ELPAC Communication: December 2025

Email Update, December 2, 2025

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

Notice

December 8: RSVP Deadline to Return Answer Books

The last day to ship Initial ELPAC kindergarten through grade two (K–2) Answer Books for LEAs assigned to participate in the Rotating Score Validation Process (RSVP) is December 8, 2025. Students tested October 6–31, 2025, received their final batch of pre-identification labels and Group Identification Sheets in November.

December 19: Summative ELPAC Primary Order Window Closes

The primary order window for Summative ELPAC K–2 test materials closes on December 19, 2025. Primary orders will arrive during the week of January 12, 2026. Primary orders can be placed through the Test Operations Management System (TOMS). A physical business address must be entered into TOMS prior to placing an order. For security reasons, post office boxes and residential addresses are not acceptable.

Test Security

TOMS Account Policies and Best Practices

All LEA staff should be made aware of and adhere to the following policies and best practices for accessing TOMS:

• Only LEA staff can be granted a TOMS user account.
  • All TOMS user roles must sign a security affidavit. Site coordinators and LEA coordinators must also sign a security agreement. (Refer to the Overview of TOMS User Roles section of the TOMS User Guide for additional information.)
  • Non-TOMS users with access to test materials must sign the 2025–26 ELPAC Test Security Affidavit for Non-TOMS Users .
• TOMS accounts must not be shared. Only one user should be given the logon credentials for a single TOMS account.
• TOMS accounts must have a first name, last name, and telephone number associated with the staff member to whom the account is granted. Group or fictitious names are not permitted (for example, “ELPAC Tester”).
• TOMS account logon credentials should not be saved or stored on devices.
• LEAs are advised to be cautious when assigning site-based roles (for example, Site Coordinator, Educator - Test Site), as these roles grant access to all interim and summative assessment results for an entire school; results can include personally identifiable student information. TOMS user role assignments should align with privacy laws and local policies.

The Sample Interim Assessment Test Security Agreement is available on the Test Security web page. Although a test security agreement is not required by the state for interim assessments, this form may be used at the discretion of the LEA and may be modified as needed for local use.

Reminders

Accessibility Resources

The following content is available to assist in making decisions about assigning student accessibility resources:

• California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix
• Accessibility Resource Graphics web page
• Accessibility Guide
• Test Settings subsection of the TOMS User Guide
• ELPAC Student Needs Matching Tool - ELPAC (CA Dept of Education)
• Individual Student Assessment Accessibility Profile (ISAAP) Tool

Accessibility resources should be assigned to a student on the basis of individual need, as determined by the student’s educational team.

Test Administration Window for the Summative ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC

For the 2025–26 academic year, LEAs should complete Summative ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC testing by Friday, May 29, 2026. Although the Test Delivery System and Test Administrator Interface can be accessed through Sunday, May 31, consider the following limitations when scheduling testing:

• Support services such as the LEA Success Agents and CalTAC are not available during the weekend.
• Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System cases and Appeal requests cannot be processed during the weekend.

When May 31 falls during a weekend, as it does in 2026, LEAs are strongly encouraged to complete all testing by the preceding Friday to ensure access to support and processing services.

2024–25 California Test Results Public Release

The 2024–25 ELPAC results have been released to the public and are available on the Test Results for California’s Assessments website. Aggregate results for the Initial ELPAC, Initial Alternate ELPAC, Summative ELPAC, and Summative Alternate ELPAC scores are available.

FedEx Replaces UPS for PPT Deliveries and Returns

FedEx will be the new carrier for paper–pencil test deliveries and returns. PPT materials include special version braille and large-print assessments as well as K–2 Answer Books. A new returns portal will be live in December. Complete return instructions will be included with orders for PPT materials. Other changes for PPT orders include the following:

• PPTs sent to the LEA are bundled in packs of 5 instead of 10.
• Materials are returned to North Carolina instead of New Jersey.

Required Trainings

To prepare for ELPAC or the Alternate ELPAC, LEA ELPAC coordinators and test examiners must complete Administration and Scoring Training (AST) through the Moodle Training Site (Moodle).

Completion of LEA ELPAC coordinator training is mandatory. Failure to complete required LEA ELPAC coordinator trainings by the established deadlines may result in a Tier 2 audit.

Information about the Summative ELPAC AST includes the following:

• Training is available for LEA ELPAC coordinators and ELPAC test examiners.
• The deadline for all LEA coordinators is December 8, 2025.
• Test examiners must complete training prior to testing.

Information about the Summative Alternate ELPAC ASTs, which are required for LEAs that have students assigned to the Alternate ELPAC, includes the following:

• Training is available for LEA ELPAC coordinators and ELPAC test examiners.
• LEA coordinator training must be completed within two weeks of registering an eligible student.
• Test examiners must complete training prior to testing.

Note that in addition to any of the listed training options, local training policies and procedures must be followed.

An LEA with minimal eligible enrollments can enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a neighboring LEA. LEAs must email the signed MOU to elpac@scoe.net to confirm that the neighboring LEA has completed the required training. MOUs do not roll over and must be submitted annually.

Visit the Test Administration Trainings and Tutorials web page for a complete list of required trainings and deadlines.

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.

December 3: Pretest Virtual Training Series, 2–4 p.m.

The Pretest Virtual Training Series will provide LEA ELPAC coordinators with information about changes and updates to ELPAC testing for the 2025–26 test administration year. Registration is now open for both Pretest Virtual Training sessions.

December 9: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.

The 2025–26 virtual monthly Coffee Sessions, hosted by the California Department of Education (CDE) and ETS, offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask questions and get answers about assessments, trainings, resources, and more. LEA coordinators are recommended to register annually on the Coffee Session Series registration web page. By registering once, you will be eligible to attend all upcoming sessions.

December 11: New Coordinator Training Webinar #8, 3–4 p.m.

The eighth session in the New Coordinator Training Webinar series will continue its focus on preparing LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators for testing.

Register now for the 2025–26 New Coordinator Training Webinar Series.

January and February 2026: Formative Assessment Shared Practices Webinar Series

This CDE-hosted webinar series will consist of three independent webinars and will feature California teachers, and administrators sharing local formative assessments practices. Each webinar will focus on a different resource featured within the Smarter Balanced Tools for Teachers website, including formative assessment and accessibility strategies, instructional resources for science, and professional learning resources for English language development. Teachers and administrators are encouraged to attend!

Register now for the Formative Assessment Shared Practices Webinar Series.

Educator Meeting Opportunities

There is still time to help shape the future of California’s assessments! Review items for issues related to content as well as bias and sensitivity that may affect the performance of particular groups of students, or review item data.

Apply now for the ELPAC and Alternate ELPAC educator meetings to be held in spring 2026. Applications close soon.

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.

More information is available on the Get Involved web page.

Available Now!

On-Demand Trainings and Recordings

A recording of the following training is now available on the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page:

• November Coffee Session

Previous ELPAC Monthly Communications

Previous ELPAC monthly communications, as well as other email communications, are located on the 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 user-friendly lookup tool available to help LEA coordinators quickly find answers to the most common testing questions.

For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team
CAASPP & ELPAC Website