AzELPA DTCs

AzELPA

The Arizona English Language Learner Proficiency Assessment (AzELPA) is a standards-based assessment that meets state and federal requirements to measure students' English language proficiency. AzELPA is used for both placement and reassessment purposes. The AzELPA is administered to eligible Kindergarten through Grade 12 students.

The AzELPA District Test Coordinator (DTC) is responsible for all the AzELPA Assessment administrations - the year-round AzELPA Placement Test and the annual Spring Reassessment Test.

This web page is dedicated to the administration, scoring, and reporting of the AzELPA tests.

AZELLA FAQsPlacement Test FAQsReassessment Test FAQs

AzELPA Calendars and AzELPAology (Virtual Office Hours)

AzELPA Test Administration Calendars

  • AzELPA Test Administration Calendars for School Year 2026-2027 (Fiscal Year 2027) - COMING SOON

 

 

AzELPA 2026-2027 Test Administration Windows

The AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) administration window opens on July 20, 2026, continues through the school year and closes on May 14, 2027. Districts may start testing their students on July 20 provided the following:

  1. The AzELPA District Test Coordinator, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators have met all the training requirements, signed the AzELPA Test Security Agreement for the 2026-2027 SY, and
  2. First instructional school day is between July 6 - July 31.

 

NOTE: Schools whose first instructional day is August 3rd and after may start testing as early as 2 weeks before the first instructional day of school provided the AzELPA District Test Coordinator, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators have met all the training requirements and signed the AzELPA Test Security Agreement for the 2026-2027 SY .

 

The Spring 2027 Reassessment (Summative) test administration window is February 1 - March 19, 2027.

 

AzELPA 2025-2026 Test Administration Windows

  • The AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) administration window opens on the district's first student academic instructional day of the school year and runs throughout the school year, ending on May 8, 2026.
  • The Spring 2026 Reassessment (Summative Assessment) administration window is January 26 - March 13, 2026.

 

AzELPA Important Notices

  • All Arizona districts and charters will be completing and submitting the District Test Coordinator (DTC) Test Security Agreement (TSA) for SY 2026-2027 online. This is a new online application in ADEConnect for the district entity administrator, Superintendent, and District Test Coordinator for all state assessments. This application is currently available for the 2026-2027 school year. ADE communicated with all District Test Coordinators about this on Monday, May 18, 2026. 
  • ADEConnect > Applications > Assessments Portal > Test Security > Test Security Agreement (TSA)
  • Shipping address changes must be reported to the AzELPA Team at [email protected].

 

  • Notify the AzELPA team as soon as possible when the district has students who will require the Braille Placement and Reassessment tests. ADE needs to order these tests now.

AzELPAology - AZELLA Virtual Office Hours

AzELPAology is an open invitation for our AzELPA District Test Coordinators (DTC) to attend a virtual customer service call using the Microsoft Teams application (camera is not required) where ADE's Assessment AzELPA Team answers your AzELPA questions and shares AzELPA important information, news, guidance, and mini-tutorials about a variety of AzELPA-related topics. ADE's AzELPA Team shares our live screen to coach you through different AzELPA applications, reports, systems, and other AzELPA topics. AzELPAology attendance is not a requirement, but if you see a topic that interests you, please plan to attend. AzELPAology is very informative, and AzELPA DTCs have found the sessions to be valuable.

Each live video call is accessed through the Microsoft Teams application. The optional video call will be up to one hour and focused on specific AzELPA topics. We will answer individual session-specific questions during this hour. We value your time; therefore, we cannot ensure all questions will be answered within the session, but we will provide details on how to reach us if your question is not addressed during the session. These AzELPAology sessions are informal and not recorded.

All scheduled AzELPAology sessions, unless otherwise noted, begin at 8:00 am and end at 9:00 am. Your first connection to AzELPAology will take you to a web page (https://teams.microsoft.com) for Microsoft Teams. The Microsoft Teams application can be accessed by 1) Downloading the Windows app, 2) Using Microsoft Teams through the current web browser without downloading anything, or 3) Opening your desktop, phone, or tablet app from Microsoft Teams.

Click here to join the AzELPAology Session

After you click on the above button or use the link below, before the session starts, you will be placed into a waiting room until the session begins. The same link is used for all scheduled sessions.

(teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MTllMWJhNTktMThmMi00OWU0LWE1ZjMtYmZjMTMyMTY0OGYx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2258a5b0cb-441f-42ba-a5a1-8fdfd05a3ffc%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22154367f7-d664-4917-9581-9b81d8602473%22%7d)

 

AzELPAology Monthly Scheduled Sessions and Topics

TUESDAY, June 16, 2026, from 8:00 am - 9:30 am

  • 2026-2027 school year
    • ADE forms and applications
    • Trainings (ClearCourse Learning Management System (LMS))
    • AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) testing
    • Spring Reassessment (Summative Test)
    • Test materials
    • Cambium's Test Delivery System (TDS)
    • TIDE (Test Information Distribution Engine)
    • and more
  • Your Questions

 

AzELPA Information and Guidance

AzELPA Basic Information Documents

AZELLA Placement Test Logic Flow Chart

Eligibility for the AZELLA Placement Test

AZELLA Placement Administration Compliance Time Frames

AZELLA Overall Proficiency Determination - Spring 2026 Reassessment (with Domain Scale and Cut Scores)

AZELLA Overall Proficiency Determination (with Domain Scale and Cut Scores) Placement 2025-2026

AZELLA Assessment (web page about the AZELLA)

AzELPA Practice Tests - all grades

AzEDS Language Code Descriptors (for the HLS)

 

ADEConnect Account

All AzELPA District Test Coordinators are required to have an ADEConnect account, and the role of "AzELPA District Test Coordinator" must be requested.

For access to ADEConnect, you will need to contact your district/charter ADEConnect Entity Administrator and request to have the AzELPA District Test Coordinator role be assigned to you. If you do not know who your ADEConnect Entity Admin is, you can contact IT Application Support at 602-542-7378 so they can verify.

There is only one (1) designated role of “AzELPA District Test Coordinator” in ADEConnect for each district. All others may have the role of “ELL” in ADEConnect.

ADEConnect Entity Administrator, please follow the instructions in the ADEConnect How-To Videos and the ADEConnect Frequently Asked Questions. Here are the direct links:
https://adeconnect.azed.gov/Faq

Any questions related to ADEConnect accounts, please contact IT Application Support at 602-542-7378.

To find the district or charter's ADEConnect Entity Admin, please follow this link: https://adeconnect.azed.gov/FindEA.

 

 

EL/SPED Test Administration Information

AZELLA Accommodations Manual November 2024

Special Update - ELs with Disabilities May 2019

 

AzELPA Additional Accommodation Request Form

This secure request form is for one student. One (1) submission per student will cover one or both AzELPA Test administrations for the current school year for the student. Additional accommodations for AzELPA must be requested annually. Submissions from prior school years are not valid for the current school year. Students must have a current IEP or 504 Plan with accommodations for state testing and daily instruction. All requests must be submitted and approved by ADE's Assessment unit prior to administering the AzELPA test to the student. It may take up to 4 calendar weeks to complete the review process for one student submission; therefore, please submit your requests early in the school year.

As students transfer to new schools, the new district must submit the request as soon as practicable to ensure timely identification of English learners with the Placement Test and to ensure that Special Version test materials are in districts well before the closing of the Spring Reassessment test window. 

 

AzELPA Additional Accommodations Request Form 2026-2027 - COMING SOON

  • AzELPA 2026-2027 Placement (Dynamic Screener) request forms - submission deadline is August 27, 2026. Submit early!
  • AzELPA Spring 2027 Reassessment (Summative) request forms - submission deadline is December 10, 2026.

 

AzELPA Additional Accommodation to Administer the Test in More than 5 Instructional Days - COMING SOON

  • This request is used for students with a current IEP or 504 Plan, and the ONLY additional accommodation that is needed is for additional time to administer the AzELPA.

 

Accommodated Forms For Placement (Dynamic Screener) and Reassessment (Summative)

  • Special Paper Version (SPV)
  • SPV Large Print
  • Braille
  • American Sign Language (ASL)

 

Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessment (Alt ELPA)

Information about the Alt ELPA can be found at https://www.azed.gov/assessment/AltELPA.

When the student's IEP Team has determined the student is eligible for Alternate Assessments, then the student must be administered the Alt ELPA Screener in lieu of the AzELPA Placement Test and the Spring Alt ELPA Summative test in lieu of the Spring AzELPA Reassessment test.

