Frequently Asked Questions: ELPA21 Screener

Quick Links

Training & Resources

How can I access training to administer the ELPA21 screener?

Kindergarten Testers

Do we have to use the ELPA screener for testing incoming Kindergarteners?
We have a testing option called “Future KG.” How do we use this?

Accommodations

What accommodations are available on the screener for students with an IEP or a 504 plan?
We have a newly arrived student with a disability. How can we offer this student accommodations?
We have a student who cannot test using a computer. How do we get another version of the test?
We have a blind student who needs to be screened for language proficiency. How do we do this?

Non-Responders

How do we screen a student who will not or cannot participate?

Out-of-State Students

We have a student who has ELPA21 scores from OR. Can we accept these scores?
How do we input out-of-state scores in CEDARS?

Testing Timeframe & Duration

What is the timeframe I have to screen students? I hear 10 days and 3 days and 30 days, please clarify.
Do you have suggestions for how to lessen the time the screener takes and the personnel hours to administer it?

CEDARS & Student Files

How do I report scale scores in CEDARS for the ELPA21 screener?
What assessment information do I need to keep in my students’ files?

Private School Students

How do we screen students from private schools if they do not have an SSID?

Off-grade Screeners

We have a student whom we placed in 3rd grade initially, but now we have reassigned her to fourth grade based on her date of birth. Does she need to be rescreened?

Training & Resources

How can I access training to administer the ELPA21 screener?

Screener training can be accessed on our Canvas site located at On the site you will find the training webinar, a verification of training quiz and a survey. The survey is necessary after the quiz in order to record your completion of training. It is not necessary to watch the webinar on the Canvas site, but it will be necessary to do all three steps at some point. The following documents can be found on the ELPA21 page of the OSPI website and may be useful as you prepare to administer the ELPA21 screener.

Canvas Screener Training (
On the Canvas site you will have access to the recorded 30-minute webinar, the required 12-question knowledge check, and a brief survey to register your completion of training. Please complete all steps so that our list of trained test administrators is complete.
AA Manual 2018-19 (
TAM ( (Also available on the WCAP portal under ELPA21 User Guides & Manuals  Admin Manuals and Documents
Screener Training Slides (
Screener Training Webinar ( Following the webinar, please complete the quiz located on the Canvas site above and the survey, also on Canvas, to include yourself in the count of trained TAs.
Screener Scoring Guidelines (
Screener Overview (coming soon to

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Kindergarten Testers

Do we have to use the ELPA screener for testing incoming Kindergarteners?

Yes. The ELPA21 screener is the only language proficiency screener approved for use in Washington State. As of October 1, 2017 no previous placement tests can be used. The only exception is for Braille tests. ELPA21 will have a Braille version of its screener in August 2018. Until then the Braille version of the WELPA placement test can be used.

We have a testing option called “Future KG.” How do we use this?

The Future KG test can be used for kindergarten testers who are testing prior to the end of the school year before their initial enrollment in school. That is, if your district does spring testing of in-coming kindergarten students, they could use the “Future KG” test. The “Future KG test should not be used from August through April as early kinder testing can only be done in May and June.

For kindergarteners testing in August, please use the “KG” test for screening.

Accommodations

What accommodations are available on the screener for students with an IEP or a 504 plan?

Available accommodations and supports align with those available for the ELPA21 summative assessment and can be found in the GTSA. These can also be found in the AA Manual located here ( under “Screener Testing.”

We have a newly arrived student with a disability but no IEP. How can we offer this student accommodations?

If a student has a documented disability, but no IEP, please develop a process for school and district personnel to coordinate with the family to identify appropriate accommodations for screening. These accommodations must be documented and provided to the student’s IEP team when it is formed.

If a student arrives in your district with an IEP or 504, implement any testing accommodations identified in the IEP for ELPA21screener testing.

Paper-Pencil tests

We have a student who cannot test using a computer. How do we get another version of the test?

To order a paper-pencil screener, send an email to with the following information:

District:
Requested Test: (e.g., 6-8 paper screener, or Kinder Braille)
DAC name:
DAC email:
DAC address
School name:
Person making request:

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Blind-Low Vision Screeners

We have a blind student who needs to be screened for language proficiency. How do we do this?

The ELPA21 screener is available in a Braille version. The Braille version must be requested through OSPI at .

District:
Requested Test: (e.g., 6-8 paper screener, or Kinder Braille)
DAC name:
DAC email:
DAC address
School name:
Person making request:

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Non-responsive Students

How do we screen a student who will not or cannot participate?

It is important that all students complete the ELPA21 screener to determine eligibility for program. That being said, we know that some students do not or cannot respond to screener items when they are presented. If you are administering the screener to a student who does not respond, you need to administer Step 1 to the extent possible. If the student, at the end of Step 1, has not responded to any item in any way (pointing, saying an option, etc.) then the TA can choose to stop testing after Step 1. To do this a TA would select the option on the screen at the end of Step 1 that indicates that the student has not responded and the test should cease.

Choosing this option will make the student eligible for services. The student will receive a zero (0) score for each domain and will receive “Proficiency not Demonstrated” as a proficiency status. These students’ scores can testing information will need to be entered into CEDARS in the same way all students’ testing information is entered.

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Out-of-State Testers

We have a student who has ELPA21 scores from OR. Can we accept these scores?

Students who are coming to WA with ELPA21 scores from another state may be exempted from completing a new screener. Students will need to have a score report showing ELPA21 scores in order to use the scores for placement.

