THE EXAMINER
An ADE Newsletter for Test Coordinators
November 2022 Edition |
Audra Ahumada
Deputy Associate Superintendent
of Assessments |
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It is hard to believe we are already in November! We have had a very busy summer and fall. ADE is actively working on finalizing manuals, training modules, and test forms for the 2022-2023 school year. Please take time to read through this edition of The Examiner as we have called out a few new things. Be sure to share this information with your teachers, administrators, and others who will find the information useful!
We have two educator committees coming up soon! We are working on ACT Performance Level Descriptors that will go with the performance levels that were set this summer for Accountability, and we will be working with an external partner to conduct an alignment student for AzSCI. Please see the section below on our new committee database and submitting a new form if you are interested in participating in one of our educator committees!
Our newest assessment is Alt ELPA, which will be administered to English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities in grades K-12 who are eligible to participate in Alternate Assessments. There is more information in the Alternate Assessment section of this newsletter.
We will not have any stand-alone field tests this year. All of our Statewide Assessments are operational or have our regular embedded field-testing slots only.
Note: A decision has been made to gather more information on the Oral Reading Fluency items for the third grade AASA English Language Arts assessment and the impact to the Move on When Reading (MOWR) indicator. This means that these items will not count in a student's overall ELA score, nor will there be any changes to the current MOWR indicator, for the 2022-2023 school year.
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New Assessment Educator Committee Application Form
The Assessment Educator Committee Application Form was revised in September 2022. All Arizona educators who would like to be considered as a participant for future Assessment Educator Committees must complete the new application form. If you have already completed the new form, launched September 22, 2022, you do not need to resubmit the form unless your information has changed since then. Please see the email sent to District Test Coordinators on September 22 for additional Information. |
Friday Focus Webinars
The Assessment team is hosting a series of Friday Focus webinars this school year. Several webinars have already taken place, and more webinars are scheduled for the coming weeks! If you have missed any of the previous webinars, the recordings, presentation slides, and FAQs are posted on the Assessment homepage, under "Friday Focus Webinars 2022-2023." For a list of upcoming topics, dates, and registration links, please see the Friday Focus Webinar Series Flyer. |
Kindergarten Entry Assessment
SB 1572 requires that all kindergarten students are administered a Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA) within the first 45 days of school. In August 2022, the State Board of Education approved Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) as the assessment tool for the KEA. Teaching Strategies Gold is a tool that assesses the whole child in key domains of early learning: cognitive development, physical development, social emotional development, language & literacy, and math & numeracy.
Funding provided by the Governor's office has paid for the assessment for FY22 and FY23. The 22/23 school year will serve as a baseline data year, where schools will register for the assessment tool, teachers will be trained, teachers will practice using the tool, and schools will practice uploading data to ADE.
Full implementation will occur in the 23/24 school year, where all kindergarten students will be assessed using TSG within the first 45 days of school.
Timeline for Implementation:
- October - December 2022
- Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) outreach to all districts and charters that serve kindergarten students to assist with registering for TSG
- ADE and TSG will offer office hours to provide support with TSG setup: https://www.azed.gov/ece/kindergarten
- December 2022 - Ongoing
- TSG will offer free training to kindergarten educators and administrators on effective use of TSG
- School Year 22/23 - Baseline Data Year
- TSG will be implemented
- Kindergarten teachers will receive training
- Kindergarten teachers will practice using TSG to assess their students
- Districts/Charters will submit data to ADE to practice the process
- School Year 23/24 and Moving Forward
- All kindergarten students are assessed using TSG within the first 45 days of school
- TSG kindergarten data is submitted to ADE
To receive regular updates, sign up for the KEA Newsletter by emailing ADE at KEAInbox@azed.gov. |
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Please watch for communications from the Achievement Assessments team to increase in frequency over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the Spring 2023 test windows. Communications will be sent to Achievement District Test Coordinators (DTCs) regarding any testing updates as well as reminders of deadlines and tasks to be completed in preparation for testing. These communications will also be posted on our website for quick reference: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/achievement-dtcs. Please share these communications with other staff in your district or charter, as applicable. DTC emails will be organized as follows to assist you with finding the information you need for your sites:
- Information pertaining to all grade levels
- Information pertaining to grades 3 - 8 only
- Information pertaining to high school only
ADE, Pearson, and ACT are working diligently to complete Test Coordinator's Manuals and Test Administration Directions for each of the Statewide Achievement Assessments. Look for each of these manuals coming soon! |
Statewide Achievement Test Windows
Testing windows for the Spring 2023 Achievement tests are included in the table below, as well as in the Assessments Overview 2022-2023 and the Detailed Testing Calendar. The Detailed Testing Calendar also provides estimated times for each test unit of AASA and AzSCI as well as time limits for ACT Aspire and ACT test sections. |
Schedules of Tasks for Achievement District Test Coordinators
Schedules of important tasks for each of the Achievement tests are now available. A link to each is included below and can also be accessed from the Achievement District Test Coordinator's webpage.
