Q: Is there a Power Point or archive available from the CELDT Live! presentation?
A: Both the Power Point slides and an archived recording of the online training presentations are available on the CELDT Web site under Workshops. To listen to the archived recording of the online trainings, simply click on the link and enter the password (Education09) when prompted.
Q: Is there a CELDT Live! Frequently Asked Questions section for each presentation?
A: The CELDT Live! Frequently Asked Questions are available on the CELDT Web site on the CELDT Live! Past Presentations page.
Q: Will the CELDT Live! A, B, and C, etc., each contain the same information or cover different information each time?
A: The CELDT Live! series of presentations will be held approximately once per month and cover different topics, for example, the changes to the K-1 assessment, the new online pre-ID system, and the Test Coordinator's Manual. If you have suggestions for a CELDT Live! topic you think would interest other CELDT District Coordinators (CDCs), please send an e-mail to the Customer Support Center.
Q: What are the dates of the CELDT Live! presentations?
A: The tentative dates for upcoming presentations are listed on the CELDT Web site, and repeated here: Tuesday, April 14, Tuesday, May 19 (new date), Tuesday, June 9, and Tuesday, July 14. As the date approaches, please check the CELDT Web site for updated information. An e-mail announcement will be sent out to CDCs approximately one week prior to each presentation.
Q: I missed the first one. How do I participate in the WebEx?
A: On the day of the event you may log in up to 10 minutes early. Go to the CELDT Live! page on the CEDLT Web site and click on the WebEx link under the next CELDT Live! title heading. This link will provide you with the information you need to log in to the WebEx meeting. The access code will also be listed along with the link. You do not need to call in via telephone, as the audio is played over your computer speakers or headphone. If you wish to participate only via telephone, the audio only call-in information will be provided in the e-mail announcement and on the Web site.
Q: During the 1B: K-1 Early Literacy Assessment online training, I could not see the video clips. Are the video clips available?
A: Yes. In addition to the archived recording of the K-1 Early Literacy Assessment online training, there are also four video clips that are provided as a separate link on the CELDT Live! Web site. To listen to the video clips, simply click on the video link listed under the heading CELDT Live! 1B: K-1 Field Test and Operational Test.
You may pause the recording and switch to the video clip during these four video segments of the online training presentation. Note you must have Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer. A link to the free download is available on the video link page.
Q: Do we need to send in a Superintendent's Designation Form if the coordinator has not changed?
A: Yes, each year the district superintendent must designate a CELDT District Coordinator and supply that information to the CELDT contractor. A Superintendent's Designation Form for this purpose was e-mailed to the CDCs and is provided as a PDF file on the home page of the CELDT Web site.
Q: Can there be more than one designee for ordering materials?
A: No, the California Department of Education (CDE) requires that there only be one designated coordinator.
Q: Can we add a second person to the e-mail list to receive communications?
A: Yes, there is a Web page in the secure District Portal (after secure log in) where the CDC can add up to three additional contact people who will receive non-secure e-mails. The CDC remains the only contact of record for the CELDT
Q: Where can I obtain a Security Agreement form?
A: The Security Agreement forms were sent to CDCs as an attachment in an e-mail and in a hard copy letter. One may be downloaded from the CELDT Web site from the Resources page under the Archived Documents section.
Q: Which form do I need to fill out, the Security Agreement or the Security Affidavit? And, do we send these forms to Educational Data Systems?
A: The Security Agreement form is to be filled out by the CDC and kept on file in the district office. The Security Affidavit form is to be filled out and signed by all employees and personnel who work with the CELDT. These forms are to be sent to the CDC and kept on file in the district office. No security forms are to be sent to the contractor, but they must be available to the contractor in case of audit.
Q: Our County-District code is seven digits. Which numbers do we use to log in to the secure District Portal?
A: The new CELDT secure District Portal only requires the 5-digit district code (no 2-digit county code) and a secure password. If you do not have this information, please contact the Customer Support Center.
Q: Is there a way for me to change my password to something that is easier to remember after I log in?
A: No, the passwords were created using the most recent CDE security requirements. They use alpha, numeric, and special characters to keep them more highly secure.
