WIDA and Language Proficiency Levels

ACCESS levels 1–6, Can-Do descriptors, and what each level can be expected to do

For paraprofessionals supporting English language learners

Why this brief

Almost every public school in the U.S. is using the WIDA framework, ACCESS test, or both — and for paras working with multilingual learners, the proficiency level a student scored is one of the most useful pieces of information you have. It's the rough map of what the student can already do in English and what they're working on next. Without that map, paras tend to over-rely on either translation (which can stunt growth) or English-only (which can shut a student out).

This brief gets practical: what WIDA is, what ACCESS scores actually mean, what each of the six levels can typically do in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and what good support looks like at each level. Other briefs cover SIOP (08.07), translanguaging vs. English-only debates (08.08), vocabulary instruction (08.09), and comprehensible input (08.10). This one is the foundation.

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| CautionA proficiency level is a snapshot, not a ceiling. Students grow in English fast — sometimes one full level per year, sometimes faster, sometimes more slowly with disability or interrupted education in the mix. Use the level to plan support, not to predict what a student is capable of. |

Who this brief is for

ELL paraprofessionals (bilingual, ESL/EL, dual-language)

SpEd paras supporting students who are dually identified as ELL and SpEd

General-education paras working in classrooms with multilingual learners

Supervising teachers, EL coordinators, and case managers building support plans

What WIDA is

WIDA stands for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment. It's a multi-state consortium based at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that produces standards, an annual proficiency test (ACCESS for ELLs), Can-Do Descriptors, and instructional guidance. Forty-plus states use WIDA, including the bulk of the country. A few large states use other frameworks (Texas uses TELPAS; New York used NYSESLAT; California uses ELPAC) — the principles in this brief apply broadly, but the specific levels and labels vary.

What WIDA produces

| Tool | What it does |

| :-: | :-: |

| WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards | The standards that frame what students should be able to do with English at each grade band; reorganized in the 2020 update around four "Key Language Uses" (Narrate, Inform, Explain, Argue) |

| ACCESS for ELLs | The annual proficiency test taken every spring by every identified ELL until they exit. Yields a composite score (1.0–6.0) and domain scores (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) |

| Can-Do Descriptors | Grade-banded "can-do" statements describing what a student at each level can typically do in each domain. The most useful single document for instructional planning |

| Screener | A shorter test used at initial identification, when a student is new to the district or when home language survey suggests EL services may be needed |

Where to find the documents

WIDA standards and Can-Do Descriptors live behind the WIDA login at wida.wisc.edu — your district likely has access through the EL coordinator

ACCESS scores live in the student's EL file (often in the EL coordinator's office or in the LIEP / language plan in your SIS)

Public-facing summary materials are available without login on the WIDA site

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| Practical noteIf you don't know your students' WIDA levels, that's information you should have. Ask the EL coordinator or supervising teacher — it should not be a secret. The level is what makes scaffolding decisions actionable. |

The six WIDA proficiency levels

WIDA scores are reported as decimal numbers from 1.0 to 6.0. The whole-number levels each have a name and a clear instructional implication. Levels are assigned both as a composite (overall) and per domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing) — so a student might be a 2.5 composite but a 4 in listening and a 1.5 in writing.

| Level | Name | What it roughly means |

| :-: | :-: | :-: |

| 1 | Entering | Beginning learner. Single words, memorized phrases, lots of reliance on visuals, gestures, and home language. May be a newcomer with little exposure to English |

| 2 | Emerging | Producing simple phrases and sentences using familiar topics. Still needs heavy scaffolding. Comprehension is ahead of production |

| 3 | Developing | Speaking and writing in expanded sentences with errors. Can engage with grade-level content with strong supports. The middle of the journey |

| 4 | Expanding | Producing more complex language with more grammatical and lexical accuracy. Beginning to navigate academic English. Often the level where students approach reclassification |

| 5 | Bridging | Approaching the language proficiency of grade-level peers. Some specific academic vocabulary and complex syntax still developing |

| 6 | Reaching | Fully comparable to grade-level proficient peers. WIDA describes this as the goal, not a deficit-free endpoint |

Many states reclassify ("exit") students from EL services around composite 4.5–5.0 with strong subscores in reading and writing. Reclassification rules vary by state — check your state's EL exit criteria.

What each level can do — and what to do with that

These are general patterns. Individual students vary, especially with prior schooling, age, and SpEd status. But these snapshots help paras pitch language to where the student is.

