ELPAC email update, August 23, 2021.

Dear LEA ELPAC coordinator:

ETS, the California Department of Education (CDE), and the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) will present the Alternate ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training (AST) virtually this fall.

The Alternate ELPAC is intended to replace all locally determined alternate assessments for English language proficiency (ELP) and, for the first time, provide a consistent, standardized measurement of ELP across the state for English learner (EL) students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

This email contains important information about the Alternate ELPAC:

1. Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Administration and Scoring Training
2. Training Binders and Picture Cards
3. English Only Special Study Comparison Group
4. Available Resources and Form Assignments

Mandatory LEA Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Administration and Scoring Training

The Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test must be administered to all kindergarten through grade twelve students up to age twenty-two with the most significant cognitive disabilities who have an English Language Acquisition Status of EL and have been determined eligible to take alternate assessments by an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. Participating students who are eligible for the Alternate ELPAC will receive a Student Score Report summer 2022, after standard setting is complete and the California State Board of Education approves the thresholds.

Registration of students for the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test will open on August 17, 2021. The Alternate ELPAC testing window is November 1, 2021, through February 15, 2022. To prepare for this test administration, SCOE has created virtual training modules for both LEA ELPAC coordinators and ELPAC test examiners. The 2021–2022 Alternate ELPAC AST is available through the CAASPP-ELPAC Moodle Training Site (Moodle) .

Prior to registering students for the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test, an IEP team meeting must be conducted and there must be an IEP in place for the 2021–2022 school year specifying that the student should take an alternate assessment. Any accommodations to statewide testing the student is to receive must be clearly described in the IEP and the student should have the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test selected in Test Operations Management System (TOMS). For additional guidance on IEPs visit https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/Se/ac/iepmodule3engtext.asp .

Statewide training is mandatory, and each local educational agency (LEA) who has eligible students will be required to complete the online LEA certification annually. LEA ELPAC coordinators and other test examiners can fulfill their training requirements by accessing the virtual training modules within Moodle.

For each LEA with eligible students, the LEA ELPAC coordinator or the LEA ELPAC coordinator's designee is required to complete the online LEA Certification course. The LEA Certification course will take approximately two to three hours and should be completed by October 15, 2021. There will also be an online Test Examiners Certification course that needs to be completed prior to setting up a testing session. In order to elicit the most reliable responses, it is necessary that the test examiner be very familiar with each student and each student's primary communication mode. It is strongly recommended that only an educator familiar with the student serve as the test examiner. LEAs will be responsible for tracking the progress of test examiners going through the Test Examiners Certification course.

LEA ELPAC coordinators and test examiners who have already completed a certification course for the Alternate ELPAC training on the Moodle Training Site will not have to certify again. Please note that Moodle will remain open for the continued training and certification of test examiners. The draft Directions for Administration (DFAs) posted in Moodle can still be used for training and preparation for test examiners. Please note that LEAs should be preparing and training test examiners based on the grade levels of the students they are expected to teach in the 2021–22 school year. LEAs will be notified when the final DFAs are posted.

LEA ELPAC coordinators need to complete the following steps:

1. Complete the appropriate Alternate ELPAC LEA Certification course by October 15, 2021.
2. Give lead trainers and test examiners enrollment key(s).
3. Ensure that all test examiners have a Moodle account.
4. Request reporting access for up to three LEA leads.
5. Verify that test examiners have completed certification by obtaining the completion certificate from the test examiner or by verifying completion via the Activity Completion Report in Moodle.
6. Order binder(s).
7. Order picture cards.

To obtain the Moodle enrollment keys, use the access code provided next. The LEA ELPAC coordinator must log on to the Administration and Scoring Training site and select the [Alternate ELPAC Moodle Training Site] button to obtain your keys.

Access code for ⟨⟨LEA Name⟩⟩: 01233467

District Trainer Moodle Account and Reporting Access: To gain reporting access to view test examiner progress through the certification, the LEA ELPAC coordinator must submit the names and email addresses of the LEA Alternate ELPAC leads responsible for monitoring. To identify individuals responsible for monitoring course completion, the LEA ELPAC coordinator must log on to the Administration and Scoring Training site , select the [Alternate ELPAC Moodle Training Site] button, and complete the LEA Trainer Reporting Access – Alternate section. Each LEA may provide reporting access for up to three people.

