A Big Change Is Coming — How Are You Feeling About It?
Back to BlogEditorial written by: Katie Leven, Vice President of Communications
Yesterday, a big announcement came from the New York State Board of Regents.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the official link:
???? Update to New York State’s English Language Proficiency Assessment
So… which reaction matches yours?
- “I doubt that’s true.”
- "This is going to be interesting!”
- “What the heck? No more NYSITELL and NYSESLAT?”
- “When is this effective? I have a new student starting tomorrow!”
- “I cannot wait to hear the details!”
- “Thank you so much!”
I’ll be honest—I first heard the news via text and thought, This cannot be real. Surely it was another case of fake news on the Internet, right? But then the official NYSED link appeared, and I had to admit: I was wrong! (Not the first time… and definitely not the last.)
Processing the News (and Our Feelings)
I needed a moment to process what this really meant—and maybe you did too.
Change like this can hit hard, especially when it feels sudden.
As I paused to collect myself, I remembered something from the book, The Body Keeps the Score. It reminds us that our bodies physically react to stress and uncertainty. When I stopped and paid attention, I noticed my own reactions: my heart was racing, my breathing felt faster, and my thoughts were spinning.
Was it the news itself that set this off?
Was it the busy morning I’d had?
Or maybe the worry about a family member in the hospital?
It could have been all of it mixing together—but one thing was clear: I needed to check in with myself and slow down.
So I took a breath. I reminded myself to step back, refocus, and put things into perspective.
Here’s a set of grounding questions I love to use in moments of stress:
- Will this matter 5 minutes from now?
- 5 hours from now?
- 5 days from now?
- 5 weeks from now?
- 5 years from now?
Regardless of your answers to those questions, learning a little bit more can also allay some fears. Here are some facts about WIDA according to the “History” section on their website: WIDA has been around since 2003. It currently has 41 member states. It’s testing, “includes [an] online test, Kindergarten ACCESS, and WIDA Alternate ACCESS for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Additional assessments offered include WIDA Screener and WIDA MODEL.”
Let’s pause and ponder:
???? Does that information help you a little?
Staying Grounded (and Maybe Laughing a Little)
A lack of information and a lack of control can cause a reaction in our body.
So let me ask you:
???? What energy are you bringing to the news you hear?
That question made me think of a funny meme floating around the Internet—about making copies.
Have you noticed that whenever you’re in a hurry, the copier always seems to jam? But when you’re calm and patient, things go smoothly. It’s like the machine can feel your energy!
It’s a good reminder: to have the best experience, stay calm, breathe, and trust that you can figure out whatever comes next.
The reality is that we cannot control what is coming. We can only control how we react. We can choose to enjoy the time, or make ourselves miserable through this transition. Either way, change is happening.
Could There be Some Good from This?
So let’s be open to the possibility that this decision was made with considerable deliberation before it was adapted. It was vetted through so many people who care about our Multilingual Learners of English, just like we do.
We will now have access to resources from 41 other states who currently use WIDA.
We will now have modified testing for our students with exceptionalities.
I am curious what else we will learn as we start digging into WIDA.
Remember: This isn’t rolling out until 2027, so we have plenty of “learning” time!
????Details can be found here: Update to New York State’s English Language Proficiency Assessment
Final Thought
So let’s approach this big change the same way we’d handle a finicky copier:
Keep calm. Slow down. Show up as the best version of yourself.
Because no matter what happens next, your energy, your mindset, and your heart will make the biggest difference—for you and for your students. We will figure this out together! ????
Additional Support from OBEWL
Remember that there are opportunities to communicate with OBEWL, including the Teacher Leadership Consortium on Thursday, October 9th at 3:30 pm. Please see the attached flyer and notice the two step process for registering:
- https://forms.office.com/r/4Upvb0pLfW
- https://zoom.us/meeting/register/r1UyF5FyRQGKy6HjxcuNmw
Additionally, they are hosting the Voices United Conference in Albany on Tuesday, October 23rd, as well.
They are here to support us and I’m going to fully appreciate that today.