Language Assessments and Language Program Eligibility

Language Proficiency for pathway eligibility. Any student who is applying for one or more of the following programs may be contacted for a language assessment to show proficiency: Dual Language Immersion, Biliteracy, or Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program (JBBP). This assessment happens during the application process, and determines program eligibility. 

• Dual Language Immersion and JBBP: some seats are reserved for students who already speak the pathway language — in order to be eligible for these seats, all applicants (regardless of home language) must either pass a language assessment OR already be enrolled in a matching pathway in SFUSD. Students who have a matching home language will be contacted to schedule a test. Students who do not have a matching home language need to contact the Enrollment Center if they wish to test.
• Biliteracy: all seats are reserved for students who already speak the pathway language. Applicants must pass a language assessment if their home language survey responses indicate multiple languages.

English Language Proficiency. Any student who lists a language other than English on one of the first three questions on the Home Language Survey will be assessed to see what are her/his English language skills by using the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessment of California (Initial ELPAC). This assessment happens during the school year, and does not impact program eligibility.

Language Proficiency tests for pathway eligibility are conducted by the Enrollment Center after the enrollment application is received. Assessments are conducted before school assignment letters are sent to families. We strongly encourage families applying for language programs to submit your applications early so that we can properly assess your student's eligibility. Language assessments are given in the Enrollment Center office at 555 Franklin St, Room 100. During the assessment, the student cannot be accompanied in the testing room by a parent, guardian, or other aide.

• Main Round language testing: November - February 
• Round 2 language testing: April - May
• Current year enrollment and open enrollment: as needed

Initial English Language proficiency assessments are given in August/September at school sites. 

• If a student is enrolling during the school year, the Initial ELPAC will also be conducted at the school site. 

When the Enrollment Center processes an application that requests a language pathway and lists a matching language on the Home Language Survey, the Enrollment Center (EC) will contact families using the contact information provided (phone, email) to schedule a language assessment before the school assignments are made. Example of a matching language: Home Language Survey response of "Spanish" when applying to a Spanish language program.

If your child is proficient in the pathway language, but you did not list that language in the first 3 questions of the Home Language Survey, you may still request a language assessment by contacting the EC at (415) 241-6085 or enrollinschool@sfusd.edu. It is recommended that you contact the Enrollment Center by the application deadline to make an appointment; we cannot guarantee a language assessment after the application deadline.

Language Proficiency - K-1

• Students: Grades K-1
• Description: The language pathway tests are developed by the Multilingual Pathways Department, and focus on listening and speaking.
• Duration: ~15-20 minutes

Language Proficiency - 2-8

• Students: Grades 2-8
• Description: The language pathway tests are developed by the Multilingual Pathways Department, and focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing. 
• Duration: ~30 minutes to 2 hours

Overview of language assessments for language proficiency

Initial ELPAC

• Students: Grades K-12
• Description: The Initial ELPAC is a state assessment that is aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards and assesses four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Learn more about the Initial and Summative ELPAC here.
• Duration: ~2-3 hours

Once the test is completed and scored, the EC will share the results with the parent/guardian right away, and offer to review program options and support services. Parents/guardians will have the opportunity to change the school or program requests on their child’s application if they so choose and/or if their child is not eligible for a selected language pathway.

Students can only take assessments one time per year -- we do not offer retesting within the same school year, and invite students to take the test again the following year.

Please call the EC at (415) 241-6085 for support. Testing coordinators are listed below.

• Lynn Kwong (English/Cantonese/Mandarin)
• Evelyn Orozco (English/Spanish)

Biliteracy Programs serve only potential English Learners and bilingual studetnes who are proficient in their primary language. Dual Language Programs serve a blend of English Learners, bilinguals, and monolingual English speaking students. 

For English Learners with Individual Education Programs (IEPs) who require English language acquisition services to obtain a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), their IEPs should include goals that address English Language Development and linguistic scaffolds to access core curriculum instruction. In addition, their IEP goals should outline ELPAC accommodations and designated supports for each domain as needed and/or consideration of an alternate assessment to the ELPAC and with access to core curriculum instruction. For more information ask your child's teacher, principal or visit the Special Education Department.

These resources were presented during the 2022-2023 Virtual Enrollment Fair.

This workshop provided an overview of language programs in SFUSD's elementary, middle, and high schools including our Dual Language Immersion and Biliteracy Programs that are designed to support the academic achievement and bilingualism of English language learners. We also share an overview of our World Language programs that aim to promote bilingualism and global citizenship for all SFUSD students. There was time for questions and answers about eligibility requirements and the goals of these programs.

Slides: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF) | Chinese (PDF)

View Language Programs workshop: