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Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS) FAQ

These are answers to the most frequently asked questions received by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce regarding the Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS). Please refer to the OELPS Test Coordination Manual for additional information OR for questions not posted here.

Note: Throughout the frequently asked questions, the term “districts” refers to public school districts and community schools.

English Learner Identification

What is the identification process for English learners?

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), Ohio developed standardized procedures to identify and exit English learners. These procedures are applicable in all public-school districts and community schools and any schools receiving federal funding from the U.S. government. Ohio has a two-step process for identifying English learners consisting of the Language Usage Survey and the OELPS. Refer to the guidelines for Identifying English Learners on the Department website for more information.

General Questions

May chartered nonpublic schools administer the OELPS?
Chartered nonpublic schools may administer the OELPS.

Whether a chartered nonpublic school administers the OELPS may depend on its participation in Ohio’s Title III Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Children and Youth Subgrants program. Chartered nonpublic schools participating in the Title III program should consult with their Title III public district to determine whether the OELPS will be administered to identify English learners. During the annual consultation about equitable services, school officials should determine who will administer the OELPS. The test administrator can be an employee of the nonpublic school or the school district, so long as they hold a license, certificate, or permit issued by the Ohio State Board of Education or a registration issued by the Ohio State Board of Psychology.

Chartered nonpublic schools not participating in the Title III grant program still have the option to administer the OELPS, so long as the nonpublic school official completes by July 31 the Intent to Participate form distributed by the Department. Contact statetests@education.ohio.gov for more information.

Are potential English learners who enroll in a chartered nonpublic school and receive a scholarship required to be administered the OELPS?
Students enrolled in a chartered nonpublic school—regardless of their participation in a state scholarship program—are not subject to Ohio’s standardized English learner identification, unless the school is receiving federal funding and school officials have agreed to administer the OELPS as the English language proficiency screener instrument to identify students as English learners. Students receiving the Autism scholarship are exempt from all state testing.

Is the OELPS an approved option for a diagnostic assessment in grades K-3?
No, the OELPS and the diagnostic assessments serve different purposes. Schools required to administer reading and mathematics diagnostic assessments may not substitute the OELPS for either. See the lists of approved reading and mathematics diagnostic assessments on the Department’s List of Approved Assessments webpage.

Student Participation

Which students are administered the OELPS?

Ohio public schools and participating chartered nonpublic schools* administer the OELPS to potential English learners who are newly enrolled in grades kindergarten through high school when the family’s responses to the Language Usage Survey indicate a significant influence of a language other than English. Ohio public schools and participating chartered nonpublic schools administer the OELPS to potential English learners who are newly enrolled in grades kindergarten through high school when the family’s responses to the Language Usage Survey indicate a significant influence of a language other than English. Schools must not administer the OELPS to preschool students as the OELPS was designed only for students enrolled in grades kindergarten through high school.

*The nonpublic school official must complete by July 31 the Intent to Participate form distributed by the Department each spring. Contact statetests@education.ohio.gov for more information.

Do districts and schools administer the OELPS to students who were screened and identified as dual language learners or English learners in preschool?
Yes. Ohio's standardized English learner identification applies at kindergarten enrollment, regardless of any prior identification during preschool, as the OELPS is only designed for students in kindergarten through high school and is not used for preschool students. See the Department’s Identifying Young Dual Language Learners webpage for more information.

Are foreign exchange students subject to Ohio’s standardized English learner identification?
Ohio public schools include foreign exchange students in the two-step English learner identification like any other newly enrolled student. Schools will provide foreign exchange students who are identified as English learners with English language development services and appropriate English learner accommodations. Additionally, public schools enrolling foreign exchange students who are identified as English learners must administer the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) and any other state tests required for the student’s grade level.

Should the OELPS be administered before the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) is administered?
Yes. English learners taking the KRA are eligible for additional supports, including translation and interpretation of some items. Refer to the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment for Administrators webpage for information on the allowable supports for English learners and contact KRAHelp@education.ohio.gov with questions.

What are the consequences of students not taking the OELPS?
The OELPS is critical in identifying students who require English language services that districts provide their English learners. Once students are identified as potential English learners based on information from the Language Usage Survey, they must be assessed with the OELPS to determine if they are English learners. Students who are not administered the OELPS cannot be identified and reported as English learners. If students do not take the OELPS and are not identified as English learners, the students might not receive the English language development services and accommodations to which they are entitled. Districts that do not administer the OELPS due to a parent refusal should document all discussions and obtain a written refusal from the parent. Districts that choose not to administer the OELPS may be in violation of a student’s civil rights and subject to state and/or federal investigation.

If a student who was an English learner transfers from a different Ohio district or another state, must the district administer the OELPS?

Ohio districts and schools are responsible for the timely and accurate identification of all English learners enrolled in their school(s), regardless of students’ prior enrollment.

When an Ohio district receives a student from a different Ohio district or from a school in another state, the new district begins by reviewing existing student records, looking for a completed Language Usage Survey (or comparable document if transferring from another state) and prior English language proficiency assessment results. When student records are unavailable or incomplete, the receiving Ohio district or school should follow Ohio’s guidelines for Identifying English Learners to complete the identification.

The OELPS is not administered if the student:

Transfers from a different Ohio school and student records indicate the student was administered the OELPS and identified as an English learner but has not yet achieved English proficiency;
Transfers from an ELPA21 state (Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, or West Virginia) and student records indicate the student was identified as an English learner with the ELPA21 Dynamic Screener (the same test as the OELPS) but has not yet achieved English proficiency; or
Transfers from a different Ohio school or an out-of-state school and student records indicate the student met Ohio’s or the previous state’s English learner exit criteria and is no longer an English learner. In these situations, the student is not an English learner. The new district does not administer the OELPS, nor the OELPA, but must continue monitoring the former English learner’s academic progress for at least two years after the date of reclassification to ensure the student was not prematurely exited and can participate meaningfully in school. For example, if one year of monitoring was completed by the previous district or school, the current district or school is responsible for the second year of monitoring.

Note: In the first two examples above, the transfer student retains English learner status at the new school.

Note: The new district or school may decide to administer the OELPS or a different English language proficiency screener to transfer students already identified as English learners to inform English language program placement and services, but not for English learner identification or exit purposes.

The OELPS is administered if a student:

Transfers from a different Ohio school or a school in an ELPA21 state (Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, Tennessee, and West Virginia) and student records indicate the student is a potential English learner but do not include documentation of English learner identification with the OELPS or the ELPA21 Screener; or
Transfers from a non-ELPA21 state and is a potential English learner based on responses to the Language Usage Survey (or similar document). Students transferring from a non-ELPA21 state are subject to Ohio’s English learner identification, and their identification as an English learner is to be based on the results of the OELPS.

Former English Learners. A student transferring from another Ohio school or an out-of-state school who met Ohio’s or the previous state’s English learner exit criteria is not an English learner. The student is not screened with the OELPS and does not take the OELPA. Districts must monitor former English learners for persistent language barriers for a minimum of two years after exiting English learner status, regardless of the student’s enrollment when the student exited English learner status.

What should happen if a transferring student’s records are incomplete or not available from the previous school?
The district should make every attempt to obtain documentation about the student’s English learner status from the student’s previous school, be it another Ohio district or a school in another state. If the student transfers from a school in Ohio, districts may check the Centralized Reporting System (CRS) for a student’s prior OELPS and OELPA scores. Districts may check Ohio District Data Exchange (ODDEX) to search for a student’s prior OELPA scores. As a last resort, the district may contact statetests@education.ohio.gov with the student’s SSID or Student ID. If documentation regarding the student’s English learner status is unavailable, the district would follow Ohio’s English learner identification for the newly enrolled transfer student.

Under what circumstances may a district readminister the OELPS to students?
Readministering the OELPS may be appropriate under these limited circumstances:

Student was a nonparticipant. If the student is a nonparticipant during the initial OELPS administration and the results indicate “Proficiency Not Demonstrated”, readministering the OELPS during the 30-day identification period when the student could participate may be appropriate.
Student did or did not receive accommodations. If the student has a disability but did not receive required assessment accommodations or domain exemption(s) during the initial OELPS administration, readministering the OELPS once the IEP or 504 plan is in place and the accessibility and accommodations have been configured is appropriate. Conversely, if the student received an accommodation or domain exemption that was not required by the IEP or 504 plan, readministering the test without the accommodations or exemptions is appropriate
Student returns after an extended absence. If the student returns to school after an extended absence (a year or more), readministering the OELPS or a different English language proficiency screener to inform English language program placement and services may be appropriate, though the results of this screening would not change the student’s English learner status
Former English learner with persistent language barriers. If the student exits from the English learner program and educators and/or the family notice the student may have persistent language barriers, readministering the OELPS may be appropriate. If the results of the re-testing identify the student as an English learner, the district or school should document the basis for the reentry and the parents/guardians’ consent to such reentry. If the student is reidentified as an English learner, the district or school must reenter the student into English learner status, code the student appropriately in EMIS, and offer English language development services.
Original OELPS score was proficient. If the student was not identified as an English learner through the original OELPS administration and sometime later educators and/or parents/guardians observe language barriers, the district or school should discuss readministering the OELPS with the parents/guardians. If the results of the retesting identify the student as an English learner, the district or school must reenter the student into English learner status, code the student appropriately in EMIS, and offer English language development services. The district or school should document the bases for rescreening and the parents’/guardians’ consent.

