or memorized phrases
• Understanding is limited to simple oral commands and phrases

Level 2: Emerging

• Begins to produce phrases and simple sentences
• Can respond to simple questions with basic vocabulary
• Needs visual/contextual support for comprehension

Level 3: Developing

• Uses expanded vocabulary and sentence patterns
• Understands and produces language related to familiar topics
• Starts to engage in content-related discussions with support

Level 4: Expanding

• Uses connected sentences and some academic language
• Participates in more extended conversations and writing
• Shows increasing accuracy and confidence with English usage

Level 5: Bridging

• Communicates effectively in a range of academic and social settings
• Uses technical language with increasing precision
• Approaching full access to grade-level content with minimal support

Level 6: Reaching

• Demonstrates language proficiency comparable to native English peers on the ACCESS assessment
• Uses a wide range of academic vocabulary and complex structures
• Requires little to no ELD-specific support, though many students exit services before reaching this level

How Are WIDA Proficiency Levels Assessed?

WIDA ACCESS for ELLs

Most states use ACCESS for ELLs, a large-scale English language proficiency assessment administered annually to students in grades K–12 who have been identified as English learners.

ACCESS for ELLs tests four domains:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

The results provide a composite score and individual domain scores that inform placement, services, reclassification, and progress monitoring.

Kindergarten and Alternate ACCESS

• Kindergarten ACCESS uses interactive, one-on-one testing for early learners
• Alternate ACCESS is designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities

Why WIDA Proficiency Levels Matter for Schools

For Teachers:

• Helps differentiate instruction based on students' language abilities
• Guides planning of scaffolds and supports for content learning
• Aligns instruction to clear language development goals using the WIDA ELD Standards Framework

For School and District Leaders:

• Supports compliance with federal and state ELD mandates
• Informs staffing and program structure (e.g., push-in vs. pull-out)
• Tracks program effectiveness and student growth across years

It’s important to remember that students may show different levels across domains and that a Level 3 student, for example, may be capable of grade-level academic thinking with appropriate language support.

Using WIDA in Instruction and Assessment

1. Use Can Do Descriptors

WIDA provides Can Do Descriptors for each grade band and domain. These help teachers understand what students can do at each proficiency level in different academic contexts.

2. Scaffold Based on Level

Teachers can adapt content tasks for each level using visuals, sentence frames, tiered questioning, and partner/group structures.

3. Monitor Growth and Adjust Support

WIDA scores, especially when viewed over time, help:

• Reevaluate a student’s support level
• Adjust ELD intensity or grouping
• Set instructional targets

In addition to annual ACCESS testing, ongoing classroom-based formative assessments such as performance tasks, writing samples, and speaking activities are essential for monitoring real-time growth.

4. Pair Language Objectives with Content Objectives

Language development shouldn’t be isolated. Pairing a content goal ("Students will explain photosynthesis") with a language goal ("Students will use sequencing words to describe a process") ensures students are developing both.

How Speakable Supports WIDA-Aligned Classrooms

While ACCESS remains the official proficiency test, tools like Speakable can help schools support multilingual learners year-round with:

• WIDA-aligned task creation: Teachers can create speaking and writing prompts modeled on WIDA descriptors.
• Proficiency estimation: Student responses are automatically evaluated for language complexity, fluency, and accuracy—providing an estimated proficiency band aligned with WIDA levels.
• Formative portfolio tracking: Teachers and admins can collect evidence of growth in speaking and writing over time, giving visibility into day-to-day language development.
• Progress dashboards: Speakable helps teachers and school leaders track student growth across classrooms and over time—informing instruction, grouping, and reclassification conversations.

While Speakable is not a replacement for ACCESS, it complements your ELD program by making it easier to assess, track, and support language development between annual tests.

WIDA vs. ACTFL: What’s the Difference?

Though both assess language, WIDA and ACTFL serve different student populations and goals:

Some districts use both frameworks—WIDA for ELD programs and ACTFL for world language courses—to measure language development across different student groups.

Example Tasks at Each WIDA Level

Conclusion: Supporting Multilingual Learners with the WIDA Framework

The WIDA proficiency levels provide a powerful roadmap for supporting English learners in academic environments. From placement to instructional planning to reclassification, they ensure students receive appropriate supports as they build academic English over time.

By combining clear expectations, formative assessment practices, and scaffolding strategies, educators can create equitable learning opportunities for multilingual learners at every stage of their language development.

And with platforms like Speakable, teachers can embed WIDA-aligned language practice into their classrooms without adding to their grading workload—ensuring students get the speaking and writing opportunities they need to grow.

Want to try Speakable in your ELD classroom? Explore how Speakable helps teachers create speaking and writing tasks, give instant feedback, and estimate WIDA-aligned proficiency—all in one place.

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