This document includes important dates and tasks for each AZELLA test administration. It also includes the AZELLA Placement Test Cycle Calendar on pages 4 and 5. We encourage all AZELLA DTCs to print these pages to reference throughout the school year.

This document provides the training requirements for each AZELLA test administration by AZELLA role. AZELLA Placement testing can begin after the DTC, STCs, and Test Administrators complete their requirements associated with the Annual and Placement requirements. 

New AZELLA District Test Coordinators will receive an email from Adobe Learning Manager admin@adobelearningmanager.com, with the subject as, "Welcome to Arizona's Learning Management System: Verification required."

Local Education Agencies (LEAs) may have email filters in place that are not allowing the email to come through to an email inbox. Please contact the LEA IT Department and provide the following information: 

The 2024-2025 Understand Scoring training and qualifications for the Kindergarten Placement Test Administrators and the Grade 1 and Grades 2-3 Placement Writing Scorers is now accessed through the AzLMS. The previous (2023-2024) Understand Scoring site was shut down by Pearson on May 10, 2024.

The Understand Scoring content, training, practice, and qualification sets have not changed. The secure content of Understand Scoring remains in place. Starting with school year 2024-2025, once users sign into the AzLMS, they see Understand Scoring in the Catalog. The key code is required to access the 3 different qualifications. The key code for the 2024-2025 school year is case sensitive and the same for all 3 qualifications. Key Code = 2425azella. AZELLA DTCs can reset Understand Scoring qualification sets at the local level. Directions for resetting the qualification sets is in the AzLMS. The AZELLA DTC must "Enroll" in one of the 3 courses and enter the keyword. After doing just these 2 steps, the Resources links will be activated. Please contact the AZELLA Team if you encounter challenges with this task.

Please refer to the Eligibility for the AZELLA Placement Test document for a detailed description of the students who require the administration of the Placement Test.

All students, regardless of disability, who have a non-English/non-ASL Home Language Survey require an AZELLA test. There are no provisions, in either state or federal law, which would allow the exemption of AZELLA testing for students who are enrolled in the Special Education program and require an AZELLA test.

The AZELLA DTC must contact the AZELLA Team at ADE about any student who requires a Special Paper Version (SPV) of the test, additional accommodations, or who has a documented disability (for example: deafness or blindness) that precludes assessment in one or more domains of AZELLA prior to administering the AZELLA test by submitting one of the EL/SPED forms.

One AZELLA Additional Accommodations Request Form submission per student covers all AZELLA test administrations (Placement 2024-2025 and Spring 2025 Reassessment) for the school year. Please submit this request form by August 30, 2024, to reduce delays in testing. DTCs must wait for ADE's response to the request and further directions from the AZELLA Team prior to administering the AZELLA. Each request form may take up to 4 weeks to process as communication between ADE and the district transpires. Submit request forms as soon as possible and before August 30.

Please note: For students who are eligible for Alternate Assessments, AZELLA District Test Coordinators must contact their district's Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinator.

*AZELLA requests for Additional Accommodations for students who require a Braille test for Spring 2025 must be submitted as soon as possible to ensure that the student or students are included in ADE's Braille Kit count.

Kindergarten students from SY 2023-2024 and retained in Kindergarten for SY 2024-2025 are not permitted to be administered the Kindergarten Placement Test (KPT).

Schools must verify that a new student doesn't already have an SSID before obtaining one though AzEDS. All students who will be administered an AZELLA test must have an active SSID. When creating a student in PearsonAccess Next (PAN) and registering the student for an AZELLA test, an 11-digit SSID must be entered in PAN, which means that leading zeros must be added to the student's SSID number.

When communicating with ADE and the AZELLA Team, DTCs are expected to provide a student's SSID number, not the student's name and date of birth. FERPA does not allow for districts, schools, charters, and ADE to include a student's personal identifiable information, such as the full name and date of birth, in written electronic communications when the student's SSID number is known. Please refer to the AZELLA Test Security and Ethics training module for more information about this topic.

All AZELLA DTCs must have an ADEConnect account with the role of AZELLA District Test Coordinator. Other district and school staff who require access to the AZELLA (EL) Reports from ADE must have the role of ELL for ADEConnect. Only 1 person per district can have the role of AZELLA District Test Coordinator. You must contact your ADEConnect Entity Administrator for this. If you already have this role and access to the EL Reports, then you do  not need to do anything.

The EL Reports available through the Assessments section of ADEConnect include:

PLEASE NOTE: Districts will be able to access a student's EL70 Report within 2 calendar weeks prior to their school enrollment date provided the school enrollment has been processed through AzEDS and passed Integrity. The date in which access to the student's EL70 Report is granted is dependent on when the district's Student Information System had synchronized the student's school enrollment to AzEDS. 

The most efficient way to communicate with the AZELLA Team (Gabbie, Brenda, Sandra, and Maggie) at ADE is by email.

When emailing AZELLA@azed.gov, please:

The AZELLA Team strives to respond to emails within one business day unless further research is needed.

If you have any questions about AZELLA, please contact us at AZELLA@azed.gov.