WIDA

Identification and Screener

Screener Testing Requirements

LEAs are required to administer a WIDA Screener to newly enrolled students who indicate on the home language survey (HLS) that they speak any language other than English. Screener is available to LEAs all year. Federal and state law requires that students must be administered Screener within 30 calendar days of enrollment within the first month of school, and within 10 school days of enrollment thereafter. Screener should only be administered once during a student's enrollment in Utah schools (with specific exceptions outlined in the FAQs). All WIDA Screeners are provided by Utah State Board of Education at no cost to the LEAs.

Students are eligible for EL services if they earn a score of 1 - 4.9 on any WIDA Screener for grades K-12.

All who administer WIDA assessments must complete the online test administer trainings annually. It is the responsibility of the LEA to ensure these trainings are being completed in the WIDA Secure Portal.

Screener Options

1. For students in grades 1 through 12, LEAs are required to give WIDA Screener Online. WIDA Screener Paper is allowable for students with specific needs (e.g. students with disabilities or students with little to no technology experience). Please contact USBE WIDA Assessment Specialists if you need WIDA Screener Paper.
2. Students in Kindergarten are given the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten.
3. Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades K-12 that meet the criteria outlined in the Alternate Assessment Participation Guidelines, can be given the WIDA Alternate Screener.
4. WIDA Measure of Developing English Language (MODEL) is also an acceptable tool for screening for grades K-12 that can be purchased by the LEA.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do LEAs have to screen students arriving from another WIDA state and have previous WIDA ACCESS scores?
   • Yes, students need to be screened in order to qualify for EL services in Utah.
2. If a student lived in Utah, moved out of state, then returned to a Utah school, do they need to be screened?
   • Yes, if it is during 2 different school years.
   • No, if it is during the same school year.
3. If a student arrives in Utah from another WIDA state and reached an Overall Composite score of 4.2 or higher with a Speaking score of 3.5 or higher on their ACCESS test, do they need to be screened?
   
   • Yes, to ensure they do or do not need EL services in Utah.
4. What Screener grade band should be used?
   • Please see the Online Screener Test Administration Manual (TAM) grade band for guidance.
5. Are LEAs be required to purchase Kindergarten Screener kits?
   • No, all materials are available in the WIDA Secure Portal for printing.  If LEAs want professionally printed materials on high quality paper, they will be responsible for purchasing those materials through the WIDA Store.
6. When can LEAs begin using the Kindergarten Screener?
   • July 1 prior to the new school year
   • For students entering 1^st Semester, Kindergarten Screener is only Speaking and Listening. For students entering 2nd Semester, screen using all four domains.

Annual ACCESS Assessment

ACCESS Testing Requirements

ACCESS for ELLs Online is Utah's online summative assessment of EL students. It is developed and maintained by WIDA.

This assessment is administered for a number of purposes:

• to measure individual students' progress in achieving proficiency in speaking, listening to, comprehending, reading, and writing academic English,
• to determine the success of language development programs in individual schools and school districts, and
• to fulfill federal requirements of The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and Title III law.

All EL students must be tested annually using the ACCESS assessment.

ACCESS 

For students in grades 1 through 12, LEAs are required to give WIDA ACCESS for ELLs Online Assessment.  Students in Kindergarten are administered WIDA Kindergarten ACCESS for ELLs. ACCESS Paper is allowable for students with specific needs (e.g. students with disabilities or students with little to no technology experience). ACCESS Paper has several formats to support students with disabilities, including large print and braille.

When students earn an Overall Composite score of 4.2 or higher with a Speaking score of 3.5 or higher, they are considered fluent in English and are exited from EL status. Students are then re-designated to monitoring status for four years. Students are not required to take the ACCESS assessment during these four years of monitoring. (Please note, this exit criteria was updated in the fall of 2023 from the Overall Composite score of 5.0 or higher.) The Local Education Agency (LEA) may use appropriate data, evaluation, and team-based problem solving to consider reclassifying the student as EL if, while in monitoring status, the student demonstrates consistent and continued need for increased language support services.

Alternate ACCESS

Students in grades K-12 with the most significant cognitive disabilities who receive instructional support in alternate achievement standards and who cannot participate in the regular WIDA ACCESS assessment with accommodations and meet the criteria outline in the USBE Alternate Assessment Participation Guidelines, as determined by the IEP team, are eligible to participate in the  WIDA Alternate ACCESS for ELLs 

When students taking Alternate ACCESS earn an:

• Overall Composite Score of 5 (Automatic Exit), 
  OR
• As determined by the school IEP and EL specialist team, Alternate ACCESS Overall Composite Score of 4 and a DLM English Language Arts Score of 4 (At the discretion of the LEA, and the team has determined the student has proficient academic English to access content learning),

they are considered fluent in English and are exited from EL status. Students are then re-designated to monitoring status for four years. Students are not required to take the Alternate ACCESS assessment during these four years of monitoring. (Please note, this alternate exit criteria was established in 2025-2026. Prior to 2025-2026, there was not an approved alternate exit criteria for the state of Utah. Students in grades K-3 can only be exited with an Overall Composite Score of 5 as those grades do not take the DLM assessment.)  The LEA may use appropriate data, evaluation, and team-based problem solving to consider reclassifying the student as EL using the WIDA Screener if, while in monitoring status, the student demonstrates consistent and continued need for increased language support services.

2026-2027 Test Dates

Screener: Available all year

ACCESS Testing Window: January 5, 2027 through March 5, 2027

Detailed ACCESS Dates

Professional Development and Training

2026-2027 Professional Development and Training 

Registration will be available soon in Altitude. 

The following trainings will be available in person or in a virtual setting: 

• Self-Paced Virtual Workshops in the WIDA Secure Portal: September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027
• Actionable Approaches for Centering Newcomers: Virtual Webinars 9/23 & 9/30, 2026, 3:30-5pm MT
• Nurturing Speaking Growth: Virtual Webinars 10/28 & 11/4, 2026, 3:30-5pm MT
• When Language and Disability Meet - Planning Instruction to Support Multilingual Learners Who Are Dually Identified: Virtual Webinars 2/16/27, 3-4:45pm MT & 2/23/27, 3-4:30pm MT
• Standards Aligned Instruction - Language, Literacy and Biliteracy Planning: In-Person Workshop 3/16/27, In Salt Lake City Area, time TBD (full day)
• Collaboration Practices and Potentialities: In-Person Workshop 5/18/27, In Salt Lake City Area, time TBD (full day)