Reporting
Alt ELPA Summative Reports
Alt ELPA Summative reports are available in the Cambium Portal. All current District Test Coordinators have access to view and download reports at any time. Two hard copies of student reports were mailed to LEAs in June. One copy should be places in the student's secure file and the other should be sent home to parents or guardians.
MSAA Reports
The MSAA reporting portal is available now through September 12, 2025. All District Test Coordinators must download their reports and save them according to local policy. MSAA reports will not be available after September 12, 2025. Two hard copies of student reports were mailed to LEAs at the end of July. One copy should be placed in the student's secure file and the other should be sent home to parents or guardians.
Eligibility Determination and Student Selector Application
Alternate Assessment eligibility determinations are made annually for students in all grades. The student's current IEP must document all areas of the student's needs, including evidence of a significant cognitive disability, plans for learning academic content aligned with grade level standards, extensive support, and English language acquisition needs for English language learners. The eligibility determination form, which is part of the IEP, must synthesize the information as it pertains to assessment participation. Eligibility determination for Alternate Assessment should be made early in the school year, even if the student's annual IEP is due later in the year. IEP teams must also determine Alternate Assessment eligibility for English language learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities for participation in Alt ELPA.
Please notify your teachers early so that they are prepared to give the Alternate Assessment Test Coordinator their lists of eligible students this fall. Eligible students participate in MSAA ELA and Math (Grades 3-8 and Grade 11), MSAA Science (Grades 5, 8, and 11), and Alt ELPA Summative (Grades K-12). All students must be identified for participation in all Alternate Assessments (MSAA and Alt ELPA Summative) using the Student Selector Application, which is open from October 1 - November 28, 2025. Students who are eligible for alternate assessments and will need to take the Alt ELPA Screener are not identified in the Student Selector Application. Please see the following section for more information on registration for the Alt ELPA Screener.
Alt ELPA Screener
The Alternate English Language Proficiency Screener (Alt ELPA Screener) replaces the AZELLA Placement Test for students who have been determined eligible for alternate assessments. Students who take the Alt ELPA Screener and are not proficient will need to be selected in the Student Selector Application for the Alt ELPA Summative. Starting this year, Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinators will submit the electronic Alt ELPA Screener Request Form for each eligible student. Please note that the eligibility determination form must be submitted with the screener request. Students will be added to TIDE for the Alt ELPA Screener by the Alternate Assessment Team.
Alt ELPA Screener results will be available in the Reporting Portal within 24 hours after testing is completed. Instructions for accessing reports are available in the User Guide under the Resources tab in the portal.
Change in District Test Coordinator
If there is a change in the District Test Coordinator at any point during the school year, the 2025-2026 DTC Test Security Agreement must be submitted and approved. Please fill out the form, including the required signatures, and submit the completed form to Testing@azed.gov.
1% Threshold
Under federal regulations, the State is required to "provide appropriate oversight to each LEA that the State anticipates will assess more than 1.0% of its assessed students...using alternate assessments aligned with alternate academic achievement standards." An LEA may test students who qualify for Alternate Assessment, even if that participation means that the LEA will exceed 1%. This is then addressed with an Action Plan that the LEA develops and submits to ADE as part of the monitoring requirement. Notifications and instructions for the 2025 administration will be sent to Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators this fall. The 1% Threshold does not apply to Alt ELPA.
Alternate Assessment Handbook
The updated 2025-2026 Alternate Assessment Handbook will be sent to the Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinators. This handbook will have a list of important dates and step-by-step instructions for each activity. Please refer to this resource throughout the year to ensure activities are completed on time.
