Wisconsin Wins $10.5 M Enhanced Assessment Grant

October 3, 2011

A new online assessments system is being developed for English learners (ELs), funded by a $10.5 million, four-year competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education. WIDA and five partner organizations will build the system on established English language proficiency standards for students learning English. Those standards describe the academic language development needed to reach proficiency in the general language of the classroom and school, as well as in the content areas of English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. The grant will also support ongoing research and comprehensive staff development. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is the lead agency in the 28-state WIDA consortium. More information is available here.