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PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and TestNav
In Spring 2023, all of the Achievement assessments will utilize the PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and TestNav platforms. PAN is Pearson's test management system, while TestNav is the online test delivery platform.
There will be three separate PAN sites, with three separate logins, depending on the grade level of students in your district or charter.
TestNav Technical Requirements - Please share the technical requirements links below with your district or charter's technology team. Please also see information on TestNav App Updates. Please check this webpage to see if the TestNav application needs to be re-downloaded on your devices for this school year.
TestNav apps are released once a year in June. After the updated version is released, the app automatically updates the next time it is launched on Android, Chrome, and iOS operating systems and on Windows if downloaded from the Windows store. If the app was downloaded directly from download.testnav.com, you must manually re-download and install the updated TestNav app from download.testnav.com for Windows devices.
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Coming Soon - Achievement Assessments Training Modules
Training modules will be available in Pearson's Arizona Training Management System (ATMS) and are expected to be released in early December. Please note the ATMS is currently offline, pending the new training modules. Achievement District Test Coordinators will be notified by email when the ATMS system and the training modules for Spring 2023 are available to be accessed.
Details of who should complete each specific training module are included below. Achievement District Test Coordinators are required to complete all modules and to use the information provided to train testing staff according to their user roles. Achievement District Test Coordinators are responsible for tracking staff completion of trainings. Trainings must be completed prior to administering any tests. |
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Testing Accommodations
The Achievement Assessments Accommodations Manual has been updated and posted on our Accessibility webpage. Please remind your staff to review the Accommodations Manual as they work on IEPs and 504 Plans this school year. They should include all instructional accommodations that will be routinely used in the student's plan.
An accommodation selected for statewide testing must also be used throughout the year for instruction in class and documented in the IEP or 504 Plan. Most accommodations used in the classroom can also be used for testing, so it is important to become familiar with the testing accommodations by using the Sample Tests. |
Special Paper Version (SPV) Tests - AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire
Arizona offers three test formats to meet the needs of students who cannot access the test content through computer-based testing: braille, large print, and regular print paper tests. Requests for Special Paper Version (SPV) tests for AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire must be submitted to ADE for review and approval using this secure online form: https://www.azed.gov/assessment/spv2023. Additional information is available in the SPV Test Request Process Quick Guide. SPV test requests should be submitted to ADE by February 24, 2023.
Braille - a braille test kit will include directions for administering the braille assessment. For AASA and AzSCI, student responses must be key entered in TestNav by the end of the appropriate test window. For ACT Aspire and ACT, the test coordinator must transcribe the student's responses to a regular-print test booklet.
Large print test booklets - The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly state the font size used for instruction and the type of materials teachers enlarge for the student. Unless the student regularly has reading and math materials enlarged for both diameter and font size, you may consider using the Zoom feature instead. The Zoom feature can be tried out in the Sample Tests. Large print test booklets are approximately 18 inches tall, and the font size is 18pt.
Regular print test booklets - A student who cannot access the computer for classroom work due to injury, illness, or low vision may need a paper test in lieu of taking the test with peers on the computer. The IEP or 504 Plan must clearly indicate how the teachers accommodate the student's needs in class and the restrictions the student has when using technology (examples: no more than xx minutes of screen time per day, or must have significant break after xx minutes, no computer usage at all, etc.). |
Additional Accommodation Requests - AASA, AzSCI, and ACT Aspire
Additional accommodations requests SHOULD NOT include Universal Test Administration Conditions, Universal Tools, or other accommodations identified as allowable in the Achievement Assessments Accommodations Manual.
