ELPA21 - English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century Alignment with ELP Standards Questions and Answers

Question 1

A fifth-grade teacher is planning a science unit on ecosystems for a class that includes several English learners at various proficiency levels.
To ensure the instruction is aligned with the ELP Standards, which of the following actions is most critical?

Accepted Answer

Identifying the specific language functions (e.g., explaining, comparing, justifying) required by the science content and planning scaffolds based on the ELP standards' proficiency level descriptors.

Answer

Pairing all English learners with native English-speaking partners for all activities.

Answer

Providing the English learners with a simplified version of the science textbook.

Answer

Translating all key vocabulary terms into the English learners' native languages before the unit begins.

Question 2

The English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards on which the ELPA21 is based are designed to work in tandem with state academic content standards (e.g., for ELA, Math, Science). What is the primary implication of this correspondence?

Accepted Answer

Language acquisition should be integrated into content area instruction, as the standards highlight the language necessary for success in those subjects.

Answer

English learners should be taught language skills in a separate, isolated block of time before they are introduced to content.

Answer

Academic content must be simplified for English learners until they reach a high level of English proficiency.

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The ELP standards replace the ELA standards for any student identified as an English learner.

Question 3

A middle school social studies teacher is preparing a lesson where students must analyze primary source documents and then write a paragraph arguing which source is more biased. Which of the following ELP standards is MOST directly addressed by this task?

Accepted Answer

An ELP standard focused on constructing arguments and supporting them with evidence.

Answer

An ELP standard focused on participating in collaborative conversations.

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An ELP standard focused on recounting a series of events.

Answer

An ELP standard focused on understanding and using general academic vocabulary.

Question 4

Which of the following statements best describes the fundamental shift in focus represented by the ELP Standards used for ELPA21 compared to older ELP standards?

Accepted Answer

A shift from measuring language proficiency as the possession of discrete skills (e.g., vocabulary, grammar) to what students can DO with language in academic contexts.

Answer

A shift from focusing on conversational language to focusing exclusively on grammar rules.

Answer

A shift from assessing all four language domains to only assessing reading and writing.

Answer

A shift from computer-based assessment to a portfolio-based assessment system.

Question 5

A school's instructional leadership team wants to ensure its curriculum is fully aligned with the state's ELP Standards. What would be the most effective first step in this alignment process?

Accepted Answer

Providing professional development to all content-area teachers on the structure of the ELP Standards and how they correspond to content standards.

Answer

Purchasing a new set of textbooks designed for English learners.

Answer

Administering a diagnostic vocabulary test to all English learners.

Answer

Hiring additional bilingual paraeducators to support English learners in classrooms.

Question 6

An English learner at a 'Progressing' level is working on a math word problem. The ELP standards indicate that a student at this level can, with support, identify key information in a text. Which instructional support would be best aligned with this specific standard-based description?

Accepted Answer

Providing a highlighter and a checklist of key terms to look for (e.g., 'how many,' 'in total,' 'left').

Answer

Giving the student the final answer to check their work.

Answer

Having the student rewrite the entire problem in their own words.

Answer

Asking the student to create their own word problem from scratch.