1. (Required for DTCs, STCs, and ELPA TAs)

2. ELPA
Objectives
Understand the definition and purpose of the English Language Proficiency Assessment
Administer ELPA appropriately
For more information about the English Language Proficiency Assessment, see the Test Administration Manual: Part VI Student and Assessment Options, Part VII English Language Learners, and Appendix H ELPA.

3. ELPA
Purpose and Use
The ELPA (English Language Proficiency Assessment) measures the proficiency of English Language Learners (ELL) in reading, writing, speaking and listening English based on Oregon’s English Language Proficiency Content Standards.
Used as part of Title I accountability to document which students are Limited English Proficient and as part of Title III Accountability incorporated into the Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO).
Required for all students eligible to receive English Language Development (ELD) services.

4. Schedule and Scoring 2013-14 ELPA test window: Jan. 8 – April 15
Each test opportunity is subject to a 45-day expiration period and expired ELPAs are not re- opened.
There is no 20-minute pause rule for the ELPA
ELPA scores will be loaded into ODE’s system within approximately 6 weeks of the end of the month in which a test is completed. For example: If a student completes the ELPA anytime in March, the student scores will be available after May 9th.
-The ELPA scoring and data delivery schedule is included in Appendix H of the Test Administration Manual

5. ELPA
Before Testing
Review Appendix H of the Test Administration Manual and your training notes
Identify students to be tested
Make sure you have the correct SSID for each student
Make sure each student’s LEP flag is set to “Y” in TIDE
Provide students with opportunities to become familiar with the test format and technology
Note: new item types on practice test this year
Check headsets to ensure they are properly installed and functioning correctly
(Use the Practice Test to check headsets)
-Appendix H of the TAM is available online. It contains instructions on how to prepare for the test, the procedure for administering the test, allowable resources, and student directions
-After setting the LEP flag in the SSID system, it can take a number of days before the change takes effect in TIDE, so it’s best to plan ahead.
-Practice tests are available online to familiarize TAs and students with the ELPA format.

6. ELPA
Test Administration
ELPA is a Test Subject that can be selected for inclusion in a test session from the OAKS Online TA Interface.
ELPA is administered as one adaptive test, with the speaking domain segmented at the end.
While the ELPA is not timed, we estimate that it will take 75 minutes to complete.
-Students will be presented with a combination of listening, reading, and writing items first, followed by the Speaking segment. How a student performs on these domains will determine the difficulty level at which a student starts when they switch to the speaking segment. Note: TAs will need to approve a student to switch to the speaking segment of the ELPA.
-45-day expiration period applies to the ELPA. Students who do not complete the test within 45 days of starting it will have the test expire. As there is only 1 ELPA test opportunity per student, it’s important that districts monitor ELPA tests that are nearing their expiration date to ensure that students have an opportunity to complete the test. The Participation Reports available through the Online Reporting System allow users to identify which students’ tests are set to expire within a set number of days.
Note: Tests that are not completed within 45 days of starting will expire.

7. Overview of Test Delivery System
ELPA
Overview of Test Delivery System
TA Interface
Administer the ELPA, track progress, and manage students testing in their session
Adjust test settings for individual students before they are approved to start the test
Approve and submit print requests from students
Student Interface
Secure online test that must be
accessed via a secure browser
Tablets are not supported on ELPA (AIR)
-TA Interface is used by TAs to create/edit test sessions, change student settings, administer tests, and process print requests.
-Student Interface is used by students to access the secure OAKS Online tests. The student interface must be accessed through the current-year secure browser posted to the OAKS Portal.

8. TA Interface at A Glance
ELPA
TA Interface at A Glance
Used to create/edit sessions and approve students
All information is visible on one screen
Tests in session
Students needing approval to start testing
Students with tests in progress
Print requests
-The OAKS Online TA User Guide includes detailed screenshots and instructions for using the TA interface to create and manage test sessions. The training site available through the OAKS Portal allows TAS to practice setting up practice test sessions and can be used to administer the practice test to students.
-The following slides will walk you through the steps of creating sessions, approving students, and monitoring student progress through the TA Interface.

