EL Update
January 7th, 2026
🎆Welcome Back!🎇
Section 41 App Due January 15th!
- application due by January 15th for an Oct. 7th obligation date
- All districts that apply for Section 41 must upload their staffing calculator and a 4 year plan to reach sufficient staffing of certified teachers with the ESL or Bilingual endorsement who are 100% funded by General Funds
- ESSA Waiver Watch site tracks states' requests to waive ESSA requirements such as testing and the ability to block grant their funds
WIDA
- Materials arrive in districts January 22nd
- WIDA Screener Cycle 2 has started - newly enrolled K students now take all four domains and all other grade levels take their current grade level test
- Due by 1/31 - K students who were potential ELs need to be tested with R & W K screener
- WIDA Test Exceptions - due Jan. 16th, OEAA Secure Site
- WIDA Offsite Testing Request window is open, OEAA Secure Site
- False EL Requests - now in MSDS, how to video and instructions
- All Test Administrators must complete their WIDA Access or Alt Access training in the Secure Portal before giving the test to students
- NEW WIDA Access and Alternate Access Test Exceptions guidance and False EL guidance
- NEW Should My Students Take the Alternate Access assessment?
- 25/26 List of Important Dates available now
- WIDA Access window Jan. 26th - April 3rd
- WIDA Checklists now available - Online and Paper/Pencil
State Assessments - NEW WIN Info
- What Your Need to Know About the WIN Career Readiness System - click file below (replacement for Work Keys)
- College Board - new EL Support provides Text to Speech for Math section
- CB SSD - look for "EL Supports" when requesting Math Only test or Math Text to Speech
Need to Know & Current Actions
- School Meals during Ramadan - schools can request a waiver that allows them to provide school breakfast and lunch to be served in non-congregate style for students
- NEW English Learner setting and course coding in the TSDL, required for 26/27 school year - guidance document, webinar available soon (this is relevant for Pupil Accountants)
- NEW Program Evaluation webinar and data collection tools for Monitoring Indicator #18
- Parents / Guardians / Families may be unable to attend events in person, consider virtual / phone / text options, community spaces, or home visits with a well known and trusted staff member
Resources & Events
Article - How an AI-generated song transformed my ELL classroom
January 13th @ 4pm - Adrian Mendoza on integrating content and language in mathematics - virtual meeting, Newcomer Educator Network
- NEW from MDE A Resource for Local Education Agencies and Schools Supporting Students Separated from Parents or Legal Guardians Due to Deportation Proceedings
- NEW – English Learner Requirements (with citations)
25/26 Resources
- 25/26 EL Timeline
- NEW Kindergarten Flow Chart
- NEW Administrator's Guide for English Learners
- Updated Statewide EL Professional Learning calendar - includes webinars for EL Program Eval focus Indicator 18 and new False EL process
- Kent ISD Guidance on using an Affidavit instead of copying / keeping birth certificates or identity documents during enrollment
- Materials from the 1st Monitoring Indicator 18 webinar - register for Part 2 here