Making Sense of the New WIDA Language Charts
Turning Data into Action
The updated WIDA Language Charts are here—and they’re packed with new opportunities to make language data more actionable, more instructional, and more equitable. The charts were shared in May, but if your end-of-the-year is anything like mine, you did not have the bandwidth to notice. I have read the document, and I’m excited to share some of the highlights with you in this blog. I want to lead with an important point of assurance: the skills articulated within the new WIDA Language Charts align with the English Language Development (ELD) standards. Fear not, the work you have done to lesson plan and data collect with the ELDs in mind are still very much applicable. However, the new document is easier to access, more streamlined, and contains helpful definitions of terms and examples of the various skills in action. I am excited about the changes and thankful for the ease with which key concepts in language progression are expressed.
Photograph by Freepik
What's New in the WIDA Language Charts?
These charts align directly with the WIDA 2020 ELD Standards and ACCESS test, but they aren't just for test prep or data walls. They're tools for:
Sharing and discussing student’s language development with other educators, parents, and students
Setting classroom language goals
Supporting differentiation
Tracking language growth across content areas
The Big Shift: From Scores to Student Language
As with the previous standards, the WIDA Language Charts articulate language trajectory from Level One to Six in both the expressive and receptive domains, with listening and reading falling under the term “Interpretive.” The charts also break language down into three dimensions:
Discourse – how ideas are organized and connected
Sentence – the complexity of grammatical structures
Word/Phrase – the precision and nuance of vocabulary
Each chart also includes reflective planning questions to help teachers stay asset-based:
What can the student do?
What are their cultural and multilingual strengths?
What feedback and scaffolds will move them forward?
These questions aren't fluff—they're powerful reframing tools. They shift our mindset from "What are they missing?" to "How do I support the growth that's already happening?"
How to Use the Charts in Real Classrooms
Here are three simple ways to use the WIDA Language Charts tomorrow:
Student Conferences
Use the three language dimensions to highlight where the student is growing, or, better yet, provide students with student friendly charts and have them reflect on their own language skills and levels.
Print a chart for the student’s grade band and proficiency level to review together.
Focus on "can-do" examples from their recent writing or speaking samples.
Set a goal based on the next level up, and decide on one classroom routine to support it (e.g., sentence stems, modeling transitions).
Collaborative Planning
Bring the charts into PLCs or co-planning sessions to align expectations across content areas.
Use a single student example and discuss where it falls on the chart across dimensions.
Develop common sentence frames, question stems, or scaffolded assignments based on that level.
Anchor student work using chart language—especially helpful in mixed-level classes.
Portfolio Development
Collect one writing sample or audio clip per student each month.
Use the charts to label each sample with the level and dimension focus (e.g., "Level 3: Word/Phrase").
Reflect with students on what changed from one sample to the next.
Share growth with families and colleagues using the visuals from the chart to guide conversations.
These practices don't require a total overhaul. They start by embedding language awareness into what you're already doing—and they pay off in student confidence, clarity, and progress.
Want a Visual Walk Through?
I created a free slide deck to summarize the key changes and help educators start using the charts with confidence. It’s clear, concise, and perfect for PD or self-paced learning.
Grab the freebie here:
Final Thoughts
Language is complex. So are the lives of the students we serve. Tools like these charts can help us honor that complexity while staying rooted in clarity, growth, and impact.
Here’s to language instruction that starts with what students can do. If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear how you’re using the new WIDA charts in your classroom.
Comment below or share with a colleague.
Thank you for writing about the Language Charts, Jessica. We’re truly excited that you’re using them and the resources you’re sharing are free.
May I offer a few technical clarifications based on our August 2025 article: Experts Answer WIDA Language Charts Questions: https://wida.wisc.edu/news/experts-answer-wida-language-charts-questions
1) What Proficiency Levels Are Used?
The Language Charts provide a plain-language extension of the 2020 Proficiency Level Descriptors. In 2020, we expanded the single K–12 continuum of Performance Definitions into six grade-level clusters:
• K
• 1
• 2–3
• 4–5
• 6–8
• 9–12
To situate those proficiency level interpretations, we focused on the *end* of each proficiency level. This is important because the article text describes the levels as ranging from Level 1 to Level 6, but in fact, the descriptors represent the *end* of each level (with Level 6 being open-ended):
• Level 6
• End of Level 5 – benchmarked with grade-level performance for that grade-level cluster
• End of Level 4
• End of Level 3
• End of Level 2
• End of Level 1
From the article:
Q: What proficiency level is targeted in the Language Chart descriptors?
A: The Language Charts describe student performance at the end of a proficiency level, similar to the Proficiency Level Descriptors in the 2020 Edition. These descriptors help educators understand and track where a student is headed on the language development continuum.
For example, an overall WIDA ACCESS score of 3.6 means the student is moving toward the End of Level 3 (approximately 3.9) in their language proficiency.
2) More Newcomer Support in Our Descriptors
The focus on the end of the level allows educators to use the spreadsheet version to create a sequence of End of Level 1 descriptors—especially helpful for grades 4–5, 6–8, and 9–12. This way, even if a student hasn’t yet reached End of Level 1 for their grade-level cluster, you can show they are making progress toward it.
From the article:
Q: Is there a breakdown within End of Levels 2 through 6, like the breakdown of descriptors leading up to End of Level 1?
A: No. The Language Chart descriptors for Levels 2 through 6 are presented along a continuum of language development; they are not broken down further. Refer to the Full Continua tabs (Tabs 17–20) in the Language Charts spreadsheet, which show student language development progression across six grade-level clusters (K, 1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 9–12).
The continuum for End of Level 1 is unique. It was developed by referencing earlier grade-level clusters to illustrate how students begin building their language toward the end of Level 1.
3) Standards or Standards Framework?
Quick note: WIDA’s standards are referred to as a standards framework—to support local customization. In the article, I’d suggest replacing “WIDA ELD Standards” with “WIDA ELD Standards Framework.” This flexibility is very intentional and helps us support educators in the 42 states and jurisdictions in the WIDA consortium.
Best regards,
Lynn Shafer Willner, Ph.D.