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The AZELLA Placement (Dynamic Screener) test window begins on the the district's or charter's first instructional day of the school year.
Before any AZELLA testing can begin, the following must be completed:
The AZELLA Placement Test window closes in mid-May of the current school year.
Students who are required to be administered the AZELLA Placement (Dynamic Screener) test include:
Students who are NOT eligible for any AZELLA testing include:
Kindergarten is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
Grade 1 is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
Grades 2-3 is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
Grades 4-5 is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
Grades 6-8 is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
Grades 9-12 is an online test only. Students do not have paper test materials.
K-12 students who have been approved by ADE for a paper accommodated form of the AZELLA will be provided with paper materials.
These AZELLA General FAQs are not specific to an AZELLA test administration.
There are 2 separate AZELLA test administrations during one school year.
Eligible students are administered the AZELLA Placement (Dynamic Screener) test from the start of the school year through mid-May of the same school year as needed.
The annual Spring AZELLA Reassessment (Summative Assessment) is administered during a scheduled 7-week test window during February and March. All students with an EL need are required to participate in this test administration.
Yes, Cambium, in partnership with the Arizona Department of Educations, provides online training modules for the administration of the English Language Proficiency Assessments (ELPA) (AZELLA). These trainings modules are intended for the AZELLA District Test Coordinator, School Test Coordinators, and Test Administrators.
Please review the section titled AZELLA Trainings and Qualifications, on the AZELLA DTC web page.
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, such as AZELLA.
AZELLA 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 and securing AZELLA materials to prevent the accidental disclosure of the information they contain.
Do not include students' names and/or date 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.
These are the Overall Proficiency Level (OPL) results: Pre-Emergent/Emergent (PrE/E); PreEmergent/Emergent/Basic (PrE/E/B); Emerging (E); Basic (B); Basic/Intermediate (B/I); Progressing (PRG); Intermediate (I); Proficient (P); No Proficiency Level – Undetermined (No PL); Not Attempted (NAT)
An EL student must achieve an OPL of Proficient on the AZELLA to be exited from EL program services.
The 2026 State EL Reclassification Rate will be published by the Accountability Division after the A-F Letter Grades have been completed in September 2026.
Please visit the Accountability web page in September for this information. /accountability-research
No. Arizona public school students who are eligible for the an English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) (AZELLA, Braille, and Alt ELPA) do not require parental permission for testing because the student attends a public school. Public schools must comply with State and Federal testing requirements, including the AZELLA; therefore, parent permission is not required to test eligible students. EL students must be tested annually until they reach an Overall Proficiency Level of Proficient on the AZELLA or Alt ELPA.
Parents may decline EL program services. Students who have been parent withdrawn from receiving EL program services are still required to be administered an (ELPA) annually until they reach an Overall Proficiency Level of Proficient.
Yes, the Universal Test Administration Conditions are available to all students when applicable and in the best interest of the student.
Additional accommodations may be available for students with a current IEP or 504 Plan with accommodations for state testing and daily instruction. Additional accommodations for AZELLA must be requested annually. Each application receives a thorough review from ADE. The AZELLA District Test Coordinator will be notified about the approved accommodations.
Accommodated Forms for Grades K-12 Placement and Reassessment:
The annual Reassessment -Summative assessment will be administered during this 7-week testing window for all EL students.
All Kindergarten through Grade 12 students with an EL need are required to participate in the Spring Reassessment - Summative.
Kindergarten through Grade 12 are online assessments. No student testing materials are required.
Students with an ADE approved accommodation for a paper accommodated form will provided with paper test materials.