Uploading IEPs and 504 Plans Through the SPV Request Form
and Additional Accommodations Request Form
We have been experiencing some difficulty with the "Upload" button in our webforms. As a result, please do not use the "Upload" button when submitting IEPs and 504 Plans within the SPV Request Form or the Additional Accommodations Request Form. Instead, select the document to upload using the "Choose File" button, then click "Submit" once you have completed the form, without clicking the "Upload" button. This will ensure that your uploaded documents are delivered to us within the secure form. |
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AASA Sample Tests
Sample tests for AASA (Grades 3 - 8) are located at https://home.testnav.com/. Select "Arizona," then click on "Mic Check and Sample Tests." Please have students practice with the Sample Tests so they can become familiar with the test features, tools, and different types of items on the online tests.
AASA Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency
All Grade 3 students will participate in an ELA Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) test unit. A decision has been made to gather more information on the ORF items and the impact to the Move On When Reading (MOWR) indicator this year. The Grade 3 ELA ORF test items will not be included in a student's score for the Spring 2023 AASA test administration.
Computer-based testing schools will administer the ORF test unit online in TestNav. The online ORF test unit may be administered in small groups with a maximum of six students testing simultaneously in a classroom or computer lab environment. Additional resources, listed and linked below, are available on the AASA webpage under "Grade 3 Oral Reading Fluency."
New for Spring 2023: Paper-based testing (PBT) schools will administer the ORF test unit using a landline, speaker telephone with a keypad. There will not be an option for PBT schools to switch to online testing for ORF. The telephone ORF test must be administered one-to-one with each student. Each student will need a unique lithocode for the speaking test, which will be located on their AASA ELA Pre-ID Label and will also be accessible in PAN.
PearsonAccessNext (PAN)
PearsonAccessNext (PAN), https://az.pearsonaccessnext.com/, will open for the Spring 2023 AASA test administration on December 21, 2022. On that date, Achievement District Test Coordinators will receive access and can begin the tasks of verifying their contact information and shipping address and adding other users in the district or charter to PAN. If any changes are needed to the contact information and shipping address listed in PAN, please send an email to AASA@azed.gov no later than February 13, 2023 to ensure that AASA materials are shipped and delivered appropriately.
Participation Count and Materials Due-in-District Window:
January 9-20, 2023
For Spring 2023 AASA, Achievement District Test Coordinators will enter participation counts in PAN and select the materials due-in-district window for the delivery of test materials. The participation counts entered in PAN for grades 3-8 during the January 9-20, 2023 window will determine the number of manuals (Test Coordinator Manuals and Test Administration Directions) shipped for both computer-based and paper-based testing schools. It will also determine the number of paper-based test booklets shipped for paper-based testing schools.
New this year, there will be two delivery windows available for the initial shipment of AASA materials. Achievement District Test Coordinators will need to select the preferred window for their district or charter in PAN no later than January 20, 2023. Directions for making this selection will be included in the PAN User's Guide.
- Materials due-in-district window 1: March 20-23, 2023
- Materials due-in-district window 2: March 27-30, 2023
ADE's Upload of Students for AASA
The last day to revise student enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students for AASA is January 25, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. This upload will be visible in PAN on February 6, 2023. |
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The AzSCI is a computer-based assessment. In Spring 2023, there will be three test units at each grade level. Each test unit is estimated to take 60-90 minutes each. If more than one test unit is administered on the same day, there must be a significant break between each test unit.
AzSCI Sample Tests
Sample Tests for AzSCI (Grades 5, 8, and 11/Cohort 2024) are located at https://home.testnav.com/. Select "Arizona," then click on "Mic Check & Sample Tests". Updated Sample Test Scoring Guides for AzSCI Sample Tests are posted on the AzSCI webpage under "AzSCI Sample Tests." Please have students practice with the Sample Tests so they can become familiar with the test features, tools, and different types of items on the online tests. |
PearsonAccessNext (PAN) and ADE's Upload of Students for AzSCI
The last day to revise student enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students is February 15, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. The upload will be visible in PAN on February 20, 2023. |
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ACT Aspire Updates
PearsonAccessNext (PAN) for ACT Aspire, https://aspire.act.org/, will go live for the Spring 2023 test administration on January 30, 2023.
The last day to revise enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's upload of students is January 25, 2023. ADE will extract student information from AzEDS and upload the data to PAN. This upload will be visible in PAN on January 31, 2023.
The Spring 2023 ACT Aspire Accessibility Supports Guide is available on the ACT Aspire webpage, under Step 3: Accommodation.
