Appendix of 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 CA 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 or reopening students’ assessments in accordance with state policy. These requests must result from a test security incident or incorrect test setting that impacted testing and are 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 an LEA Success Agent (Reset, Rescore [Initial ELPAC only], 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 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 immediately report the breach, including social media exposure on the part of a student or adult, by calling CalTAC at 800-955-2954 or the assigned LEA Success Agent. 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 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 (with parent/‌guardian and student input as appropriate) or specified in the student’s IEP or Section 504 plan.

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

A Grace Period Extension Appeal allows the student to review previously answered questions upon logging back on to the assessment after expiration of the pause rule. A Grace Period Extension Appeal is applicable to the Reading and Listening domains only.

An impropriety is an unusual circumstance that has a low impact on the individual or group of students who are taking the ELPAC and has a low risk of potentially affecting student performance on the assessment, test security, or test validity. These circumstances can be corrected and contained at the local level.

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

An irregularity is an unusual circumstance that impacts an individual or group of students who are taking the ELPAC and may potentially affect student performance on the assessments, 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 more information on how to proceed using the STAIRS/‌Appeals process when an incident has occurred, please refer to the subsection The STAIRS/Appeals Process of this manual and the CAASPP and ELPAC Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide.

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

For example, a domain(s) may be reopened if a student started an assessment 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 assessment from the system and enables the student to start a new assessment. Any work previously done on the assessment 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 accessibility resources.)

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 ELPAC in the Appeals system that restores an assessment from the “Reset” status to its prior status. For example, if the assessment was inadvertently or inappropriately reset as the result of a Reset Appeal submitted earlier, a Restore Appeal would be needed. This action can only be performed on assessments that have been reset following a Reset Appeal. When restored, the student’s assessment will resume at the last unanswered item.

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 an assessment(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 the means by which LEAs and schools report a test security incident or other testing issue that interferes with the administration and completion of the 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 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 assessments, 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 TOMS User Guide for complete information.

A universal tool is an online resource that is available to all students during testing based on 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.