Alternate ELPAC: 2026–27 Initial Alternate ELPAC AST Moodle Is Now Open

Email Update, May 7, 2026

Dear LEA ELPAC Coordinator:

This is a reminder that the 2026–27 Initial Alternate ELPAC LEA Certification Course on the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) is now open.

Statewide LEA Certification Requirements

Statewide training is mandatory, and certification is required for LEAs with eligible students. The California Department of Education recommends that the LEA certification be completed within two weeks of registering an eligible student.

Beginning July 14, 2026, registrations will be checked each week and reminders will be sent to any LEA who has a student registered for the Initial Alternate ELPAC. Once a student is registered, LEAs will have two weeks to complete their LEA certification. LEAs who do not complete certification by the end of the two week period will be subject to a Tier 2 audit. No extensions will be provided unless the LEA contacts ETS through their designated Success Agent, and an extension is approved.

Use the Moodle Decision Tool to help decide how your LEA should best meet the certification requirements.

Each LEA with at least one student eligible for the Initial Alternate ELPAC is required to have one current staff member (either the LEA ELPAC coordinator, or a designee) do either of the following:

1. Option A––For new LEA ELPAC coordinators: complete both items one and two.
   1. Complete the most recent Summative Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course, which launches annually in early November, and
   2. complete the Initial Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course, which launches annually in the second week of May.
2. Option B––For returning LEA ELPAC coordinators: Complete both items one and two.
   1. Complete the most recent Summative Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course, and
   2. Either“a” or “b” below
      1. complete the Initial Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course; or
      2. verify, on the AST website, that one active LEA staff member has previously completed the Initial Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course. Verification should be complete as soon as possible.

         Verify Your Status

         1. Log on to the AST website.
         2. Select the [Initial Alternate ELPAC Training Verification] button.
         3. Locate the staff member who completed the training and check the box next to their name to certify your LEA.

Partnering with another LEA: MOU

If you are not training your own test examiners (TEs), you must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a certified neighboring LEA who will train your TEs or administer the test. Email the MOU confirmation to elpac@scoe.net. MOUs must be updated annually.

Test Examiner Certification

The Alternate ELPAC has a single TE training for both the initial and summative assessments. The training can occur at any time prior to assessing a student. Note the following about TE certification for the Initial Alternate ELPAC:

• Any TE who did not complete the 2025–26 Alternate ELPAC—Test Examiner Certification course, and will be administering the 2026–27 Initial Alternate ELPAC must complete certification prior to testing a student.
• Any TE who completed the training after November 1, 2025, is considered certified to administer the Initial Alternate ELPAC until October 31, 2026, but must recertify after November 1, 2026.

Accessing the AST Website

The LEA ELPAC coordinator is the only person with access to the AST website and is responsible for distributing Moodle enrollment keys to the appropriate staff. To obtain enrollment keys, the LEA ELPAC coordinator must log on to the AST website using the following access code:

Alternate ELPAC access code for <DISTRICT>: <PASSCODE>

Accessing Alternate ELPAC Moodle Enrollment Keys

There are three Alternate ELPAC Moodle enrollment keys for the Alternate ELPAC, allowing any LEA staff member to log on and access the resources for the three courses:

1. Summative Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification
2. Initial Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification
3. Alternate ELPAC—Test Examiner Certification

After accessing the AST website,

• select the [Initial Alternate ELPAC Moodle Training Site] button to access the Initial Alternate ELPAC—LEA Certification course enrollment key, and
• select the [Alternate ELPAC Test Examiner Moodle Training Site] button to access the enrollment key you will distribute to your TEs so they can access the 2025–26 Alternate ELPAC—Test Examiner Certification course.
  • On the same page, you can
    • find the Moodle User Account Template, and
    • designate trainers to track test examiner completion.

The LEA ELPAC coordinator will need to issue the appropriate enrollment keys to TEs. Moodle requires users to set up individual user accounts using the Create Moodle User Accounts web page.

Ordering Picture Cards

Picture cards are alternate response options that are used by a subset of students whose individualized education programs allow their use. Note the following about picture card orders:

• The Initial Alternate ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC use different picture cards.
  • Picture cards for the 2026–27 Initial Alternate ELPAC will be the same as those used for the previous Initial Alternate ELPAC administrations.
• LEA ELPAC coordinators should work with special education staff to determine how many grade-level or grade-span sets are needed at each site. Note that one set of picture cards may be used by multiple students.
• Picture cards can be downloaded as PDFs for LEAs to print from the Secure Materials screen, which is accessed through the [Resources] tab in the Test Operations Management System.
• Preprinted and precut picture cards may be ordered on the AST website starting May 6, 2026.
  • Printed picture cards will be available for shipment beginning in June 2026.
  • The LEA ELPAC coordinator is the only person with access to order picture cards.

Additional Information and Resources

• Registration: Register now for the Initial Alternate ELPAC AST Overview and Q&A Session on May 19, 2026, from 3 to 4 p.m. for LEA ELPAC coordinators and lead trainers.
• Information and resources: Initial Alternate ELPAC web page
• AST requirements: Alternate ELPAC AST Requirements web document
• Moodle training and navigation resources: Moodle Training Site User Guide on the Moodle home page
• Training and scoring questions: elpac@scoe.net
• Moodle questions and support: moodlesupport@scoe.net

For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team
CAASPP & ELPAC Website