9. TA Interface, cont’d Create / Edit Sessions ELPA
List of available tests automatically displays upon logging in and remains
on screen while monitoring students
Select the tests for inclusion in the session and click [Start Session]
System generates a Session ID that students will use to log in
Test sessions automatically expire upon TA logout
Sessions cannot be resumed
Students may resume a paused test in any new test session that includes the applicable test subject and grade
Example: TA creates a test session for students on Tuesday. To resume testing on Wednesday, the TA will create another test session for students to resume testing
-Creating sessions is simple. As soon as TAs log in they are presented with a list of tests. All they need to do is select the tests to be included in the session and click Start Session.
-The system will then generate a Session ID that students will use to log into the test session

10. TA Interface, cont’d ELPA Student Test Settings and Approvals
Approvals Preview (right) allows TAs to see students that need to be approved while monitoring test progress
The complete list of students awaiting approval will display on a pop-up screen
-As students log in, they will appear in the top right corner of the TA interface. This list will automatically update as students log in, or the TA can manually refresh the list by clicking the “Refresh” button.
-To review and approve students to start testing, click on “Approvals.” This will bring up a pop-up screen that displays all students waiting for approval. The system will allow the TA to approve all students. However, it is strongly recommended that TAS review individual student names and test settings before approving students to test.
-To review student test settings for a student, click on the “See / Edit Details” button for that student.

11. TA Interface, cont’d ELPA Student Test Settings and Approvals, cont’d
Adjust test settings for an individual student
Clicking the “See / Edit Details” button will bring up the list of all test settings in place for that student. Editable test settings for the ELPA include print size and color choice. From this screen, the TA can also see but cannot update the Print on Request and Exempted Domains restricted resource settings for a student. This setting can only be updated in TIDE by a DSA or DTSA.

12. Student Test Settings Print on Request Print Size ELPA
Printed reading passages are an allowable resource for all students
All print requests must be approved by the TA in the TA Interface
Print Size
Available in 4 levels of magnification
Students can manually adjust for individual items
Selected magnification for a given item will persist for print requests
Printed reading passages are available as an allowable resource for all students. Security requirements for handling printed passages appear on p. 12 of the Test Administration Manual.

13. Student Test Settings, cont’d
ELPA
Student Test Settings, cont’d
Color Choice
The Student Interface can be set to present the test background with different options
Text and background color combinations are pre-defined for a colored overlay over test content
Available color options are blue and yellow.

14. Student Test Settings Domain Exemption ELPA
Important: Once a student is approved to start the ELPA, the district may no longer set this restricted resource for the student. Approving a student to start the test without this restricted resource in violation of the student’s IEP or 504 Plan is a reportable impropriety.
Student Test Settings
Domain Exemption
Domain exemption is a restricted resource for individual students whose IEP or 504 Plan exempts a student from responding to a particular ELPA domain
Must be based on individual student need documented in the student’s IEP or 504 Plan
Must be identified for the student and entered into TIDE by a DTSA/DSA prior to approving the student to start the ELPA.
District must also enter ELPA “Only” IEP test admin code in Student Centered Staging
Due to the nature of some students’ disabilities, a student’s IEP or 504 Plan might exempt a student from responding to a particular ELPA domain (listening, reading, writing, speaking). Example: student with a hearing impairment might have an IEP that exempts them from the listening domain.
As a restricted resource, districts may code ELPA domain exemption in TIDE. This ensures the student will not receive any items from the exempted domain when taking the ELPA. This will also replace the need for TAs to enter false responses through the student interface as in past years.
Scores will be generated based on the remaining domains.
Restricted resource must be entered in TIDE by either the DTSA or DSA prior to approving the student to start the test. Important—once the student is approved to start, the district may no longer set this restricted resource.

