Early Literacy Assessment Tool (ELAT)

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Benefits of ELAT

By participating in the Early Literacy Assessment Tool Project, applicants first select one of the two vendors and then are supplied with the online tools to support the assessment. Participants will select:

• Amplify for Acadience Reading (formerly named DIBELS Next) and IDEL, approved interim assessments for the READ Act, and DIBELS Deep PA/WRD diagnostic reading assessment, an approved diagnostic measure.
• Istation for ISIP Early Reading and ISIP Lectura Temprana, approved interim assessments for the READ Act.

Both online platforms will:

1. Provide individualized assessments with immediate results;
2. Store and analyze assessment results, recommend activities that are aligned with the assessment results, and assist in tracking student performance and identifying strategies to improve student performance;
3. Provide student grouping recommendations based on the assessment scores and provide proposed lesson plans on a short-term cycle; and
4. Assist in generating and populating individualized plans to improve students’ reading skills.

All approved applicants will receive software licenses to use the assessment that they select. The tool will store and analyze the results and recommend school and home activities based on those results. Hardware is not included. Applicants will be responsible for providing their own hardware.

A list of hardware devices that support the software is available for each vendor:

• Amplify
• Istation

LEPs Will Receive the Following Items Upon Application Approval

ELAT News

CDE Selects Amplify DIBELS 8th Edition and Lectura for ELAT Project

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has concluded its review of proposals for an experienced organization to provide an early literacy assessment tool (ELAT) for the ELAT Project. The selection committee for this solicitation included educators and assessment professionals from several districts in Colorado as well as representatives from the Dyslexia Working Group.

As a reminder, all local education providers that join the ELAT Project are able to use the assessment tool at no cost for five years. The assessment tools, available in Spanish and English, enable teachers to conduct real-time assessments of the reading skill levels of students enrolled in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades and, based on the assessment results, generate intervention plans and materials. ELAT Project participants receive assessment training and support in addition to access to the assessment tools.

CDE recently published a public Intent to Award stating the committee has completed the evaluation of all the proposals and based on the evaluation factors posted in the solicitation, it intends to award the contract to Amplify Inc for the DIBELS 8 assessment and the corresponding Spanish-language assessment, mCLASS Lectura. Please note that the Acadience assessment will not be offered on the Amplify mCLASS platform as of June 30.

CDE is working through the contracting process with Amplify and anticipates that the contract will be in place within the next few months. Once the contract is in place, CDE will release the 2023/2024 ELAT Project request for applications for LEPs.

Frequently Asked Questions

2023-2024 ELAT Project

Our anticipated application window for the 23/24 ELAT Project has closed. Decisions will be sent to applicants by May 15, 2023. 

The 2023-2024 ELAT Project Application Information Webinar recording and slides are available. The webinar was held on March 30, 2023.

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ELAT Email List

If you would like to be added to the email list for ELAT updates or if you have questions in general, please email ELAT@cde.state.co.us.