Alt ELPA follows the same AzELPA testing compliance timeframes.

Alt ELPA Screener replaces the AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) test.

Alt ELPA Summative replaces the Spring AzELPA Reassessment.

Alt ELPA (ADE) Web Page

 

AzELPA Practice Tests

Coming soon

 

 

Grades and Grade Bands

  • Kindergarten
  • Grade 1
  • Grades 2-3
  • Grades 4-5
  • Grades 6-8
  • Grades 9-12

 

Test Design - Placement (Dynamic Screener)

Eligible K-12 students will be administered an AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener).

Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI) will release student-level data in regularly scheduled release cycles determined by ADE, as students take Placement (Dynamic Screener) test throughout the school year. Student data will be available in the Centralized Reporting System (CRS) to authorized users for download at any time, supporting district and school needs.

 

Test Design - Reassessment (Summative)

All English learners will be administered the Spring Reassessment (Summative) assessment.

 

TIDE (Test Information Distribution Engine)

TIDE is the all-in-one secure control center for all test registration and administration tasks that users are required to prepare for student testing.

TIDE's interface includes administrative tasks that must be performed before testing begins and the tasks performed while tests are being administered to students.

AZELLA Results

ALL AZELLA Placement 2025-2026 and Spring 2026 Reassessment published reports and Student Data Files must be downloaded and saved from PearsonAccess Next by September 30, 2026. PAN will be closed for AZELLA after September 30, 2026. ADE nor Pearson retains these reports and files.

 

April 8, 2026 - AZELLA Reassessment Adjustments for Spring 2026

 

Spring 2026 ELP Results Dates

  • AZELLA electronic reports and Student Data Files - April 30, 2026
  • AZELLA printed Individual Student Reports - Arrive at districts and charters on May 14, 2026
  • ELPA21 (Braille) electronic reports - May 2026
  • Alt ELPA Summative - April/May 2026

 

Individual Student Reports

AzELPA DTCs receive 2 paper copies of the Individual Student Reports (ISR).

  • 1 copy of the ISR must be placed in the student's cumulative file

  • 1 copy of the ISR must be distributed to the parent(s)

 

Enrolling Eligible Students in EL Program Services

Enrolling students in EL Program Services is completed through your Student Information System and then synchronized to AzEDS. 

  • Students must have a "current" ELP record. "Current" means the most current ELP test record is dated during the current school year or the prior school year. For the 2026-2027 school year, the most current ELP record must have an Overall Proficiency Level of less than Proficient, show a status of "Eligible for EL Services," and must be dated during the 2025-2026 school year or the 2026-2027 school year.

  • When the student is administered a new 2026-2027 AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) test or the 2026-2027 Alt ELPA Screener and the results indicate the student is Eligible for EL Services, the enrollment date of such services should be the day AFTER the AzELPA Placement (Dynamic Screener) record or Alt ELPA Screener record date so the student will pass Integrity.

 

Exiting Reclassified Students from EL Program Services

When a student is initially administered an ELP test and receives an Overall Proficiency Level of Proficient, that student is considered to be Initial Fluent English Proficient (IFEP) and is not eligible for EL program services. The student is also not eligible for any additional ELP testing without a parent signed Mainstream to EL referral form. 

When an EL student (a student who has an ELP test history) receives an Overall Proficiency Level of Proficient on an ELP test, the district or school must reclassify the student as Fluent English Proficient (FEP) by exiting the student from EL services through your Student Information System using the exit code of ELL01.

 

State Assessment Results and A-F Letter Grades

ADE's Accountability & Research Division is responsible for calculating and publishing the State EL Reclassification Rate. These files are available by Fiscal Year under the "State Assessment Public Files" and in the "English Learner Proficiency Test - AZELLA" section from the Accountability & Research Data website.

https://www.azed.gov/accountability-research/data

The 2026 state EL reclassification rate will be published in the Fall of 2026 by ADE's Accountability & Research Division.

Please contact ADE's Accountability & Research Unit at [email protected] with your questions.

AzELPA Forms and Reports

District Test Coordinator Test Security Agreement Form

  • 2026-2027 District Test Coordinator (DTC) Test Security Agreement (TSA)

    • All Arizona districts and charters are completing and submitting the District Test Coordinator (DTC) Test Security Agreement (TSA) for SY 2026-2027 online. This is a new online application in ADEConnect (Assessments Portal) for the district entity administrator, Superintendent or Charter Representative, and the District Test Coordinators for all state assessments.  ADE communicated with all District Test Coordinators about this on Monday, May 18, 2026.

