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 in June. One copy is placed in the student's secure file and the other is sent home to parents or guardians.
MSAA Reports
The MSAA reporting portal is available through September 6, 2024. All District Test Coordinators must download their reports and save them according to local policy. MSAA reports will not be available after September 6. Two hard copies of student reports were sent at the end of July. One copy is placed in the student's secure file and the other is sent home to parents or guardians.
Eligibility Determination and Student Selector Application
Alternate Assessment eligibility determinations are made annually at the student's IEP meeting. The current IEP must document all areas of student 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 learners. The eligibility determination form, which is part of the IEP, must synthesize the information as it pertains to assessment participation. Eligibility for these students should be made early in the school year, even if the annual IEP is due later in the year. IEP teams must also determine Alternate Assessment eligibility for English 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 29, 2024.
The Alternate Assessment Participation Guidelines and Eligibility Determination document was revised in July 2024. The only update is a field to add the meeting date to the form in case it is viewed separately from the IEP meeting. Alternate Assessment eligibility criteria has not changed.
New Alt ELPA Screener
We now have an alternate English language proficiency screener - Alt ELPA Screener. This assessment will replace the AZELLA Placement Test for students who have been determined eligible for alternate assessments. Because the assessment is available from August 1, 2024 - May 9, 2025, do not use the Student Selector Application to register students. At this time, District Test Coordinators should send an e-mail to the Alternate Assessment Team with the SSID only to request to add the student to TIDE for the Alt ELPA Screener. Please note that references to Alt ELPA will generally refer to both the summative (Reassessment) and screener (Placement). Otherwise, the terms summative and screener will be used to distinguish instructions and information specific to one test.
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 at any point during the school year, there is a change in the District Test Coordinator, the DTC Test Security Agreement will need to be submitted and approved. Please fill out the form, including the required signatures, and send the completed form to: Testing@azed.gov.
1% Threshold
Under federal regulation, 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 the Action Plan that the LEA develops and submits to ADE as part of the monitoring requirement. Notifications and instructions for the 2024 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 2024-2025 Alternate Assessment Handbook is now available to Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinators. This handbook has a list of important dates and step-by-step instructions for each activity. Please refer to this resource throughout the year to ensure that activities are completed on time.
Assessments Conference
Registration for the Assessments Conference is now open. There are sessions specifically on alternate assessments. Please see the Assessments Conference website for more details. 