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The WIDA Screener is the English language proficiency test that WIDA member states use to identify English Learners when they enroll. It comes in four versions: WIDA Screener Online and WIDA Screener Paper for grades 1-12, WIDA Screener for Kindergarten for kindergarten and the first semester of grade 1, and WIDA Alternate Screener for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. It tests listening, reading, speaking and writing, reports proficiency levels from 1 to 6, and is scored locally by trained staff. WIDA describes its purpose as helping “educators make decisions about whether a student is a candidate for English language support services.” This guide covers each version, how it is given and scored, and how districts should use the results.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
The Screener is the entry point to EL services in WIDA states. A student whose home language survey points to a language other than English takes the Screener, and the state’s cut score decides whether the student is identified as an English Learner. The annual ACCESS for ELLs test then tracks progress until the student exits.
Four practical points matter most for district leaders. The version depends on grade and form. Speaking and Writing are scored locally, by staff who must complete WIDA’s scoring courses. Paper and kindergarten results are produced with official score calculators, online results in WIDA AMS. And WIDA is explicit that the Screener “is intended to be used as one element in the decision-making process,” alongside state criteria.
Key Takeaways
- Purpose: identify students who are candidates for English language support services.
- Four versions: Online and Paper (grades 1-12), Kindergarten, Alternate.
- Four domains, given in the order Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing on the online test.
- Scored locally: the platform scores Listening and Reading online; trained local raters score Speaking and Writing.
- Proficiency levels 1 to 6, by domain plus Oral Language, Literacy and Overall.
- The state sets the identification cut score, not WIDA.
The Four Versions of the WIDA Screener
| Version | Who takes it | Format | How scores are produced |
|---|---|---|---|
| WIDA Screener Online | Grades 1-12, in five grade-level clusters: 1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 | Computer, in DRC INSIGHT | Listening and Reading scored by the platform; Speaking and Writing by a trained local rater; report in WIDA AMS |
| WIDA Screener Paper | Grades 1-12 | Paper, with Path A or Path B | All four domains scored locally, then entered in the Screener Paper Score Calculator |
| WIDA Screener for Kindergarten | Kindergarten, and grade 1 “up to the end of the first semester only” | Individually administered, pencil and paper | Scored by the test administrator, then entered in the Screener for Kindergarten Score Calculator |
| WIDA Alternate Screener | Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, K-12 | Three grade-cluster forms: K-2, 3-5, 6-12 | Scored locally, then entered in the Alternate Screener Score Calculator |
Which calculator to use for each paper version, and what to enter, is covered in the WIDA score calculator guide.
How WIDA Screener Online Works
Quick answer: students take four domain tests in a fixed order, and their Listening and Reading results decide which tier of Speaking and Writing tasks they see.
According to WIDA’s Screener Online Test Administrator Manual, “the domain tests are administered in the following order: Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing.” Then “a student’s score on the Listening and Reading tests will determine if a student sees a Tier A or Tier B/C folder in both Speaking and Writing.” The manual gives approximate maximum times of 15 minutes for Listening, 15 for Reading, 25 for Speaking and 25 for Writing, “up to 80 minutes” in total.
One change for 2026-2027: WIDA announced that students taking Screener Online “will manually select” the Play button, because audio no longer plays automatically. Test administrators should mention it before students start.
Paper and Kindergarten Versions
WIDA Screener Paper uses the same four domains, with an entry task that routes students to Path A or Path B. WIDA’s interpretive guide notes that “students taking Path B complete only very brief Speaking and Writing tasks.” Test administrators score all four domains and enter the results in the Screener Paper Score Calculator, which “adjusts student’s scores according to their grade levels.”
WIDA Screener for Kindergarten is given one on one, with pencil and paper, and can be given in two domains (Listening and Speaking) or all four. Its calculator produces proficiency levels that, in WIDA’s words, “are on the same scale and have the same meaning as proficiency level scores reported for Kindergarten ACCESS.” For 2026-2027, WIDA added large-print versions of the Paper and Kindergarten Screeners, available through the WIDA Store.
WIDA Screener Scores and How to Read Them
The Screener reports a proficiency level from 1 to 6 in each domain, plus three composites: Oral Language, Literacy and Overall. The weights are the same as on ACCESS: the Overall score is 35 percent Reading, 35 percent Writing, 15 percent Listening and 15 percent Speaking. WIDA’s current interpretive guide states that composite scores “are rounded down to the nearest half number (0.5),” and the paper calculator calculates the Overall score “only when all four domains have been assessed.”
The level that identifies a student as an English Learner is set by each state. Colorado, for example, uses Overall bands in its 2025 Screener guide to classify students. Check your state’s identification guidance before placing a student. How the composites are built is explained in how WIDA scores are calculated, and what each level means in the classroom in WIDA levels explained.
Who Scores the Screener, and What Training They Need
The Screener is scored locally, which makes training a precondition rather than a formality. WIDA’s manual states that “Speaking and Writing responses are scored locally by a test administrator” and that “successful completion of the Writing and Speaking Scoring training courses is required to score these domains.” Speaking is scored with the WIDA Speaking Scoring Scale Grades 1-12, and Writing with the WIDA Writing Scoring Scale Grades 1-12, which is meant “for WIDA Screener only” and runs from 1 to 6 with plus scores. The courses and quizzes are in the WIDA Secure Portal; certification rules by state are covered in the WIDA test administrator training guide.
