ELPAC
English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is the successor to the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Beginning in 2017–18, the ELPAC is the required state test for English language proficiency (ELP) that must be given to students whose primary language is a language other than English. The California Department of Education (CDE) expects to be fully transitioned from the CELDT to the ELPAC as the state's assessment of ELP by 2018–19.
State and federal law require that local educational agencies administer a state test of ELP to eligible students in kindergarten (or year one of a two-year kindergarten program, sometimes referred to as “transitional kindergarten”) through grade twelve (ages 3-21).
What is the purpose of the 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.
Which students are required to take the ELPAC?
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).
Initial Assessment Video (English / Spanish)
Students designated as ELs via the CELDT or ELPAC IA are required to take the ELPAC Summative Assessment (SA) annually until they are reclassified as fluent English proficient.