Level 1 — Entering

What this looks like

Listening: understands single words, basic greetings, gestures and visuals more than speech

Speaking: a few words, memorized phrases ("my name is...", "bathroom please")

Reading: pictures, environmental print, names, single high-frequency words

Writing: copying, drawing, labeling pictures with words

Para's role

Use lots of visuals, realia (real objects), gestures, and demonstrations

Keep instructional language short and predictable; use the same phrases consistently

Allow home language for thinking, peer interaction, and demonstrating understanding

Pre-teach a small set of survival vocabulary (school routines, safety, classroom commands)

Don't avoid grade-level content — adapt the input, not the topic. A level-1 fourth-grader is still a fourth-grader

Build relationship and reduce anxiety; silent period is normal and lasts up to several months

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| The silent periodMany newcomers stop talking entirely for weeks to months. They are listening and learning. Don't pressure them to produce English. Pressure increases anxiety, which increases the silent period. Provide opportunities; accept nonverbal participation; celebrate when speech emerges. |

Level 2 — Emerging

What this looks like

Listening: understands familiar topics in simple sentences with visuals

Speaking: simple phrases and short sentences; lots of formulaic language; errors throughout

Reading: short familiar texts with picture support; high-frequency words; simple sentences

Writing: short sentences using familiar vocabulary; spelling and grammatical errors expected

Para's role

Continue heavy visual support and predictable language

Sentence frames and starters: "I think \_\_\_ because \_\_\_"

Pair the student with a strong English-speaking peer for partner work; structure the partnership

Use word banks and graphic organizers for writing tasks

Build academic vocabulary explicitly — pre-teach 3–5 key words before each lesson

Read aloud at a level slightly above what the student could read alone — i+1, comprehensible input

Level 3 — Developing

What this looks like

Listening: understands main ideas in connected speech with some visual support

Speaking: expanded sentences and short paragraphs; can describe and explain with errors

Reading: paragraph-length texts; needs support for academic vocabulary and idioms

Writing: paragraphs of connected sentences; organizational and grammatical work in progress

Para's role

Reduce visual support gradually but don't drop it entirely; key terms still benefit from imagery

Sentence frames continue to help, especially for academic functions (compare, argue, explain)

Push academic vocabulary; this is a level where students often plateau if vocab is neglected

Help with reading comprehension strategies — text structure, signal words, summarizing

Encourage extended writing with feedback on content first, then accuracy

Push the student to participate in class discussion with adequate wait time and prep

Level 4 — Expanding

What this looks like

Listening: understands most academic instruction at grade level

Speaking: complex sentences; can compare and argue with growing precision

Reading: grade-level texts with support for unfamiliar topics or idioms

Writing: multi-paragraph writing with clear organization; grammatical errors decreasing

Para's role

Push toward grade-level expectations with targeted scaffolding only where needed

Focus on academic vocabulary depth — multiple meanings, word parts, register

Use mentor texts to teach genre-specific moves (argument, explanation, narrative)

Provide feedback on writing that addresses higher-order issues (cohesion, evidence) as much as accuracy

Create opportunities for sustained academic discussion with peers

This is a common reclassification window — coordinate with the EL coordinator on what's needed to exit

Level 5 — Bridging

What this looks like

Listening, speaking, reading, writing: nearly grade-level in most areas

Some specific academic vocabulary, idioms, and complex syntax still developing

May still need support with discipline-specific language (science, social studies)

Para's role

Mostly grade-level expectations with targeted vocabulary and writing supports

Ensure access to enrichment, advanced courses, and gifted programming if applicable — bridging students are often under-recommended

Continue building academic vocabulary in content classes

Help with editing for nuanced grammar (article use, prepositions, register) — these are the last things to fully consolidate

Level 6 — Reaching

Indistinguishable from grade-level proficient peers in most school tasks. Most states have already exited students before they hit a 6.0 composite. The student may still benefit from continued vocabulary and writing instruction in content classes — same as their monolingual English peers — but generally no specialized EL support is needed at this point.

The four domains — they don't move together

Most ELLs do not score the same level across all four domains. Common patterns:

| Pattern | What it looks like | What to do |

| :-: | :-: | :-: |

| Listening ahead of speaking | A student who understands almost everything but produces very little (especially newcomers) | Patient wait time, low-stakes opportunities to speak, sentence frames; this gap closes naturally with confidence |

| Oral ahead of literacy | Strong conversational English but reading/writing well behind — common with long-term ELLs | Explicit academic literacy instruction; structured writing; vocabulary depth in content areas |

| Literacy ahead of oral | Strong reading and writing but reluctant to speak — common with newcomers from strong literacy traditions or socially anxious students | Low-stakes speaking opportunities; small-group discussion before whole-class; patient prompting |

| Strong receptive, weaker productive | Good listening and reading, weaker speaking and writing | Push productive language with scaffolds; this is normal at most levels |

| Stagnation across all four | A student who isn't moving up — could be misalignment of instruction, lack of comprehensible input, or dual identification with disability | Bring concerns to EL coordinator and SpEd team — see brief 08.13 ELL or SpEd |

Can-Do Descriptors — the practical tool

Of all WIDA materials, the Can-Do Descriptors are the most useful for paras. They translate the proficiency levels into specific, observable behaviors at each grade band: "At Level 2 in 4th-grade Reading, students can identify main ideas using simple sentences and visual support."