Q: Will we need to order all new test materials for 2009-10?
A: Yes, each school year (July 1 to June 30) is a new test edition, which contains some new test questions, some repeated test questions, and in some forms, field-test items for next year's edition. The 2008-09 test materials may not be used for testing beginning July 1, 2009.
Q: What is the process for ordering test materials with the new contractor?
A: Ordering test materials is done online via the online ordering system provided in the secure District Portal area of the CELDT Web site. Log in to the District Portal and click on the Order Management link or the Upload Option link to begin the process. On-screen instructions are available and you may review the CELDT Live! 1A WebEx presentation for a demonstration of the online ordering system.
Q: If we order what we need, will there be an overage automatically added to our shipment?
A: Yes, at least a 10% overage will be added to each school's order, and a 5% overage will be provided to the district.
Q: Is there a batch upload function we can use to enter a large order?
A: Yes, there is an Excel template that may be downloaded from the secure District Portal (requires log in). Instructions for downloading, filling in, and uploading the template are found on the download page.
Q: When does the ordering window close for 2009-10?
A: The ordering window was scheduled to close on Friday, April 3, however, the deadline has been extended to Friday, April 10, 2009.
Q: The independent charter schools within the district are showing up on our school list in the order system. What should we do?
A: Independent charter schools should be treated as their own district. Please contact the Customer Support Center and ask that the independent charter schools be removed from your district list. We will remove them and create a separate district account for each independent charter school.
Q: When will the 2009-10 Edition test materials arrive at the district?
A: These materials will begin to arrive around June 18.
Q: How will we be able to place an order for additional test materials after we receive our shipments, and will there be a cut off date?
A: To place an order for additional 2009-10 test materials, we will open an additional order window in the online ordering system. You will go to the Order Management link in the secure District Portal and click on Additional Order. This additional orders window will open at the end of June and will be available throughout the school year until approximately June of next year. You will be able to place an order for single items, such as a scannable answer document, an extra Examiner's Manual, or additional scannable header sheets.
Q: Our district reuses the test booklets in grades 3-12. To conserve resources, can we order a different number of test books and scannable answer documents?
A: Unfortunately, no. But, what you can do to conserve resources is place an order for the number of reusable test booklets you want, and then, during the additional order window, you can place an order for more scannable answer documents only.
Q: Why have you provided the 2007-08 student counts, which are now two years old?
A: The 2007-08 counts are the most recent full year of student data available. These numbers are provided as a rough estimate of the number of EL students in each grade and school. CDCs must apply knowledge about the trends in their districts when ordering.
Q: Does the estimated student count report move the counts from one grade to the next?
A: No, the student counts are from the 2007-08 school year and have not been "aged" ahead a grade
Q: Can a tab be added to show the entire district's order from last year?
A: No, this information is not available.
Q: Why do you send different forms of the test to the district and to the schools?
A: Different forms of the test exist because they each contain different field-test items for the next year's test. Form 1, which is provided to the district, does not contain field test items and is designed to be used only for the initial identification of CELDT students from November 1 to July 1 each year. The other forms of the test (there may be up to 10 other forms) are provided to the schools and are to be used during the Annual Administration from July 1 to October 31. Generally, schools are assigned only one test form and all schools within the district are assigned the same form. For the largest districts in the state, we must provide multiple forms (but only one form per school) so there is a wide enough distribution of the field-test items given across the state.
Q: If the district runs out of the field test form (2-11) assigned to the schools during the AA window and needs to order more forms, will they be charged for the forms?
A: No. If districts find that they do not have enough of the field test forms to test all students during the AA window, districts can order more. However, a district must use 90% of what they order (this does not include the 10% overage at the school level or the 5% overage at the district level) or charges will apply.
Q: Is there one K-1 CELDT assessment score sheet for all domains?
A: No. Districts will need to use the score sheet in the K-2 Scoring Guide (page 37) for the listening and speaking domains. For the K-1 reading and writing domains, districts will have to use the score sheet found in the K-1 Examiner's Manual and Scoring Guide (pages 21-23). The Local Scoring Tool will not be calculating the Reading and Writing domain scores this year.
