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WIDA training for test administrators happens in the WIDA Secure Portal: self-paced courses for each assessment, followed by certification quizzes that staff must pass before they give or score a test. Wisconsin and Colorado, for example, require a score of 80 percent or higher. How often staff must recertify is set by each state: Wisconsin requires every quiz to be passed again each year, while Pennsylvania asks ACCESS Online administrators to complete the full training only once. This guide explains what the courses cover, who needs which one, what changed for 2026-2027, and how to plan training before the testing window.
Table of contents
Executive Summary
Every WIDA assessment that people administer or score has a training course, and certification is the condition for doing either. Courses cover administration (ACCESS Online, ACCESS Paper, Kindergarten ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS, WIDA Screener and Screener for Kindergarten) and scoring, especially Speaking, which test administrators score on ACCESS Paper and on the Screener. Test coordinators assign roles in WIDA AMS, and staff take the courses in the WIDA Secure Portal.
The rules that vary are the ones that cause problems: which quizzes must be retaken each year, and by when. Districts that read their state’s WIDA page in September, rather than in January, avoid uncertified administrators in the window.
Key Takeaways
- Where: the WIDA Secure Portal, after logging in to the WIDA website.
- What: a course and certification quiz for each assessment and role.
- Passing score: 80 percent or higher in Wisconsin and Colorado.
- Recertification: set by the state; some require all quizzes every year, others only some.
- New for 2026-2027: a required “WIDA ACCESS Braille: Administration” course for braille test administrators.
- Accounts and roles are managed by district test coordinators.
Which WIDA Training Courses Test Administrators Take
| If you will… | You need training for |
|---|---|
| Administer ACCESS Online | ACCESS Online administration |
| Administer ACCESS Paper | ACCESS Paper administration, plus Speaking scoring for ACCESS Paper, because the test administrator scores Speaking during the test |
| Administer Kindergarten ACCESS | Kindergarten ACCESS, redesigned for 2025-2026 |
| Administer Alternate ACCESS | Alternate ACCESS |
| Administer ACCESS Braille | The new ACCESS Braille administration course, ACCESS Paper, and braille Speaking scoring |
| Give and score the WIDA Screener (grades 1-12) | Screener administration, plus Speaking and Writing scoring |
| Give the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten | Screener for Kindergarten administration and scoring |
Speaking scoring courses are split by grade band and by test. For 2025-2026, WIDA listed four: “Speaking for Grades 1-5: Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille,” “Speaking for Grades 6-12: Scoring WIDA Screener and ACCESS Braille,” “Speaking for Grades 1-5: Scoring ACCESS Paper” and “Speaking for Grades 6-12: Scoring ACCESS Paper.” The split follows the rubrics: ACCESS Paper Speaking is scored with the new WIDA Speaking Scoring Rubric, while the Screener and ACCESS Braille keep the WIDA Speaking Scoring Scale. The difference is explained in the WIDA speaking rubric guide.
Certification Quizzes and Passing Scores
Quick answer: after each course, staff take a certification quiz. In Wisconsin, test administrators must “pass the certification quiz with an 80% or higher.” Colorado’s 2025 Screener guide sets the same 80 percent threshold “prior to administering or scoring the test.”
Certification is personal and tied to the account in the Secure Portal, so a district cannot certify a staff member by proxy. Coordinators should check certification status before assigning anyone to a test session.
How Often Staff Must Recertify
This is where states differ most. Two examples from WIDA’s state pages:
| Assessment | Wisconsin | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|
| ACCESS Online | Pass the applicable quizzes annually | “Complete the full training only once. Annual recertification is not necessary.” |
| ACCESS Paper or WIDA Screener 1-12 | Pass the applicable quizzes annually | Full training once, then the Speaking training and quizzes every year |
| Kindergarten ACCESS | Pass the applicable quizzes annually | “Pass the Kindergarten ACCESS certification quiz annually.” |
| Alternate ACCESS | Pass the applicable quizzes annually | “Complete the full training and pass all quizzes annually.” |
Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction summarizes its rule simply: “All district and school staff involved in administering WIDA ACCESS must recertify and pass all quizzes annually.” Check your state’s page on the WIDA website before planning training.
Accounts and Roles
Staff need a WIDA Secure Portal account to take courses, and the process depends on the state. In Massachusetts, WIDA Client Services creates test coordinator accounts once the coordinator is listed in the state’s school and district profiles; school staff then go through their district. Testing roles in WIDA AMS are assigned separately: in Wisconsin, “DACs assign testing roles through the WIDA AMS.” The difference between the two systems is explained in WIDA AMS, DRC INSIGHT and the Secure Portal.
