Login | State Agencies | Employees

Follow

Test Coordinator
Newsletter

Test Coordinator
Newsletter

Home > Testing > Test Coordinator News > February 2024 > Ohio’s English Language Proficiency Assessments

Ohio’s English Language Proficiency Assessments

1/30/2024

OELPA and Alt-OELPA Office Hours

The Office of Assessment is dedicated to answering questions and providing technical assistance about the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) and the Alternate Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (Alt-OELPA). 
 
The English Language Assessment team is hosting Office Hours from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. on Feb. 7, Feb. 28, and March 13. The format is an informal question and answer period. The OELPA and Alt-OELPA test window is Jan. 29-March 22. Please use the links below to join the Office Hours.
Feb. 7, 9-10 a.m. – Join the Teams meeting
Feb. 28, 9-10 a.m. – Join the Teams meeting
March 13, 9-10 a.m. – Join the Teams meeting


OELPA Administration

The OELPA test administration window is open through March 22. The additional paper test order window is open in TIDE through March 18. Updated manuals for administering both online and paper tests are available in the Resources section of the test portal and must be reviewed prior to administering the test. The OELPA Test Coordinator Manual covers policies and procedures for online and paper tests. DTCs and building test coordinators should review the manual to help ensure a successful test administration.


Alt-OELPA Administration, Registration, and Resources

The administration window for the Alt-OELPA is open through March 22. Students must be preidentified in TIDE to configure student settings (including any domain exemptions) before taking the Alt-OELPA. Please note that in order for a student to have access to the Alt-OELPA in the test delivery system, they must be marked for the Alt-OELPA and that they have an IEP in TIDE.
 
Please see the Alt-OELPA Resources section of the test portal for these available resources:
  • 2024 Alt-OELPA Test Administration Manual
  • Alt-OELPA Accessibility and Accommodations Manual (2nd Edition – Updated January 2024). The accessibility manual’s appendices C-F provide helpful information for IEP teams:
    • Appendix C: Alt-OELPA Participation Checklist
    • Appendix D: Alt-OELPA Participation Flowchart
    • Appendix E: Alt-OELPA Personal Needs Profile Planning Tool
    • Appendix F: Alt-OELPA Domain Exemption Policy
  • 2024 Alt-OELPA training webinar
  • ELPA21’s Alt ELPA Training Courses (self-paced, online, training courses for test coordinators, and test administrators working with Alt-OELPA) 


Alt-OELPA Test Administrator Directions and Scoring Rubrics Booklets

The Test Administrator Directions and Scoring Rubrics Booklets are available in TIDE for districts to download prior to testing. Only individuals with DTC and DA roles can view and download these from the “General Resources” tab in TIDE. Please review the 2024 Alt-OELPA Test Administration Manual for specific instructions on retrieving these documents.
 
The booklets are secure materials and are needed for test administration as they contain item-specific scripts and scoring rubrics. To maintain test security, DTCs or DAs must distribute the booklets to test administrators via the Secure File Center in TIDE. The booklets must not be sent via email and should be accessed electronically during the test session. Instructions for sending files via the Secure File Center are in the TIDE User Guide.