    • A new agreement form must be submitted whenever the Superintendent/Charter Representative changes, and when the District Test Coordinator changes.

    • There is only one (1) AzELPA (AZELLA) District Test Coordinator per school district and charter district.

    • Shipping address changes must be reported to the AzELPA Team at [email protected].

    • ADEConnect > Applications > Assessments Portal > Test Security > Test Security Agreement (TSA)
    •  

 

 

AzELPA Test Security Agreement Form

  • 2026-2027 AzELPA Test Security Agreement - for AzELPA staff - COMING SOON

  • 2025-2026 AZELLA Test Security Agreement - for AZELLA staff - do not send the completed agreement forms to ADE. AZELLA DTCs must keep these forms in a secure location at the district office for 6 years.

 

Student Privacy

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. This law applies to all schools that receive U.S. Department of Education funds under applicable programs, including the states' English Language Proficiency assessments.

ELP records, reports, and AzELPA materials may contain Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and sensitive information about a student’s educational background and historical performance. As such, we are all responsible for protecting all ELP records for authorized users only and securing AzELPA materials to prevent the accidental disclosure of the information they contain.

Do not include students' names and/or dates of birth in the body of emails. Use their State Student Identification (SSID) number. When images are included in the body of emails, all student-identifiable information except for the SSID number must be extracted or blacked out before adding the image to the email.

 

 

AzELPA Test Security and Ethics Incident Report 2026-2027 - COMING SOON

 

English Language Proficiency Reports

Due to Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and sensitive information about a student’s educational background and historical performances included in these reports, access is limited to authorized users only. Students must have a current school enrollment that has passed integrity checks before users will be able to view the data included in these reports. An ADEConnect account is required with the role of "AzELPA (AZELLA) District Test Coordinator" (one per district) or with an "ELL" role or title to be able to access the reports. The following resource documents explain how to read the 3 different English Language Proficiency (ELP) Reports that are produced by the ADE's Assessments unit. The ELP Reports are located on ADEConnect > Assessments >> ELP Reports.

 

The EL70 - ELP Student Test History Report

  • The EL70 Report is available for authorized users only, and all student privacy protocols must be adhered to.
  • The EL70 Report is a single student-only report.
  • This report is updated as new assessment data becomes available, and EL services information has passed integrity checks.
  • The EL70 Report must be reviewed and printed or downloaded for every new student entering the school, including students with an all-English Home Language Survey.
  • The EL70 Report may be viewed and downloaded for a student after the school enrollment transaction has passed Integrity. The student's school enrollment can be verified through the district's STUD10 - Student Data Verification Report from the AzEDS Portal in ADEConnect.
  • Districts are allowed access to a student's EL70 Report two weeks before the student's first day of enrollment and an additional two weeks after a student's last day of enrollment in the district.

 

The EL72 - ELP Test Roster Report

  • The EL72 Report is a Fiscal Year report for student English Language Proficiency (ELP) data that was administered within a district. 
  • This report is published by the district and school.
  • The current plus three prior fiscal year reports are available.

 

The EL73 - EL Student Need Report

  • The EL73 Report is a live report published by the district and school.
  • Students with an EL need will appear on this report after their school enrollment transaction has passed Integrity. The student's school enrollment can be verified through the district's STUD10 - Student Data Verification Report from the AzEDS Portal in ADEConnect.
  • The EL73 Report should be downloaded and reviewed every week for every school.
  • The EL73 Report should be downloaded during the last few days of the school year.
  • When students achieve a Proficient level, and that record has been reported out, they will no longer be included in this report.
  • When students withdraw from school, they will no longer be included in this report for that school.

 

AzELPA Test Administration Observation Form

This observation form must be completed twice per school year per person administering the tests as applicable, once for the Placement Test administration and once for the Reassessment administration. This is intended for all AzELPA DTCs, STCs, and TAs that administer the AzELPA. Completed checklists are to be kept with the AzELPA DTC through the end of the fiscal year in which they were used. 

