ELPAC

State law (California Education Code sections 313 and 60810) and federal laws (Titles I and III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA]) require that local educational agencies (LEAs) administer a state test of English language proficiency to (1) newly enrolled students whose primary language is not English, as an initial assessment, and (2) students who are English learners (ELs), as an annual summative assessment (SA). For California’s public school students, this test is the ELPAC. The ELPAC is used to assess and monitor EL students’ progress toward English language proficiency. EL students continue to take the ELPAC SA annually until they meet their LEA’s reclassification criteria.

No. Parents/Guardians cannot opt their child out of the ELPAC. State and federal law (California Education Code sections 313 and 60810 and federal law Titles I and Ill of the Every Student Succeeds Act) require that all students whose primary language is other than English be assessed for English language proficiency. The legal basis for requiring English language proficiency testing is that all students have the right to an equal and appropriate education, and any English language limitations (left unidentified and/or unaddressed) could preclude a student from accessing that right.

Students with a primary language other than English, as determined by a home language survey, who have not taken the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) or ELPAC before and who have not been previously classified as an EL, must take the ELPAC Initial Assessment (IA).  Students designated as ELs via the CELDT or ELPAC IA are required to take the ELPAC SA annually until they are reclassified as fluent English proficient.

Yes. Students in year one of a two year kindergarten program will take the kindergarten test. All students enrolled in the LEA in year one of a two year kindergarten program, whose primary language is other than English, as determined by a home language survey, must be administered the ELPAC within 30 calendar days of enrollment or 60 calendar days prior to instruction, but not before July 1.

Yes, if a student takes the CELDT IA and is classified as an EL prior to May 31, 2018, the student will be required to take the ELPAC SA as well.