How to use them

Look up the Can-Do Descriptors for your student's grade band and proficiency level

Pin a copy near the data sheet or planning materials

Use them to set expectations: "Today's writing task is at Level 3 expectations — multi-sentence paragraph with familiar vocabulary"

Use them to celebrate progress: "Last fall she was producing at Level 2; today's work is solidly Level 3"

Bring them to IEP and EL meetings; they make abstract "levels" concrete

What they're not

Not a curriculum or scope-and-sequence — they describe what students at each level can do, not what to teach

Not a ceiling — they describe typical performance, not maximum

Not a checklist for mastery — they're directional

Dually identified students (ELL and SpEd)

A student can be both an English language learner and a student with a disability. About 14% of the U.S. ELL population is dually identified — slightly higher than the SpEd rate among non-ELLs, partly because of misidentification in both directions (see brief 08.13).

WIDA levels for dually identified students

ELLs with disabilities still take ACCESS unless they are deeply intellectually disabled, in which case the ACCESS Alternate may apply

Their level scores are real measures of their English proficiency — but the language they're working on is shaped by their disability profile

Dually identified students often progress more slowly through WIDA levels — this is expected and not necessarily evidence of misidentification

Implications for paras

Read both the IEP and the language plan (LIEP / EL plan); they should not contradict each other

Apply both lenses simultaneously: language scaffolds AND IEP supports

Visual supports are the universal good move — they help both EL and SpEd populations

Don't drop language instruction in favor of "academic" support — language IS academic

Coordinate with both the EL coordinator and the case manager; they sometimes don't talk to each other unless someone makes them

If your state isn't WIDA

Some states have their own frameworks. The principles transfer, but the specific scales differ:

| State / framework | Test | Scale |

| :-: | :-: | :-: |

| WIDA states (40+) | ACCESS for ELLs | Composite + domains 1.0–6.0 |

| Texas | TELPAS | Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, Advanced High (4 levels) |

| California | ELPAC | Levels 1–4 with composite Beginning, Somewhat Developed, Moderately Developed, Well Developed |

| New York | NYSESLAT (transitioned to NYSITELL+ NYSESLAT) | Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, Expanding, Commanding |

| Arizona | AZELLA | Pre-Emergent through Proficient (5 levels) |

If you're not in a WIDA state, ask the EL coordinator for the framework and Can-Do equivalent. The instructional implications — visuals, sentence frames, vocabulary, comprehensible input, peer support — work across frameworks.

Good language support across levels

Some practices help across all proficiency levels. Strong EL paras lean on these by default.

Universal moves

Comprehensible input: language slightly above the student's current level (Krashen's i+1) — see brief 08.10

Wait time: 5–7 seconds after a question; longer for newcomers

Visuals attached to language: pictures, gestures, real objects, demonstrations

Repetition with variation: same idea expressed multiple ways, multiple times

Sentence frames and word banks: scaffolds productive language without doing it for the student

Peer interaction: structured partner and small-group work — peers are powerful language input

Acceptance of errors: don't correct constantly; that increases anxiety and reduces output. Recast (model the correct form) without making it a correction

Honor home language: it's a strength, not a problem. Translanguaging — using both languages strategically — is supported by current research (see 08.08)

Level-specific differentiation

The same lesson should generally include all proficiency levels. The output expectations differ. For a writing task on "explain a process":

| Level | Output expectation |

| :-: | :-: |

| 1 | Label a sequence of pictures with single words; oral explanation in home language acceptable |

| 2 | Use sentence frames to write 2–4 simple sentences with vocabulary support |

| 3 | Write a short paragraph with sequencing words (first, then, finally) using familiar vocabulary |

| 4 | Write a multi-paragraph explanation with discipline-specific vocabulary |

| 5 | Write a grade-level paragraph; refine for cohesion and precision |

| 6 | Grade-level expectation as for English-proficient peers |

Pitfalls

| Try this | Watch out for |

| :-: | :-: |

| Use the proficiency level to plan support and pitch language | Use the level to predict intelligence or ceiling |

| Provide visuals, gestures, and realia at every level — heavily at low levels | Rely on translation or English-only without visual support |

| Use sentence frames and word banks at the student's level | Have low expectations because the student doesn't speak much yet |

| Honor home language as a thinking and learning tool | Forbid home language use |

| Allow a silent period for newcomers without forcing speech | Pressure newcomers to speak before they're ready |

| Recast errors gently without making them the focus | Constantly correct grammar — it shuts students down |

| Pre-teach key vocabulary explicitly and consistently | Assume vocabulary will pick up by exposure alone |

| Read both the IEP and the EL plan for dually identified students | Treat the student as either ELL or SpEd but not both |

| Push toward grade-level expectations with appropriate scaffolds | Permanently water down content because of language |

| Coordinate with the EL coordinator on goals and reclassification | Operate on assumption alone about where the student is |

