Announcing the Alt ELPA Screener Pilot: A Milestone for English Learners with Cognitive Disabilities

August 1, 2024

We are proud to announce that the Alt ELPA Screener Pilot opened on Monday, July 1, in Tennessee — our newest ELPA21 state — with over 400 students having been screened to date.  The pilot is opening in Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and West Virginia in early August. The Alt ELPA Screener Pilot is a vital step toward meeting the needs of a highly underserved population of students—English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities. ELPA21 is committed to fairly and validly assessing all English learners, and this pilot is designed to fine-tune the assessment for the operational year 2025-26.

The purpose of the Alt ELPA Screener Pilot is to administer and study the new Alt ELPA Screener, its procedures, and its accompanying materials. It also gives educators and test administrators an opportunity to introduce the specialized screener to eligible, state-identified students—per each state’s policy—and to collect data to improve its performance.

Together, we’re shaping the future of English language proficiency assessments. The ELPA21 team thanks everyone who’s been a part of this journey so far. More updates on this exciting new assessment to follow in the coming months.

Curious to learn more about the Alt ELPA? Click here to dive deeper into this groundbreaking initiative.