ELPAC Event Opportunities
This section of the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Web site provides information about the various opportunities for California educators to participate in activities for the ELPAC. Information will be updated throughout the coming months. Please check back often for the latest educator opportunities information.
To support the development of the new ELPAC, the California Department of Education (CDE) and its ELPAC contractor, Educational Testing Service (ETS), are offering several opportunities during the 2018–19 school year for California educators.
ETS, in partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), will convene and assist with a series of ELPAC meetings related to Speaking and Writing range finding, and item development. At the Range Finding meetings, selected California educators will score student Speaking or Writing responses and identify anchor responses for the Summative and Initial ELPAC training materials. At the Item Writer Training meeting and the Content, Bias and Sensitivity Review Panel meetings, the goal is to develop new items for future versions of the ELPAC.
Application Instructions and Qualifications
Application Instructions
To apply for one or more of the 2018–19 ELPAC educator meetings, complete the secure online application .
Qualifications
We are seeking applications from current and retired California educators who have experience and expertise in English language development (ELD) and/or experience teaching English to English learners (ELs) in kindergarten through grade twelve (K–12). Teachers, administrators, EL specialists, literacy specialists and coaches in K–12, and college and university educators are encouraged to apply. Participants must be able to attend each meeting they are applying for in its entirety. Meetings typically run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The minimum qualifications are:
- Bachelor's degree
- Expertise in language acquisition or experience teaching English learners in grades K–12
- Knowledge of and experience working with the 2012 ELD Standards
Additional desirable qualifications include:
- A teaching credential authorization for English language development, specially designed academic instruction in English (SDAIE), or content instruction delivered in the primary language (e.g., Cross-cultural, Language, and Academic Development Certificate; Bilingual, Cross-cultural, Language, and Academic Development Certificate)
- Specialized teaching certification in reading (e.g., Reading Certificate, Reading and Language Arts Specialist Certificate)
- Experience writing or reviewing test items for standardized tests, especially tests for K–12 English learners
- Recent experience administering or training for the administration of the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) or California English Language Development Test (CELDT)
Opportunities and Application Deadlines
There are 12 educator opportunities available for application during the 2018–19 school year. The table below shows a listing of opportunities and their corresponding dates, and time commitments. All meetings will be held in Sacramento.
Meeting | Meeting Goals | Dates |
---|---|---|
Item Writer Training Meeting | Participants will receive training in how to write items, and then write items to be used in future versions of the ELPAC. | October 8–11, 2018 |
Initial ELPAC Speaking 2019–20 Range Finding Meeting 1—Speech Functions | Participants will score student Speaking responses and identify training samples for Initial ELPAC trainings. | January 14–16, 2019 |
Initial ELPAC 2019–20 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 2—Summarize an Academic Presentation | Participants will score student Speaking responses and identify training samples for Initial ELPAC trainings. | January 22–25, 2019 |
Initial ELPAC 2019–20 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 3—Support and Opinion/Retell a Narrative | Participants will score student Speaking responses and identify training samples for Initial ELPAC trainings. | January 28–31, 2019 |
Content Review Panel | Participants will ensure the alignment of the new test items to the 2012 ELD Standards and correspondence to approved state mathematics and science standards. | February 12–13, 2019 (2-day meeting) |
Bias and Sensitivity Review Panel | Participants will identify items with potential bias that may affect the performance of particular groups of students. | February 14–15, 2019 (2-day meeting) |
Summative ELPAC 2020 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 1—Retell a Narrative | Participants will score Speaking student responses and identify anchor samples for the 2020 Summative ELPAC. | March 18–21, 2019 |
Summative ELPAC 2020 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 2—Present and Discuss Information | Participants will score Speaking student responses and identify anchor samples for the 2020 Summative ELPAC. | March 19–21, 2019 |
Summative ELPAC 2020 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 3—Support and Opinion | Participants will score Speaking student responses and identify anchor samples for the 2020 Summative ELPAC. | March 25–28, 2019 |
Summative ELPAC 2020 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 4—Summarize and Academic Presentation | Participants will score Speaking student responses and identify anchor samples for the 2020 Summative ELPAC. | March 25–28, 2019 |
Summative ELPAC 2020 Speaking Range Finding Meeting 5—Speech Functions | Participants will score Speaking student responses and identify anchor samples for the 2020 Summative ELPAC. | April 15–18, 2019 |
Summative ELPAC 2019 Embedded Field Test Writing Range Finding | Participants will score Writing student samples and identify anchor and training responses to be used in the scoring of the written constructed response items. | May/June 2019 TBD |
Application Review and Participation Notification
Applicant information will be submitted to the CDE for review and approval. If you are selected, you will be given more information about the meeting, including travel arrangements.
Reimbursement and Travel Expenses
Travel expenses for the meetings will be prepaid or reimbursed by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) in accordance with state travel rules and rates, and local educational agencies (LEAs) will be reimbursed for the cost of a substitute teacher (if needed) or you will be paid an honorarium of $100.00 per day (if on non-contract days).
Please check with your LEA before applying to verify that you would be able to attend the applicable meeting if you are selected.
Questions
Questions about the educator opportunities should be directed to Jackie Adams, Project Specialist, SCOE, by phone at 916-228-2207, or by e-mail at elpac@scoe.net.