ELPAC email update, November 1, 2021.

ELPAC Monthly Communication

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, local educational agencies (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 (EO). A monetary incentive will be provided to LEAs who participate in this study. Contact the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) by email at elpac@scoe.net if interested.

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

Please mark your calendars!

November 1, 2021

Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Window Opens

The testing window for the Alternate ELPAC operational field is open from November 1, 2021, to February 15, 2022. Students must be assigned to the Alternate ELPAC operational field test by selecting the checkbox in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) to administer the test. The Alternate ELPAC must be administered by a trained Alternate ELPAC test examiner, who is an employee of the district and is familiar with the student's preferred mode of communication. For more information on the administration of the Alternate ELPAC operational field test, refer to the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Manual .

Students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities, as determined by their IEP team, and who are also English learner students are required to take the Alternate ELPAC operational field test. LEAs can refer to the California Department of Education (CDE) Alternate Assessment IEP Team Guidance for more information. If a student is determined to be eligible for the Alternate ELPAC operational field test, then they will be automatically enrolled for the California Alternate Assessments and vice versa.

In preparation for the assessment, the Alternate ELPAC Administration and Scoring Trainings (ASTs) are still available for test examiners to access. LEAs should have completed the LEA Certification in the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) by October 15, 2021. All test examiners who will administer the Alternate ELPAC must complete the Test Examiner Certification prior to test administration. After completing training, test examiners should allow two weeks to prepare test materials and assign accommodations in TOMS.

November 1, 2021

Summative ELPAC Test Materials Ordering Window Opens

LEAs can use TOMS to order Writing domain testing materials for kindergarten through grade two beginning November 1, 2021. To do this, navigate to the [Orders] tab > [Place Primary Order] tab in TOMS. Orders can be placed during the following ordering windows:

• Primary materials ordering window: November 1–December 20, 2021
• Supplemental materials ordering window: January 14–May 13, 2022

Orders placed in November will be delivered the week of December 13, 2021. Orders placed in December will be delivered the week of January 3, 2022. Please check that the shipping address in TOMS is correct prior to ordering to ensure that materials are delivered to the appropriate location. The shipping address must be a physical location; materials cannot be shipped to a post office box.

November 1, 2021

Summative ELPAC Question and Answer Session for ELPAC Trainers

This virtual Question and Answer Session , hosted by the SCOE and ETS, will be on November 1, 2021, from 2 to 3 p.m. This session will offer a review of the Summative ELPAC AST resources in Moodle for ELPAC trainers. Preregistration is not required.

November 5, 2021

Summative ELPAC Question and Answer Session for LEA Staff

This virtual Question and Answer Session , hosted by SCOE and ETS, will be on November 5, 2021, from 2 to 3 p.m. This session will offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask general questions and get answers about the Summative ELPAC AST and related topics. Preregistration is not required.

Alternate ELPAC Data Review Meeting Application Deadline

The deadline for applying for the March 17–18, 2022, Alternate ELPAC Data Review Meeting is November 5, 2021. Participants will review data on the performance of live items. If you are interested, please contact Sue Vue by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

November 9, 2021

Summative ELPAC Forms Assignment Question and Answer Session

This virtual Question and Answer Session , hosted by SCOE and ETS, will be on November 9, 2021, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. This session will offer training and guidance to LEAs that were assigned to forms 2–6 on the Summative ELPAC for the 2021–22 administration year. Preregistration is not required.

November 10, 2021

ELPAC Results Are In—Now What?

The 2020–21 ELPAC Results Are In—Now What? Connecting Assessment to Instruction virtual workshops modules 8 through 10 will be available on November 10, 2021. Modules can be accessed in Moodle .

November 12, 2021

Coffee Sessions

The next virtual Coffee Session, hosted by the CDE and ETS, will be on November 12, 2021, 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 us about a best practice that can be shared with your fellow LEA coordinators. Register now for the November 2021 Coffee Session .

November 18, 2021

Alternate ELPAC Question and Answer Session

This virtual Question and Answer Session , hosted by SCOE and ETS, will be on November 18, 2021, from 1 to 2 p.m. This session will offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask questions and get answers about the Alternate ELPAC AST and related topics. Preregistration is not required.

