Preparing for Administration

This section provides an overview of the various tasks and actions LEAs should complete to prepare for administering the Initial ELPAC or Summative ELPAC. Refer to the Administer a Test Session web page on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website for additional resources, such as the Preparing for Administration documents, that are available for reference.

Student Data

CALPADS is the authoritative source for student enrollment, demographic, and program information for TOMS. The student-level data from CALPADS will be used for administration of the ELPAC. The use of CALPADS data for these assessments underscores the importance of keeping CALPADS up to date and accurate.

The minimum data that needs to be correct in CALPADS for a student to start testing is as follows:

  • Name
  • Grade
  • School and LEA information
  • CALPADS enrollment status of 10 (primary) or 30 (short-term)
  • Parent/Guardian address (to be printed on SSRs)
  • ELAS (must be TBD to be assigned to the Initial ELPAC and EL to be assigned to the Summative ELPAC)
  • Primary language (must be a language other than English or ASL to be assigned to any ELPAC)
  • The education program field (if the student is to take an alternate assessment or receive designated supports, accommodations, unlisted resources, domain exemption[s], or any combination of these)
  • All other demographic fields the LEA wants to view in the final student data file that is downloadable from TOMS

CALPADS documentation, including field names and field codes, and information about CALPADS support are available on the CDE California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) web page.

Using TOMS to Prepare for Administration

TOMS is a secure website where authorized users from LEAs can perform tasks for the ELPAC, including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Add and delete users
  • Assign students’ test settings
  • Access DFAs and optional testing materials for remote testing, such as Teacher Answer Books and Student Writing Response Sheets
  • Manage ELPAC test administration
  • Order Writing Answer Books for testing students in K–2
  • Access STAIRS to submit testing incident reports
  • Download data, including student files and test reports

Usernames and Passwords

Usernames and passwords are created in TOMS after an LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator has entered users for access. Having a username and password allows ELPAC TEs to log on to the Test Administrator Interface, which is necessary to generate a test session ID and approve students for testing; the DEI, to enter student scores for the K–2 Initial ELPAC Writing domain, K–12 Speaking domain for both the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC; and the THSS for the grades three through twelve Initial ELPAC Writing responses.

For more information about the different user roles in TOMS, refer to the TOMS User Guide.

Student Test Assignment in TOMS

LEA ELPAC coordinators and site ELPAC coordinators must use TOMS to verify that all eligible students have been assigned to take the ELPAC. Student eligibility is based on the student demographic data from CALPADS that is uploaded into TOMS on a nightly basis. It is important for LEAs to keep CALPADS data up to date. The LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator must designate in TOMS if a student has a domain exemption(s).

Information about setting up student test assignments in TOMS, including using the bulk upload option, can be found in the Upload Student Updates: Overview section of the TOMS User Guide.

Student Test Settings in TOMS

Embedded and non-embedded accommodations and designated supports that do not affect student scores are available for students taking the ELPAC. Configuring student test settings in TOMS ensures that students receive the assigned embedded accessibility resources for the computer-based assessments. These accommodations and designated supports must be assigned in the [Test Settings] tab of the student’s profile in TOMS. For more information about available accessibility resources and helpful videos about test settings, refer to the Accessibility Resources web page on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website as well as the CAASPP and ELPAC Accessibility Guide.

Any changes to student test settings in TOMS must be completed before the student can test. The update, once made, may take up to 24 business hours to appear in the Test Administrator Interface. Failure to correct test settings before testing, which is a testing irregularity, could result in the student not being provided with the needed accommodations, designated supports, or both at the time of testing.

Information about assigning student test settings in TOMS can be found in the Student Profile—Test Settings Overview subsection of the TOMS User Guide.

For the Initial ELPAC only:

On the day of administration or during the administration, if a TE determines that an Initial ELPAC student needs to have a designated support, the TE can select the appropriate test setting in the Test Administrator Interface. If the need to add a designated support arises in the middle of the administration, the TE must pause the assessment and log the student off. Then, the TE must log the student on again and assign the appropriate test setting before reentering the assessment. The embedded and non-embedded designated supports available through the Test Administrator Interface are listed next.

ELPAC designated supports include the following:

  • Embedded
    • Color contrast
    • Masking
    • Mouse pointer (size and color)
    • Pause or replay audio—Listening domain
    • Pause or replay audio—Speaking domain
    • Permissive mode
    • Print size
    • Streamline
    • Turn off any universal tool(s)
  • Non-embedded
    • Amplification
    • ASL or Manually Coded English
    • Color contrast with print-on-demand
    • Color overlay (PPTs only)
    • Designated interface assistant (DIA)
    • Magnification
    • Masking
    • Medical supports
    • Noise buffers
    • Pause or replay audio—Listening domain
    • Pause or replay audio—Speaking domain
    • Print-on-demand
    • Read aloud for items (Writing domain)
    • Separate setting
    • Simplified test directions
    • Translated test directions

Technology Infrastructure

Prior to any computer-based administration, LEA ELPAC coordinators and site ELPAC coordinators must review the technology infrastructure at their schools to ensure it meets the minimum requirements for administering the computer-based ELPAC.

The CAASPP and ELPAC Technical Specifications and Configuration Guide for Online Testing provides the technical specifications for computer-based testing. This includes information about internet and network infrastructure requirements, hardware and software requirements, and secure browser installation.

The Secure Browser

All students must use a secure browser to access the computer-based ELPAC. The secure browser is updated each year and must be downloaded and installed or updated prior to assessment, even if the device was used for testing in a prior year.

The secure browser is designed to support test security by prohibiting access to external applications.

School technology coordinators are responsible for ensuring that each device to be used for testing at the school is properly secured by installing the most current secure browser. Secure browsers are available for download on the Secure Browsers web page. Instructions for installing and configuring the secure browser on student devices can be found in the CAASPP and ELPAC Technical Specifications and Configuration Guide for Online Testing.

It is recommended that the secure browser be opened on all testing devices before students sit down to test.

Establishing Appropriate Testing Conditions

Site ELPAC coordinators and TEs should work together to determine the most appropriate testing option(s) and testing environment based on the number of devices available, the number of students in each tested grade level, and the estimated time needed to complete each assessment.

For the kindergarten and grade one students, all domains are administered one-on-one. For grade two, the Listening, Reading, and Speaking domains are administered one-on-one, while the Writing domain is administered in small groups. For grades three through twelve, the Speaking domain is administered one-on-one, while the Listening, Reading, and Writing domains are administered in classroom-sized groups. Proctors can assist the TE in group administrations of more than 20 students.

Establishing classroom-sized groups reduces test fear and anxiety for the students and facilitates monitoring and control for the TE. However, this also includes setting up testing rooms for students whose IEPs or Section 504 plans specify universal tools, designated supports, accommodations, or any combination of these that necessitate testing the students in a separate setting (that is, reading test questions aloud, accounting for extended testing time, providing additional breaks, and so forth).

The test administration should be conducted in a secure environment (refer to the section Security of the Test Environment).

Establish procedures to maintain a quiet testing environment throughout the test session, recognizing that some students will finish more quickly than others. If students are allowed to leave the testing room when they finish, explain the procedures for leaving without disrupting others and where they are expected to report once they leave. If students are expected to remain in the testing room until the end of the session, instruct them on what activities they may engage in after they finish the assessment. The activities should be unrelated to the assessment being given (e.g., work on assignments for unrelated subjects or read a book). Access to a student’s device should be monitored strictly for types of activities that may be done without violating the security of the assessments if other students in the room are still testing (e.g., accessing a device that it is being used for medical reasons).