ELPAC Communication: March 2025

Email Update, March 3, 2025

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

Notice

Initial ELPAC and Initial Alternate ELPAC Timeline Extension for LEAs Impacted by Wildfires

On January 10, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-3-25, which includes an extension of the deadline for conducting English language proficiency assessments (California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 11518.5) by 45 days for those LEAs directly impacted by this emergency. This means that impacted LEAs will have an additional 45 days to complete the Initial ELPAC or Initial Alternate ELPAC, in addition to the original 30 days. While this provides impacted LEAs with a total of 75 days to administer the Initial ELPAC or Initial Alternate ELPAC, the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) will continue to reflect the 30-day timeline and will not include the additional 45 days. As a reminder, eligible students should begin to receive English learner programs and services on day 30 until the Initial ELPAC or Initial Alternate ELPAC is administered, and the official score is produced.

New Materials Tracking Lookup Tool

The Materials Tracking Lookup Tool is a new way to quickly and easily look up tracking numbers for Pre-ID labels for the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC, special versions of paper–pencil tests, and white cartons for returning ELPAC scorable test materials.

CERS Interpretive Guide Update

The California Educator Reporting System (CERS) Interpretive Guide is now available in an easy-to-search, web-based format and now has guidance for interpreting California Science Test (CAST) and ELPAC interim assessments. The CERS Interpretive Guide is designed to help educators interpret and explain interim and summative assessment results. It is different from the CERS User Guide, which assists educators with viewing assessment data, learning about CERS features, and generating reports. The CERS Interpretive Guide can be accessed through the CERS Resources web page. It is also available as a link in CERS and the CERS Sandbox.

Summative ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC IEP and Section 504 Plan

Students with an individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan should have test settings entered in TOMS prior to the beginning of summative assessment testing. Students with accessibility resource changes will require at least two hours for test settings to update from TOMS to the Test Delivery System. Any accommodations to statewide testing assigned to the student must be clearly described in the IEP.

Summative Alternate ELPAC Picture Cards and TIPs

Downloadable versions of the picture cards are available in TOMS. Printed picture card orders are available on the Administration and Scoring Training website.

The secure Test Item Previews (TIPs) are aimed to help test examiners prepare and individualize supplemental testing materials needed by an individual student. The TIPs are posted in the "Summative Alternate ELPAC Administration Resources" section at the bottom of both the LEA certification and the test examiner certification courses on the Moodle Training Site (Moodle).

Reminders

Summative ELPAC Primary Material and Supplemental Orders

The Summative ELPAC primary materials ordering window closed on December 20, 2024. Orders began arriving the week of January 13, 2025. The Summative ELPAC supplemental ordering window is open from January 13, 2025, to May 9, 2025.

Primary test material orders are packaged by school site, whereas supplemental orders are packaged by quantity ordered at the LEA level. Supplemental orders can be placed once a month throughout the testing window and will be delivered 10–14 business days from the date on which the order is placed.

Return Summative ELPAC K–2 Writing Answer Books

LEA ELPAC coordinators are encouraged to return completed Summative ELPAC kindergarten through grade two (K–2) Writing Answer Books at least twice a month. LEAs should download and complete the ELPAC School Group List when returning Answer Books, to serve as a reference for the LEA as to what is being returned in each shipment. Answer Books must be scheduled for pickup by June 13, 2025, to be scored by ETS.

The sooner LEAs return K–2 Writing Answer Books, the sooner ETS is able to complete the quality-control process to release Student Score Reports (SSRs).

Summative ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC Testing Window Available

The Summative ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC test administration window is available until May 31, 2025. To properly administer the Summative ELPAC, test examiners should be properly trained for the grade levels or grade spans they are administering and access the Directions for Administration corresponding to their LEA's form assignment. Form assignments and information on second scoring can be found on the Form Assignments, Second Scoring, and RSVP web page.

Initial Alternate ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC Test Assignments in TOMS

Newly enrolled students eligible to be tested with an initial assessment must be tested within the first 30 calendar days of student enrollment; however, students might not have an IEP designating the student to take an alternate assessment prepared in time. In these instances, the student should be tested with the Initial ELPAC using universal tools and designated supports as appropriate. Note that there is a 45-day extension for the Initial ELPAC and Initial Alternate ELPAC for LEAs impacted by the wildfires, as mentioned previously.

The assignment of the Initial ELPAC does not require students to be assigned to the Summative ELPAC. If the IEP team determines later that the student is eligible to take alternate assessments and the student has been identified as an EL, the student should be assigned the Summative Alternate ELPAC.

Students assigned to the Summative Alternate ELPAC will take an alternate assessment for each summative assessment that they are eligible to take. LEA ELPAC coordinators should work with LEA CAASPP coordinators to ensure students who will take an alternate assessment for the ELPAC are assigned to take an alternate assessment for CAASPP.

Reclassification Reminder

Students who scored at Summative ELPAC Overall Performance Level (PL) 4 and students who scored at Summative Alternate ELPAC Overall PL 3 for the 2023–24 ELPAC administration should continue to be evaluated for reclassification before the end of the 2024–25 test administration window. Updated lists of eligible students were sent the second week of January 2025 to LEA ELPAC coordinators. Visit the California Department of Education (CDE) Reclassification web page for more information. Email questions related to reclassification to LPLO@cde.ca.gov.

