Alt ELPA

The Alt ELPA is an alternate English language proficiency assessment designed for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The assessment was developed under a federal grant with partners from the Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA and nine other states.

Students must be determined eligible for alternate assessment by the IEP team. More information on eligibility determination is available on the MSAA website. Eligible students in Grades K-12 will take the reassessment in late winter.

The Alt ELPA takes into consideration the diverse communication experiences of English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The alternate ELP standards support these students as they learn critical English language knowledge, skills, and communicative competence. Guided by these standards, the Alt ELPA equips educators to support students in gaining English proficiency and ultimately becoming college- and career-ready. 

Information and updates related to the Alt ELPA summative assessment will be available on the ELPA21 website.

Registering Students (Alt ELPA Screener)

ADE uploads all eligible students directly into TIDE. District Test Coordinators will need to submit the Alt ELPA Screener Request Webform to add eligible students for the Alt ELPA Screener. Students must have been determined by the IEP team to be eligible for alternate assessments and have one of the following requirements: the Home Language Survey (HLS) indicating a language other than English, sign language other than ASL, or missing an English language proficiency test. 

Alt ELPA Screener Request Webform

2024-25 Alt ELPA Screener Test Administration Manual