Alternate Assessments District Test Coordinators
Alternate Assessments District Test Coordinators
Welcome, Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinator!
For the 2026-2027 school year, the Arizona Department of Education has launched an electronic application for submitting the District Test Coordinator (DTC) Test Security Agreement (TSA). This role will give access to both the Alternate Assessment and the 1% Threshold applications. There is a tutorial video and supplemental PowerPoint regarding this new electronic process for filling out the Test Security Agreement. Only electronic form submissions will be accepted. For step-by-step instructions regarding the electronic test security agreement, please refer to the Assessments Portal Test Security Agreement User Guide.
The Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinator Handbook covers tasks, deadlines, and calendar dates for this school year. In the handbook, you will find explicit instructions as well as screenshots for step-by-step access. The Alternate Assessment District Test Coordinator will oversee MSAA, Alt ELPA Summative, and the Alt ELPA Screener. Each assessment has its own respective timeline, so please review the Alternate Assessment DTC Handbook on page 2 for calendar dates and further guidance.
If you need assistance, please contact us by emailing the Alternate Assessment inbox [email protected].
Testing Dates and Updates
Alt ELPA Screener
July 20, 2026 - May 7, 2027
Alt ELPA Summative Testing
February 1, 2027 - March 19, 2027
MSAA Testing
TBD
Notification Updates
State Specific Policy
Test Security Agreements
- For the 2026-2027 school year, the Arizona Department of Education has launched an electronic application for submitting the District Test Coordinator (DTC) Test Security Agreement (TSA). This role will give access to both the Alternate Assessment and the 1% Threshold Application. There is a tutorial video and supplemental PowerPoint regarding this new electronic process for filling out the Test Security Agreement. Only electronic form submissions will be accepted. For step-by-step instructions regarding the electronic test security agreement, please refer to the Assessments Portal Test Security Agreement User Guide.
- Alternate Assessment Test Security Agreement for Test Administrators **Do not return to ADE. Keep the signed form(s) at the district office for 6 years.
Registering Students in the Student Selector Application
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For MSAA and Alt ELPA Summative, the District Test Coordinator will select alternate assessment eligible students in the Student Selector Application starting October 1 through the last day of November.
For the MSAA, the Alternate Assessment Eligibility Form needs completion and filing within the student's current IEP.
For the Alt ELPA Screener, District Test Coordinators will need to submit the Alt ELPA Screener Request Webform to request to add eligible students.
Alt ELPA Screener and Summative eligible students must meet all requirements:
- Current SPED records in AzEDS
- Alternate Assessment Eligibility Form completed by the IEP team
- Home Language Survey (HLS) indicating a language other than English, sign language other than ASL, or missing an English language proficiency test
Reporting Results
The Alt ELPA Summative reports from the Spring are available in TIDE.
The ADE Alternate Assessment Unit shipped two hard copies of each student report to the District of Attendance. One copy is sent home to parents/guardians, and the other is placed in the student’s secure file.
Alt ELPA Screener Reporting- Student reports will be available almost immediately after testing in the Cambium portal. Based on the results, follow the same processes required by the Office of English Language Acquisition Services (OELAS) as you would for students who take the AZELLA Placement Test.
MSAA Student Reports are not available outside the current year reporting window; however, the Accountability application in ADEConnect can provide individual student scores.
The ADE Alternate Assessment Unit will ship two hard copies of each student report to the District of Attendance the week after the reporting portal opens. One copy is sent home to parents/guardians, and the other is placed in the student’s secure file. The MSAA Parent Guides accompany the student reports and should be sent home with the student. Teachers may download additional MSAA Parent Guides from the ADE Assessment website on the tab labeled "MSAA Parent Resources".
Performance Level Descriptors - MSAA (ELA and Mathematics)
MSAA Science Extended Performance Expectations (EPE)
Practice Site
The MSAA Practice Site was developed as a way to become familiar with the MSAA sample items and the Assessment experience. The MSAA Practice Site does not require a username or password.
The Alt ELPA practice items can be found in the TIDE portal under "Practice Test Administration."
Training Platforms
IEP Team Eligibility Determination
ALTERNATE ASSESSMENT ELIGIBILITY
Students must meet the eligibility requirements as determined by the student’s IEP team in order to participate in the State’s Alternate Assessments. The Alternate Assessment Eligibility Form needs completion and filing within the student's current IEP.
Specific accommodations for both instruction and the assessments should also be considered in the student’s annual IEP. Information regarding MSAA accommodations and eligibility criteria can be located on the ADE MSAA webpage under General Information.
The Alt ELPA is an alternate English language proficiency assessment designed for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Alt ELPA is tested in grades K-12.
MSAA was designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities. MSAA ELA & Mathematics are tested in grades 3 - 8 and 11. MSAA Science is testing in grades 5, 8, and 11.
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Alternate Assessment Eligibility Form (MSAA ELA, Mathematics, and Science)
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LCI (Learner Characteristics Inventory) for Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (updated 2024)
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MSAA Participation Guidance Arizona (06/2021)
1% Threshold Application
ACTION PLANS – 1% Threshold
Under federal regulation, the state is required to "provide appropriate oversight to each LEA that the State anticipates will assess more than 1% of its assessed students...using alternate assessments aligned with alternate academic achievement standards." An LEA may test students who qualify for alternate assessment, even if that participation means that the LEA will exceed 1%.
Alternate Assessment Test Coordinators will be notified of your LEA's percentages and will provide the next steps.
Contact Information
Please contact us by emailing the Alternate Assessment inbox at [email protected].
