WIDA Proficiency Levels Explained for Classroom Teachers (What Students Can Do at Each Level)

WIDA describes English language development in six proficiency levels: 1 Entering, 2 Emerging, 3 Developing, 4 Expanding, 5 Bridging and 6 Reaching, and each level describes what an English learner can do with English as they move toward full proficiency. For classroom teachers, the levels are a planning tool. They tell you which supports a student needs to understand and use the language of your lessons, whether that means pictures and gestures, sentence frames or practice with complex academic sentences. This guide explains each level in plain terms, shows how to read a score report and gives concrete classroom supports for every level.

Where the levels come from

WIDA is a consortium whose English language development standards are used by many U.S. states and territories. Its current framework, the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, keeps the six proficiency levels used in earlier editions. It describes language growth through Proficiency Level Descriptors organized by two communication modes: interpretive (listening, reading and viewing) and expressive (speaking, writing and representing). The descriptors look at language at three dimensions: discourse (how ideas are organized across a text), sentence (how sentences are built) and word and phrase (vocabulary precision).

Not every state uses WIDA. Some use other frameworks and tests with their own level names. If your state isn’t a WIDA state, the ideas below still apply, but check your state’s own level descriptions.

The six levels at a glance

Remember that levels describe language, not intelligence or content knowledge. A level 1 student may understand fractions perfectly and simply need support to show it in English.

What students can do at each level

Level 1: Entering

Students understand key words and simple commands when they’re supported by pictures, objects, gestures and modeling. They respond by pointing, drawing, matching, labeling or with single words and memorized phrases.

Classroom example: In a science lesson on plants, the student points to the roots when asked and labels a diagram with words from a word bank.

Supports that work: Visuals for everything, total physical response, word banks with pictures, partners who share the home language, yes/no and either/or questions, and permission to answer nonverbally.

Level 2: Emerging

Students understand and use phrases and short sentences about familiar topics. They can follow multi-step directions with visual support and use patterned language like “I see a ___.”

Classroom example: The student describes a plant with “The plant has green leaves” and sorts pictures into “needs” and “doesn’t need.”

Supports that work: Sentence frames, picture-supported texts, graphic organizers, partner talk before whole-group sharing and short, repeated routines.

Level 3: Developing

Students use expanded sentences and some academic vocabulary, especially with support. They can retell, describe and explain in simple terms, though errors may sometimes affect meaning.

Classroom example: The student explains, “The roots take water from the soil so the plant can grow,” using the word wall.

Supports that work: Frames with connecting words (because, so, but), vocabulary taught in context, structured academic conversations and modeled writing.

Level 4: Expanding

Students use a range of sentence types and more specific academic vocabulary. They can compare, summarize and give reasons with some support. Their language works in most classroom situations, though complex texts and writing may still be challenging.

Classroom example: The student writes a short paragraph comparing two plants’ adaptations, using however and similarly.

Supports that work: Mentor texts, explicit teaching of complex sentence structures, discussion protocols and feedback on precise word choice.

Level 5: Bridging

Students use language that is close to that of English-proficient peers in most academic tasks. They may still need occasional support with very complex texts, idioms or advanced academic language.

Classroom example: The student writes a multi-paragraph explanation with evidence and transitions, needing help mainly with nuanced vocabulary.

Supports that work: The same high-level instruction as peers, with attention to figurative language, academic vocabulary and writing conventions.

Level 6: Reaching

Students use English at the level expected of their English-proficient peers. Many will have exited English learner services, depending on state criteria, and some may still be monitored for a period.

Reading a score report

Students in WIDA states take the ACCESS for ELLs test each year. Score reports typically show:

• Domain scores for listening, speaking, reading and writing.
• Composite scores such as oral language, literacy and an overall score.

A score like 3.5 means level 3, about halfway to level 4. Look at the domain scores, not just the overall: a student with a 4.2 in speaking and a 2.1 in writing needs very different supports in a discussion than on a writing task.

Planning with the levels

When you plan a lesson, keep the content the same for every student and adjust the language support. A quick way to plan:

1. Identify the language demand. What will students need to say, read or write? (“Explain why a plant needs sunlight.”)
2. Check each student’s level for that domain. Speaking or writing?
3. Choose supports. Picture choices for level 1, a frame for level 2–3 (“A plant needs sunlight because ___”), a frame with a connecting word for level 4, open response for level 5.

Our list of sentence frames for ELL has frames sorted by language function, and our ELL activities for elementary show how to adapt one activity for several levels at once.

One writing task across five levels

Here’s how a single 3rd grade task, “Write about why animals migrate,” might look with supports matched to each level:

• Level 1: Students label a picture sequence of a bird flying south with words from a picture word bank (bird, cold, warm, food), then copy one modeled sentence.
• Level 2: Students complete two frames: “Birds fly to ___ places. They need ___.”
• Level 3: Students write two or three sentences using “because” and “so”: “Birds migrate because it gets cold, so they look for food.”
• Level 4: Students write a short paragraph with a topic sentence, two reasons and a conclusion, using a list of transition words.
• Level 5: Students write a full paragraph with evidence from a text and precise words like habitat and survive, with feedback focused on word choice and sentence variety.

Every student learns the same science and writes about the same idea. Only the scaffolds change, and the goal is to remove them gradually as the student grows.

Common misunderstandings

• “A low level means low ability.” Levels describe English, not thinking. Keep content rigorous.
• “Students should stay silent until they’re ready.” Even level 1 students should participate, through gestures, pictures and single words.
• “Oral fluency means full proficiency.” Many students sound fluent in conversation but still need support with academic reading and writing.
• “The ESL teacher handles language.” Every teacher who teaches English learners is also a language teacher during content lessons.

English learners with IEPs

Some English learners also have disabilities. When a student has an IEP, the team considers language needs alongside disability-related needs, and both the special education and ESL teachers should be involved. Language differences alone are not a disability, and decisions about evaluation belong to the team.

Privacy

Proficiency scores and EL status are part of student education records protected under FERPA. Share them only with staff who work with the student and keep them in school-approved systems.

Plan supports faster

Adapting a lesson for several proficiency levels takes time. An AI lesson plan tool can draft a lesson with frames and supports for different levels, and a worksheet tool can make picture-supported versions of a text, which you review before using. For background on program models and terms, see our guide to ELL vs ESL.

For more strategies and frameworks for teaching English learners, visit our guide to ELL strategies.