ELPA21 - English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century Screener vs. Summative Purpose Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A new student enrolls in a district. The Home Language Survey indicates a language other than English is spoken at home. To determine if the student is eligible for English language development services, which ELPA21 assessment should be administered?
- The ELPA21 Summative Assessment
- The ELPA21 Dynamic Screener (Correct answer)
- A grade-level content knowledge test
- An informal reading inventory
Correct answer: The ELPA21 Dynamic Screener
The ELPA21 Dynamic Screener is specifically designed for the initial identification of students who may be English learners and to determine their eligibility for language support services. The Summative assessment is an annual test for students already identified as ELs.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of the annual ELPA21 Summative assessment?
- To provide a final grade for the student's English Language Arts class.
- To diagnose specific learning disabilities in English learners.
- To measure an English learner's annual progress in English proficiency and inform program exit decisions. (Correct answer)
- To identify students who are potentially eligible for English language services for the first time.
Correct answer: To measure an English learner's annual progress in English proficiency and inform program exit decisions.
The ELPA21 Summative assessment is administered annually to all identified English learners to track their progress toward English proficiency, satisfy federal accountability requirements, and determine if they are ready to be reclassified or exited from services. Initial identification is the purpose of the screener.
Question 3: Which of the following statements best describes a key difference in the administration timeline between the ELPA21 Screener and the ELPA21 Summative assessment?
- The Screener is given once at the end of the year, while the Summative is given upon enrollment.
- Both assessments are administered during a fixed window in the spring.
- The Screener is administered year-round as new students enroll, while the Summative is given during a specific annual window. (Correct answer)
- The Summative is a short, quarterly assessment, while the Screener is a comprehensive, semester-long test.
Correct answer: The Screener is administered year-round as new students enroll, while the Summative is given during a specific annual window.
The ELPA21 Dynamic Screener is available for administration throughout the year to accommodate new students as they enroll. In contrast, the ELPA21 Summative assessment is administered once a year during a specific testing window, typically in the late winter or spring.
Question 4: A school's language proficiency team is meeting at the end of the year to decide if a third-grade English learner has met the criteria for reclassification (exit from EL services). The decision must be based on the student's demonstrated proficiency. Which assessment results are most critical for this decision?
- The student's initial ELPA21 Screener results from kindergarten.
- The student's scores on classroom-based chapter tests.
- The student's performance on the most recent annual ELPA21 Summative assessment. (Correct answer)
- The teacher's anecdotal notes on the student's conversational English.
Correct answer: The student's performance on the most recent annual ELPA21 Summative assessment.
Decisions about reclassifying or exiting a student from English learner services are based on their demonstrated proficiency, which is officially measured by the annual ELPA21 Summative assessment. The screener is used for initial identification, not for exit decisions.
Question 5: The primary function of a screener assessment, such as the ELPA21 Dynamic Screener, is to:
- provide a comprehensive diagnostic profile of a student's academic abilities.
- act as an initial filter to efficiently identify students who may require English language support. (Correct answer)
- offer detailed data for teachers to plan their daily lessons for the entire class.
- measure student growth in English proficiency from the beginning to the end of the school year.
Correct answer: act as an initial filter to efficiently identify students who may require English language support.
The core purpose of a screener is to serve as a quick and efficient tool to determine if a student, upon entering a school, might be an English learner and thus qualifies for language support services. Measuring annual growth is the role of the summative assessment.
Question 6: A school district uses ELPA21 data for federal and state accountability reporting regarding the progress of its English learner population. The data for this report would be drawn from the results of the:
- ELPA21 Summative assessment (Correct answer)
- ELPA21 Screener assessment
- State's general education ELA test
- District-created benchmark assessments
Correct answer: ELPA21 Summative assessment
The ELPA21 Summative assessment is the official tool used to measure annual progress in English language proficiency and satisfies federal and state accountability requirements for the English learner subgroup. The screener is for identification, not annual accountability reporting.
ELPA21 - English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century Screener vs. Summative Purpose Questions and Answers
A new student enrolls in a district.
The Home Language Survey indicates a language other than English is spoken at home.
To determine if the student is eligible for English language development services, which ELPA21 assessment should be administered?