ELPAC email update, January 3, 2022.

This communication includes information about the Initial, Summative, and Alternate ELPAC.

Urgently Needed

Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test: English Only Study

To support test content validity, LEAs that are participating in the Alternate ELPAC operational field test are asked to voluntarily test students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose primary or home language is English only. A monetary incentive will be provided to LEAs that participate in this study. Contact the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) by email at elpac@scoe.net if interested.

Alternate ELPAC Standard Setting Meeting

The California Department of Education (CDE) and the ELPAC Project Team are urgently seeking California educators who teach students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are also English learner (EL) students to participate in the Alternate ELPAC Standard Setting Workshop, which will take place virtually in two sessions:

• Kindergarten through grade two: February 22–25, 2022
• Grades three through twelve: February 28–March 3, 2022

If interested, please contact the ELPAC Project Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Please mark your calendars!

January 5, 2022

Scheduled Systems Downtime

Various ELPAC systems will be unavailable from Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at 5 p.m., through Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 8 a.m.

January 11, 2022

Summative ELPAC Directions for Administration Available

Summative ELPAC Directions for Administration (DFAs) will be available after systems resume on January 11, 2022. To access the DFAs, select the [Resources] button on the top navigation bar in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) . Remote DFAs and addenda will be posted on January 24, 2022.

January 14, 2022

Summative ELPAC Test Materials Supplemental Ordering Window

The supplemental materials ordering window opens on January 14, 2022, and will remain open through May 13, 2022. Primary materials orders placed in December 2021 will be delivered the week of January 3, 2022. Please check that the shipping address in TOMS is correct prior to ordering. The shipping address must be a physical location; materials cannot be shipped to a post office box.

Coffee Sessions

The next virtual Coffee Session, hosted by the CDE and ETS, will be on January 14, 2022, from 2 to 3 p.m. LEAs can use the 2021–22 Coffee Session Content Request Form to submit questions in advance, request demonstrations, or tell about a best practice that can be shared with fellow LEA coordinators. Register now for the January 2022 Coffee Session .

January 26, 2022

Data-Driven Decision-Making Training

The January 26, 2022, CDE Assessment Update Webinar has been replaced with a new training opportunity—Data-Driven Decision-Making for Educational Leaders. It will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. This training is for school and LEA leaders interested in using assessment data, particularly in light of LEA flexibility to administer local assessments in spring 2021. It will cover data consistency between LEAs, requirements for reporting data, data collection, and using data moving forward. Register now for this new Data-Driven Decision-Making for Educational Leaders training!

February 1, 2022

Summative ELPAC Administration Window Opens

The Summative ELPAC administration window opens on February 1, 2022, and is available until May 31, 2022. To properly administer the Summative ELPAC, test examiners should complete Summative ELPAC Speaking certification in the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) for the grade levels or grade spans they are administering and access the DFAs corresponding to their LEA's form assignment.

Alternate ELPAC DFA Focus Groups

ETS and SCOE are looking for test examiners who will have administered the Alternate ELPAC operational field test prior to the dates of the focus groups to provide feedback on the DFA. The focus groups will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2022, and Tuesday, February 1, 2022. To attend one of these focus groups, please contact SCOE at elpac@scoe.net.

February 3, 2022

Pretest Virtual Training: Administering and Monitoring Testing

This virtual training will be held on February 3, 2022, from 2 to 4 p.m. By the end of this training, participants will be able to use the Test Administrator Interface to monitor students during testing; use TOMS and the Completion Status Report System to monitor student test assignment, completion, and reporting; and develop plans for makeup testing. Register now for the CAASPP and ELPAC Pretest Virtual Training .

February 15, 2022

Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Window Continues

The Alternate ELPAC operational field test closes on February 15, 2022. The Alternate ELPAC must be administered by a trained test examiner who is familiar with the student's preferred mode of communication. Students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities, as determined by their individualized education program team, and who are also EL students must take the Alternate ELPAC operational field test.

Users can download DFAs in TOMS . Test Item Preview books, which allow test examiners to view test content and plan individualized administrations for each student, are available in the Alternate ELPAC Test Examiner's Certification course in Moodle . For more information on the administration of the Alternate ELPAC operational field test, refer to the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Manual .

Note: Students who enroll in an LEA after the start of testing and have partially completed an assessment at their prior LEA will need to complete that assessment using the form assigned at the prior LEA. LEA coordinators, site coordinators, and test examiners can determine the correct form on the Form Assignment for the 2021–22 Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test web page.

Ongoing Reminders!

Summative ELPAC Form Assignments

Form assignments for the 2021–22 Summative ELPAC administration are available on the Forms Assignment for the 2021–22 Summative ELPAC Administration web page. Use the lookup tool to identify which form number the LEA has been assigned. Keep in mind that students who move from one LEA to another do not have to complete all domains using the same form. If a student started and did not finish a domain at the previous LEA, the student will complete the domain using the form assigned to the previous LEA. If a student did not start a domain or has completed a domain, the student should complete all other domains using the form assigned to the new LEA.

LEAs assigned to Form 2 through Form 6 can view a recording of the Forms Assignment Question and Answer Session available in the Trainer's Resources course in Moodle .

Summative ELPAC and Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Eligibility Report

Throughout the test administration, LEAs can refer to the Summative ELPAC and Alt ELPAC Operational FT Student Eligibility Report in TOMS for a list of all students within the LEA who are eligible and assigned to take the Summative ELPAC and the Alternate ELPAC operational field test. Information about the Alternate ELPAC appears in the last column. Alternate ELPAC indicators are as follows:

• "N/A"—The student is not eligible.
• "N"—The student is eligible but has not been assigned the test.
• "Y"—The student is eligible and has been assigned the test.

Tracking Test Examiner Calibration Certificates in Moodle

Thanks to feedback from LEAs, a new report is now available for viewing Summative ELPAC course completion status in Moodle. The new course completion report displays certificate completion for test examiners by grade level and grade span. In addition, the course completion report has improved check mark completion boxes.

Refer to chapter 3 of the Moodle User Guide for guidance on how to request LEA reporting access and additional information about ELPAC completion reports. Send an email to moodlesupport@scoe.net for additional assistance.

Virtual Trainings Available

Refer to the Upcoming Training Opportunities web page on the ELPAC website for all virtual trainings available this month.

Available Now!

Manuals, Instructions, and Quick Reference Guides

• Remote testing chapter in the Summative ELPAC Online Test Administration Manual

Videos

• Summative and Alternate ELPAC Q&A sessions are available to view in Moodle .
• ELPAC: What's New for Testing? video
• CAASPP and ELPAC: Get to Know TOMS! video

Access to Previous ELPAC Monthly Communications

Previous ELPAC monthly communications, as well as other email communications, can be found on the ELPAC Coordinator Emails web page.

Direct any questions about the ELPAC to your LEA Success Agent . Visit the California Outreach web page for other support options.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team

ELPAC website

Contact Us: California Outreach web page