Scenarios

Scenario 1: A new newcomer arrives

A 4th-grader who arrived from Honduras two weeks ago is in your class. She has not spoken a word of English so far.

She's likely Level 1 entering or just into Emerging. Take a screener score from the EL coordinator if available. Don't pressure speech — provide. Pair her with a strong, kind same-language peer if possible. Build a small set of survival phrases ("bathroom," "help," "I don't understand"). Use heavy visuals, gestures, and same-language support for the first weeks. She is not less capable than her classmates — she is operating in a second language.

Scenario 2: A long-term ELL stuck at Level 3

A 7th-grader who has been in U.S. schools since kindergarten still scores 3.2 composite. She's conversational but struggles with academic reading and writing.

Classic long-term ELL profile. Oral ahead of literacy. Push academic vocabulary, structured writing instruction, reading comprehension strategies, and content-area language. This is not a vocabulary-poor student in everyday talk — it's a student who has not had enough explicit academic language instruction. Coordinate with the EL coordinator and content teachers; this often requires a focused intervention. See brief 08.05 Long-Term ELLs (planned).

Scenario 3: A student with strong literacy in another language

A 9th-grader who arrived from Korea last year reads and writes at near-grade level in English on the test, but rarely speaks in class.

Classic literacy-ahead-of-oral pattern. Don't write off their oral language as deficient; it's likely the last domain to develop. Provide low-stakes oral practice — small groups before whole class, structured discussion frames, prepared rather than spontaneous responses to start. Anxiety often plays a role; build relationship. The student may also benefit from social opportunities with English-speaking peers outside academics.

Scenario 4: Dually identified student

A 5th-grader with autism and EL status. WIDA composite 2.5, IEP for autism. Language production is delayed both in his home language and English.

Read both the IEP and the EL plan together with the case manager and EL coordinator. The intersection matters: visuals are universal good; AAC may need both languages; expressive language goals should reflect both autism-related communication delays and L2 acquisition. Don't expect L1 to be a fluent fallback if his autism affects expressive language across both languages. This is a student who needs both the SpEd and the EL teams pulling together.

Scenario 5: A bridging student under-recommended for advanced courses

An 11th-grader at Level 5 (Bridging) is being placed in standard math even though her grades and test scores are strong, because the counselor noted "language barrier."

This is one of the most well-documented patterns in EL research — bridging-level students under-recommended for advanced coursework. Bring it up with the EL coordinator and the counselor with data: her ACCESS scores, her grades, her test results. A Level 5 student typically does not have a meaningful language barrier to grade-level academic work. Advocate for placement that matches her actual capability.

Scenario 6: A student whose level scores look uneven

Composite 2.8. Listening 4.0, Speaking 3.0, Reading 2.5, Writing 1.8.

This pattern — strong listening, weaker writing — is normal but the writing gap is wide. Provide writing scaffolds aggressively (sentence frames, word banks, mentor texts, structured paragraphs). Don't accept the writing level as fine because the listening is strong; written academic English is harder and longer to develop. Track progress in writing specifically.

Closing thought

WIDA levels are one of the most underused pieces of information in mainstream classrooms. Many gen-ed teachers don't know their students' levels; many paras have never seen them. When everyone on the team knows where each student is on the proficiency continuum and what that level can typically do, instruction lands much more accurately. The student isn't asked to do too much or too little; the support isn't generic; growth is visible because there's a baseline to grow from.

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| Bottom lineFind out your students' WIDA levels and domain scores. Use the Can-Do Descriptors to plan support. Honor home language. Provide visuals, sentence frames, and wait time at every level. Push toward grade-level content with appropriate scaffolds. Track growth, advocate for accurate placement, and remember the level is a snapshot — not a verdict. |

Related briefs

08.01 ELL Paraprofessional Roles

08.05 Long-Term ELLs

08.07 SIOP and Sheltered Instruction

08.08 Translanguaging vs. English-Only Approaches

08.09 Vocabulary Instruction for ELLs

08.10 Background Knowledge and Comprehensible Input

08.13 ELL or SpEd? — Avoiding Misidentification

08.14 Dually Identified Students

08.16 Culturally Responsive Practices for Paras

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