TESOL International Association and WIDA are joining forces to create Assessment in Action: Supporting Multilingual Learners Through Data and Practice, a three-part webinar series that brings together educators, researchers, and leaders to explore how the assessment of multilingual learners can provide meaningful data to inform practical and impactful instructional practices. Participants will dive deeper into the research behind effective assessment, hear from an educator about the integration of language development standards resources into classroom instruction, and learn how to best leverage data to inform instruction.
Timeline: Between April 2026 and May 2026, participants will attend three live webinars exploring assessment insights, classroom practices with WIDA standards resources, and student-centered research findings
Why Attend?
Attendees will gain practical strategies and expert insights from TESOL International Association and WIDA. The series offers innovative approaches to support multilingual learners through data-driven instruction, including techniques for differentiating between content and language concerns, integrating WIDA standards resources into daily classroom practice, and understanding recent research findings on assessment. Participants will engage in three live webinars from April to May 2026, featuring interactive breakout discussions, resource sharing, and opportunities to connect with a vibrant professional learning community focused on using assessment data to inform impactful instructional practices. This is a valuable opportunity to enhance your skills, expand your network, and make a real difference in the lives of multilingual learners.
Who should participate?
This webinar series is ideal for educators working with multilingual learners at all grade levels. This includes ESL/ELL teachers, content area educators, school administrators, curriculum specialists, program coordinators, educational researchers, and anyone interested in supporting the academic success of multilingual learners through effective assessment practices. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of assessment data, learn practical strategies for classroom instruction, or explore the latest research in the field, this series will provide valuable insights and tools to enhance your professional practice.
Register for the Assessment in Action Series today!
Pricing
| Rate | |
| TESOL Member | US$30 |
| WIDA Consortium Member | US$30 |
| Non-Member | US$60 |
About the Assessment Community
This webinar series offers practical strategies and expert insights to support multilingual learners through effective assessment practices. Participants will explore data-driven instruction, integration of WIDA standards resources, and student-centered research findings to create engaging and impactful learning environments. Join us to discover innovative approaches to help multilingual learners thrive academically through meaningful assessment and instruction.
Participants will explore ways to:
- Turn assessment data into actionable instructional decisions: Participants will be able to analyze and interpret both formative and summative assessment data to differentiate instruction, set meaningful learning goals, and provide targeted support for multilingual learners across content areas.
- Integrate WIDA standards resources into daily practice: Participants will gain practical strategies for using WIDA's language development standards to guide instruction, build student agency, and foster inclusive learning environments that recognize and build on students' strengths.
- Apply research-based assessment strategies: Participants will learn about recent findings from student-centered research, including insights on enhancing score reports, developing assessments for young learners, and understanding the role of stakeholder perspectives in assessment development.
- Differentiate between content and language concerns: Participants will develop skills to identify whether student challenges stem from content understanding or language proficiency, enabling them to provide appropriate scaffolding and support for diverse learners.
The 3 Themes
Theme 1
Data That Drives: Using Assessment Insights to Inform Instruction
Live Workshop: Tuesday, 14 April 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET
How can educators turn assessment data into meaningful instructional decisions? This session focuses on using both formative and summative data to differentiate instruction, set learning goals, and support multilingual learners across content areas. Participants will engage in breakout discussions to share tools and approaches from their own contexts.
Participants will explore:
- Strategies for identifying if concerns are content-based or language-based
- Supporting students with exceptional needs
- Using data to inform differentiated instruction
- Setting achievable learning goals for multilingual learners
Meet the Presenters
Alisa Rhoads
Alisa Rhoads joined WIDA with over twenty-five years of experience as a multilingual educator, instructional coach, SIOP trainer and consultant. She has enjoyed living and working in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. Alisa taught students and coached educators from all over the world and has experience as a mainstream classroom teacher, K-12 ESOL teacher, and an instructional coach in pull-out, push-in, and co-teaching settings. As a Professional Learning Specialist at WIDA, she designs and facilitates professional development on various topics including literacy, math, collaboration, newcomers, and the WIDA ELD Standards Framework. She holds an advanced degree in Bilingual Multicultural Education from the University of Arizona and certifications in Instructional Design and Adult Learning.
Erica Solorio
Erica Solorio is an English Language Development teacher, TESOL-certified SWEL Coach and aspiring raciolinguist. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics: Teaching English as a Second Language at California State University Fresno and an M.A. in K-12 English Language Teaching from Hamline University. As one of the few Latina educators in her Minnesota district, she is a strong advocate for culturally and linguistically diverse students and has provided educators and other stakeholders with training on how to best serve this student population. She strives to challenge and remove systemic barriers in order to provide students with the opportunity to receive the equitable education they all deserve. She is equally passionate about the recruitment and retention of BIPOC educators and is the co-founder/facilitator of the BIPOC educator affinity group, Affinity Unite.
