For over 20 years, New York students classified as English learners have taken the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test, commonly known as the NYSESLAT. That exam has played an important role in schools, helping educators understand students’ language development and determine when students are ready to exit English-learner programs. While the test has served generations of students, it is also one of the oldest language-proficiency assessments still in use in the United States.
Beginning next school year, New York will replace the NYSESLAT with WIDA ACCESS, a computer-based English-language proficiency assessment. WIDA ACCESS is currently used by 41 states, and New York’s participation brings that total to 42. As a result, nearly 260,000 additional English learners nationwide will be taking the same assessment, strengthening the consistency of data on language development across states.
WIDA, which stands for World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment, is a consortium housed at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education. In addition to developing assessments, WIDA provides instructional resources and professional learning tools designed to support educators who work with multilingual learners. Its best-known assessment, ACCESS for ELLs, is used by states to meet federal requirements for monitoring students’ progress in acquiring English.
One of the key reasons New York chose to join the consortium is accessibility. The state’s existing test does not include an alternate assessment for English learners with significant cognitive disabilities. WIDA offers an alternate version of ACCESS designed specifically for those students, allowing them to demonstrate language growth in a way that is more appropriate to their needs. State leaders have emphasized that providing an equitable and ethical assessment option for all students was a critical factor in the decision.
The digital and adaptive design of WIDA ACCESS also marks a notable shift for New York. Unlike the paper-based NYSESLAT, the WIDA assessment adjusts the level of difficulty as students respond to questions. This approach is intended to give a more precise picture of a student’s language abilities across the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Because student performance on the exam helps determine how much English-language instruction and support a student receives each week, accuracy is especially important.
At the same time, state officials recognize that moving from a paper test to a digital one requires careful preparation. Schools will need to ensure that students are comfortable with the technology and that testing conditions are equitable. Particular attention will also be paid to making sure students with significant cognitive disabilities can fully access the alternate assessment.
To support a smooth transition, New York will use the 2025–26 school year as a bridge year. During that time, English learners will continue taking the existing paper-based exam while educators receive training on WIDA ACCESS. Regional support hubs and state leaders will focus on helping teachers understand how the test works, how to administer it, and how to use WIDA’s broader set of instructional resources.
Importantly, the state has made clear that joining WIDA does not mean changing what teachers teach. New York will continue to use its own academic and linguistic expectations, noting that there is sufficient overlap between state standards and the WIDA assessment to ensure alignment. Educators are being encouraged to remain focused on the academic language students need to succeed in content-area classrooms.
Beyond New York, the state’s entry into the WIDA consortium has national implications. With one of the largest and most diverse multilingual student populations in the country, New York brings decades of experience, research, and instructional knowledge to the consortium. That expertise will be shared with other member states, just as New York educators will gain from collaboration with colleagues nationwide.
As more English learners across the United States take the same assessment, policymakers and researchers will also have access to stronger, more comparable data on language-proficiency growth. In that sense, WIDA in New York represents not only a change in testing, but a step toward greater coherence and equity in how multilingual learners are supported across the country.