English Language Proficiency Assessments

English Language Proficiency Assessment to Identify Multilingual Learners

English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessments are given to new and returning students who may be designated as Multilingual Learners (MLs). It is one component that assists educators with programmatic decisions such as identification and placement of MLs into Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs). ELP assessment scores and a Body of Evidence (BOE) must be used to identify students who are MLs.

Screeners are flexible on-demand tests that can be administered during the school year:

• Beginning July 1, 2022, the Kindergarten W-APT will no longer be available for Colorado schools and districts to use in the Multilingual Learner Identification process. Kindergarten and first semester, first-grade students will be assessed using the paper-based Screener for Kindergarten beginning SY22-23.  WIDA Screener for Kindergarten quick guide.

• Screener for Kindergarten Domain Administration: students in kindergarten first semester take only two domains: listening and speaking.  Second semester kindergarten and first semester, first grade students take all four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. 

• WIDA Screener is an ELP assessment administered to students in second semester, first grade through grade 12.  WIDA Screener is available in two formats: computer and paper. WIDA Screener for grades 1-12 quick guide.

Screener for Kindergarten and Screener for grades 1-12 are not available in an alternate format. Please refer to WIDA’s Accessibility and Accommodations Manual for flexible administrative considerations and universal tools for all students or to learn about accommodations for students with disabilities.  Students who have been identified with a disability must have a documented Individual Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plan during the time of screening in order to use accommodations as targeted support.

Important Information and Updates

SY25-26: WIDA Alternate Screener is a new assessment used to measure English language proficiency for students identified with the most significant cognitive disabilities who qualify for instruction under the Extended Evidence Outcomes (EEOs). It is a flexible, paper-based, on-demand assessment that can be administered at any time during the school year. This assessment anchored in the WIDA English Language Development Standards assesses each of the four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing. All domains will be scored by the test administrator and entered into the WIDA Alternate Screener score calculator in order to generate a report of the student’s test performance. WIDA Alternate Screener should only be administered to incoming students in grades K-12 who already have a formal IEP from the 50 states and outlying territories to help determine whether students are in fact Multilingual Learners (MLs) who qualify for Language Instruction Educational Programs (LIEPs). In addition, CDE anticipates this new assessment could be appropriate for potential MLs who participate, or who would likely participate, in alternate state content assessments. 

SY24-25: A new guidance document details WIDA’s recommendations for IEP/504 Plan teams to consider when administering WIDA Screener to a student who is blind or visually impaired (BVI), or who is deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). It includes general administration guidance, specific considerations for students who are BVI or DHH and a short list of resources for more information. Find this resource in the WIDA Secure Portal when filtering resources by Accessibility and Accommodations or any screener assessment.

SY22-23: Colorado will continue to administer W-APT to kindergarten and 1st semester first grade students during SY21-22. The full transition and requirement for districts to administer WIDA Screener Kindergarten will start SY22-23. WIDA Screener for Kindergarten is a new individually administered paper-and-pencil test that helps educators identify students as Multilingual Learners (MLs) in Kindergarten and 1st semester first grade. CDE will not be providing cut scores to align to Colorado English language proficiency levels at this time. During SY21-22 the Office of CLDE will collect data to set cut point guidance to be disseminated for use in SY22-23. Additionally, CLDE anticipates to provide supplemental test administration training in the Spring of 2022 after cut point data is collected and guidance is developed and disseminated.

WIDA has decided to retire the Kindergarten W-APT assessment at the end of school year 21-22. W-APT training and assessment materials will be removed from the WIDA Secure Portal on June 30, 2022, and the assessment will no longer be supported. The Screener for Kindergarten Training Tile in WIDA’s Secure Portal was activated on May 1, 2021 for LEAs to begin to explore assessment materials and to prepare for test administration next year. Districts and schools should also be reviewing training modules & test certification quizzes and other information related to the Screener for Kindergarten during SY21-22. CDE will not be suppling assessment kits. Student and test administrator materials can be downloaded at no cost or can be purchased through the WIDA Store.

Screener Certification

Districts, schools, and charter schools must ensure Test Administrators (TAs) complete online self-paced WIDA Screener modules and pass quizzes prior to administering and/or scoring Screener assessments.  TA re-certification is required every two years. Screener for grades 1-12 and Screener for Kindergarten training modules can be found by logging into the Secure Portal at WIDA.US. In the Secure Portal, select Assessment Training, then filter by test type: 'WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Administration and Scoring' and/or 'WIDA Screener (1-12) online or paper Administration and Scoring' courses. For more information about Multilingual Learner Identification and Screener administration or certification requirement, please email: