ELAT Frequently Asked Questions

Our district/school is concerned about switching assessment tools. What do we need to know?

Acadience Reading will no longer be available on the mCLASS platform after the 2022-2023 school year. Therefore, regardless of ELAT participation, schools and districts are facing a need to either change vendor agreements and platforms or change assessments as of June 30, 2023.
Amplify has successfully worked with districts across the country to upgrade them to the latest version of mCLASS since 2019.
ELAT Project participants receive relevant training and support at no cost.
Istation will no longer be offered as an ELAT option, but will remain an option for use of READ Act funds.

How long will the ELAT Project use mCLASS DIBELS 8 and mCLASS Lectura?

The contract with Amplify to provide mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura through the ELAT Project is 5 years.

ELAT Project participants must reapply to participate each year.

ELAT Project participants can stay in ELAT for more than 5 years.

What is the status of Istation (previously offered through ELAT)?

Istation will no longer be offered through ELAT, but Istation’s reading assessment is still an approved READ Act assessment.

Please reach out to Istation for more information.

Michael Benson: mbenson@istation.com

If we currently use mCLASS, will we still be able to use it?

Amplify will no longer offer Acadience Reading, formerly DIBELS Next, on the mCLASS platform after June 30, 2023. Moving forward, Amplify will offer mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, which is a newly approved assessment. Acadience Reading, formerly DIBELS Next, remains an approved assessment and will continue to be offered by Acadience.

Can our school or district continue with our current assessment?

Schools/districts may use READ Act dollars to support the use of an approved assessment. Schools would need to reach out to the chosen assessment vendor and establish a new contract for services.

Is there a list of CDE-approved READ Act assessments?

On November 10, 2022, the Colorado State Board of Education approved the following assessments for use beginning in the 2024-2025 school year:

Acadience Reading (formerly known as DIBELS Next), published by Acadience
mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition, 2018; mCLASS Lectura 2022, published by Amplify
LLC i-Ready Assessment for Reading, 13.0, 2022, published by Curriculum Associates
Indicators of Progress for Early Reading (ISIP ER) (English and Spanish), published by Istation
Star Early Learning, published by Renaissance Learning, Inc.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.cde.state.co.us/coloradoliteracy/readact/resourcebank.

Will changing assessments skew our data?

CDE is working with Amplify to ensure we have accurate information on data maintenance and preservation. We encourage you to work directly with Amplify.

CDE is working on a plan with Istation to support close out of the Istation data for ELAT.

Will Acadience data transfer to DIBELS 8?

DIBELS 8th Edition was created by the University of Oregon and is offered on the Amplify mCLASS platform. Users familiar with the Amplify mCLASS platform should find the system familiar. All historical student data will remain available to educators on the mCLASS platform. If you are concerned about historical data and this transition, we suggest reaching out to either the Amplify or Acadience team.

Why did some vendors not apply for the ELAT Project?

CDE cannot speak to why a vendor chose to apply or not.

In an evaluation conducted by a third party reviewer, concerns were raised about the equity of offering assessments that have not been normed for students who speak Spanish. CDE is committed to ensuring that children whose first language is Spanish have an assessment that reflects their needs.

When offering a statewide free assessment, CDE is committed to and prioritizes having a Spanish assessment normed for students who speak Spanish.

What about DIBELS Deep?

DIBELS Deep is a diagnostic tool used with Acadience Reading.

CDE has approved mCLASS with DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura as Interim and Diagnostic assessments in one administration. No separate diagnostic tool is needed.

Is there a paper/pencil version of DIBELS 8th Edition?

Yes.

Are LEPs required to use a Spanish assessment?

LEPs choose assessments based on the needs of their students.

CDE is required to offer assessments that are normed for students whose first language is Spanish. CDE programs that are offered as grants or of no cost must have this option.

I still have questions specific to mCLASS DIBELS 8 and mCLASS Lectura. Where can I get answers?

Please reach out to the Amplify team.

Carolyn Mulloy
Associate Director, Customer Success
cmulloy@amplify.com

Is this the first time CDE has required a Spanish assessment for ELAT?

No. However, CDE did strengthen the language related to Spanish speaking students. In 2017, CDE shared a priority to have an assessment “normed for the performance of students who speak Spanish as their native language in either an English or Spanish version of the approved assessment offered within the Offerors’ assessment systems.” In the 2022 request for proposals, CDE required a Spanish assessment. This was critical to meet student needs and address concerns elevated by a third party reviewer.

How will this assessment change affect Comprehensive ELG participants?

Comprehensive ELG participants will begin using mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura in 2023-2024.

In terms of the Comprehensive ELG goals, CDE is working with Amplify to update and align current goals with mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition and mCLASS Lectura. These updated goals will go into effect in the 2023-2024 school year for Comprehensive ELG participants.

When and how can we apply to participate in the ELAT Project?

Application materials and timelines are available on the ELAT webpage.

All LEPs are eligible to apply. The applicant must enroll students in kindergarten, first, second, and/or third grades. Applications may be submitted for a single school or multiple schools within a district or CSI. CDE accepts applications from both new and renewal applicants.