Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS)
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (Department) provides the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS) to ensure the timely and accurate identification of students as English learners. The OELPS is the second step in Ohio’s standardized English-learner identification developed under the Every Student Succeeds Act; the first step is the Language Usage Survey. See the guidelines for Identifying English Learners for complete information about Ohio’s English-learner identification.
Districts and schools administer the OELPS to students upon enrollment in grades kindergarten through high school if the student’s language usage survey and student records indicate the student is a potential English learner. The OELPS assesses a student’s skill in four domains: listening, reading, writing, and speaking and is aligned to Ohio’s English Language Proficiency Standards. Districts and schools will schedule time and provide appropriate equipment to administer the OELPS. The OELPS helps districts and schools assess the English language proficiency of newly enrolled students and determine whether the student is eligible for the school’s English language development program.
The OELPS is an online test, but paper test forms are available to accommodate students and schools that cannot test online. Districts and schools that need to use a paper test (paper-pencil, large-print, or braille test) must contact the Department at 614-466-1317 or statetests@education.ohio.gov to determine eligibility and submit paper-test orders.
Districts and schools may administer the OELPS any time during the test window. The OELPS is available August through June annually. See Ohio Test Dates webpage for exact dates.
Administering the OELPS to Kindergarteners. Districts and schools enrolling students who will enter kindergarten in the fall may administer the OELPS after the last day of preschool while the test window is open. For the most valid results, districts and schools should administer the OELPS as close as possible to the beginning of the kindergarten school year, so long as the student is not enrolled in preschool. For more information about administering the OELPS to kindergartners, refer to Section 1.4 of the OELPS Test Coordination Manual.
OELPA and Alt-OELPA. The Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) and the Alternate Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (Alt-OELPA) are the summative tests administered annually to determine an already-identified English learner’s proficiency level and readiness to exit the English language development program. Only English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose IEP team has decided the alternate assessment is appropriate may be administered the Alt-OELPA. Federal and state laws require all English learners to be administered the OELPA or Alt-OELPA annually, and these summative tests are required in addition to any other state tests required for the student’s enrolled grade.
ELPA21. Ohio works with a group of states led by the English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) to develop the screener. ELPA21 provides many of its own manuals and resources for test administration, but Ohio educators should refer to the Ohio-specific resources linked below and on the test portal.
Current News
For important updates and announcements about the OELPS, please visit the Announcements page of Ohio's English Language Proficiency Tests Portal. Additionally, educators may wish to subscribe to the District Test Coordinator Bulletin to receive monthly updates from the Office of Assessment about the state assessments.
Ohio's English Language Proficiency Tests Portal
The test portal is the gateway to state test administration systems and resources for:
The Department's vendor, Cambium Assessment, maintains the test portal.
TIDE for Online Administrations
The Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) system stores student demographic information and provides authorized users with tools for administrative tasks. Districts and schools administering the OELPS must enter the students in TIDE prior to testing. Refer to the TIDE User Guide for information about registering students for testing and updating student test settings.
Preidentification in TIDE. The Guidance Document for Ohio Pre-ID Files is in the Resources section of the test portal. Educators use the Ohio Pre-ID layout to register students in TIDE.
Resources on the Test Portal
Access any of these resources in the Resources section of the test portal with the exception of the Directions for Administration for Paper-Pencil Tests, which is a secure document delivered with the paper test materials.
Resources on the test portal include those for:
Note: Although most information remains consistent from year to year, the Department and Cambium Assessment update many of the resources below during the months preceding each test administration. Districts and schools should refer to the date on the portal or the cover of the resource to confirm it is current. Clearing the internet browser’s cache will ensure you get the most current version of each resource. Please contact the Department or the Ohio Help Desk when in doubt.
Planning the Test Administration
These documents provide district test coordinators and test administrators with a monthly timeline and task checklist to prepare for the administration of the OELPS.
District Test Coordinator Checklist
The District Test Coordinator Checklist is
Appendix D of the OELPS Test Coordination Manual listed below.
Test Administrator Checklist
The Test Administrator Checklist is
Appendix E of the OELPS Test Coordination Manual listed below.
Manuals, User Guides, and Administration Documents
The Test Coordination Manual (TCM) explains policies and procedures for districts and schools administering the OELPS. Refer to the OELPS Test Administration Manual for step-by-step test administration procedures. District test coordinators and building test coordinators must review the OELPS Test Coordination Manual prior to administering the test and should use the TCM to train assessment staff.