Moodle User Account Template: LEA trainers who wish to create individual Moodle accounts for their staff can use the template posted in the LEA Certification course in Moodle. Filling out and submitting a User Account file is an easy way to create accounts for all test examiners in the LEA. The file can be populated with staff members' names and emails. Populated files should be emailed to elpac@scoe.net. Once the file is imported into Moodle, Moodle will send a confirmation email that a new account has been requested to each person listed in the file. Each person will need to confirm his or her account by selecting the link in the email confirmation.

Alternate ELPAC Moodle Enrollment Keys

There are two different types of Alternate ELPAC Moodle enrollment keys.

1. LEA Certification: This enrollment key allows the LEA ELPAC coordinator or the LEA ELPAC coordinator's designee to log on and access the CDE-mandated training for LEA certification.
2. Examiner's Certification: This enrollment key allows test examiners for the Alternate ELPAC to automatically become part of the LEA's user group. The user group is set up to retain test examiners' certification results and provide reports for LEA leads and trainers to monitor test examiner training progress within Moodle. Test examiners must complete the certification before they can set up an administration of the Alternate ELPAC. At least two weeks prior to testing is recommended.

Please note that the LEA's Alternate ELPAC enrollment keys are different than the Summative and Initial ELPAC enrollment keys. Therefore, the LEA ELPAC coordinator will need to issue the appropriate enrollment key for test examiners in each program.

Training Binder(s) and Picture Cards

Each LEA can request to receive in the mail a printed copy(ies) of the Alternate ELPAC Administration and Scoring training binder. Training binders will be shipped at no cost to LEAs upon request until the close of the testing window. Training materials contain printed PowerPoint slides for each module along with draft Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test DFAs for training purposes.

The picture cards are part of optional individualization for the Alternate ELPAC and are for students who regularly use picture cards or an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device as an expressive mode of communication during daily instruction. Picture cards should be printed or uploaded to the student's AAC device in advance of testing. Test questions with optional picture cards are marked in the DFA so test examiners know how to prepare for the test administration. These picture cards must be kept secure at all times. There are 12 sets of picture cards, one for each grade level or grade span in each Form (1 and 2). On average, there are 25 cards per grade level or grade span bound together in sets for a test examiner.

Picture cards are available both for download as a PDF within Moodle and in TOMS for LEAs to print, and mailed by request on the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training site. Upon request, picture cards will be shipped at no cost to LEAs until the close of the testing window. The ordering window will be open August 15, 2021, through February 15, 2022. Please allow up to 10 business days for shipping.

LEA ELPAC coordinators must complete the online request process for both the training binder(s) and picture cards and include the address where the material will be sent. This address may be different from the address listed for the LEA and can be a home address. As these are secure materials, an email will notify the LEA ELPAC coordinator when the training binder(s) or picture cards have been shipped. A training binder will not be sent unless SCOE receives a registration record from the LEA ELPAC coordinator confirming an address for shipment.

As in past years, the training binder is available for download as PDFs within Moodle. LEAs that do not want a binder shipped should mark the Opt-out option during the online request process.

English Only Special Study Comparison Group

To ensure that the operational field test items are measuring students' ELP, a sample of English Only (EO) students with the most significant cognitive disabilities will take the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test. Each LEA will be asked to test a small number of EO students based on the number of eligible ELs that LEA will be testing. LEAs will receive a stipend based on the number of EO students tested. Information will be emailed on September 8, 2021.

Available Resources and Form Assignments

The ELPAC website serves as the portal for resources that an LEA will need to administer the Alternate ELPAC including checklists, videos, and frequently asked questions.

The Alternate ELPAC practice and training tests are available on the ELPAC website to allow students, parents/guardians, families, teachers, administrators, test examiners, and others an opportunity to become familiar with the online test delivery platform as well as the types of test questions that may appear on the actual test at each grade or grade span. Test examiners should also use these practice and training tests to prepare for the administration and help determine which accessibility resources are appropriate for each eligible student.

Form assignments for the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test administration are available now on the Alternate ELPAC Forms Assignments web page. Use the lookup tool to search for an LEA; the search returns the form number to which the LEA has been assigned. New schools that are associated with a listed LEA are assigned the same form that the listed LEA has been assigned. Any LEA that does not appear on the list will be assigned Form 1 by the test delivery system at the time of administration.

General questions regarding the 2021–22 Alternate ELPAC administration should be directed to CalTAC by phone at 800-955-2954 or by email at caltac@ets.org.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team
Email: CalOutreach@ets.org
Websites: https://www.elpac.org/ and https://www.caaspp.org/