November 19, 2021

ELPAC Writing Range Finding Meeting Application Deadline

The deadline for applying for the ELPAC Writing Range Finding Meeting is November 19, 2021. Tentatively, the meeting will be held March 8–16, 2022. Participants will score Writing student samples and identify anchor responses to be used in the scoring of the written constructed-response items. Following a one-day virtual training meeting, participants will score responses on their own before returning for a debrief and discussion of potential anchor papers. Debrief and anchor selection meetings will be three hours in the afternoon of a later day. If you are interested, please contact Sue Vue by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

Ongoing Reminders!

Virtual Trainings Available

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

Summative ELPAC Form Assignments

Form assignments for the 2021–22 Summative ELPAC administration are now available on the ELPAC Forms Assignment web page. Use the lookup tool to identify which form number the LEA has been assigned. In some cases, large LEAs will be assigned to multiple forms; these will be displayed accordingly. LEAs assigned to forms 2–6 are invited to join the ELPAC Forms Assignment Question and Answer Session on November 9 from 3:30–4:30 p.m.

Summative ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training

A reminder that the Summative ELPAC AST opened on October 18, 2021, in Moodle . The LEA ELPAC coordinator or a designee must complete either the kindergarten through grade twelve course or the grades six through twelve course. At the end of the LEA Certification Course, a certificate of completion is issued, which marks the LEA training requirement as complete.

LEA ELPAC coordinators responsible for multiple LEAs should alert SCOE at elpac@scoe.net when the LEA Certification Course is completed so the certification requirement can count for the other LEAs.

Summative ELPAC AST binders were shipped in October to LEAs that requested them. LEAs may request binders on the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training website.

Final Release of Summative ELPAC Student Results

Superintendents and LEA ELPAC coordinators will be notified about the public release of student scores in late fall by the CDE.

2021–22 Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test

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"—Student is not eligible.
• "N"—Student is eligible but has not been assigned the test.
• "Y"—Student is eligible and has been assigned the test.

Directions for Administration

The Alternate ELPAC operational field test DFAs are available in TOMS . The DFAs contain 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 are now available on the ELPAC website. Changes include updates to the alternative text and the look and feel to match the operational field test DFAs.

Test Item Preview Books

Test Item Preview (TIP) books are available in the Alternate ELPAC Test Examiner Certification Course in Moodle . The TIP books allow test examiners to view test content and plan individualized administrations for each student.

Picture Cards

Your LEA 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. Upon request, picture cards will be shipped at no cost to LEAs until the close of the testing window. These picture cards can be ordered on the ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training website. The ordering window will be open until February 15, 2022. Please allow up to 10 business days for shipping.

Form and Second Scoring Assignments

Use the lookup tool on the Alternate ELPAC Forms Assignment web page to confirm your LEA's form assignment. Additionally, make sure to confirm whether your LEA is required to participate in second scoring for the 2021–22 administration by using the lookup tool on the Alternate ELPAC Second Scoring Assignment web page.

Note that 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, familiar with the student's preferred communication mode will need to be present at the time of testing to score each student's responses to rubric-scored items. For more information, refer to the Preparing for Second Scoring section in the Alternate ELPAC Operational Field Test Manual .

Available Now!

Manuals, Instructions, and Quick Reference Guides

• Summative ELPAC Packing and Return Instructions has been updated.
• ELPAC Test Examiner Checklist web document
• Alternate ELPAC Test Examiner Checklist web document
• Technology Coordinator Checklist web document

Videos

• Understanding the Summative ELPAC Score Report—English
• Understanding the Summative ELPAC Score Report—Spanish
• Supporting ELs with the Tools for Teachers Website Webinar
• CAASPP and ELPAC: Start of Year Testing Webinar
• Matching Accessibility Resources to Students' Needs Virtual Training
• September 2021 New Coordinator Training Webinar #2

Website Updates

• Summative ELPAC Test Administration web page
• Parent/Guardian Notification Letters web page
• 2021–22 Summative ELPAC Regional Training List web page
• ELPAC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 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.

Direct any questions about the ELPAC to your LEA Success Agent. To find the contact information for your LEA Success Agent, please visit the California Outreach web page.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team

Websites: elpac.org

Contact Us: California Outreach web page