ELPAC: September Monthly Update
ELPAC email update, September 1, 2023.
This communication includes information about the Initial, Summative, Initial Alternate, and Summative Alternate ELPAC.
Reminders
Census Day Reminder to Complete the Initial ELPAC and Initial Alternate ELPAC
For newly enrolled students to be included in the Unduplicated Pupil Count used to determine funding for the supplemental and concentration grants under the Local Control Funding Formula, students must complete the entire Initial ELPAC (all 4 domains) or Initial Alternate ELPAC before Census Day, October 4, 2023.
Initial Alternate ELPAC Test Assignment
Every eligible student who is identified to take alternate assessments by an individualized education program (IEP) team and has a primary language other than English must be assigned to take the Initial Alternate ELPAC in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS); otherwise, eligible students will be automatically assigned to the Initial ELPAC.
Newly enrolled students must be assessed with an initial assessment within the first 30 calendar days; however, students may not have an IEP designating the student to take an alternate assessment prepared in time. In these instances, the student should be assessed with the Initial ELPAC using universal tools and designated supports as appropriate.
If the IEP team determines at a later date that the student is eligible to take alternate assessments and the student has been identified as an English learner (EL), the student can be assigned the Summative Alternate ELPAC.
Initial ELPAC and Initial Alternate ELPAC AST LEA Certification Deadline
The 2023–24 Initial ELPAC Administration and Scoring Training (AST) and Initial Alternate ELPAC AST are available on the Moodle Training Site (Moodle). LEAs that have not completed the training or training verification must do so prior to administration. It is important that LEA coordinators have adequate time to train their test examiners to administer the initial assessments. Statewide training is mandated by California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 5, 11518(l). This year, superintendents will be notified two weeks after the following requested deadlines to ensure that LEA certification is completed in a timely manner:
- The Initial ELPAC LEA certification or verification should have been completed by August 4, 2023.
- Which training course an LEA needs to take is based on whether the LEA ELPAC coordinator or designee has been previously certified or is new.
- The Initial Alternate ELPAC LEA certification should have been completed by August 18, 2023.
- This is required only for LEAs with eligible students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
- Which training course an LEA needs to take is based on whether the LEA ELPAC coordinator or designee has been previously certified or is new.
Summative ELPAC Form Assignments
Additional test forms will be administered for the 2023–24 Summative ELPAC administration. Aside from the previous six test forms and the Form 7 braille form, Form 8 (Speaking), Form 9 (Speaking), and Form 10 (Writing) have been added.
Refer to the ELPAC Form Assignments for the 2023–24 Summative ELPAC Administration web page to confirm the LEA's form assignment for the 2023–24 ELPAC administration.
Summative Alternate ELPAC Form and Second Scoring Assignments
Form assignments and second scoring assignments for the 2023–24 Summative Alternate ELPAC administration will be available in September on the Forms Assignment for the 2023–24 Summative Alternate ELPAC Test Administration web page and the Second Scoring Assignments for the 2023–24 Summative Alternate ELPAC Test Administration web page. A subsection of schools assigned Form 2 will be required to second score.
Upcoming Dates
September: Preview of ELPAC Interim Assessments
On September 19, 2023, the Interim Assessment Viewing System will be updated to include ELPAC Interim Assessment items and secure materials—including the Directions for Administration (DFAs), Training Guide and Exemplars, and Test Content and Answer Key documents—for each grade level or grade span, if applicable, and these items and materials will be available in TOMS for LEAs and educators to use to prepare for administration.
On October 19, 2023, the ELPAC Interim Assessments will be available to administer, score, and generate results. More information on these new interim assessments is available on the ELPAC Interim Assessment Administration Resources web page.
October: Summative ELPAC AST
On October 16, 2023, the 2023–24 Summative ELPAC AST opens on the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) 
. LEAs will receive an email with information and instructions in mid-September.
Upcoming Trainings
To register or locate additional details about upcoming trainings, including dates, times, or content, visit the ELPAC Upcoming Training Opportunities web page.
September 12: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.
Register now for the September 2023 Coffee Session . Use the Coffee Session Content Request Form to submit questions, request demonstrations, or share a best practice.
September 21: New Coordinator Webinar #2 (Accessibility), 3–4 p.m.
Registration is now open for the New Coordinator Webinar #2 . This webinar, hosted by the Sacramento County Office of Education, will review accessibility resources, the process to assign them to students, and the coordinator role in relation to accessibility. It will also offer a question-and-answer session with experienced coordinators. This webinar is for LEA CAASPP and ELPAC coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher on the coordinator responsibilities.
September 26: Introducing the ELPAC and CAST Interim Assessments, 3:30–4:45 p.m.
ELPAC Interim Assessments and California Science Test (CAST) Interim Assessments will become available. To assist LEA staff—including coordinators, administrators, and teachers—in understanding the content and appropriate uses of the new ELPAC Interim Assessments and CAST Interim Assessments, the California Department of Education is offering two introduction webinars.
- ELPAC—September 26, 2023 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.
- CAST—October 3, 2023 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.
To register, visit the Introducing the New Interim Assessments Webinars Registration web page.
