Appendix A: Frequently Used Terms

An accommodation is a change in procedures or materials that increases equitable access during the administration of the ELPAC. Assessment accommodations generate valid assessment results for students who need them; they allow these students to show what they know and can do. Accommodations are available for students with documented IEPs or Section 504 plans. Approved accommodations do not compromise the learning expectations, construct, grade-level standard, or intended outcome of the assessments.

Refer to the California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page for complete information.

Authorized users—LEA ELPAC coordinators and site ELPAC coordinators—may submit and view requests for resetting, reopening, or invalidating students’ summative assessments in accordance with state policy. These requests must result from a test security incident or incorrect test setting that impacted summative testing and is reported using the STAIRS/‌Appeals process; Appeals are also submitted through the STAIRS module in TOMS. Appeal requests must be approved either by the CDE (Grace Period Extension or Restore) or CalTAC (Reset, Rescore, or Reopen).

For more information on how to proceed using the Appeals process, please refer to the subsection Appeals Submission of this manual and the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide.

A breach is a security event that poses a threat to the validity of the summative assessments. Examples may include such situations as a release of secure materials or a security or system risk. These circumstances have external implications for ETS, the CDE, or both, and may result in a decision to remove the test item(s) from the available secure bank. The LEA ELPAC coordinator must report the breach immediately by calling CalTAC at 800-955-2954. In addition, the LEA ELPAC coordinator must report the incident using the STAIRS/Appeals process within 24 hours.

For more information on how to proceed using the STAIRS/Appeals process when an incident has occurred, please refer to the subsection Using The STAIRS/Appeals Process of this manual and the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide.

A designated support is a type of accessibility resource of the assessments available for use by any student for whom the need has been indicated by an educator or team of educators working with the parent/‌guardian and student.

Refer to the California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page for complete information.

An irregularity is an unusual circumstance that impacts an individual or group of students who are taking the Summative Alternate ELPAC and may potentially affect student performance on the tests, test security, or test validity. These circumstances can be corrected and contained at the local level but reported using the STAIRS/Appeals process for resolution of the Appeal.

For specific details on how to proceed using the STAIRS/‌Appeals process when an incident has occurred, please refer to the subsection Using The STAIRS/Appeals Process of this manual and the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide.

A pause is an action taken by a student or TE to temporarily halt the test during any part of the test, as needed. The test can be paused and resumed as many times as necessary to allow the student to show what the student knows. The student also may choose to pause and resume over the course of a day, or days, throughout the testing window.

The TE can make the decision to pause and resume the test administration if the student is no longer engaged, is not actively participating, or is showing signs of behavioral or functional concerns related to the test.

When a test is paused, the TE, on behalf of the student, must log back on to resume testing. Upon resumption, the student is directed automatically to the first page that has an unanswered item. Previously answered items can be revisited within the current test segment, but not in prior segments.

A Reopen Appeal is a specific Appeal type that applies to a test that has already been submitted or has expired and allows the student to access the previously closed test.

For example, a domain(s) may be reopened if a student started a test and became ill and was unable to resume testing until after the testing opportunity expired.

Permission for a Reopen is initiated by first reporting an incident and then submitting an Appeal using the online STAIRS/Appeals process through TOMS. Refer to the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide for more information on the Appeals process.

A Reset Appeal is a specific Appeal type which, when applied, removes a student’s test from the system and enables the student to start a new test. Any work previously done on the test would be lost.

A valid reason for a Reset would be, for example, if a student’s test event was administered inconsistently with the student’s IEP. (This would include both embedded and non-embedded accommodations.)

Permission for a Reset is initiated by first reporting an incident and then submitting an Appeal using the online STAIRS/‌Appeals process in TOMS. Refer to the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide for more information on the Appeals process.

A Restore Appeal is a specific Appeal for the Summative Alternate ELPAC in the Appeals System. Restoring an assessment returns it from the Reset status to its prior status. This action can only be performed on tests that have been mistakenly reset through a Reset Appeal.

An LEA ELPAC coordinator must contact the assigned LEA Success Agent to submit a Restore Appeal on behalf of the LEA. The CDE approves a Restore Appeal and grants permission to restore a test(s). Refer to the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide for more information on the Appeals process.

The STAIRS/Appeals process is how LEAs and schools report a test security incident or other testing issue that interferes with the administration and completion of the summative assessments and then, if required, submit an Appeal request. The first step is reporting the incident using the STAIRS/Appeals process in TOMS. An Appeal cannot be requested without the submission of this data-entry screen. The system returns an email with a summary of the information submitted that the recipient should retain for at least a year. The STAIRS/Appeals process is used to report incidents that occur with the Summative Alternate ELPAC.

Refer to the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide for more information on the STAIRS/Appeals process.

TOMS is the management system used for the ELPAC and CAASPP assessments. This is the system through which users interact with and inform the TDS. This management system provides administrators with the tools to add and manage users and students participating in the ELPAC and CAASPP assessments, including assigning tests, student test settings, and user roles; and ordering test materials. This system uses a role-specific design to restrict access to certain tools and applications on the basis of the user’s designated role.

Refer to the CAASPP and ELPAC TOMS User Guide for complete information.

A universal tool is an online resource that is available to all students during testing on the basis of student preference and selection.

Refer to the CA Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page for complete information.

An unlisted resource is an instructional resource that a student regularly uses in daily instruction, assessment, or both that has not been previously identified as a universal tool, designated support, or accommodation. The CA Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page includes a list of unlisted resources that have already been identified and are preapproved.

Unlisted resources shall be made available if specified in the eligible student’s IEP or Section 504 plan and only by approval from the CDE. An LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator can request one of the preapproved unlisted resources for a student in TOMS. Requests must be made a minimum of 10 business days before the student’s first day of testing.

Refer to the CA Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix web page for complete information.