Who we are

Exciting news! The WIDA International School Consortium is transitioning to a new research-focused center, the Multilingual Learning Research Center (MLRC). Both WIDA and the MLRC are part of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

• WIDA develops English language standards and assessments for multilingual children to help ensure equitable, quality education.
• The MLRC advances educational outcomes for multilingual learners through innovative and socially conscious research and research–practice partnerships.

What we do

WIDA offers a comprehensive, research-based system of language standards and assessments. After the transition on July 1, 2023 international schools can continue to use WIDA assessments, WIDA language development standards and other resources, like the WIDA Can Do Descriptors. The WIDA Annual Conference will also continue to be the premier event for educators of Pre-K through grade 12 multilingual learners, giving educators from around the globe the opportunity to share best practices and discover innovative classroom strategies.

As a global research center, the MLRC will replace and extend the current work of the WIDA International School Consortium by studying important questions about teaching and learning in a variety of contexts and engaging in interdisciplinary research that is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. The MLRC is offering membership in a new global research-practice partnership: the MLRC School Network, a community organized around current research to improve schoolwide approaches. MLRC School Network members will also have unlimited access to a variety of learning resources including the WIDA Virtual Institute.