Domain Exemptions for the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC

When administering the Initial ELPAC or Summative ELPAC to a student with a disability, the LEA should provide all the available accessibility resources as defined on the California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page, including universal tools; designated supports; and accommodations that are required in the student's IEP or Section 504 plan. After reviewing the domain exemption guidance and sample scenarios provided in the Domain Exemptions subsection of the ELPAC Information Guide, a student whose IEP or Section 504 plan team determines that the student's disability precludes them from accessing one or more domains of the ELPAC—even with allowed universal tools, designated supports, or accommodations—may be eligible for domain exemption(s). However, for the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC, a student may only be exempt from one domain per composite, with a maximum of two domain exemptions allowed. To receive a score, a student must be assessed in the remaining domains within each composite. The CDE Domain Exemption Worksheet is designed to assist and document IEP team's determinations regarding domain exemptions.

Finally, as a way to help clarify this guidance, the following examples illustrate how a disability can preclude participation in each domain:

Upcoming Trainings

To register or locate additional details about upcoming trainings, including dates, times, and content, visit the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page.

March 11: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.

These monthly virtual Coffee Sessions, hosted by the CDE and ETS, offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask questions and get answers about assessments, trainings, resources, and more. If you are not already registered, you can register on the Coffee Session Series registration web page. By registering once, you will be eligible to attend all upcoming sessions.

March 11 and March 18: CERS—Beyond the Basics for Teachers (2024–25)

CERS—Beyond the Basics for Teachers is an intermediate-to-advanced training on CERS features, including customizing groups in CERS, using advanced filters, exploring specific features available for interim assessment data, and reviewing information available in Individual Student Reports.

Dates: (The same training will be offered twice.)

• March 11, 2025, 3:30–5 p.m.
• March 18, 2025, 3:30–5 p.m.

March 13 and March 19: CERS—Beyond the Basics for Coordinators and Administrators (2024–25)

CERS—Beyond the Basics for Coordinators and Administrators is an intermediate-to-advanced training on CERS features, including exploring the specific features available in CERS Administrator Tools (creating custom reports and data exports), completing advanced rostering, and reviewing additional information helpful to managing access to CERS and supporting LEA staff in the use of CERS.

Dates: (The same training will be offered twice.)

• March 13, 2025, 1–3 p.m.
• March 19, 2025, 1–3 p.m.

March 20: New Coordinator Training Webinar #11, 3–4 p.m.

Webinar #11 will focus on the topic of gathering feedback after testing and will end with a question and answer session with experienced coordinators.

Register for one or more sessions of the 2024–25 New Coordinator Training Webinar Series. This training series provides just-in-time information for LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators.

Educator Meeting Opportunities

We need your input! California educators are an essential part of the assessment development process. Teachers who work closely with our students provide an important perspective that informs and improves the ELPAC and CAASPP. Meetings are held remotely, and this is an excellent opportunity for participating educators to provide vital input in test composition, accessibility, and implementation.

The following opportunity for the 2024–25 test administration is now available:

• The Alternate ELPAC and California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) Combined Data Review Meeting will be held June 24–26, 2025. Educators interested in participating should apply by March 7, 2025.

Details for upcoming meetings can be found on the Get Involved web page on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website.

To apply for educator meetings, go to the Educator Opportunities Portal. Those without an Educator Opportunities Portal account can create an account via the Educator Opportunities Portal Account Creation Form. For any questions, please contact the Educator Opportunities Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

Available Now!

Asynchronous Trainings

The following live trainings were recently posted and are now available on the CAASPP and ELPAC Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page:

• Video SSR Webinar
• New Coordinator Training Webinar #10

Ongoing Reminders

Administration of ELPAC Interim Assessments

The ELPAC Interim Assessments are available for the 2024–25 test administration on the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments web page.

The Interim Assessment User Guide has been updated for the 2024–25 test administration. The Interim Assessment User Guide provides guidance on the overall process for the administration of the ELPAC Interim Assessments. It also includes any updates made to test administration processes. One such update was made to the Data Entry Interface (DEI). The DEI now requires educators to manually select Nonstandardized as the manner of administration when administering an assessment in a nonstandardized way.

Registration Open for Spring CERS Trainings

Registration is now open for spring CERS trainings, which are designed as a follow-up to the Introduction to CERS. It is recommended that participants have a basic understanding of CERS before attending the spring trainings. Introduction to CERS microlearning videos are available on the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page for educators looking to build a foundational knowledge of CERS prior to attending.

The available spring CERS trainings are as follows:

• 2024–25 Accessing Summative Assessment Results in CERS
  • Module One—Summative ELPAC, Summative Alternate ELPAC, and California Spanish Assessment
    • May 15, 2025, 3:30–5 p.m.
  • Module Two—Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics; CAST; and the CAAs for ELA, mathematics, and science
    • May 22, 2025, 3:30–5 p.m.

SSR Electronic Distribution

Ensure SSRs are populated in your student information system for the correct students in a timely manner, as outlined in the Distributing SSRs chapter of the Scoring and Reporting Guide. In addition, ensure that SSRs are properly displayed in such a manner for parents/guardians to be able to access only scores for their own children.

Scoring Job Opportunities

ETS is accepting 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 access more information on the ETS 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 Coordinator Emails web page.

Additional Help

• Send direct questions about policies, regulations, and requirements to elpac@cde.ca.gov.
• Contact your region's assigned Success Agent for answers to questions about assessment coordination, development, and administration, as well as for technical support.
• Send direct questions about Moodle, certification, and calibration to moodlesupport@scoe.net.
• Get Answers using this lookup tool available to help LEA coordinators quickly find answers to the most common testing questions. Users can also make suggestions for Additional Questions for the FAQs, which are reviewed on a regular basis.

For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.