September–November 2023: Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series
Register now for fall sessions of the Interim and Formative Assessment (IFA) Training Series on the IFA Training Series Registration web page. This training series provides direct, online training focused on the interim and formative components of the CAASPP and ELPAC system of assessments. It is comprised of three distinct, independent modules with multiple opportunities to attend. In November, there will be new hand scoring trainings for the CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments.
October 9–10: 2023 California Assessment Conference
The 2023 California Assessment Conference (CAC) will offer Shared Practices sessions featuring teachers, teams, and school sites from across the state that have developed best practices for implementing assessment resources in support of teaching and learning.
This year's CAC is on October 9–10, 2023, at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center in Sacramento. You can register for the conference at the CAC website . Email any questions to caaspp@scoe.net.
Apply Now for Winter and Spring Educator Opportunities Meetings
These meetings are for educators who want to be involved in the development and review of test questions for California assessment programs. Some upcoming opportunities include the Item Review Meetings, during which educators review items for issues related to content, bias, and sensitivity that may affect the performance of particular groups of students. The Item Review Meeting for the Alternate ELPAC will be held in the afternoons in April.
To apply for meetings, go to the Educator Opportunities Portal . If you do not have an Educator Opportunities Portal account, you will need to create an account via the Educator Opportunities Portal Account Creation Form in the Educator Opportunities Database. If you have any questions, please contact the Educator Opportunities Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.
Available Now!
Manuals, Instructions, and Quick Reference Guides
- New PDFs:
- New Checklists (added to the following pages)
Asynchronous Trainings
The following live trainings were recently posted and are now available on the ELPAC Asynchronous Training Opportunities web page:
- CAASPP and ELPAC Reporting Results Webinar
- July 2023 Coffee Session
Web Page Updates
- The ELPAC Interim Assessments Administration Resources web page is now available and will be updated with more information and resources as they become available.
Ongoing Reminders
ELPAC Administration for Transitional Kindergarten Students
For 2023–24, LEAs are required to administer the Initial ELPAC or Initial Alternate ELPAC to all eligible students enrolled in kindergarten—including students in transitional kindergarten (TK), which is defined as year one of a two-year kindergarten program. Refer to the 2023–24 Initial and Initial Alternate ELPAC Student Data File Layout located on the ELPAC Score Reporting web page for more information. LEAs will continue to follow the same process for identifying potential EL students and annually assessing EL students.
TK students' grade level will be converted to kindergarten during the nightly CALPADS feed to TOMS. These students will appear in TOMS as kindergarten and will have the TK indicator flag set to Y (Yes). This flag will be available within several of the TOMS reports to assist with monitoring testing progress at the local level.
Changes to the Test Administrator Interface
The test administrator (TA) interface has been updated to a cleaner, more user-friendly appearance. This includes a new functionality that will allow specific students to be pinned to the top of the page while monitoring testing. For questions or guidance, contact your Success Agent .
2023–24 Administration: Teacher Hand Scoring System Update
The Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS) has been enhanced with new navigation and communication features. New enhancements and features include the following:
- The dashboard now displays all assessments that require hand scoring along with the number of students and items that require scoring.
- Scorers can comment on student responses or assessments before assigning the assessment to another scorer.
- User interface design changes were made to the scoring and related materials page to enhance the overall user experience.
Detailed information on the THSS can be found in the Using the Directions for Administration (DFA) section of the Initial ELPAC Online Test Administration Manual , as well as in the THSS video in the Initial ELPAC Test Examiner Training and Calibration course in Moodle .
SSR Electronic Distribution
Ensure Student Score Reports (SSRs) are populated in the student information system for the correct students in a timely manner, as outlined in the Options for Distributing SSRs chapter of the ELPAC Scoring and Reporting Guide . Ensure that the SSRs are properly displayed, that parents and guardians can access the SSRs, and that they can access only the scores for their own children.
Scoring Job Opportunities
ETS accepts applications for scorers. This is an excellent opportunity for educators to become more familiar with the new generation of California assessments. Scoring schedules are flexible and can include four-, six-, and eight-hour weekday or weekend shifts. California educators interested in applying can view more information on the Online Scoring web page. Questions about the application or hiring process should be directed to etsrater@ets.org . Current scorers can reach out to ratercertify@ets.org for any scoring-related questions.
Previous ELPAC Monthly Communications
Previous ELPAC monthly communications, as well as other email communications, can be found on the ELPAC Coordinator Emails web page.
Additional Help
- Direct questions about policies, regulations, and requirements to elpac@cde.ca.gov.
- Contact your region's Success Agent for answers to questions about assessment coordination, development, and administration, as well as for technical support.
- Direct questions about Moodle , certification, and calibration to moodlesupport@scoe.net.
- Get Answers from a new user-friendly lookup tool available to help LEA coordinators quickly find answers to the most common testing questions. Users can also suggest Additional Questions for the FAQ , which will be reviewed on a regular basis.
- Chat with Anita, your virtual assistant for LEA help, which is available on the CAASPP and ELPAC home pages. Unanswered questions will be routed to your LEA Success Agent.
Sincerely,
California Outreach Team
Contact Us: California Outreach web page