WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework & Instruction
The State of Georgia is an active member of the WIDA Consortium and has adopted the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework. This framework, which saw an amplified version released in 2012 and a revised version in 2020, serves as the foundation for the ESOL Program's standards-based curriculum. This curriculum places a strong emphasis on fostering both social and academic language proficiency among English Learners. It achieves this by integrating the WIDA Consortium ELD Standards with the Georgia Standards of Excellence, ensuring that ELs can effectively utilize English to communicate and demonstrate proficiency across academic, social, and cultural contexts.
Given the diverse needs of Georgia's EL population, instructional approaches in both ESOL and general education classes must be flexible and responsive. Where feasible, leveraging students' home languages to facilitate instruction is considered appropriate and conducive to parental involvement and notification.
The WIDA ELD Standards Framework serves as a valuable tool for curriculum and instruction planning. These standards aid educators in assessing student English language proficiency levels and crafting tailored strategies to challenge them effectively, guiding them toward higher proficiency levels. The framework comprises five standards, each addressing specific language domains:
● ELD Standard 1: Language for Social and Instructional Purposes (ELD-SI)
● ELD Standard 2: Language for Language Arts (ELD-LA)
● ELD Standard 3: Language for Mathematics (ELD-MA)
● ELD Standard 4: Language for Science (ELD-SC)
● ELD Standard 5: Language for Social Studies (ELD-SS)
These standards collectively provide a comprehensive framework for supporting ELs in acquiring language skills across various content areas, thereby facilitating their academic success and linguistic development. How to Locate WIDA Standards in GaDOE SuitCASE