ACT Aspire "Chat with an Expert" Sessions
ACT will be holding two ACT Aspire "Chat with an Expert" sessions specifically for Arizona test coordinators. Registration links are included below.
1. February 15, 2023, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
2. March 22, 2023, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
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ACT Test Windows
Districts and charters with Grade 11/Cohort 2024 students may utilize both published ACT test windows in order to assess all Cohort 2024 students. Schools are encouraged to administer ACT during the first test window and may also use the second test window, as needed, to complete any makeup testing. Schools administering ACT on paper may also use the online test dates for makeup testing. Any schools that choose to administer the ACT during only the second test window will not have an additional ACT test window to use for makeup testing. |
Complete Test Window Selection in PearsonAccessNext
ACT's PearsonAccessNext (PAN) site will go live for the Spring 2023 test administration on November 7, 2022. Achievement District Test Coordinators with Grade 11/Cohort 2024 students will receive login information on that date and can then begin completing tasks in PAN.
The following tasks must be completed November 7, 2022 - December 9, 2022: select test dates, select materials shipping dates, and verify shipping address. More information is available in Step 1: Orientation on ACT's Website.
When selecting test dates in PAN, online or paper testing will also be selected. This selection in PAN must match what was submitted to ADE through the ADEConnect Testing Mode Selection Application, which closed October 14, 2022. Do not select paper testing in PAN if you did not submit a paper testing request in ADEConnect. The information in the ADEConnect Testing Mode Selection Application will be the official testing mode for the school.
There is only one ACT standard paper test date in each testing window, but there are six standard online test dates in each window. If a school selects to administer the ACT on paper, the additional online test dates within the window may be utilized for any makeup testing needed.
Creating User Accounts
Beginning November 7, District Test Coordinators can create user accounts for others in the district or charter. District Test Coordinators are encouraged to add a School Test Coordinator for each site. ACT will send communications to School Test Coordinators as well as District Test Coordinators.
ACT Webinars for Arizona Test Coordinators
ACT has scheduled three webinars specifically for Arizona test coordinators. Both District and School Test Coordinators should plan to attend each webinar or view the recording afterwards. Each webinar recording will be posted on the ACT-hosted website for Arizona.
1. Accommodations - November 2, 2022, 9:00-10:00am (AZ time)
2. Test Administration #1 - November 9, 2022, 9:00 - 10:00am (AZ time)
3. Test Administration #2 - February 22, 2023, 9:00 - 10:00am (AZ time)
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ACT Accommodations
ACT accommodations requests must be submitted directly to ACT through ACT's Test Accessibility and Accommodations (TAA) system. The deadline for submitting initial requests is January 27, 2023. Please note this is a firm deadline, so please submit all requests early.
More information about ACT's accommodations request process can be found on the ACT-hosted website for Arizona (Step 3: Accommodation). In addition, ACT has scheduled a series of Accommodations Office Hours beginning November 9, 2022. Please visit the Accommodations Office Hours registration page for additional information.
ADE's Upload of Students
ADE will upload students for ACT testing in PAN. The last day to revise enrollments in AzEDS prior to ADE's extraction of student data is January 17, 2023. ADE's upload of students will be visible in PAN no later than January 23, 2023.
ACT Site Readiness and Mock Administration
All sites administering the online ACT test are encouraged to complete a mock administration. If performed under conditions similar to test day, a mock administration provides an indication of how your technical infrastructure and testing devices will interact with the testing software during a live administration. This task can be completed beginning December 5, 2022 and should be completed no later than February 8, 2023 to prepare for online testing. More information is available in Step 2: Configuration on the ACT website.
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Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator Checklist
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Alt ELPA
Our new Alternative English Language Proficiency Assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities will be operationally field tested this year. If an EL student is eligible to participate in Alt ELPA they will not participate in AZELLA Reassessment. This assessment will determine EL services or if a student is proficient in the English language acquisition skills based on Alternate Achievement Standards. The test administration window is February 1 - March 17, 2023. You can find more information in the training modules, Test Administration Manual in the Cambium portal, and the Alt ELPA presentation.
Eligibility
IEP teams determine eligibility for alternate assessments, not for a specific assessment. Therefore, eligibility determination is the same for Alt ELPA and MSAA. IEP teams should consider test administration that will occur during the student's IEP year and include suitable instructional time before test administration windows if a student's eligibility has changed. For example, an IEP team that determines eligibility before the close of the Student Selector Application in the Fall shall carefully consider the instructional time prior to test administration before determining if the student will participate in an Alternate Assessment for that same year (see Participation Guidelines and Eligibility requirements).
