ELPAC email update, September 1, 2021.

Initial ELPAC Guidance for LEAs Impacted by Fires

A number of schools have been closed due to the ongoing fires ravaging communities throughout California. While local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to notify parents and guardians of testing, administer the Initial ELPAC to eligible students, and notify parents and guardians of the results within 30 days of enrollment, the California Department of Education (CDE) English Language Proficiency and Spanish Assessments Office would like to provide guidance for those affected by the fires.

Impacted LEAs requiring evacuation should contact the CDE at elpac@cde.ca.gov when able to do so and provide the date of evacuation. The 30-day requirement will stop at that point and will be reinitiated when LEAs are able to reopen or reenroll their students into full time instruction. If students are enrolled in a new LEA, that LEA will be responsible for administering the Initial ELPAC.

The CDE and the assessment contractor ETS place the safety of students, their families, and school staff above all else and stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary to overcome these challenges. We thank you for your continued efforts to administer the Initial ELPAC.

ELPAC Monthly Communication

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

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Please mark your calendars!

September 2, 2021

Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting

Registration is still available to LEA ELPAC coordinators for the last session of the 2021 Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting hosted by the CDE. The Accountability session will be held on September 2, 2021, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Visit the 2021 Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting Webinar Registration web page for more details.

September 8, 2021

Alternate ELPAC English Only Study Begins

Starting September 8, LEA ELPAC coordinators will receive information about a study designed to evaluate how accurately the new Alternate ELPAC measures English language proficiency. LEAs with students who are eligible to take the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test are encouraged to have participating teachers administer the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test to students in their classes with the most significant cognitive disabilities who speak only English. The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) will provide stipends of $150 per eligible student tested as part of this study. Details will be contained in the September 8 email. If your LEA will be participating in the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test, please plan on being part of this study.

September 10, 2021

Coffee Sessions

The next virtual Coffee Session, hosted by the CDE and ETS, will be on September 10, 2021, from 2 to 3 p.m. You can use the 2021–22 Coffee Session Content Request Form to submit questions in advance, request demonstrations, or tell us about a best practice you can share with your fellow LEA coordinators. Register now for the September 2021 Coffee Session .

September 13, 2021

Understanding the Summative ELPAC Score Report Video

An updated "Understanding the Summative ELPAC Score Report" video is coming in September. The video will review the different aspects of the Summative ELPAC Score Report, describing the meaning of the information provided. The video will be posted on the ELPAC website under Score Reporting.

September 13, 2021

Summative ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training Materials

The CDE-sponsored statewide Summative ELPAC Administration and Scoring Trainings (ASTs) will be available online in the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) beginning October 18, 2021. Training materials can be ordered starting September 13, 2021.

On September 13, 2021, coordinators will be sent an email that contains access codes to the Administration and Scoring Training website. Each LEA will receive a printed copy of the 2022 Summative ELPAC AST binder in the mail if the LEA ELPAC coordinator confirms the address(es) where the training binder(s) for each test program will be received.

The 2021–22 Summative Moodle Training will launch on October 18, 2021. Moodle keys will be available on the Administration and Scoring Training website starting on the same day.

September 16, 2021

Pretest Virtual Training Series—Start-of-Year Testing

The Pretest Virtual Training Series provides coordinators with the information they need to successfully prepare for and administer CAASPP and the ELPAC. The first session will be held on September 16, 2021, from 2 to 4 p.m. and will be focused on the administration of the Initial ELPAC, Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test, and California Alternate Assessment for Science. Register now for the training.

September 21, 2021

Supporting English Learners with Tools for Teachers Website: Shared Practices Webinar

Learn about the instructional resources available in the Smarter Balanced Tools for Teachers website, and how to connect the resources to the California English Language Development Standards to meet the needs of English learners. This training will be held on September 21, 2021, from 3:30–4:30 p.m..

September 23, 2021

New Coordinator Webinar #2

This webinar will be held on September 23, 2021, from 3 to 4 p.m. and hosted by SCOE. It will provide information about upcoming coordinator checklist tasks, a deep dive into accessibility resources and the coordinator role in relation to accessibility, and include a question and answer session with experienced coordinators. LEA CAASPP and ELPAC coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher on the coordinator responsibilities should attend. Register now for the September 2021 New Coordinator Webinar #2.