2026-2027 School Year AzELPA Quality Assurance Test Administrator Observation Checklist - COMING SOON

 

AzELPA Student Testing Log

The AzELPA Student Testing Log may be edited to meet the school's needs; however, when ADE requests any testing logs, the information included in the provided Student Testing Log must be included when submitted to ADE. Do not include student names and dates of birth in the Student Testing Logs that are submitted to ADE. 

  • K-12 AzELPA Student Testing Log (Placement) - COMING SOON

 

  • K-12 AzELPA Student Testing Log (Reassessment) - COMING SOON

 

  • AzELPA Sign-In and Sign-Out Testing Room Logs (Student and Staff) (sample) - COMING SOON 

  

English Language Proficiency Assessment ADMINISTRATOR Attestation

All AzELPA District Test Coordinators, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators must attest to being proficient English speakers who can model clear standard pronunciation of English prior to any ELP test administrations. AzELPA DTCs must keep this form for 6 fiscal years and provide it to ADE upon request.

English Language Proficiency Assessment Administrator Attestation 2026-2027 (PDF) - COMING SOON

 

Student Data File Layouts

The Student Data File (SDF) layouts do not include student data. The district's Student Information System (SIS) (i.e., Synergy, PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, etc.) administrator/IT must work with the SIS vendor to incorporate the layouts prior to uploading the Student Data Files (SDF) (containing student information) from each test administration into your SIS. The SDF Layouts are available from the ELP assessment vendor for the specific test administration.

 

  

PearsonAccess Next (PAN) for the 2025-2026 School Year closes on September 30, 2026

 

2025-2026 AZELLA Student Data Files and Layouts (Pearson)

There are 2 specific AZELLA test administration layouts for the 2025-2026 school year. One is for the AZELLA Placement Test, and one is for the Spring AZELLA Reassessment Test. They are different layout files! Using the Student Data Files that are provided by Pearson is optional. If your district/charter intends to use the Student Data Files provided by Pearson (not ADE) for your Student Information System, you must use the Student Data File Layouts as well. Download one copy of the Layout file (by test administration) and forward the file unopened to your SIS administrator. Your SIS administrator will need to work with your SIS vendor to use these files.

All AZELLA Placement 2025-2026 and Spring 2026 Reassessment Student Data Files must be downloaded from PearsonAccess Next by September 30, 2026. Pearson nor ADE retain these files.  

 

AZELpA Placement Test Referral Form

Completed and signed AzELPA Placement Test referral form documents must be placed in the student's cumulative file.

  • Moving from Mainstream to EL Program Services 2026-2027 - COMING SOON

 

AzELPA Kindergarten Test Referral Form

  • IFEP and English-only AzELPA Kindergarten Test Referral Form - COMING SOON

AZELpA Training Modules

Cambium will provide the online training modules for the AzELPA District Test Coordinators, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators.

The modules will be accessed through Cambium's ClearCourse Learning Management System.

Additional information coming soon.

Presentations and Useful Web Links

  • PearsonAccess Next - AZELLA test management system (closing for AZELLA on September 30, 2026)

  • Arizona Learning Management System (AzLMS) (closing for AZELLA on June 30, 2026)

    • Download all AZELLA and Understand Scoring Completion Certificates now! Look in the Badges section and click on the PDF to download your PD certificate.

 

Contact Information

The AzELPA Inbox ([email protected]) should be your first contact concerning AzELPA questions. All questions concerning AzELPA training modules, AzELPA test administration, students eligible and required to test, test administration schedules, test irregularities, ELP test records, issues with the EL70, EL72, and EL73 Reports, and any issues that arise during test administration should be sent to the AZELLA Inbox. The AzELPA Team is able to respond to you much faster through email. We strive to respond within 1 business day to all emails and voicemails. ADE is closed on the weekends and all holidays.

Once the new email address ([email protected]) is available, "[email protected]" emails will automatically be redirected to [email protected].  

High Importance – For issues that arise during actual student testing, send an email to the AZELLA Inbox and indicate in the subject line “Students Testing – Need Help.” Mark your email with a High Importance tag. Include a phone number that we can contact with you at if necessary. In the email, include:

  • the student's SSID number,
  • grade level,
  • the district and school information,
  • any error message or code(s) that the student or TA is receiving, and
  • information about the situation is required.

ADE will respond as quickly as possible. Do not leave a voice message, as these calls are not responded to as quickly as emails.