An IEP team making the determination in the Spring should be documenting the preparation for the assessment during the following school year. Students must be identified during the Student Selection window (October 3 - November 30, 2022) to participate in the administration of the MSAA. To add students to the alternate assessment systems after the Student Selector Application closes, the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator must submit a letter signed by the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator and the test coordinator's supervisor. The letter will include a list of students' SSIDs and an explanation for missing the students in the selection process. For explanations related to a deficiency in policy or practice, include steps the LEA will take to correct the issue. An explanation stating that the IEP team did not make the determination that the student is eligible for alternate assessment before the close of the Student Selector Application will not be accepted since this does not follow eligibility guidelines. It is the responsibility of the test coordinator to write the letter. Please notify your teachers early so that they are prepared to give you their list of eligible students.
To meet criteria for alternate assessments, the student must meet all participation criteria descriptors. IEP teams should discuss evidence that supports each criterion in this order:
1. The student has a significant cognitive disability
2. The student is learning content linked to (derived from) state content standards
3. The student requires extensive direct individualized instruction and substantial supports to achieve measurable gains in the grade-and-age-appropriate curriculum.
NOTE: The Alternate Assessments Eligibility Form was updated May 2022 to include information on Alt ELPA. This updated form is required for IEP meetings when alternate assessment eligibility is discussed. The eligibility criteria have not changed. IEP teams do not need to amend the IEP for students who were already determined eligible using the previous form; however, parents must be notified if a student is taking Alt ELPA this year. More information is available in the Determining Eligibility for Alternate Assessments webinar.
The Student Selector Application
The Student Selector Application in ADEConnect will be available October 3 - November 30, 2022 for identifying students for alternate assessments this school year. The IEP team must determine eligibility for alternate assessment before the close of the Student Selector Application to allow for suitable instructional time before administration. Only the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator (TCs) can identify the eligible students for alternate assessments in the application. There is one list for both MSAA and Alt ELPA.
- Students are identified by the District of Attendance (DOA). The District of Residence (DOR) must ensure records are updated to reflect attendance and sped program at the DOA. This will allow the DOA to identify students in the application.
- Although the District of Attendance (DOA) registers the students in the Student Selector Application, the TC at the District of Residence (DOR) must communicate with the DOA to ensure that the student lists are correct.
- A test administrator must be assigned to the student for the selection to be saved in the application. This will populate the list of test administrators for upload into the MSAA system.
- The list of students in the application is taken from AzEDS - if a student is not listed, your data manager will need to update the student records in your LEA's student information system and sync with AzEDS. You can verify students by checking your SPED72 report.
- Braille is available in MSAA for items that assess ELA Foundational reading standards (grades 3- 4) only. TCs must identify any students in grades 3 and 4 who are learning foundational Braille. This is not a Braille test.
There are currently over 2100 students registered in the Student Selector Application. Please continue to identify your students in the application no later than November 30.
Students who are eligible for alternate assessments will also be uploaded in PearsonAccessNext (PAN) for all Statewide Assessments, including AZELLA. Students eligible for any alternate assessment (MSAA or Alt ELPA) should remain untested in the PAN system. The Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator must communicate with the AZELLA and Achievement Test Coordinators to ensure students are administered the correct assessment.
Test Administration Lists
Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators will use the Alternate Assessment Application in ADEConnect to create test administrator lists. Please add all test administrators to each school using the "Test Administrator List" in the "Administration" dropdown. Select the school and add the first and last name and e-mail address.
Accommodations
Please ensure that the appropriate instructional and testing accommodations are included as you conduct the IEP meetings (scribe, paper versions, etc.) Note: A paper version/administration of the MSAA is an accommodation and must be documented in the student's IEP. More information on accommodations for alternate assessments can be found in the MSAA Accommodations Manual and Alt ELPA Accommodations Manual posted on our website.
Alternate Assessment Test Administration Trainings
The Alt ELPA training is now available in the LMS. Instructions for setting up accounts in the LMS were sent to Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators in September. Please let us know if you need them sent again.
The MSAA system is closed until February. Test Coordinators and Test Administrators will receive log in credentials no later than February 26, 2023. MSAA training modules for both Test Coordinators (TCs) and Test Administrators (TAs) will be available starting February 27. More information will be shared with Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators in February.
