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Calling All EL Coordinators, Teachers, Coaches, and AZELLA DTCs

AZELLA Standard Setting Committee

ADE will conduct standard setting activities for AZELLA in May. We are seeking your availability to participate in the committee meetings, as well as your recommendations for educators who have ELD expertise, are well versed in the 2019 English Language Proficiency Standards, and have instructional experience with English learners, to participate in the committee meetings. Please provide us with the names and contact information of your district's educators who meet the characteristics described above, and we will send them the link to the committee application.

Participants selected to serve on the AZELLA Standard Setting Committee will set performance level scores for the following grades and grade bands: Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grades 2 - 3, Grades 4 - 5, Grades 6 - 8, and Grades 9 - 12. The committee meetings will be held at the Marriott Phoenix Chandler May 22 - 25, 2023 from 8:00am to 4:30pm. A stipend of $175 per day or the substitute rate will be paid. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and overnight hotel accommodations and dinner are available if the educator's commute extends over 50 miles from the meeting location. Mileage will also be reimbursed for participants. 

Educator representation from all regions of Arizona is critical for this important work!

If you have questions regarding this committee, please contact Rose Alvarez via email at rose.alvarez@azed.gov or by phone at (602) 542-2448.
Important Upcoming Tasks


May 3 | Pearson's KG-2 survey must be submitted
May 12 | Last day to download PD certificates from the ATMS and Understand Scoring
May 12 | Placement Test window closes
May 15 | Pack up Placement Test materials and return them to Pearson no later than May 18
Last day of school | Download and print your EL73 reports
June 1 | Placement Test Cycle 12 and FY23 Cumulative electronic reports and Student Data Files available in PearsonAccessNext (PAN)
June 8 | Paper copies of the Placement Cycle 12 Reports arrive at districts and charters
June 30 | 2023 - 2024 Assessment Test Coordinator and Security Agreement due
July 3 - Week of | Annual and Placement Test training modules; Understand Scoring trainings
July 10 - Week of | Spring 2023 Reassessment electronic reports and Student Data Files available in PAN

Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment Results

The electronic results of the Spring 2023 AZELLA Reassessment Test will be available after Standard Setting has been completed. ADE is anticipating these results to be available in PAN during the week of July 10, 2023.
Returning Placement Test Materials to Pearson

AZELLA Kindergarten Placement Test (KPT) Student Response Sheets

All districts and charters that received KPT materials for the 2022 - 2023 school year must return the unused KPT Student Response Sheets to Pearson by May 18, 2023. Unused Student Response Sheets are the only KPT items that districts must return to Pearson. Please retain all other KPT materials. Pearson is updating these response sheets to include the new KPT Stopping Rules. 

There will be an Errata sheet sent to DTCs that must be inserted into every KPT Student and Test Administrator Test Book for the 2023 - 2024 school year. DO NOT RETURN THE KPT TEST BOOK TO PEARSON.

Districts and charters that tested Kindergarten students and returned their unused KPT Response Sheets will receive an automatic shipment of the new KPT Response Sheets and the KPT Errata sheet in early July from Pearson provided the April 2023 Pearson survey was completed. 

Both the new Student Response Sheets and the Errata sheet will be available to order through PAN during the 2023 - 2024 school year under Setup >> Orders & Shipment Tracking.


Stage II Placement Test Materials

All unused Stage II (cat on the cover) Student Test Books, TADs, CDs, and DVDs must be returned to Pearson by May 18, 2023. These materials are being retired at the end of the 2022 - 2023 school year. Districts and charters that administered the Placement Test to Grades 1 and 2 students during the 2022 - 2023 school year and returned their Stage II Placement Test materials will receive an automatic shipment of the new Grade 1 and Grades 2-3 Placement paper test materials in early July from Pearson provided the April 2023 Pearson survey was completed. These new Placement Test materials will be available to order through PAN during the 2023 - 2024 school year.

Looking Forward to 2023 - 2024

It is the AZELLA DTC's responsibility to periodically check the AZELLA DTC web page for information and updated documents that will be used for the 2023 - 2024 school year.


AZELLA Training and Qualifications 2023 - 2024

The new Arizona Learning Management System (ALMS) for the 2023 - 2024 school year is anticipated to open during the week of July 3, 2023, for the AZELLA Annual and AZELLA Placement training modules. The new ALMS will be replacing the ATMS system, and Pearson will create the AZELLA DTC accounts for this new ALMS.

The Understand Scoring training and qualifications for the Kindergarten Placement Test Administrators and the Grade 1 and Grades 2-3 Placement short response and extended Writing Scorers will open during the week of July 3, 2023. All Understand Scoring users must create their own accounts after it opens for the new school year. 


PearsonAccessNext (PAN) DTC Accounts 2023 - 2024

ADE will work with Pearson to enable AZELLA DTC PAN accounts for the 2023 - 2024 AZELLA Placement Test administration once ADE verifies that the DTC has completed the training requirements. 

2023-2024 Placement Test Administration
  • New test for Grades 1-12
  • Grade 1 is a paper-pencil test with a Unit 5 telephone Speaking test
  • Grades 2-3 is a hybrid test with Units 1, 2, 3, and 5 administered online; Unit 4 is paper-and-pencil
  • Grades 4-12 are all online computer-based tests
The Placement Test administration opens on the district's first student instructional day of the school year and runs throughout the school year ending in mid-May. Districts and charters may use an ADE-approved 2-calendar week jump-start to begin the administration of the Placement Test before their first instructional day only when the DTC, STCs, and TAs have completed the requirements for the AZELLA Placement Test administration.

The following groups of students must be administered the AZELLA Placement Test within the first two calendar weeks (or within the two weeks prior to the start) of the 2023 - 2024 school year:
  • Students who received an "Undetermined" AZELLA record from the 2022 - 2023 school year
  • Students who should have been administered the Spring 2023 Reassessment Test but were not tested
  • Students who have the red font quick alert message on their EL70 Report
  • Students associated with EL Group 8 on the EL73 Report
    • IMPORTANT NOTE: Students will not be showing on the EL73 Report until the district has synchronized their school enrollments to AzEDS
Student Testing Questions and Concerns

If you have questions about whether a student requires any of the AZELLA tests, please send your inquiry to AZELLA@azed.gov. You must include the student(s) SSID number(s).
AZELLAology

Join the AZELLA team for AZELLAology, an hour long, informal, live customer service question-and-answer video call in Microsoft Teams.

The dates, times, topics, and invitation links will be posted on the AZELLA DTC webpage under the AZELLAology section.
If you have any questions about AZELLA, please contact us at AZELLA@azed.gov.