If a student tested out of services on the ELPA21 at any time, then the student does not need to rescreen. Such a student would not be eligible for ELD services. The score report showing that the student tested “Proficient” is sufficient to deem the student ineligible for service.

If a student presents test scores from within the previous 12 months, screener or annual, then the scores can be used to place the student in services. Districts do not need to rescreen these students. However, their scores will need to be added to CEDARS.

How do we input out-of-state scores in CEDARS?

J18: Placement test code: 7

J19: Date and Grade level:The date and grade level at time of testing (see out of state score report)

J20: Scale Score: Each of the four domains receives a score between 1 and 5. Report these domain scores as the “scale score” into your SIS in this order: Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing. An example is provided in the Scale Scores for CEDARS section

J21: Level: Options: Proficiency not Demonstrated (0), Emerging (1), Progressing (2), Proficiency (3). Please note that the valid “0” value will be available in the September CEDARS update.

Testing Timeframe

What is the timeframe I have to screen students? I hear 10 days and 3 days and 30 days, please clarify.

Washington State requires that potential ELs be screened and, if eligible, placed for services within 10 days of enrollment (WAC 392-160-015). With the new screener, our vendor is committed to completing scoring within no more than 7 days for students whose testing experience includes all three steps. Students whose tests end after Step 2 (i.e., they do not enter Step 3) will have scores back in the ORS system within hours. Considering the difference in score reporting timelines, if you suspect that students are more proficient that their peers, it may be beneficial to test them early in the testing process.

Please ensure that you are budgeting for scoring days when you plan for compliance with the 10 day WAC requirements.

The 30 day timeframes is a federal regulation for the beginning of the school year that is superseded by our state-level 10-day requirement.

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Do you have suggestions for how to lessen the time the screener takes and the personnel hours to administer it?

The new screener is shorter than the version that was administered last year. Step 1 is shorter in every grade level and many students’ tests will end after Step 2. This should help lessen the amount of time needed for screening.

OSPI has no specific recommendations around administration process with regards to time, but districts have reported using the following strategy:

Test potential ELs 1:1 through Step 1 (as required). For students who need continued 1:1 administration through Steps 2 and 3, complete their testing later that day or the next (build a schedule for these students). For students who can test on their own, pull them back in for testing as a group the following morning with one test administrator.

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CEDARS & Students’ Files

How do I report scale scores in CEDARS for the ELPA21 screener?

A scale score on the screener (placement test) is required for CEDARS reporting. Since a scale score is not provided nor applicable for the ELPA21 screener, domain scores should be used for the scale score in CEDARS reporting.

Each of the four domains receives a score between 1 and 5. Report these domain scores as the “scale score” into your SIS in this order: Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing. Here is an example:

A student scores the following:

Listening = 3

Reading = 3

Speaking = 2

Writing = 1

Scale Score for CEDARS reporting = 3321

What assessment information do I need to keep in my students’ files?

For language proficiency screening with the ELPA21 screener, maintain a print-out of the student’s score report from ORS in the student’s cumulative file. Please see the Secretary of State’s Records Retention Guidelines for School Districts and LEAs, page 49.

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Private School Students

How do we screen students from private schools if they do not have an SSID?

Private school students can have SSIDs issued for them if they do not yet have one; the steps to do so are the same for any student. SSIDs can be issued whether or not a student is actively enrolled and reported to CEDARS. For more information, consult the “assessing new and non-enrolled students” section of the “Student Record Management for Assessment and Accountability” document on the WCAP portal:

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Off-grade screening

We have a student whom we placed in 3rd grade initially, but now we have reassigned her to fourth grade based on her date of birth. Does she need to be rescreened?

There are various factors that will impact whether a student will need to re-screen when s/he has been re-assigned to a different grade. The four scenarios below illustrate the current policy. If your situation does not align with one of these, please contact the ELPA21 coordinator ()

If the student tests out of program/tested ineligible for services at a higher grade level, then that student should not be retested at the lower grade level. Accept the off-grade test scores.

A 9 year old was placed in 4th grade, took the screener and received a proficiency status of “Proficient.” After taking the screener, the student’s mother notices that the student’s birth year was incorrect and the child is actually 8. The school moves the student to third grade. This student does not need to re-test and does not qualify for ELD services.

If a student tested in the same grade band (e.g., 6-8 or 2-3), then look at the score against the appropriate grade’s cut scores and determine eligibility. This is only for grade bands using the same test for the grade the student was initially in and the one s/he is subsequently placed in.

A student arrives in middle school and is placed in 6th grade. After completing the ELPA21 screener, it is determined that this student should actually be considered a 7th grade student. Using the breakdown of cut scores, located here, determine the student’s eligibility based on the cut scores of the accurate grade placement.

If a student is crossing grade bands and was initially eligible at the higher grade band, contact the AIR help desk to have the screener removed/revoked and retest the student at the lower grade level.

A student arrives in 4th grade and tests eligible for services, but is subsequently reassigned to 3rd grade. The student must retest to determine eligibility at the appropriate grade level.

If the student is crossing grade bands, and the student is, the student was eligible for services at the lower grade in which s/he tests, then the student is eligible for ELD services in the higher grade band without re-screening.

A student was inadvertently tested as a first grader, but is actually a second grader. S/he tested eligible with the first grade test and is eligible for services as a second grader. This student would not be retested and would receive services.

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