15. Test Administration, cont’d ELPA Student Login1
Test Administration,
cont’d
Student Login
Log in using First Name, SSID, Session ID
Confirm identity – “Is This You?” screen
First Name (same as in SSID upload), Enrolled Grade, DOB, School, SSID
Select Test
If logging into an ELPA session, will only see ELPA test opportunity
If logging into multiple subject session, will see multiple subject tests
TA Approval required to start test
Confirm test -- “Is this your test?” screen 2 3 4
-To avoid a test impropriety, it is essential that you verify that students log in using the correct SSID. ODE has posted a promising practice with tips on how ensure that students log into the ELPA correctly.
-If the ELPA does now appear as an available test, check to make sure that the student’s LEP flag was set to Y. This is required to confirm student eligibility. 5

16. Student Interface at A Glance
ELPA
Student Interface at A Glance
Click to view list of item pages. Pages with marked items will be indicated. Select item/item page to navigate.
Click to view student help
Pause test button.
Toggle between test pages.
Zoom in/out buttons
(to adjust text size).
Click to mark item for review.
Click to select a comment about the item.
Click to have listening item played.
Click for item type tutorial.
-The OAKS Online TA User Guide includes detailed screenshots of the Student interface and descriptions of tools available to students through the interface. The practice tests available through the OAKS Portal allows TAs, students, and others to become familiar with using the student interface. The practice tests can either be accessed using the OAKS Secure Browser or using Mozilla web browser. Practice tests may either be entered as a guest or through a proctored test session set up by a TA in the Training Site.
-This screen provides a look at the Student Interface.
Click to have instructions read aloud
Click to have answer option played.

17. Test Administration, cont’d
ELPA
Test Administration, cont’d
Monitor to ensure that students only have access to the allowable resources listed in Appendix H
If breaking up the test into multiple sessions, the student will see the next item if the previous item was “submitted” during the previous session. Otherwise, the test will resume on the item the student was last on.
For the Speaking segment, students may receive a pop-up warning if their recorded response is too soft. Students can play back their response to verify before moving on and can re-record if necessary.
For students whose IEP or 504 Plan exempts them from a domain, enter domain exemption in TIDE as a restricted resource prior to approving the student to test.
-Students may not access any materials not explicitly identified on the ELPA allowable resource list. In particular, be aware that students may not access materials such as dictionaries, electronic translation devices, or cell phones during testing.
-When pausing a test to resume later, it’s important that students finish responding to the items presented on the screen before pausing. For security reasons, this is particularly true for items associated with a reading passage or with short or extended response writing items. Any notes, rough drafts, or printed passages/items must be collected and securely destroyed by the TA between sessions.
-The pop-up warning is intentionally designed to be sensitive. If a student plays back their response and verifies that it is clear, then the student does not need to re-record.
-LEP students with disabilities must participate in the ELPA according to their IEP. Special codes are added in Student Centered Staging for the ELPA by the District Test Coordinator. Also, districts must code in TIDE as a restricted resource prior to approving the student o test. See p. H-6 of Appendix H for more information.
-No TA should ever read anything other than the test directions aloud to students, regardless of item type.

18. Do’s and Don’ts ELPA Do’s
Schools must use Oregon’s ELPA for ALL students eligible for services under the ESEA criteria for an English Language Learner, regardless of whether the student actually receives services.
Districts must set the LEP Flag to Y in the SSID system for students to be eligible to take an ELPA test. This must be done by appropriate district personnel prior to logging the student in for the ELPA.
Districts must set the Domain Exemption restricted resource in TIDE for students whose IEP or 504 Plan exempts them from an ELPA domain based on individual student need. This must be done by appropriate district personnel prior to logging the student in for the ELPA.

19. Do’s and Don’ts, cont’d ELPA Do’s (cont’d)
If a student arrived at a U.S. school:
On or before May 1, 2013, the student must take the ELPA and all state assessments: Reading, Math, Writing, and Science (as appropriate for his/her grade).
After May 1, 2013, the student must take the ELPA and state assessments in Math and Science (as appropriate for his/her grade).
Between April 1 and April 30, 2014, the student must take the assessments in Math and Science (as appropriate for his/her grade) but is not required to take the ELPA.
On or after May 1, 2014, the student is not required to test.

