Center for Applied Linguistics

Conference Presentation: Scoring Superstars! Scoring WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten Speaking/Writing Responses
2026-09-17 11:30 (America/New_York)
Scoring Superstars! Scoring WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten Speaking/Writing Responses
Event: 2026 WIDA Conference
Date: Friday, September 17, 2026 | 11:30 AM ET
Session Format: Presentation
Presenters:

Gina DiBella (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Christy Shepherd (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Beth Devito (WIDA)
Marcy Olson (WIDA)

Description:
Do you want to learn more about scoring WIDA ACCESS for Kindergarten Speaking and Writing tasks? In this session, we’ll delve into the WIDA Scoring Rubrics for Speaking and Writing and the new EXPECT boxes. We’ll use these resources to identify key scoring elements in presenter-led examples. We’ll also practice scoring student responses individually and in small groups. You’ll leave with a deeper knowledge of scoring expectations for both Speaking and Writing responses on Kindergarten ACCESS.

Conference Presentation: The New WIDA ACCESS Writing Scoring Rubric for Grades 1-12
2026-09-16 14:15 (America/New_York)
“The New WIDA ACCESS Writing Scoring Rubric for Grades 1-12″
Event: 2026 WIDA Conference
Date: Thursday, September 16, 2026 | 1:15 PM CT
Session Format: Presentation
Presenters:
Megan Welch (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Mark Chapman (WIDA)
Heather Elliot (WIDA)
Description:
Do your students take the WIDA ACCESS Writing test? Are you interested in learning about how student writing is evaluated on the ACCESS test? In this workshop, you will learn about the writing scoring rubric that is used to score students’ writing responses on ACCESS. The presenters will explain why and how this rubric was developed and you will have several opportunities to use the rubric to score authentic student writing samples.

Conference Presentation: Leading and Learning for Rural Multilingual Learners: An Inquiry Session
2026-09-17 11:15 UTC
Event: 2026 WIDA Conference
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 10:15 AM CT
Session Format: Presentation
Presenters:

Dr. Diep Nguyen (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Dr. Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Building on the “Bless Your Heart” Leadership framework and the CLEAR Paradigm, this interactive session invites participants to collaboratively explore the professional learning needs of rural leaders and educators serving multilingual learners. Participants will engage with emerging research themes on leadership, context, and capacity, then help identify what resonates, what is missing, and what should be prioritized in effective, equity-driven professional learning for rural communities.