1% Threshold and Action Plans
We are calculating the participation rates for alternate assessment. Notifications for LEAs that exceeded 1% participation in the Spring 2022 administration will be sent soon. We want to thank all our Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators and IEP teams for their efforts in following the eligibility criteria to make assessment decisions for your students.
ADE must take additional steps to support and provide appropriate oversight to each LEA that assessed more than 1% of its assessed students in a given subject in a school year using an alternate assessment aligned with alternate academic achievement standards. This means that we will continue our monitoring through the 1% Threshold Application and submission of Action Plans.
Two notifications will be sent to Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators if the LEA exceeded the 1% Threshold. The first notification will include the LEA percentage in each content area and instructions for Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators to provide student information in the 1% Threshold application. Upon review of the student information, each LEA will be placed into a tier level of support. A second notification will be sent with instructions on submitting an Action Plan based on the tier level and addressing disproportionately if applicable.
MSAA States Website
Please continue to use the MSAA States Website to access resources for families, educators, and students. Resources range from writing rubrics, sample items, Core Content Connectors, the Learning Progression Frameworks, and more. This website contains information for all states that participate in the consortium. Please do not use the website to contact the Alternate Assessment Unit as the communication is not directly sent to the Alternate Assessment Team. |
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IMPORTANT DATES FOR AZELLA
Nov. 17, 2022
- AZELLAology - SPECIAL SESSION - Spring 2023 Reassessment Participation Counts for all DTCS who have schools that serve Grades K-3, from 8:00-9:30am
Nov. 28 - Dec. 9, 2022 REQUIRED
- DTCs must complete the Spring 2023 Reassessment Participation Counts in PAN for Grades K-3.
- All DTCs must verify all shipping addresses for the Spring 2023 Reassessment are correct in PAN.
By Jan. 4, 2023
- Student verification via EL73 Report - student school enrollment and withdrawals need to be completed and synchronized to AzEDS for students to be INCLUDED in the Spring 2023 Reassessment Student Data Extract file that will pre-register students for the test.
- Records in the Corrections Application must be matched for the students to be included in the Student Data Extract file.
Jan. 5, 2023
- Download your EL73 Reports - these are the students that will be pre-registered for the Reassessment Test and for K-3 Pre-ID labels.
Jan. 10, 2023 REQUIRED
Jan. 17 - 20, 2023
- Initial shipment of the Spring 2023 Reassessment materials and Pre-ID labels (in a separate shipment) for Grades K-3 arrive at districts. You may contact ADE on Monday, Jan. 23 if you have not received the materials.
Jan. 19, 2023
- AZELLAology - SPECIAL SESSION - Spring 2023 Reassessment Test - Getting Started - this is for ALL AZELLA DTCs, 8:00 - 9:30am
Starting Jan. 20, 2023
- AZELLA DTCs will be notified when their PAN account for the SPR23 Reassessment administration has been enabled by Pearson only after ADE verifies all AZELLA FY23 Annual and Reassessment training requirements have been completed.
Jan. 20 - March. 3, 2023
- DTCs may place an order for additional Grades K-3 Spring 2023 Reassessment materials through PAN.
AFTER DTC's PAN account has been enabled
- Student registrations, test assignments, and adding students to test sessions in PAN.
Jan. 30 - Mar. 17, 2023
- Spring 2023 Reassessment Test Window for all EL students.
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AZELLA Placement Test
Students who require an AZELLA Placement Test must be administered the Placement Test and the parents notified of the results within 2 calendar weeks from the student's school enrollment date. Check the student's EL70 Report first to determine if a student should be tested or to confirm that the student has a valid and current AZELLA test record.
- New Kindergarten and new-to-Arizona students with a Home Language Survey that has one or more responses indicating a language other than English.
- EL students with their last AZELLA test record showing as Undetermined.
- EL students who require a new Placement Test. DTCs and STCs can identify these students by reviewing the students' EL70 Reports and schools' EL73 Reports for the following information:
- EL70 Report - yellow/green triangle with red font quick alert message
- EL73 Report - EL Group 8
Kindergarten Students
Kindergarten students who have been enrolled in school for more than 60 calendar days and have not been administered the Kindergarten Placement Test (KPT), do not administer the KPT now. These Kindergarten students will need to be included in the Spring 2023 Reassessment testing to be administered the Kindergarten Reassessment Test instead of the KPT. These students will need to be manually registered in PAN by the DTC or STC for the Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment Test in late January 2023. DO NOT administer the KPT to these students.