Theme 2
Teaching With Possibility: A Classroom View of WIDA's Standards Resources
Live Workshop: Tuesday, 28 April 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET
Step into the classroom with a multilingual learner educator who uses WIDA's standards resources to guide instruction, build student agency, and foster inclusive learning environments. This session offers practical strategies for integrating these resources into daily practice and showcases how they help educators recognize and build on students' strengths.
Participants will explore:
- Practical integration of WIDA standards resources into daily instruction
- Recognizing and building on student strengths
- Building student agency in language development
- Supporting colleagues with standards-based instruction
- Practical breakout scenarios using standards resources with content
Meet the Presenters
Katherine Miller
Katie C. Miller is an English language development teacher at a Minnesota middle school, where she helps multilingual students develop academic language, literacy, and confidence. She also serves as a SWEL (School-Wide English Learning) Coach, partnering with fellow educators to build capacity for language-focused instructional practices. Miller began her teaching career in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and has also worked as a museum docent. Outside of the classroom, she loves reading, running, and knitting.
Jessica Canul Diaz
Jessica Canul Diaz is a standards resource developer at WIDA. Driven by a deep-rooted passion for multilingual learners, Jessica is an advocate and instructional leader committed to promoting equity, biliteracy, and culturally and linguistically responsive education. Prior to joining WIDA, she served as a Biliteracy Instructional Specialist and higher education instructor, bringing over a decade of experience supporting emergent bilingual students, educators, and systems in building inclusive, transformative learning environments.
Lynn Shafer Willner
Dr. Lynn Shafer Willner designs language standards for multilingual learners, digital tools, and accessibility/accommodations research and guidelines for WIDA as a member of the WIDA Assessment Team. Her current work focuses on the integration of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework into the WIDA suite of assessments. Most recently, Lynn developed the alignment architecture for the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework (2020 Edition). A former Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools ESOL teacher, Lynn has a Ph.D. in Education from George Mason University with specializations in multilingual/multicultural education and instructional technology.
Theme 3
Lessons From Student-Centered Research With Young Multilingual Learners and Their Educators
Live Workshop: Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 6:00 p.m. ET
Join WIDA researchers as they unpack key findings from recent studies that involve K-12 students and their teachers. This session highlights the importance of including the voices and perspectives of key interest holders, namely K-12 multilingual learners and their language teachers when researching large-scale tests of English language proficiency. Participants will learn about student and educator contributions to projects that focused on enhancing K-12 score reports, developing a new assessment for Kindergarten multilingual learners, and the exploration of fair use of automated writing scoring and feedback for students in grades 4-12.
Participants will explore:
- Enhancing K-12 score reports based on user feedback
- Developing new assessments for Kindergarten multilingual learners
- Fair use of automated writing scoring and feedback (grades 4-12)
- The importance of interest holder perspectives in assessment research
Meet the Presenters
Mark Chapman
Mark Chapman is the Senior Innovation Researcher at WIDA. His work focuses on researching innovative assessment practices to enhance language tests for young multilingual learners. Mark also conducts research into the validation of speaking and writing assessments for young multilingual learners. He publishes his work in journals and edited volumes and regularly presents at domestic and international conferences.
Mark previously served as the Associate Director of Assessment with the University of Michigan’s English as a Second Language testing program. He also spent more than a decade teaching English in Japan. He has a a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of Birmingham (U.K.) and a Ph.D. in assessment from the Center for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire (U.K.).
Ahyoung Alicia Kim
Ahyoung Alicia Kim is a researcher at WIDA where she conducts validation research of WIDA ACCESS and other WIDA language assessments. Her research interests include language assessment, child bilingualism, second language literacy development, and computer-assisted language learning.
Prior to joining WIDA, Alicia was a post-doctoral fellow with a focus on child bilingualism at Cornell University. She has also led research on large-scale English proficiency exams at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. Over the years, she has taught TESOL and ESL courses in the U.S. and abroad.
Alicia holds an Ed.D. in Applied Linguistics and an Ed.M. in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Jason A. Kemp
Jason Kemp is an assessment researcher at WIDA. He participates in research projects that support K-12 multilingual learners and their educators. His duties also include contributing to the development of English language proficiency assessments. For example, Jason evaluates test items and graphics during annual bias, sensitivity, and content reviews. He has taught Spanish in a variety of contexts in Florida, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Jason has also worked with future world language educators in teacher certification courses. Jason completed his PhD in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a MA in Spanish from the University of Central Florida and BAs in Spanish and sociology from the University of North Florida.
Register
Ready to join us for this one-of-a-kind professional learning experience? Register today!