Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – IDEA Proficiency Test (IPT)
August 2003
What are the mandated test
dates for the IPT in North
Carolina?
The IPT must be administered to all language minority students
(grades K-12) at initial enrollment and annually thereafter to all
students identified as limited English proficient during the window of
February 1 to April 30 with the exception of students who enroll after
January 1 (ref. State Board of Education Policy ID HSP-C-005).
How does the school decide if
the student must take the
IPT at initial enrollment?
The home language survey determines if the student is a language
minority student. If the answer to any question on the home language
survey is “a language other than English”, the student must take the
IPT at initial enrollment (ref. ESL Handbook).
If a language minority
student enrolls after January
1, is the IPT administered to
the student twice (initially
and annually)?
No. If the student enrolls after January 1, the student is administered
the IPT as an initial assessment within thirty days of enrollment. The
student is not administered the IPT during the annual test window.
The initial score will stand for both the initial and annual score due to
the short time span.
If a language minority
student enrolls after April
30, is the IPT test
administered to the student?
If the school will be open for thirty calendar days following the
student’s enrollment date, the IPT must be administered to the student
to attain his/her initial test score. If thirty days are not available, the
initial assessment will be completed the following school year.
Who can administer the
IPT?
Only employees of the school system or charter school are permitted
to administer state tests. Contracted tutorial services/agencies are not
permitted to administer North Carolina tests. Test administrators shall
be school personnel who have professional training in education and
the state-testing program (ref. IPT Test Administrator’s Guide 20032004).
Do administrators
administer sections (oral,
reading, and writing) of the
IPT even if the student was
previously tested and scored
Superior on one of the
sections?
Yes. As of the 2003-04 school year, all students with limited English
proficiency in the school must be administered all sections of the IPT
during the annual test window. Schools can no longer “carry over” or
“bank” a student’s superior score (ref. No Child Left Behind Act of
2001; Title I Sec. 1111 (7))
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
Can a parent/guardian
refuse to allow the IPT to be
administered to his/her
child?
A parent can refuse to have his/her language minority child tested
using the IPT for initial testing only. If the child is identified as
limited English proficient, the child must be tested during the annual
assessment. The school must ensure the parent understands that
refusal of language proficiency testing also means refusal of ESL
services, testing accommodations, or participation in alternate
assessment. A waiver form is highly recommended as well as the
presence of an interpreter.
Are proctors required for the Proctors are not required for test administrations with ten or less
students. A proctor is required for groups of students greater than ten.
IPT testing?
How many times is the IPT
administered to LEP
students?
Newcomers (first year LEP students) will be tested upon initial
enrollment and during the annual spring window. Current LEP
students (second year and beyond) are tested once per year during the
annual window.
Is the Writing Conventions
section of the test
administered during the
Reading Test or during the
Writing Test?
The Writing Conventions section is printed in BOTH the Reading and
Writing IPT test booklets, but it must only be administered one time
either during the Reading Test or during the Writing Test.
If a language minority
student or LEP student is
also identified as a student
with disabilities is the
student still tested using the
IPT?
Yes. If the student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP),
the IEP must be followed. The student must receive both ESL and
services for exceptional children (EC). If testing accommodations are
documented on the IEP, the student must receive the accommodations
during the IPT assessment.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
If the student needs a
modified format of the test
such as Braille, large print,
or one-item per page, what
can we do?
Modified versions of the IPT are not available. Do not enlarge the
font by copying the test. Schools must follow best practice and
educational judgment when determining what sections of the IPT test
or what accommodations can be administered to accommodate
students with disabilities requiring modified test formats. If one
section or subtest such as the Oral test can be administered, it must be
administered. If a student does not take a section of the test due to this
issue, the scores are left blank and a reason code is completed.
Schools must make every effort to accommodate students to
determine their language proficiency (ref. IPT Test Administrator’s
Guide 2003-2004).
If a LEP student has serious
cognitive deficits, is the
school required to test the
student with the IPT?
Schools must follow best practice and educational judgment when
determining whether or not to administer the IPT to students with
serious cognitive deficits, due to the IEP, who participate in the
Alternate Assessment Portfolio (NCAAP). If one section or subtest
such as the Oral test can be administered, it must be administered. If a
student does not take a section of the test due to this issue, the scores
are left blank and a reason code is completed (ref. Test
Administrator’s Guide 2003-2004).
Can a LEP student, who also
has an IEP due to cognitive
difficulties, be “exited” prior
to attaining superior on the
IPT test?