Q: If I didn't place an order, will I still get test materials?
A: It depends on whether or not Educational Data Systems has a Superintendent's Designation form on file for your district. Here are the following scenarios:
Q: How do we order pre-ID labels for the 2009-10 CELDT?
A: An online pre-ID system will be available on the secure District Portal area of the CELDT Web site. This function will be available approximately mid-June. An announcement will be sent to CDCs in early June with more information. The CELDT Live! presentation on June 9 will cover more details of the pre-ID system for the 2009-10 year.
Q: Will the previous CELDT scores be on the pre-ID labels and how many labels will we get?
A: The pre-ID labels are currently being designed for 2009-10. More information will be provided in the June CELDT Live! WebEx presentation.
Q: May a district submit more than one Pre-ID file?
A: Yes.
Q: Can a district submit a Pre-ID file separately for each school in the district?
A: Yes.
Q: Will there be an additional charge for submitting more than one Pre-ID file?
A: No. However, if files are submitted at different times during the window, they will most likely ship separately and separate shipping and handling charges will apply.
Q: Is there a way to upload multiple files and hold off on shipping them until they are all ready?
A: Yes. Files will only be printed and shipped once they are submitted. Submitting multiple files on the same day, when all files are ready for printing, will reduce shipping and handling charges.
Q: Will a pre-formatted spreadsheet be available for download?
A: No.
Q: Can I receive a label for student records without SSID's?
A: Yes.
Q: Once submitted, will each file take two to three weeks to ship?
A: Yes.
Q: Is there a difference between initial identification labels and annual assessment labels?
A: The only difference is that the student's test purpose is printed on the label.
Q: Can I leave the ethnicity questions blank for existing students?
A: For federal accountability reporting purposes, the two-part (Hispanic yes/no; ethnicity) fields are a required part, of the student demographics data for reporting. Districts should try, to the best of their ability, to convert their student information system data to comply with the current field requirements. All blanks will come up in the Data Review Module as a warning and districts will have the opportunity to fill in or correct this information. A blank in the ethnicity fields (fields 21-40) is acceptable; however if districts leave these fields blank, the student will be reported as having multiple ethnicities. Too many multiple ethnicities in the district data will be flagged by the Accountability office and it may affect the district's AMAOs.
Q: If a student label is placed on a Student/Answer book, will bubbling the fields on the book override the information in the Pre-ID file?
A: The only fields that can be overridden by bubbling on the Student/Answer book are the following:
Q: How long after the Purchase Order is received by Educational Data Systems can we begin uploading Pre-ID files?
A: Immediately.
Q: Where on your Web page is the Pre-ID layout
A: After logging into the secure District Portal, the link to the layout is directly below the Pre-ID Data Management link.
Q: Is there a user guide?
A: Yes. A short User Guide is available for download below the link to the Pre-ID application within the secure District Portal.
Q: Can we receive the Pre-ID labels grouped and sorted by teacher or class name?
A: Yes. Districts have two fields with which to do a personalized sort on. They are fields 9 (Delivery Name) and field 10 (Delivery Code). They can enter any information in these fields and it will be sorted according to the sort order information on Page v of the layout.
Q: If a new school is opened after Pre-ID, but the district wants to submit a file for the students in this school, what do I do?
A: If a district tries to upload a file with students in a school that the Pre-ID system does not recognize, each student in that school will have an error on the school code. The district will need to call the CELDT Customer Support Center to add the school. Once the school has been added, the district has two choices:
Q: Is there a Pre-ID template?
A: A template or sample file is not available.
Q: What software should I use to create a Pre-ID file?
A: Educational Data Systems can not recommend software for the creation of Pre-ID files.
Q: Can both students with Test Purpose "1 – Initial Identification" and Test Purpose "2 - Annual Assessment" be in the same Pre-ID file?
A: Yes.
Q: Our district will be on furlough for the majority of summer. May we make special arrangements to receive materials?
A: If districts are on furlough or out of the office during the test materials and Test Coordinator's Kit receipt window (June 16-26, 2009), please contact the Customer Support Center at the number above. Please provide the first date your district is available to receive materials. We will do everything we can to hold your materials until that date. If that is not possible, the materials will be shipped to the districts. If the materials are returned to the carrier, Educational Data Systems will reship the materials at a later date.
