WIDA Can Do Descriptors: A Teacher's Guide to Using Them in the Classroom

What the Can Do Descriptors Are

The WIDA Can Do Descriptors are organized by proficiency level (1 through 6), language domain (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and grade band (K, 1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 9–12).

For each combination they describe what a student at that level can do with language in an instructional context. They are asset-based — they describe capabilities, not deficits.

A Level 2 student in grades 6–8 who is reading, according to the descriptors, can identify key words and phrases in illustrated text, match visual representations to simple text, and sequence picture-based text. That is a specific, actionable description of what the student can do. It tells you exactly how to design a reading task that is accessible to them.

How to Use the Can Do Descriptors for Lesson Planning

• Step 1: Identify the language demands of your lesson. What will students need to listen to, speak, read, and write?
• Step 2: Identify each ELL student's proficiency level. Your ELD specialist or ACCESS scores will tell you where each student is.
• Step 3: Cross-reference the descriptors. What can a student at this level do in this domain? That is your entry point for the task.
• Step 4: Design the task from the descriptor up. If a Level 2 student can "produce simple sentences using high-frequency vocabulary," your writing task should provide a sentence frame that gives them the structure while requiring them to supply vocabulary they know.

How to Use the Can Do Descriptors for Differentiation

The descriptors make differentiation visible. Instead of guessing what a Level 3 student can handle versus a Level 4 student, you have a specific description of each level's capabilities.

Example — a history writing task:

• Level 1: Label a diagram of the event using a word bank.
• Level 2: Complete sentence frames: "___ happened because ___. One effect was ___."
• Level 3: Complete a graphic organizer (causes, events, effects) and write one paragraph using sentence starters.
• Level 4: Write a multi-paragraph response arguing for the most significant cause, using evidence from the text.
• Level 5: Write an analytical essay with a claim, evidence, counterargument, and conclusion.

The content standard is identical across all tiers. The language demand is calibrated to each level's capabilities as described by the Can Do Descriptors.

How to Use the Can Do Descriptors to Communicate With Families

The descriptors can be translated into plain language for family communication. Instead of "Your child is at WIDA Level 2 Emerging in writing," consider:

"Your child is learning to write simple sentences in English. They can share information using short sentences and are building the vocabulary and sentence structures they need to write longer responses. Here is what we are working on to help them get there."

The Can Do Descriptors tell you what the student can do — which gives you language to describe growth, set expectations, and celebrate progress rather than simply reporting deficits.

Common Misuses of the Can Do Descriptors

Using them as a ceiling. The descriptors describe current capability, not maximum potential. A Level 2 student given only Level 2 tasks will not move to Level 3. The descriptors tell you the entry point — instruction should push slightly above it.

Ignoring the grade band. A Level 3 descriptor for grades 2–3 and a Level 3 descriptor for grades 9–12 describe very different things. Always use the grade band that matches your students.

Applying them to one domain only. A student may be at different proficiency levels in different domains. A student who listens at Level 3 may write at Level 2. Use domain-specific descriptors for domain-specific tasks.

Treating them as a checklist. The descriptors are a planning tool, not an assessment rubric. They describe what students can do, not whether they have demonstrated every item on a list.