The Test Administration Manual (TAM) guides the online administration of the OELPS. It gives test administrators specific procedures, set-up details, instructions for administration, and a script to be read aloud to each student. The OELPS TAM includes the Step Two Speaking Scoring Document, which is also on the portal as a standalone document. Test administrators must review the OELPS TAM and Step Two Speaking Scoring Document prior to testing and access it during testing to guide the administration.
Directions for Administration Manual for Paper-Pencil Tests
The Directions for Administration (DFA) guides the administration of the paper tests (paper-pencil, large-print, and braille). This manual is a secure document and is not posted on the test portal. It is included with the shipment of paper-test materials and must be returned with the paper-test materials. Test administrators must review this manual prior to testing and access it during testing to guide the administration.
The Department provides translated test directions in Arabic, Somali, and Spanish. These scripts and their corresponding audio files are verbatim reproductions of the test directions in the OELPS Test Administration Manual. Audio track numbers below each of the “SAY” boxes in the test administration manual help the test administrator know when to play each track.
The accessibility manual is a comprehensive policy document providing information about the accessibility features of the OELPS and the OELPA. It explains the administrative considerations, universal tools, designated supports, accommodations, and domain exemption policy for the OELPS and OELPA.
This user guide should be reviewed by individuals who will administer the OELPS and OELPA accommodated paper forms. This guide includes step-by-step instructions for accessing the site and submitting student responses and scores into the Response Entry System.
Scoring and Reporting
This document assists test administrators with scoring the four speaking items administered at the beginning of OELPS Step Two. The document includes the scoring rubrics and student examples for each point value possible. The OELPS Step Two Speaking Scoring Document must be available before and during Step Two of the OELPS.
The TASC User Guide should be reviewed by district test coordinators (DTCs), building test coordinators (BTCs), districts (DAs), district test administrators (DTAs), and teachers (TEs) who will score the spoken and written responses from OELPS Step Three. The TASC User Guide provides instructions for accessing the TASC (a component of the Centralized Reporting System) and submitting scores. The Test Administrator user role cannot access the TASC. The TASC User Guide is needed after students who reach OELPS Step Three submit their test and log off.
The manual explains how to generate OELPS score reports from the Centralized Reporting System and what the results mean.
These reports provide comprehensive documentation of the OELPS test administration and statewide results.
TRAINING
ELPA21 developed online training modules for each of Ohio’s English language proficiency assessments, including the OELPS. These courses are available in Cambium Assessment’s ClearCourse LMS. There are two courses for the OELPS: one for first-time test administrators and a refresher course for educators who are already familiar with the OELPS. Sign in to the ClearCourse LMS via the system card on the Teachers and Test Administrators page of the test portal. Contact the Ohio Help Desk with questions.
This slide presentation is a comprehensive training resource for district and school staff administering the OELPS. The slide presentation addresses the OELPS test administration, scoring, and reporting and is intended to assist test coordinators in preparing their staff for OELPS administration.
The OELPS webinar provides information about the screener, related resources, systems for test administration, scoring Step Three responses, and generating reports from the Centralized Reporting System. The Department recommends that test coordinators include the OELPS webinar when preparing staff to administer the OELPS.
The TA Certification Course course provides step-by-step instructions on using the Test Administrator (TA) Interface to create an online test session, mark and review student test settings, approve students to test, and monitor the test session. The companion document offers Ohio-specific information and clarifications. Please review the companion document in conjunction with the TA Certification Course. Test coordinators can monitor course completion in TIDE to ensure all staff who administer state tests online are prepared to do so.
This user guide explains how to use the Test Administrator Interface and Test Administrator Practice Site to proctor online and practice tests. It describes the tools available to students, online testing rules, and the secure browser.
SYSTEM RESOURCES
This page has many TIDE support documents that help district and school staff with the test administration, such as:
- TIDE User Guide
- TIDE Training Modules
- TIDE Tutorial
- Ohio Pre-ID File Layout
Technology coordinators and/or test coordinators should refer to the Technology Coordinators page of the portal for technical specifications, including how to use online systems and information on the secure browser.
Resources on the Department Website
Although most information remains consistent from year to year, the Department updates many of the resources below during the months preceding each test administration.
This guidance answers the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) received by the Department regarding the OELPS.
The translated Individual Student Reports (ISR) are available in English learners' most common languages other than English, as reported by Ohio schools. The Department provides the translated ISRs to assist schools notifying English-learner parents about their child’s level of English proficiency and English learner identification.
This page states the test windows dates for the OELPS test administration, as well as other state tests.
Other Important Information
Last Modified: 8/26/2026 9:25:00 AM