Newly enrolled Kindergarten students, who have never been enrolled in school anywhere in the USA (Grade K), must be administered the KPT within 2 calendar weeks from the students' school enrollment date.
NEW AZELLA Sample Tests
The new AZELLA tests aligned to the 2019 English Language Proficiency Standards will be administered for the first time during the Spring 2023 Reassessment test window. ADE has developed new AZELLA Sample Tests so students have plenty of opportunities to become familiar with the mode of administration, test design, and item types of the test they will be taking in the spring.
The Grades 2 - 12 Sample Tests are available in TestNav via the application and the browser version at https://az.testnav.com/client/index.html. No username or password is required to access the Sample Tests. The new printable Sample Test Student Test Books for Grades K - 3, as well as the accompanying audio files and Teacher's Editions, are available for downloading in the Support >> Documentation section in PearsonAccessNext.
It is the AZELLA DTC's and STC's responsibility to download and distribute these digital kits to teachers. Detailed information on the New AZELLA Sample Tests can be found in the AZELLA webpage under, "AZELLA New Sample Test Information". ADE hosted a webinar on the New AZELLA Sample Tests on 08/26/2022. You can view the webinar at: https://vimeo.com/743586296.
Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment Test Administration
January 30 - March 17, 2023: Test Window - Test Early!
Note: Grades 1-12 students who are required to be administered the Placement Test, must be administered the Placement Test within 2 calendar weeks of their school enrollment date. Students who are administered the Placement Test on and after January 2, 2023, are not required to participate in the Spring 2023 Reassessment Test.
Shipping Address Verifications and Grades K-3 Reassessment Participation Counts for the Spring 2023 Reassessment Test
- When: November 28 - December 9, 2022
- Where: Inside of PearsonAccessNext > Spring 2023 Reassessment administration
- How: Two sources of information
- Special AZELLAology session, Thursday Nov. 17, 2022 8:00-9:30am
- Pearson will send step-by-step directions to all DTCs on November 22
- Who: ALL AZELLA DTCs
- DTCs with schools who serve K-3 must complete the counts for K-3 students only - Pearson must know how many test materials to print for your district.
- All AZELLA DTCs must verify shipping addresses (these addresses do not transfer over from the Placement administration)
If the address needs to be changed, you must send an email to AZELLA@azed.gov with the District/Charter District name and Entity number and the correct address. If a shipping address was changed for the Placement administration, the new addresses will not be included for the Reassessment administration.
REQUIRED Spring Reassessment Test Training Modules
- Opens: January 10, 2023
- Where: ATMS - https://az.tms.pearson.com/
- Categories (AZELLA Roles): DTC, STC, and Test Administrators
- Training Modules:
- Annual training modules for those who have not completed them
- Reassessment training modules by AZELLA role (category)
- DTC-STC module
- Grades K-1 module (DTC, STC, and TA with schools that serve grades K-1)
- Grades 2-3 module (DTC, STC, and TA with schools that serve grades 2-3)
- Grades 4-12 module (DTC, STC, and TA with schools that serve grades 4-12)
You may refer to the AZELLA Training Requirements by AZELLA Role 2022 - 2023. All required training modules must be completed in the correct category (e.g., DTC, STC, and Test Administrator) prior to PAN accounts being enabled for the Spring Reassessment administration. If a Test Administrator will only be administering the Reassessment Test for any grades 4-12, then that TA only needs to complete the Grades 4-12 training module. When a TA is administering the Reassessment Test for grades 1 and 2, that TA must complete the K-1 and the 2-3 training modules. AZELLA DTC PAN accounts for the Spring Reassessment administration will be enabled on and after January 20, 2023.
Paper Test Materials for the Reassessment Test
For districts who complete their K-3 Participation Counts in December, Pearson will ship enough materials to test that many students by grade level, plus a 5% district overage to the shipping address on file for the Spring Reassessment Test administration. These materials are scheduled to arrive between January 17 - 20, 2023. Someone must be available to sign for the shipments. The paper test materials and the Pre-ID Labels will be shipped separately and are expected to arrive during the same week. DTCs will have an opportunity to order additional materials after the materials received have been inventoried. Pre-ID Labels cannot be ordered. If you have NOT received your materials by Monday, January 23, please contact ADE by sending an email to AZELLA@azed.gov. You must wait until January 23 before contacting ADE.
