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09/01/2026
by Katie Leven, VP of Communications
Welcome back! Wow! Was that a fast summer or what? I hope you enjoyed it! Today is my opening day. I have a cousin who this is her first day with students. Other districts around me don’t even start until after Labor Day. So, whatever today looks like, I wish you the very best day!
As we look ahead, I know what is first on my mind is the students… getting to know them, building relationships, preparing my room for their arrival and their various needs. Everything we do is to set up our students up for the most success possible in one school year. I have such high hopes and expectations as we jump into a new year with so many unknowns.
Another item on my mind is the switch over to WIDA. If you didn’t check out my previous post summarizing the most relevant information from their presentations, you can check it out here: https://nystesol.org/blog/nys-tesol-blog/2026-06-23-what-do-i-need-to-know-now-about-wida
WIDA has updated New York State’s page. It looks completely different. I want to highlight their “to do” list of items that need to be done before their exam administration. It can be found here: https://wida.wisc.edu/about/consortium/ny In addition, there are several dates for upcoming webinars that you might want to add to your calendar. Please be careful about what you sign up for. When attending any WIDA training, make sure that the title includes "...in/for New York" (e.g. WIDA ACCESS for New District Test Coordinators in New York, User Management in WIDA AMS for New York, etc.).
Finally, the WIDA secure portal will be available to districts on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. The test coordinator will be responsible for creating and managing user accounts for staff and faculty who need access to the portal. If districts didn’t identify an ELL testing coordinator by June 30th, it defaults to the superintendent/CEO. Local RBERNs are our best resource during this transition; make certain to read their emails carefully. We are grateful for their support! If you are unsure about which is your local one, you can look for more information here: https://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/regional-supportrberns Look to sign up for their email “list serv”.
Happy new (school) year!
by Katie Leven, VP of Communications
Welcome back! Wow! Was that a fast summer or what? I hope you enjoyed it! Today is my opening day. I have a cousin who this is her first day with students. Other districts around me don’t even start until after Labor Day. So, whatever today looks like, I wish you the very best day!
As we look ahead, I know what is first on my mind is the students… getting to know them, building relationships, preparing my room for their arrival and their various needs. Everything we do is to set up our students up for the most success possible in one school year. I have such high hopes and expectations as we jump into a new year with so many unknowns.
Another item on my mind is the switch over to WIDA. If you didn’t check out my previous post summarizing the most relevant information from their presentations, you can check it out here: https://nystesol.org/blog/nys-tesol-blog/2026-06-23-what-do-i-need-to-know-now-about-wida
WIDA has updated New York State’s page. It looks completely different. I want to highlight their “to do” list of items that need to be done before their exam administration. It can be found here: https://wida.wisc.edu/about/consortium/ny In addition, there are several dates for upcoming webinars that you might want to add to your calendar. Please be careful about what you sign up for. When attending any WIDA training, make sure that the title includes "...in/for New York" (e.g. WIDA ACCESS for New District Test Coordinators in New York, User Management in WIDA AMS for New York, etc.).
Finally, the WIDA secure portal will be available to districts on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. The test coordinator will be responsible for creating and managing user accounts for staff and faculty who need access to the portal. If districts didn’t identify an ELL testing coordinator by June 30th, it defaults to the superintendent/CEO. Local RBERNs are our best resource during this transition; make certain to read their emails carefully. We are grateful for their support! If you are unsure about which is your local one, you can look for more information here: https://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/regional-supportrberns Look to sign up for their email “list serv”.
Happy new (school) year!
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