English Language Development (ELD)
Professional Standards & References — English language development standards and guidance for multilingual learners.
Choose your state to see its official standards. National frameworks are models; each state's adopted standards are the authoritative source.
Proficiency
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ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (opens the official website in a new tab)
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign LanguagesDescriptions of what language users can do at each proficiency level.
ELD standards
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WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework (opens the official website in a new tab)
WIDA (University of Wisconsin–Madison)ELD standards used by many states for multilingual learners.
Professional organizations
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TESOL International Association (opens the official website in a new tab)
TESOL International AssociationProfessional organization for English language teaching, with standards and resources.
Federal guidance
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National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) (opens the official website in a new tab)
U.S. Department of EducationFederal resources on supporting English learners.
Each reference opens its official source in a new tab and is labelled as a standard, framework, law or regulation, guidance, or professional resource. Teach This Way! is not affiliated with these organizations. Links are checked regularly; report a broken link through Contact Us.
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