20. Do’s and Don’ts, cont’d Don’ts
ELPA
Do’s and Don’ts, cont’d
Don’ts
Districts may not exempt an ELL student from taking ELPA based on their Language Proficiency Level.
Districts may not administer the ELPA to any students on monitor status (Exited within the last two years) unless they were exited “late” (after September 19, see below)
Students who were eligible to exit in but weren’t exited prior to July 1 can be officially exited in Fall. The deadline to exit is September 19, using the district exit policy.
Test administrators may not translate or
read aloud any of the items on ELPA.
-Only directions may be translated

21. ELPA
Do’s and Don’ts, cont’d
Don’ts (Cont’d)
TAs must not share their login information and passwords, even with other authorized users.
Do not approve students to test until you are sure the students are taking the correct test at the right time.
Students may not use resources such as electronic translators, a dictionary, a thesaurus, literature texts, or literary glossaries. Remember that wall charts that contain literary definitions or vocabulary must be removed or covered during the testing session.
Do not let tests linger, they will expire after
45 calendar days and expired tests are
not re-opened.
-Carefully check student names and settings before approving students to begin testing.
-Monitor students who have not finished in Reporting to identify tests close to expiration.

22. Promising Practices ELPA
Familiarize yourself and your students ahead of testing about available accommodations and supports, especially for newcomer ELLs.
Provide students with practice on how the headset and microphone work in ELPA prior to administering the test. The ELPA practice test is available for this purpose at
Use the OAKS Secure Browser to access the ELPA practice test. (Note: ELPA tests and practice tests must be taken on laptop or desktop computers. ELPA is not supported on iPads, Android tablets, and Chromebooks.)
Some students may benefit in having their testing broken up over a couple of days.
-ODE has posted a promising practice with tips on administering the ELPA to newcomer ELL students. ELPA-specific accommodations are located in the Accommodations Manual.
-Newcomer ELL students and those unfamiliar with Oregon’s ELPA may benefit from multiple opportunities to take the practice test.

23. Promising Practices, cont’d
ELPA
Promising Practices, cont’d
Early Advanced ELL students should take the ELPA earlier in the assessment window in order to receive scores back sooner in the school year.
Any student who may have moved up a proficiency level should take the assessment early in the assessment window in order to receive scores back sooner in the school year.
Test administrators may choose to assess all Beginning level and Newcomer ELL students later in the testing window as students need more language acquisition time to demonstrate their ability on ELPA
Consider testing K-1 students in small groups to provide an improved environment for these young students.
Taking the assessment earlier rather than later means that districts /schools/teachers receive the ELPA data back in time to make scheduling, exiting, and graduation (essential skills) decisions.

24. Promising Practices, cont’d
ELPA
Promising Practices, cont’d
You may have students pause the ELPA at the beginning of the speaking domain and have the student resume later, being sure to keep in mind the 45-day test expiration period (expired ELPAs are not re-opened).
You might choose to provide students with a name tag with picture to avoid confusion during the log-in process.
Practice a microphone check with students prior to logging into the operational assessment. Use the practice test to be sure the headsets are working properly.

25. Regional Help Desk Contacts
ELPA
Regional Help Desk Contacts
Remember, your best source for immediate and accurate information and assistance is your Regional Helpdesk. Contact them directly, prior to calling or ing ODE assessment personnel.
List of contacts can be found at:

26. In a Nutshell 2013-14 ELPA test window closes April 15
ELPA is administered as one, adaptive test consisting of two segments, with the Speaking segment administered second.
All students in grades K-12 eligible for LEP services must take the test.
There is no 20-minute pause rule for the ELPA
Only those students with a valid ELPA score and a valid submission in the LEP collection will be counted as LEP for accountability reports
Refer to pages H-3 and H-5 for resource help

27. DTC Training
Online Resources
Test Administration Manual, Appendix H:
Promising Practices:
OAKS Portal and Practice Tests:
Accommodations Manual:
Test Administrator User Guide, Appendix C:

28. ELPA
Acorns for Storage
What is the process for deciding which students should take the ELPA?
How should a TA determine which accommodations should be provided for a student taking the ELPA?
What steps should a TA follow to ensure valid test administration for all eligible students?
How should results from the ELPA be used?