A student with a disability, who may not reach superior on the IPT due
to cognitive difficulties, may be exited once language acquisition is
acquired as determined by the school. Schools must not exit a child
simply based on the student’s disability. Adequate time must be
allowed for the student to receive ESL services to increase his/her
language acquisition. The length of time must be equitable to the
length of time allowed for any other LEP student.
Can the IPT be administered
prior to enrollment? For
example, summer intake
centers or pre-kindergarten
programs.
No. The student must be enrolled for the initial test score. NOTE: If
the student is enrolled during summer months and schools are not
prepared to administer the IPT during the summer enrollment period,
the school may administer the IPT during the first thirty days of the
school year.
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
What forms/colors of the IPT In order to regulate the forms being administered, the NCDPI
designated certain forms for initial administration and different forms
must be administered?
for the annual administration to assist with standardization. The list of
forms was released to the school system test coordinator because the
materials are ordered through the Test Coordinator. These form
designations may be off cycle for a particular school system, but the
NCDPI requests that schools administer the designated forms.
Beginning in 2004-05, schools will not be allowed to administer nondesignated forms.
Is the K-1 Literacy
Assessment (Ballard &
Tighe, Inc.) of reading and
writing required?
No. During the 2003-04 school year, the Oral assessment is
administered to students in grades K-12. The Reading and Writing
assessments are required in grades 2-12.
Can the IPT be administered
to limited English proficiency
students at other times of the
year for instructional
purposes?
Yes.
The state-mandated assessments are required at initial
enrollment and annually during the spring window of February 1April 30. Schools may administer the IPT at other times although the
data will not be collected and NCDPI answer sheets must not be
completed for those administrations.
Is annual training required
for all administrators?
Yes. All IPT administrators must be trained in the administration of
the assessment by a local trainer and on the IPT Test Administrator’s
Guide by personnel designated by the school system or charter school
test coordinator.
When is a LEP student no
longer considered “LEP” for
headcount funding or
accountability?
When the LEP student scores Superior in all domains or sections of
the language proficiency test (IPT), the student can no longer be
considered LEP for headcount funding or testing accommodations.
Can a student who is no
longer considered LEP (due
to the IPT test scores of
superior) still receive ESL
services?
Yes. Once the student is no longer considered LEP, the school must
make the local decision to continue or discontinue ESL services for
the student. Although ESL services may be continued, the student is
not considered LEP or reported as LEP.
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Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
Once a LEP student is
superior and can no longer
be considered LEP, can the
student receive a Section 504
Plan to continue receiving
testing accommodations?
No. Section 504 covers qualified students with disabilities who are be
determined to: 1) have a physical or mental impairment that
substantially limits one or more major life activities. The Section 504
regulation, at 34 C.F.R. 104.3(j)(2)(i), defines a physical or mental
impairment as any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic
disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the
following body systems.
Can any adjustments be
made to the IPT
administration? Can any
accommodations be given to
LEP students?
No. The IPT must be administered exactly as written in the
Examiner’s Manual and/or indicated on the test booklet. Therefore,
unless indicated, the question/item cannot be repeated or clarified.
LEP accommodations are not be allowed during the IPT test
administration including the accommodation of “mark in test
booklet”.
If the student is a nonEnglish speaker, does the
administrator
still
administer the reading and
writing tests?
If a LEP student is enrolled in grades 2-12, the student must be
administered all sections of the IPT including the oral, reading, and
writing during the initial and annual assessments regardless of oral
proficiency level. The administrator must make an effort to attain
responses on both the reading and writing sections.
What if a student gives no If the student gives no response, the lowest score is recorded for the
student.
response on the test?
Does the student take both
the IPT and the End-ofGrade (EOG) test or just one
of those tests?
The IPT is a language proficiency test and the EOG is an
accountability assessment. These tests satisfy different purposes. A
language proficiency assessment is required AND an accountability
content assessment is required. NOTE: Some LEP students may be
eligible for alternate assessment (ref. State Board of Education Policy
HSP-C-005).
If a LEP student scores too
high on the IPT annual
assessment to continue using
the NCAAAI, what happens?
The student will then participate in any upcoming regular tests (e.g.,
EOG, HSCT, Writing, EOC, etc.) with or without accommodations
and the NCAAAI is coded as Incomplete using a Reason code (ref.
IPT Test Administrative Guide 2003-2004).
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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Frequently Asked Questions – IDEA Proficiency Test
If the LEP student will reach The school should not begin a NCAAAI (unless the student is enrolled
his 24-month deadline prior in Grade 3 to satisfy the Grade 3 Pretest requirement) since the student
to the test date, what should must take the test at the end of the year or semester.
the school do?
NCDPI Division of Accountability Services/North Carolina Testing Program
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August 2003