October 6, 2021

CBEDS Reminders

All students' ELAS records will need to be updated in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) for fall 1 reporting by the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) date of October 6, 2021, to account for supplemental Local Control Funding Formula funding. LEAs must complete Initial ELPAC testing for an ELAS to be generated in TOMS which should be reflected in CALPADS within 48 hours.

Ongoing Reminders!

Generate Statewide Student Identifiers 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 LEA must enter an English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) of To Be Determined (TBD) 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 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 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.

2021–22 Initial ELPAC Administration

To complete the ELAS classification process, LEAs should ensure the following:

• Speaking domain scores have been entered into the Data Entry Interface (DEI) .
• Kindergarten through grade two Writing domain scores have been entered into the DEI .
• The Writing domain for grades three through twelve has been scored in the Teacher Hand Scoring System .
• Student Score Reports (SSRs) have been downloaded and provided to parents and guardians, along with the Parent/Guardian Notification Letter that is available on the CDE's Parent Notification web page.

The Initial ELPAC Student Eligibility Report in TOMS will provide information about which students still have an ELAS of TBD. Additionally, the Completion Status Report in TOMS will provide information about which students are missing domains. Note that a student will not receive an SSR for the Initial ELPAC unless the student has attempted all four domains and the aforementioned steps have been completed.

2021–22 Initial ELPAC LEA Certification

Statewide training is mandatory. All LEA ELPAC coordinators, new and experienced, must log on to the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training website to verify that current staff within the LEA have completed the LEA training requirement. If the LEA has current staff on the verified list, the LEA coordinator will certify the LEA's completion status. Experienced LEA coordinators do not need to repeat the LEA certification course; they need only to verify LEA certification. If the LEA has a new ELPAC coordinator or lead trainer who has not been trained, a representative will be required to complete the LEA certification. The deadline to complete this was August 6, 2021.

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 domain 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 test 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 AST binder may be requested to be shipped by completing the online request process . Training binders are also available for download—in PDF format—from Moodle .

Initial ELPAC Stopping Marker Reminders

During the Initial ELPAC, stopping markers are presented at every grade level and in every domain to accommodate students who may score at the novice English learner level. Please remind test examiners that the stopping marker is accompanied 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.

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 students who are English learners will be shared.

2021–22 Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test

Administration and Scoring Training

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. LEAs should complete the LEA Certification in Moodle by October 15, 2021. All test examiners who will administer the Alternate ELPAC must complete the Test Examiner Certification prior to test administration.

Directions for Administration (DFAs)

The Alternate ELPAC operational field test DFAs will be available in TOMS in September. The DFA contains grade-specific and form-specific directions as well as scripts needed to administer the test. The operational field test DFAs must be accessed through the [Resources] tab in TOMS .

Updated practice and training test DFAs will be available in September on the ELPAC website. Changes include updates to the alternative text and the look and feel to match the operational field test DFAs.

Picture Cards

Your LEA should have received an email that included information regarding picture cards. Picture cards are available, for download as a PDF within Moodle and in TOMS for LEAs to print; or mailed by request on the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training website. 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 until February 15, 2022. Please allow up to 10 business days for shipping.

Form and Second Scoring Assignments

In addition, the form and second scoring assignments that were provided via email prior to the postponement of the Alternate ELPAC 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 the 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 .

Alternate ELPAC Standard Setting Meetings

Educators who will be administering the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test are encouraged to apply to participate in the Alternate ELPAC Standard Setting Meetings to be held virtually at end of February and beginning of March 2022. If you are interested in applying, please contact the ELPAC Project Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

ELPAC Item Review Meeting

Educators are encouraged to apply to participate in the ELPAC Item Review Meeting to be held virtually in February 15-17, 2022. If you are interested in applying, please contact the ELPAC Project Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

Available Now!

Manuals, Instructions, and Quick Reference Guides

• CA Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix
• Videos and Quick Reference Guides web page on the Initial ELPAC Online Test Administration Manual
• California Student Assessment Accessibility for the Computer-Based ELPAC web document
• California Student Assessment Accessibility for the Paper–Pencil ELPAC web document

Videos

• 2021–22 Initial ELPAC Remote Testing video playlist
• 2021–22 Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting video playlist
• 2021–22 New LEA CAASPP/ELPAC Coordinator Trainings video playlist

Website Updates

• Alternate ELPAC Practice and Training Test DFAs web page
• Alternate ELPAC Administration and Scoring Trainings web page
• Alternate ELPAC web page

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/