ELPAC: July Monthly Update
ELPAC email update, July 1, 2021.
ELPAC Monthly Communication
This communication includes information about the Initial, Summative, and Alternate ELPAC.
Urgent Reminders
Generate SSIDs for Newly Arrived Students
The Initial ELPAC must be administered within 30 calendar days of a student's first enrollment in a California public school, per state and federal laws. All incoming kindergarten and newly arrived students must be issued a Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) prior to testing.
Upon enrollment in a California public school, parents are required to complete a Home Language Survey (HLS). If the HLS identifies a student's primary language as a language other than English, then the local educational agency (LEA) must enter an English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) of To Be Determined into the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). To generate an SSID in CALPADS, LEAs must enter the student's demographic data, ELAS, and enrollment information into their student information system and then upload the records into CALPADS immediately after enrollment. Please work with the LEA CALPADS coordinator to ensure eligible students are able to begin testing. It is critical that LEAs do a thorough search of student data prior to requesting a new SSID to avoid creating a duplicate.
These records will then feed into the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) within 48 hours of submission. As a reminder, LEAs cannot administer the 2021–22 Initial ELPAC more than 60 days prior to enrollment (first day of school) or before July 1.
Return Summative ELPAC Kindergarten Through Grade Two (K–2) Writing Answer Books
As LEAs approach the end of the school year, LEAs should return completed K–2 Writing Answer Books as soon as possible and not wait for all testing to be completed. Returning Answer Books more frequently will ensure the timely release of Student Score Reports (SSRs) for the students that have completed testing. If additional white cartons are needed to support the return of Answer Books, please contact the California Technical Assistance Center (CalTAC) to order additional white cartons. Additional information can be found on the Summative ELPAC Packing and Return Instructions.
Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
Please mark your calendars!
July 1, 2021
Student Enrollment
Reminder, any student newly enrolled in the LEA on or after July 1, 2021, will not be eligible to take the Summative ELPAC during the extended testing window.
July 6, 2021
2021–22 Initial ELPAC Administration Opens
The Initial ELPAC testing window for the 2021–22 administration year will open on July 6, 2021. The Initial ELPAC will not be available for administration from July 1 to July 5, 2021, to allow for the transition to the new school year. The Initial ELPAC can be administered either in person or remotely.
July 16, 2021
Summative ELPAC Materials Ordering Window
LEAs needing additional Writing domain testing materials for K–2 students can order supplemental materials in TOMS through July 16, 2021.
At the end of each testing year, ETS typically invoices LEAs for excess materials ordered during the Primary Test Materials Ordering Window and for any supplemental orders. Because of the impacts of COVID-19 and the decision for schools to continue with distance learning, LEAs will not be charged for excess materials ordered for the 2020–21 administration year. However, charges will be applied for excessive materials ordered in the 2021–22 administration year.
July 30, 2021
Summative ELPAC Administration Concludes
The Summative ELPAC administration window opened on February 1, 2021, and was extended to July 30, 2021. To properly administer the Summative ELPAC, test examiners should do the following:
- Complete Summative ELPAC Speaking certification—in the Moodle Training Site
—for the grade levels or grade spans that the test examiners are administering. - Access the Directions for Administration (DFAs)—in TOMS—that correspond to the LEA's form assignment.
- Ensure all four domains are completed and Speaking scores are entered into the Data Entry Interface (DEI) by July 30, 2021. LEAs should enter scores into the DEI immediately after administering the Speaking domain. LEAs must return all completed K–2 Writing Answer Books by August 16, 2021, to be scored.
- Submit appeals in the Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System with enough time to complete testing before July 30, 2021.
August 6, 2021
2021–22 Initial ELPAC LEA Certification
Statewide training is mandatory. All LEA coordinators, new and experienced, must log on to the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training registration site and verify that there is current staff within the LEA that have completed the LEA training requirement. If your LEA has current staff on the verified list, the LEA coordinator will certify the LEA completion status. Experienced LEA coordinators do not need to repeat the LEA certification course, only verify LEA certification. If the LEA has a new ELPAC coordinator or lead trainer that has not been trained, a representative will be required to complete the LEA certification. This must be completed by August 6, 2021.
Ongoing Reminders!