When the Screener Is Given
The Screener is given once, at enrollment, to students whose home language survey indicates a language other than English. Federal law sets the clock: under ESSA (Section 1112(e)(3)), districts must notify parents of a student’s identification as an English Learner within 30 days of the start of the school year, or within two weeks for students who enroll during the year. States set their own screening windows inside that deadline.
What Is Changing
WIDA has announced that it “will release a revised WIDA Screener in 2028,” built on the 2020 Edition of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, the same framework ACCESS moved to in 2025-2026. Until then, the current Screener remains in use, with the 2026-2027 changes above: manual audio playback online and large-print paper versions.
New York: The WIDA Screener Replaces the NYSITELL in Fall 2027
New York joined the WIDA Consortium in 2025, and the Screener is the last step of its transition. The New York State Education Department states that the NYSITELL “will continue to be offered until being replaced by the WIDA screener in Fall 2027,” and that the Screener assessments “will be implemented in Fall 2027 following the first administration of the WIDA ACCESS” in spring 2027.
| Period | New York identification test | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Until fall 2027 | NYSITELL | As today |
| From fall 2027 | WIDA Screener | Computer for most students; paper for kindergarten, the alternate assessment and students who need a paper-based accommodation |
For New York districts, two preparations follow from that timeline. The staff who identify newly enrolled students will need WIDA’s Screener scoring courses before fall 2027, covered in our WIDA training guide. And the paper and kindergarten versions are scored with the official WIDA score calculators, not in an online platform. The full state timeline is in New York’s move to WIDA.
District Benchmark: The August Screening Rush
Take a district that enrolls 400 students with a non-English home language between August and October. Each needs a Screener, a scored Speaking and Writing response from a certified rater, a placement decision and a parent notification within the federal deadline. If three staff members are certified, each must screen and score more than 130 students in about six weeks, on top of their regular caseload.
The bottleneck is rarely the test itself. It is the number of certified local raters. Districts that certify more staff in the spring, before the rush, meet the notification deadline with far less strain.
Common Mistakes
- Using the Screener as the only basis for placement. WIDA calls it one element of the decision.
- Letting uncertified staff score Speaking or Writing.
- Using the grades 1-12 Screener for a kindergartner, or the kindergarten version for a second-semester first grader.
- Applying another state’s cut score. Identification criteria are set by each state.
- Screening late in the window and missing the parent notification deadline.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month): Confirm how many staff are certified to score Screener Speaking and Writing at each school.
Medium-term (this year): Build a screening calendar that meets the 30-day notification deadline for August enrollment and the two-week deadline for mid-year arrivals.
Long-term (strategy): Plan for the revised Screener in 2028 and its alignment with the 2020 Edition.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- How many certified Screener raters do we have, and where?
- Which Screener version does each school use, online or paper?
- What are our state’s identification cut scores?
- How long does it take from enrollment to parent notification?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the WIDA Screener?
The English language proficiency test WIDA states use to identify English Learners at enrollment. It tests listening, reading, speaking and writing and reports proficiency levels from 1 to 6.
What are the versions of the WIDA Screener?
WIDA Screener Online and Paper for grades 1-12, WIDA Screener for Kindergarten for kindergarten and the first semester of grade 1, and WIDA Alternate Screener for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
In what order are the WIDA Screener Online domains given?
Listening, Reading, Speaking, then Writing. Listening and Reading results determine the tier of Speaking and Writing tasks.
How long does the WIDA Screener take?
WIDA’s Screener Online manual gives up to about 80 minutes for all four domains: roughly 15 minutes each for Listening and Reading and 25 each for Speaking and Writing.
Who scores the WIDA Screener?
Online, the platform scores Listening and Reading and a trained local rater scores Speaking and Writing. On paper and kindergarten versions, the test administrator scores all domains and enters them in the official score calculator.
Who takes the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten?
Kindergartners, and first graders up to the end of the first semester. From the second semester of grade 1, students take the grades 1-12 Screener.
Related Resources
- WIDA Score Calculator
- WIDA Test Administrator Training
- WIDA ACCESS Explained
- WIDA Levels Explained
- WIDA AMS and DRC INSIGHT
- What Is an English Learner?
Conclusion
The WIDA Screener decides who enters EL services. The right version depends on grade and form, the Speaking and Writing scores depend on certified local raters, and the identification decision depends on state criteria, with the Screener as one element. Districts that certify enough raters before August and screen early meet their deadlines and place students correctly.
Sources: WIDA Screener; WIDA Screener Interpretive Guide for Score Reports (spring 2026); WIDA Screener Online Test Administrator Manual (2024); WIDA, What to Know: WIDA Assessments in the 2026-2027 School Year; WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Score Calculator; Colorado Department of Education, WIDA Screener Quick Guide (August 2025); OSSE (District of Columbia), English Learner Policy and Programs (parent notification timelines). Verified September 28, 2026.
The Screener Measures the Starting Line
A Screener result is a starting point. It tells a district which students need support and where each one begins in listening, reading, speaking and writing.
What happens next decides how fast they move. Speaking is often the slowest domain to move, because in a class of twenty-five each student gets little time to talk. That is the Speaking Time Gap.
Some districts address it from the first weeks after placement with speaking practice that does not wait for the teacher’s turn. Telo AI is one example: five-minute sessions three times a week that adapt to each student’s level and push past one-word answers, with progress reported on a dashboard mapped to WIDA. See how that works across a school year.
The Screener sets the starting line. The year decides the distance.
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