KEEP the boxes that the materials arrive in because you will use the same boxes to return the materials at the end of the test window.
Student Data and School Enrollment for the Spring Reassessment
Pre-Registration (all grades) and K-3 Pre-ID Labels
January 4 and 5, 2023
Please ensure that school enrollments, withdrawals, and EL program services have been synchronized from your SIS to AzEDS by January 4, 2023. Placement Test records that are in the AZELLA Corrections application need to be corrected by January 4. This data needs to be complete because ADE will be extracting all Kindergarten through Grade 12 EL student data on January 5 to send to Pearson for pre-registering these students for the Spring Reassessment Test and printing K-3 Pre-ID Labels.
Mark your calendar to print your EL73 - EL Student Need Report on January 5, 2023. On January 20, or when your PAN account for the Spring Reassessment administration is enabled, print another EL73 report because you will want to compare the January 5th EL73 Report to the new EL73 Report. This will help you identify the students who have not been registered for the Reassessment Test in your schools and need to be added to PAN or transferred (Work Request) in PAN from a different School.
Students who are not included in the January 5 extracted student data file will require the DTCs and STCs to add these students to PAN and register them for the Reassessment Test.
Not all K-3 students will receive a Pre-ID Label. Those who don't receive a label and for those whose labels are incorrect, the students must still be tested. The students must be added to PAN and the Student Data Demographic Grid on the back cover of the students' paper test books must be completed by the DTC and STCs prior to the students testing.
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Student Testing Questions and Concerns
If you have questions whether a student requires any of the AZELLA tests, please send your inquiry to AZELLA@azed.gov and you must include the student(s) SSID number(s). |
The AZELLA Team offers scheduled AZELLAology office hours conference call sessions to provide additional customer support. These sessions are not required, but DTCs have reported that the sessions have been very beneficial. This is an opportunity for the AZELLA Team to address current frequently asked questions and to provide tips and tutorials for AZELLA tasks. The scheduled sessions are listed on the AZELLA DTC web page under the AZELLAology section.
AZELLAology sessions are scheduled for Tuesday mornings from 8:00am - 9:00am. The link to join the call is on the AZELLA DTC web page. |
OELAS Updates
Space is still available for the OELAS Conference 2022! This year's theme, Unleash the Power of Academic Language & Literacy, empowers educators of English learners to create educational experiences that prepare our students to become multilingual and multi-literate citizens and effective contributors to our future society. To value OELAS' shared responsibility to Arizona's English learners, OELAS has partnered with ADE's Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion division, to ensure that this year's conference acknowledges the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and needs of our ELs.
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If you have any questions about AZELLA, please contact us at AZELLA@azed.gov. |
NAEP Releases Arizona Results - First Results since 2019
As the Director of NAEP and International Assessments for Arizona, I am grateful to all the schools, districts, and most of all, the teachers of Arizona for the work they do with our learners in Arizona. NAEP is the gold standard of Assessments and provides valuable data about what the nation's learners know and can do.
Overall, the NAEP data shows that standards in Arizona are more rigorous than 10 years ago, and Arizona has made progress and is at the national average. |
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The data shows Arizona learners are scoring similarly in 4th and 8th grade math and reading as students in Nevada and California. Arizona students also have a 10% greater proficiency rating than students in New Mexico. Arizona is one of the states leading the nation with the best 10-year trend lines showing growth in Reading. Mathematics results show AZ is not statistically different than the national average in Grade 4 or 8. This is due in part to national declines in Math scores and Arizona not declining as much in the Pandemic as other states did in mathematics.
If you are interested in digging in deeper to Arizona NAEP data, the free resource is available to you! The NAEP data explorer can be found here: Explore Assessment Data | NAEP (ed.gov). If you have questions or need assistance with navigating the NAEP Explorer Tool, do not hesitate to contact me. |
*Darker shaded bars indicate significant change. |
*Darker shaded bars indicate significant change. |
If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Gary McIlvaine, AZ Director of NAEP and International Assessments:
602-364-1538
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The Examiner is published electronically every August, November, February, and May for distribution to Test Coordinators in Arizona schools. Test Coordinators are responsible for disseminating information in The Examiner as appropriate.
Arizona Department of Education - Assessment Section
602.542.5031 |
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