Important ELPA21 Updates: Score Reporting Guide, Sample Parent Letter, Online Reporting System

The following updates are provided by the Iowa Department of Education.

• The Score Reporting Interpretation Guide has been updated to include appendices that provide additional context to better understand the Individual Student Reports.

• A sample parent letter has been developed for districts to use for communication to parents. While it is not required that districts use the attached letter, it will serve as a good model for districts who desire to develop their own communication. For districts that wish to utilize the document, put on district letterhead and add additional information as deemed necessary and appropriate for your context.

• The Title III Network is collaborating on translations for the sample parent letter, but the timeline for when those will become available is still unknown. It may not be in time for the 2015-16 scores, but we will work hard to have as many languages as possible available for the upcoming spring 2017 administration and reporting period. Work with your Title III consultant to access the translations as they become available.

• There have been several changes to the Online Reporting System based on feedback from stakeholders from the field:

• The comparison data will be suppressed on the PRINT VERSION of Individual Student Reports to protect student privacy (due to low N sizes of ELs in many districts). The comparison data will be available in the online system for district use, but it will not show on the printed score reports that are sent home to parents.

• The numeric values utilized to indicate proficiency determinations (-1, 0, 1) have been changed to the corresponding text values (Emerging, Progression, Proficient). This should help to clear up any confusion that exists regarding proficiency determinations.