ELPAC email update, September 21, 2021.

Dear LEA ELPAC Coordinator:

This email is being sent to LEA ELPAC coordinators and LEA CALPADS coordinators to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in the completion of the Initial ELPAC.

The Initial ELPAC is a computer-based assessment that requires student data to be accurate and up to date in CALPADS. LEAs have been reporting the following issues, some of which can be resolved at the local level:

1. Missing Student Information in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS):

   Student data will not appear in TOMS until the appropriate CALPADS Student Enrollment (SENR) and Student English Language Acquisition (SELA) files have been uploaded and posted in CALPADS. Although students may be visible in the LEA's student information system (SIS), the student data must be uploaded into CALPADS before the data appears in TOMS.

   Please note the timeline for information transfer: On day one, the CALPADS file is uploaded from the LEA. Overnight, the file is processed. On day two, the student data appears in TOMS. On day three, the student appears in the test delivery system and can then participate in the Initial ELPAC.

   The following criteria is required to ensure a record in TOMS is generated:

   • Grade level must be K–12
   • Enrollment status must be 10 – Primary or 30 – Short-Term
   • Primary Language must be a language other than English or Sign Language
   • Student demographic data must have an Effective Start Date in CALPADS that is less than or equal to their Enrollment Start Date
2. Attempting to Test Students Who Have Already Been Tested:

   Students with an ELAS of English Learner (EL), Initial Fluent English Proficient (IFEP), or Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) in CALPADS do not take the Initial ELPAC. Additionally, beginning 7/1/2020, TOMS automatically sends the student's initial ELAS information to CALPADS after testing is completed for all 4 domains including the Data Entry Interface and Teacher Hand Scoring System for the writing domain.

   It is important that LEAs utilize the ELAS information in CALPADS to inform whether or not a student requires Initial ELPAC testing. In addition, LEAs can determine which students need to take the Initial ELPAC by downloading two reports from TOMS: the Initial ELPAC Student Eligibility Report and the LEA-Level Student Demographics Report. Both reports contain two columns listing the ELAS. Both columns should display "TBD" (To Be Determined) prior to assessing a student. Both reports also provide the primary language for each student. The primary language cannot be English.

   Please note that the eligibility report will list only students who have the correct ELAS and primary language needed to take the Initial ELPAC. The demographics report can list all students in the selected schools and all ELAS entries. By not limiting the report to just TBD students, coordinators will be able to find all of the students who should be tested and ensure the appropriate ELAS.

3. CALPADS ELAS Does Not Match TOMS ELAS:

   After students take the Initial ELPAC, LEAs are modifying student enrollment data in CALPADS, causing a rejection of the initial ELAS record being sent from TOMS. When these records are rejected, this prevents a student's initial ELAS from appearing in CALPADS even though the student has been tested.

   To avoid this issue, while the student is being tested with the Initial ELPAC, LEAs should not:

   • Modify the student's grade level in CALPADS
   • Delete the TBD record in CALPADS
   • Change the date of the TBD record to a date after the student's test completion date
   • Modify the primary language in the TBD record to English or Sign Language
   • Submit an ELAS of English Only – EO for the student
     • Statutory corrections to a student's ELAS should be done after the initial ELAS from TOMS has been populated in CALPADS. Once TOMS has updated CALPADS, the LEA may then change the student's status and use the proper CALPADS code to annotate the reason for the change. For more information, refer to The Correction of Classification Process—At-a-Glance web document.
4. Trouble Generating SSIDs in CALPADS:

   When requesting SSIDs for students, some LEAs are receiving an error message that states, "Oops, something went wrong." The CDE CALPADS office is aware of this issue and is working to resolve it. If an LEA receives this error after multiple attempts, the CALPADS coordinator should submit a service ticket to the CALPADS Service Desk.

The CDE and ETS understand that LEAs are working to administer the Initial ELPAC to students within the 30-day testing window. The information provided in this email should assist LEAs as they work towards this goal.

If an LEA is experiencing other technical issues or needs answers to other questions, please contact either CalTAC by phone at 800-955-2954 or by email at caltac@ets.org ; or the CALPADS office by phone at 916-324-6738 or by email at calpads@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

California Technical Assistance Center
Phone: 800-955-2954
Fax: 800-541-8455
Email: caltac@ets.org
Website: https://www.elpac.org/