Q: When can we expect to receive our shipment of materials?
A: The test materials and Test Coordinator's Kit receipt window is June 16-26, 2009.
Q: Will envelopes be used for packaging the scorable documents?
A: Large paper envelopes will not be used for the return of scorable documents. Educational Data Systems will be providing "Scorable Materials Return Envelopes" that are actually large plastic zip lock type bags.
Q:Our district ships all of the scorable documents at the end of the window. Is this allowed?
A: Districts must ship documents in for scoring at the end of each month once students finish testing. This system allows us to process documents and reports on a monthly basis and meet contractual obligations to report 6-8 weeks from the receipt of the documents.
Q: May we submit documents for Annual Assessment students after the November 16 deadline?
A: Districts who test Annual Assessment (AA) students after the AA window may submit the test for official scoring and reporting in the month the student took the test. These student's scores will not be included in the state data file because they were received outside the window. Additionally, the district will not find these students in the Data Review Module (DRM) system.
Q: Are the tests to be returned by school and grade or returned by grade with a mixture of schools?
A: Scorable documents must be returned by school and by grade. Each school is provided individual Group Identification Sheets (GIS) precoded with school information.
Q: We don't usually have the Pre-Identification labels ordered in time to return booklets in August so we wait until Nov. Is this all right?
A: Districts may submit multiple files for Pre-Identification labels. We suggest submitting a file for those students you know you will test early and obtaining those labels earlier in the year.
Q: Is it ok to send completed tests before the month is over?
A: Yes. Districts may request pickup beginning the first day of the month until the “Last Day to Request Pickup” date noted on the inside front cover of the TCM for each month. The exception is November receipts. To avoid mixing the AA window materials with the Initial Identification (II) materials, districts will only have three days to request pickup of November II receipts, November 17 - 19.
Q: Can Annual Assessment (AA) and Initial Identification (II) scorable documents be returned together?
A: Yes. All students who test in a given month, regardless of test purpose, must be returned at the end of that month for scoring. AA and II scorable documents should be grouped together behind the same GIS if they are of the same grade at the same school.
Q: Why are there two separate books for K-1 this year?
A: CTB/McGraw-Hill, the previous contractor, was the contractor in charge of creating the 2009-10 Edition materials. The K-1 Listening and Speaking Student book was part of these materials. Educational Data Systems, the new contractor, was the contractor in charge of creating the K-1 Reading and Writing Student book. Since these documents were created on two different timelines, they had to be separate student books.
Q: Where can I get a copy of the Student Score Sheet?
A: Student Score Sheets are provided in the appropriate grade span Scoring Guide.
Q: Will the Pre-Identification labels be delivered at the same time as the test materials?
A: No. Pre-Identification labels will be shipped upon completion of the district submitting a completed file and receipt of a valid Purchase Order by Educational Data Systems.
Q: In the Most Recent Previous CELDT Scores field, do we include scores that go as far back as 2006 if we do not have 2007-2008 or 2008-2009 scores? Will this help decrease our number of warnings?
A: Districts must provide the most recent scale scores they have on file for a student. You may go back as far as Fall 2006 (July 1 – December 31) to obtain those scores. Scores from 2005-06 school year and before cannot be used. This will help decrease the number of warnings. In previous years, if the district did not have the most current scale scores (defined as the year prior), they were allowed to leave the scale scores blank. This caused a warning in the DRM system. By providing scores from previous years, as long as the scores are valid for that year, there will be no warning or error for this field.
Q: May students write in the Test and/or Student Book?
A: No, students should be advised not to write in the Test and/or consumable Student Book. If writing in books does occur, the following are important reminders:
Q: What reports will I receive for each student?
A: Districts will receive two copies of the Student Performance Level Report and one copy of a Student Record Label.
Q: Where can I find scores from previous years?
A: The previous contractor, CTB/McGraw-Hill (CTB) created General Research Files (GRFs) which contained scores from the 2008-09 Edition and prior. Districts that do not have these electronic files should contact CTB at 1-800-994-8594 before December 31, 2009.
