ELPA21 Scaffolds: Supporting ELL Students in ELPA21 States
ELPA21 — English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century — is the English language proficiency assessment consortium used in nine states: Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Like WIDA ACCESS it measures English language proficiency across four domains. The scaffolding principles that apply to WIDA-state ELL instruction apply equally to ELPA21 states — with some differences in how proficiency is described and measured.
What ELPA21 Measures
ELPA21 is aligned to the Council of Chief State School Officers' English Language Proficiency Standards, which describe the language demands of the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. It assesses all four language domains.
Listening: Students listen to grade-appropriate academic language — conversations, presentations, read-alouds — and demonstrate comprehension through constructed responses.
Speaking: Students produce oral responses to prompts in academic contexts. Speaking tasks increase in complexity at higher proficiency levels.
Reading: Students read academic texts and demonstrate comprehension and analysis.
Writing: Students produce written responses across multiple discourse types — explanatory, argumentative, narrative, informational.
ELPA21 uses a 1–4 proficiency scale: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, and Early Advanced/Advanced. These levels map roughly to WIDA Levels 1–2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively — though the descriptors differ in important ways.
How ELPA21 Differs From WIDA ACCESS
Proficiency scale: ELPA21 uses a 4-level scale (Beginning through Advanced). WIDA uses a 6-level scale (Entering through Reaching). The broader WIDA scale provides more granular information about where students are within the middle range of proficiency.
Standards alignment: ELPA21 is explicitly aligned to the CCSS and NGSS. WIDA's standards are broader and not tied to specific content standards frameworks.
Assessment format: Both assessments include all four domains. ELPA21 has somewhat greater emphasis on integrated tasks — tasks that require students to use multiple language domains simultaneously.
Consortium size: WIDA is the larger consortium (40+ states). ELPA21 is smaller (9 states) but the underlying scaffolding principles are the same.
Scaffolding for ELPA21 Proficiency Levels
Beginning (ELPA21 Level 1): Equivalent to WIDA Levels 1–2. Maximum scaffolding. Sentence frames with single blanks. Word banks with images. Nonverbal response options. Visual support for all content. Simplified texts with visual anchors.
Early Intermediate (ELPA21 Level 2): Equivalent to WIDA Level 3. Sentence starters rather than full frames. Grade-level texts with pre-taught vocabulary. Graphic organizers without embedded frames. Structured academic discussion protocols.
Intermediate (ELPA21 Level 3): Equivalent to WIDA Level 4. Organizational frameworks for extended writing. Targeted Tier 2 vocabulary instruction. Minimal sentence frames for complex academic moves. Explicit feedback on academic register.
Early Advanced / Advanced (ELPA21 Level 4): Equivalent to WIDA Level 5. Minimal scaffolding. Targeted support for the most complex academic language demands.
Sentence Frames for ELPA21 Students
The sentence frames that serve WIDA-state ELL students serve ELPA21-state ELL students equally well. The language development process is the same regardless of which assessment framework the state uses.
- This is a ___ because ___.
- I see ___.
- The ___ is ___.
- I think ___ because ___.
- The text says ___, which means ___.
- One important detail is ___ because ___.
- ___ and ___ are similar because ___. They differ because ___.
- The data shows that ___.
- The author argues that ___, supported by ___.
- This evidence suggests ___, although ___ complicates this.
- While ___ is true, it is also important to consider ___.
- A more nuanced reading would account for ___.
- The implications of ___ extend to ___.
- Scholars disagree about ___ because ___.
Preparing ELPA21 Students for the Assessment
The same principle that applies to ACCESS preparation applies here: effective ELPA21 preparation is high-quality daily ELD instruction. Students who receive explicit academic language instruction across all four domains, who practice the discourse types the assessment requires, and who develop their vocabulary and sentence-level academic language through consistent instruction are prepared for ELPA21.
For integrated tasks: ELPA21 includes tasks that require students to read and then write, or listen and then speak. Practice integrated tasks regularly — not just reading and writing separately.
For all four discourse types: Explicitly teach and practice explanation, argument, narration, and informational writing. Post the language features of each. Build practice into regular instruction.
For academic vocabulary: Consistent Tier 2 vocabulary instruction across the school year. Students who enter the assessment with strong Tier 2 vocabulary perform better on every section.
How Assist ELD helps
Assist ELD generates scaffolds calibrated to beginning through advanced proficiency levels — the same levels ELPA21 measures. Paste your lesson content and get vocabulary, sentence frames, and task supports ready to use in under 60 seconds.
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