Educating English Language Learners “the WIDA Way”: Implementing Language Standards and Assessments in Massachusetts

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Common Core State Standards, Language Standards, and English Language Learners: An Exploration of Implementation Processes

Abstract

Currently, more than half of US states use a common English language proficiency assessment and a common set of English Language Development (ELD) standards aligned with the Common Core. This has been achieved through their membership in a single consortium of states called World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA). Historically, district policies for ELL identification and reclassification, placement, and instruction have varied widely. The widespread adoption of the WIDA standards and assessment represents a significant shift from local decision-making to a standardized framework for ELL instruction. Nevertheless, there has been little research to date about the implications of this widespread policy reform.
This paper presents the case of the adoption of the WIDA ELD standards in Massachusetts, where the number of ELLs continues to grow a decade after the passage of a restrictive English-only policy. Specifically, the paper addresses the following research questions: What are the implications of state efforts to implement the WIDA materials in an English-only context? How do local educators make sense of the adoption of ELL standards and assessments? Drawing on prior research on instructional policy reform (Spillane, 2004; Coburn, Bae, & Turner, 2008), this paper builds theory about ELL-specific standardization efforts. Through a qualitative case study, we explore the implementation of ELD standards through an analysis of 30 interviews with WIDA staff, state actors, and district ELL coordinators.
The paper presents findings that (a) describe important ways in which the WIDA materials depart from existing policies and practices in Massachusetts; and (b) depict varied interpretations of their adoption. Unlike previous standards movements, the ELD standards promote an overarching approach to language learning, rather than concrete standards for instruction. At the same time, WIDA provides greater specificity about language proficiency across the content areas (WIDA, 2010). Findings suggest that many educators struggled to make sense of “the WIDA way,” which they perceived as a shift from the dominant paradigm of instruction in an English-only context. Others embraced WIDA’s materials as supporting current practice, particularly those in high-incidence districts with existing structures to support ELLs. Given WIDA’s expanded conceptions of ELL instruction for general education, participants noted the crucial role of advocates outside the ELL community, particularly school and district administrators. The paper ends with a set of implications for future research and practice.
This paper contributes to a growing area of research, addressing the significance of language standards and the roles of state policy and local, district practices in their implementation. Given the rapidly growing ELL population and trends toward standardization, this paper offers important insight into ELL policy implementation.

References


Coburn, C. E., Bae, S., & Turner, E. O. (2008). Authority, status, and the dynamics of insider-outsider partnerships at the district level. Peabody Journal of Education, 83(3), 364-399.
Spillane, J. P. (2004). Standards deviation: How schools misunderstand education policy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment[WIDA]. (2010). The WIDA Can-Do Philosophy. Madison, WI: Board of the Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Authors

• Rebecca Jane Lowenhaupt, Boston College

• Erica Owyang Turner, University of Wisconsin - Madison