If readministration of the OELPS occurs in the school year in which the student has already used their OELPS test opportunity, the district test coordinator or district administrator will have to submit a Test Status Request in TIDE to reset the test.

Contact the Department at statetests@education.ohio.gov to discuss these situations and other situations that may require readministration of the OELPS.

Administration

Can the OELPS be administered remotely?

No. Test administrators administer the OELPS in person, one-to-one with the student and the test administrator. There is no group administration for the OELPS, nor is there a remote administration option. Current legislation does not authorize the Department nor districts and schools to administer the OELPS remotely.

How should school staff prepare to administer the OELPS?
The two primary resources are the OELPS Test Coordination Manual and the OELPS Test Administration Manual. The OELPS Test Coordination provides comprehensive guidance for test coordinators who are responsible for the OELPS administration in their district or building. Appendices D & E of the OELPS Test Coordination Manual include checklists to help test coordinators and test administrators prepare for the OELPS. The OELPS Test Administration Manual includes the script the test administrator must use to direct the student and has detailed steps to guide the test session.

Test administrators are responsible for following the online and paper test administration directions provided by the Department and all testing procedures adopted by the Department and established by the participating district or school.

Online Tests. Test coordinators must include in the training, the OELPS Test Administration Manual for online testing and the OELPS Screener Step Two Speaking Scoring Document. The Department provides many additional resources to assist test coordinators in preparing their staff for the OELPS administration: the TASC User Guide, the Test Administrator User Guide, the Test Administrator Certification Course, ClearCourse Learning Management System, OELPS Webinar, and the OELPS Training for Administration and Local Scoring PowerPoint.

Paper Tests. If the district or school has Department approval to administer OELPS paper tests, the test administrator must be familiar with the OELPS Directions for Administration Manual for Paper-Pencil Tests (delivered with the paper test materials), the TASC User Guide, and the Response Entry System (RES) User Guide.

Online and Paper Tests. A general resource for both the online and paper tests is the TIDE User Guide. Additionally, test administrators should be familiar with the Resource Book, the Test Security Provisions and Procedures document, and the Accessibility Manual for OELPS and OELPA.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Are assessment accommodations available for students taking the OELPS?
Yes, the Accessibility Manual for OELPS and OELPA describes the assessment accommodations and accessibility features available to students taking the OELPS and the OELPA.

Note: For students participating in Ohio’s State Tests of English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, test administrators should refer to the Ohio Accessibility Manual for information about accessibility features and accommodations for students identified as English learners.

Scoring and Reporting

How is it possible for a student to be below level 4 in speaking if they got a perfect score on the speaking questions?
The OELPS uses a multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) model in which all items contribute to the scores for each domain. The items are weighted so that the items in that domain carry the most weight toward the score for that domain. For example, speaking items affect the speaking score most, but the speaking score also relies on the responses to items in the other domains.

Students perform relatively well on the speaking items, so students often earn 7 or 8 raw score points out of 8 even if they perform poorly on the other domain items.

What do districts and schools do when a student receives an OELPS result of “Proficiency Not Demonstrated”?
A student receives a result of Proficiency Not Demonstrated (PND) when the test administrator stops the test due to the student not engaging in Step One. In these cases, districts and schools may readminister the OELPS when the student is more likely to participate or may identify the student as an English learner. Districts and schools must complete the English learner identification procedure within 30 calendar days of enrollment.
If readministering the OELPS in the same school year as the administration which resulted in PND, the district test coordinator or district administrator will need to first submit aTest Status Request to reset the test since students only have one test opportunity per test window.

To complete the English learner identification without readministering the OELPS, districts and schools should base the decision to identify or not on other available information, such as responses from the Language Usage Survey, the student’s performance in OELPS Step One, classroom observations, consultations with the family about the student’s language use and prior education, and any other appropriate source.

Last Modified: 8/26/2026 1:48:09 PM