Q: Will I be able to download an electronic file monthly with student scores?
A: Yes. In addition to paper reports, each district will receive an electronic Student Score File (SSF) for download. The SSF can be downloaded from the secure District Portal.
Q: Did the electronic student file layout change from last year?
A: Yes. The Student Score File (SSF) (formerly the General Research File or GRF) layout has significantly changed for the 2009-10 Edition. Click here to download the layout.
Q: If I submitted my AA students separate from my II students, will the reports be separated?
A: Unless the students were sent in separate shipments, the reports will be sent together. Standard packaging is to have AA student reports first (in grade order), then II and then AA/II Unknown.
Q: If I make corrections in the Data Review Module (DRM), will Educational Data Systems (EDS) send me revised student reports and labels?
A: No. Changes made in the DRM are only reflected in subsequent electronic files and summary reports including the Performance Level Summary Report and the Roster Report.
Q: Will the date test completed be on the student reports?
A: Yes. This information will be abbreviated as "Test Date" and can be found in the left-hand panel of the Student Performance Level Report and the Student Record Label.
Q: What does it mean if the student's report shows "AA/II Unknown"?
A: This means that either both the AA and II test purpose bubbles were filled in OR that neither was filled in. Test purpose can be updated during the Data Review Module.
Q: Where is the CELDT Criterion shown on the report?
A: The CELDT Criterion is not on the Student Performance Level Report or the Student Record Label. To find out if an individual student met the criterion, refer to field 110 of the Student Score File.
Q: How many people from each district can attend the training workshops?
A: The number of people from each district who may attend the Scoring Training of Trainers workshops is based on the total number of English learners tested the previous year. At minimum, each district and independent charter school must send one person to the training, but depending on the number of ELs at your district, you may have been allocated more spots. This number was sent to CDCs in an e-mail and a hard copy letter in March. If you do not have this number, e-mail workshops@celdt.org.
Q: What if I would like to send more people from my district to be trained? Is there a way to send additional people?
A: At this time, we must accommodate the total number of trainers allocated to each district, so we have made arrangements to have enough seats available at the 20 workshops and 4 make-up workshops to accommodate this number. If you would like to put the additional people on a waiting list, you may do so by sending an e-mail to workshops@celdt.org.
Q: Will the DVD be available for trainers to take back to train people at the sites?
A: Yes, the full training DVD is provided to all trainers who attend the full-day Scoring Training of Trainers (STOT) workshop and earn a certificate of completion.
Q: Can we add the parent address to the individual student reports for easy mailing to parents?
A: At this time, there is no plan to add the parent address. We will consider this request, however, and let you know if this changes for the 2009-10 year.
Q: Will we be shredding all left over materials for this year?
A: You will need to make arrangements with CTB/McGraw-Hill for the destruction of 2008-09 test materials. You will either ship them to CTB or shred them locally. Please contact CTB for more information at 800-994-8594 or by e-mail at ctbceldthelpdesk@ctb.com.
Q: Will we be able to use eTIP to determine unofficial scores?
A: Yes, but eTIP is being replaced by a new Web-based scoring application called Local Scoring Tool, or LST, and will be available in late June for testing scheduled to start July 1, 2009. The LST will be available as a link on the CELDT Web site. An announcement along with instructions for using the LST will be e-mailed to CDCs in June.
Q: Can I get a copy of the questions asked during the CELDT Live! WebEx?
A: We will be providing an FAQ document covering the questions asked during the CELDT Live! presentations. These documents will be available shortly after each presentation on the Resources page of the CELDT Web site.
Q: Can you provide what accommodations can be made available for special ed students while giving the CELDT test?
A: Information on accommodations is available on the CDE's Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/el/resources.asp. The link is called “Matrix 1. Matrix of Test Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications for Administration of California Statewide Assessments (October 2007).”
Q: Can you provide any information on the new K-1 Reading and Writing tests for this year?
A: The next CELDT Live! presentation on Tuesday, April 14th will provide more information on this topic. Mark your calendar and check the Workshops link on the CELDT Web site for the time and log in information the day of the event.