What Changed in 2025-2026 and 2026-2027
- 2025-2026: ACCESS incorporated the 2020 Edition of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, with new Speaking and Writing scoring rubrics. WIDA made the new ACCESS training available on September 1, 2025, and the redesigned Kindergarten ACCESS training on September 29, 2025.
- 2026-2027: a new “WIDA ACCESS Braille: Administration” course is required for all braille test administrators before they administer tests. Braille administrators should also complete the ACCESS Paper and braille Speaking scoring courses.
Planning Training Before the Window
Work backward from your state’s testing window, listed in the WIDA testing window guide:
- September to October: confirm your state’s recertification rules and list who needs which course.
- October to November: create or update Secure Portal accounts and assign WIDA AMS roles.
- November to December: staff complete courses and quizzes; coordinators track completion.
- Two weeks before the window: no one without current certification is scheduled to administer or score.
Screener training follows a different clock: raters must be certified before the August enrollment rush, not the winter window. See the WIDA Screener guide.
District Benchmark: The Certification Math
Take a district with 40 test administrators across 12 schools, in a state that requires annual recertification. If each administrator needs about four hours for courses and quizzes, the district needs 160 staff hours before the window, usually during the busiest weeks of the fall semester. Spreading that work across October and November, with a completion tracker, is the difference between a clean window and a scramble in January.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming last year’s certification still counts, in a state that requires annual quizzes.
- Training ACCESS Paper administrators without the Speaking scoring course.
- Waiting for the window to create Secure Portal accounts.
- Certifying Screener raters in September, after the enrollment rush has started.
- Confusing the Secure Portal with WIDA AMS when staff cannot find their courses.
Recommended Actions
Immediate (this month): Read your state’s WIDA page for recertification rules and list every administrator and scorer with the courses they need.
Medium-term (this year): Set a completion deadline two weeks before your window and track certification weekly.
Long-term (strategy): Certify Screener raters every spring for the following August.
Questions District Leaders Should Ask
- Which quizzes must our staff retake this year under state rules?
- Who tracks certification status, and how often?
- Do all ACCESS Paper administrators have the Speaking scoring course?
- Are braille administrators enrolled in the new 2026-2027 course?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is WIDA test administrator training?
In the WIDA Secure Portal, reached by logging in to the WIDA website. Ask your district test coordinator for an account; the process depends on the state.
What score do you need to pass the WIDA certification quiz?
Wisconsin and Colorado require 80 percent or higher. Check your state’s WIDA page for its rule.
Does WIDA certification expire every year?
It depends on the state and the test. Wisconsin requires all quizzes every year. Pennsylvania requires ACCESS Online training only once, but annual quizzes for Kindergarten ACCESS and Alternate ACCESS and annual Speaking training for ACCESS Paper and the Screener.
What training do you need to score the WIDA Screener?
The Screener administration course and the Speaking and Writing scoring courses. WIDA’s Screener Online manual states that completing the Writing and Speaking Scoring courses “is required to score these domains.”
Is there new WIDA training for 2026-2027?
Yes. A “WIDA ACCESS Braille: Administration” course is required for all braille test administrators before they administer tests.
Related Resources
- WIDA AMS, DRC INSIGHT and the Secure Portal
- WIDA Testing Window 2026-2027
- WIDA Screener
- WIDA Speaking Rubric
- WIDA ACCESS Practice Test
- WIDA ACCESS Explained
Conclusion
WIDA training is simple in structure: a course and a quiz for each test and role, in the WIDA Secure Portal. The complexity is in state rules on recertification and in timing. Districts that list who needs what in the fall and finish certification two weeks before the window arrive at testing with every administrator cleared.
Sources: WIDA, Wisconsin; WIDA, Pennsylvania; Wisconsin DPI, WIDA ACCESS Trainings; Colorado Department of Education, WIDA Screener Quick Guide (August 2025); WIDA ACCESS in 2025-26; WIDA, What to Know: WIDA Assessments in the 2026-2027 School Year; WIDA Screener Online Test Administrator Manual; Massachusetts DESE, WIDA and WIDA AMS Accounts. Verified September 28, 2026.
Certified to Score Speaking, Once a Year
Much of WIDA training is about scoring speech consistently: what separates an Adequate response from a Strong one, when a single word counts, why repeating the question does not. Test administrators learn to hear those differences in a few hours.
Students need far longer to produce them. Original, connected sentences are built through repeated turns with someone responding, and a class of twenty-five leaves each student little of that time. That is the Speaking Time Gap.
Some districts add speaking practice between administrations 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.
Training prepares adults to score speech. Practice prepares students to produce it.
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