2021–22 Initial ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training
Test examiners must calibrate annually. The Examiner's Resource course in Moodle has been newly updated and is divided into sections specific to grade levels and grade spans. Test examiners need only to calibrate for Speaking and Writing items in the grade levels or grade spans they are administering and scoring. All LEA ELPAC coordinators will need to monitor that this requirement has been met.
The training binder remains unchanged for the 2021–22 administration. Only LEAs with a new coordinator or trainer will need to order a training binder. One or more printed copies of the Initial ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training Binder may be requested to be shipped by completing the online request process . Training binders will also be available for download—in PDF format—from Moodle .
Score Reporting Status
The "Score Reporting Status" section of the [MyTOMS at a Glance] tab in TOMS displays the percentage of students in the LEA whose scores have been released. The widget shows the percentage of ELPAC scores reported for the Initial and Summative ELPAC. The total percentage of Summative ELPAC scores includes students assigned the locally determined alternate assessment and general Summative ELPAC. The total percentage of Initial ELPAC scores includes all eligible students whose scores are reported.
SSRs for students are now available. Students for whom an SSR is not generated because of certain condition codes are excluded from the calculated percentages. There are two scenarios for which an SSR is not generated for students who tested with the ELPAC, by assessment:
- A student who has a valid Initial or Summative ELPAC test registration but was not tested
- A student who has a valid Initial or Summative ELPAC test registration but either did not meet the participation rule or received a partially tested value of "P" for the student's attempt. Refer to the Summative ELPAC Participation and Scoring guide for more information.
Stopping Marker Reminders and Writing Rubrics
In the current administration, some test examiners have been ending the test inappropriately. Please remind your test examiners that for K–2 Listening and Reading and kindergarten through grade twelve Speaking, the stopping marker is followed by an [End Test] button. As described in the DFAs, the [End Test] button should be used only when there have been no responses or no correct responses prior to the stopping marker.
Please ensure that all test examiners have been trained and certified in Moodle , are familiar with the DFAs before administering the test, and understand the directions on how and when to use the stopping markers.
For K–2 Writing, it is only appropriate to end the test if a student has not responded at all or there are no correct written responses. To further assist LEAs in determining what is a correct response, the Writing Rubrics for the ELPAC web document has been added to the ELPAC website.
ELPAC The Results Are In—Now What? Modules 1–7
Modules 1 through 7 are available in Moodle . These modules demonstrate how to use data to advance English language proficiency through high-leverage instructional sequences. Participants will use a protocol linking two of the more difficult ELPAC task types to robust classroom instruction that can be used to create ELPAC-like assessments in context. Video clips, student work, and reflections from the implementation of these practices with English learner students will be shared.
2021–22 Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test
The Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test for the 2021–22 administration year will open on November 1, 2021. In preparation for the assessment, the Alternate ELPAC Administration and Scoring Trainings are still available for test examiners to access. In addition, the form and second scoring assignments that were provided via email prior to the postponement of the operational field test will be reused.
LEAs can use the lookup tool on the Alternate ELPAC web page of the ELPAC website to find their form assignments or to confirm whether your LEA is required to participate in second scoring for the 2021–22 administration. Note, only a subset of LEAs that have students taking the Alternate ELPAC will be required to participate in second scoring. This means that a secondary test examiner will need to be present at the time of testing to score each student's responses to rubric scored items. LEAs will be chosen to participate annually, on a rotating basis. For more information, refer to the Preparing for Second Scoring section in the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Manual .
Educator Opportunities for the ELPAC and Alternate ELPAC
New opportunities for educators to participate in the development of the ELPAC and the Alternate ELPAC are available on the ELPAC and Alternate ELPAC Opportunities to Get Involved web page. New users can simply create an account in the Educator Opportunities Portal . Existing users are encouraged to go directly to the Educator Opportunities Portal and update the answers to both the old and the new application questions. For questions about how to get involved in these educator opportunities, please contact the CAASPP and ELPAC Project Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.
Available Now!
Manuals, Instructions, and Quick Reference Guides
Website Updates
- Initial ELPAC Test Administration web page
- Alternate ELPAC web page
- Form Assignments posted
- Second Scoring Assignments posted
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.
General questions about the ELPAC should be directed to CalTAC by phone at 800-955-2954 or by email at caltac@ets.org.
Sincerely,
California Technical Assistance Center, ETS
Phone: 800-955-2954
Email: caltac@ets.org
Website: https://www.elpac.org/