Happy New Year, Insiders!
As the new year begins, we’re checking in with the ELPA21 community to share timely updates and resources to support your work with English learners. With summative testing windows approaching in many states, this post brings together training reminders, state portal information, free educator resources, and new classroom tools — all curated to help you stay informed, prepared, and connected.
This is the blog version of our regular, quarterly email newsletter. If you’re not already subscribed to the email version of the ELPA21 Insider Newsletter, consider signing up! Email subscribers receive the newsletter four times a year (spring, summer, fall, and winter) and one month earlier than it appears on the blog. Plus, subscribers get access to additional content and giveaways not available to blog readers.
However you choose to stay connected, we’re glad you’re here!
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Need to Complete Your Test Administrator Training or a Refresher Course?
For most states, the ELPA21 summative assessment window will open during the first quarter of 2026. Whether this will be your first time administering the ELPA21 or Alt ELPA Summative and you need to become certified, or you simply need to complete your annual refresher training, start by visiting the ELPA21 Training Website. You will need to create an account in the training system in order to access the test administrator certification courses, so if you haven’t already done so, click here for instructions on how to set up your training account.
Once you have created your account and logged into the training system, click on Catalog in the upper-left section of the screen to register for and complete the training modules you need. If you run into trouble or have additional questions about training, you can review our training system FAQ, contact your school/district testing coordinator, or reach out to our dedicated training system help desk by emailing elpa21training@aealearningonline.org.
Access Your State’s ELPA21 Portal for Lots of Useful Info!
Each state that uses ELPA21’s assessments has a unique state portal (website) where you can find lots of useful information specific to your state. To access your ELPA21 state portal, visit the Resources section of our website, choose your state from the dropdown menu, then click the button to visit your state’s portal. Information available on your state’s ELPA21 portal includes:
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- Important announcements
- A calendar of key dates (testing windows, release dates for test scores, etc.)
- Access to practice tests
- Test administration manuals
- Technology guides
- Resources for students and families
- …and much more!
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ELPA21 in the Field
2025 was an exciting and highly productive year of conference engagement for ELPA21. Our team participated in 16 conferences across 13 states—from Alabama to Oregon—giving us the opportunity to connect with tens of thousands of educators, program administrators, and state leaders nationwide. This fall, we continued that momentum with appearances at MIDTESOL, SETESOL, ORTESOL, CCSSO’s Collaboratives Meeting, the National Conference on Student Assessment, TNTESOL, OHTESOL, and the Mississippi Literacy Association Conference, where we shared resources, answered questions, and learned from the experiences of educators, program administrators, and state leaders across the country.
We were also honored to present sessions on a wide range of topics that reflect our mission and ongoing work. These included formative assessment, differentiated instruction, strengthening the home-school connection for English learners, recent technology and AI advancements in the multilingual learner space, measuring language development for students with significant cognitive disabilities, and using proficiency data to inform instructional planning and decision-making. We are grateful to every educator and leader who engaged with us at these events, and we look forward to continuing these conversations in 2026!
Keep any eye on our social media channels (links below) for the most up-to-date info on our upcoming conference appearances, and we hope to connect with you soon!
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New Classroom Resources from Our Partners at UCLA CRESST for Multilingual Learners
We’re excited to highlight two new classroom resources from our colleagues at UCLA CRESST for MLs, designed to help educators support meaningful, language-rich instruction for English learners. Together, the Task Analysis Planner (TAP) Foldable and the Differentiated Instruction Flipbook: Volume 2 (Interactive Strategies) offer practical, research-based tools that teachers can apply immediately.
The TAP Foldable guides educators through intentional lesson planning by examining student background, academic demands, grouping structures, academic language, and receptive and productive language needs. The new Differentiated Instruction Flipbook: Volume 2 builds on the success of the first volume by offering eight interactive, classroom-ready strategies that promote dialogue, collaboration, and engagement across content areas.
As classrooms become more linguistically diverse, these resources provide flexible support that helps teachers balance rigor with accessibility. ELPA21 is proud to partner with UCLA CRESST for MLs in sharing these tools and looks forward to seeing how educators integrate them into their practice.
Read this post on our blog to learn more about these great new resources.
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Let’s Keep In Touch
We also want to take a moment to remind everyone about the newly revitalized EL Collaborate Facebook Group, our dedicated online space for conversations, updates, and resources focused specifically on the ELPA21 English Language Proficiency Assessment System. Because the group is facilitated directly by the ELPA21 team, it’s a great place to ask questions, connect with colleagues, and hear the latest news from staff who work closely with the assessment. Educators from any state are welcome, and we’d love for you to invite peers who might benefit from joining. And don’t forget: We’re hosting monthly giveaways to help spark engagement and conversation, and your participation automatically enters you for a chance to win!
Beyond EL Collaborate, we encourage you to stay connected with us across all our social platforms. Following ELPA21 on Facebook, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube is one of the easiest ways to stay informed about new resources, professional learning opportunities, conference appearances, and important updates. We’re grateful for the work you do every day to support English learners, and we’re committed to being a reliable resource for you year-round.
Thank you!
Thank you, as always, for your commitment to English learners and for being an essential part of our ELPA21 community. Your expertise, curiosity, and collaboration continue to shape the meaningful work we do together. We’ll be back with the next edition of the ELPA21 Insider Newsletter in the spring, and we look forward to sharing more updates, resources, and opportunities with you then.