Language Programs and Assessments

Dual Language Immersion programs serve a blend of English Learner students, bilingual students, and monolingual English speaking students. The goal of the Dual Immersion program is to develop proficiency in the program language and in English simultaneously.

Biliteracy Programs serve only potential English Learners and bilingual students who are proficient in their primary language. The goals of the Biliteracy program are to develop English language skills, and to preserve language skills in the program language.

Use this new tool to see if your child needs to take a language test for the programs you are interested in!

Detailed testing requirements by language:

For Dual Language Immersion (Spanish Immersion, Cantonese Immersion, Korean Immersion, or Mandarin Immersion): 

• TK-1st grade: applicants do not need to speak the program language in order to apply, and they do not have to pass the language assessment. Without the assessment, all applicants are automatically eligible for the "non-native speaker" seats within the program. However, some seats in TK-1st grade are reserved for students who already speak the program language — in order to be eligible for these seats, applicants (regardless of home language) must either pass a language assessment OR already be enrolled in a matching program in SFUSD. So — if your student is proficient in the language, taking and passing the language assessment will benefit them. To make it easier for families to apply for language programs for 2027-28, the Enrollment Center is piloting a language affidavit, allowing families with 2 or more matching home language responses to waive the Spanish test. You can see more information about the affidavit in the online application.
• 2nd-5th grade: all applicants are required to be proficient in the program language. If your student is not already enrolled in a matching language program in SFUSD, they need to pass the language assessment in order to be eligible to enter an immersion program in 2nd-5th grade.

For Japanese Bilingual Bicultural: For Kindergarten, the Japanese program uses the same eligibility rules described above. For 1st grade through 5th grade, all students are eligible to apply, and there is no language testing needed.

For Biliteracy (Spanish Biliteracy or Cantonese Biliteracy): All seats in Kindergarten-5th grade are reserved for students who already speak the program language, and have at least one home language survey response that matches the program language. If your student's first three home language survey responses all match the program language, they are automatically eligible for the Biliteracy program and do not need to complete a language assessment. If only some of their home language survey responses match the program language, they must pass a language assessment in order to be eligible.

For Secondary Dual Language Immersion programs (Cantonese Immersion, Japanese Bilingual Bicultural, Mandarin Immersion, or Spanish Immersion): Applicants who are not already enrolled in a matching language program in SFUSD need to complete a language assessment in order to be eligible for these programs in 6th-8th grade. 

When: Language assessments for language program eligibility are conducted after the enrollment application is received.

27-28 Main Round Language Testing Schedule:

Language testing for current year enrollment and open enrollment occurs as needed. If you are enrolling outside of an application round, ask an enrollment counselor about completing a language assessment.

Where: Language assessments are conducted in the Enrollment Center office at 555 Franklin St, Room 100. 

The Enrollment Center will try to determine (based on your responses to home language questions) whether your student needs to be tested for the programs you apply to. After you submit your application, you will get an email with an personalized link to schedule your language assessment. We send these emails each week as applications are reviewed. Please do not share your personalized link with other students - this could impact our ability to match your child's test score to their application.

If you do not receive a language testing email within two weeks after you submit your application, please contact the Enrollment Center. 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.

Overview of language assessments for language proficiency

The home language survey is a series of questions that all families must complete when enrolling a new student. The questions are about which languages a student understands and uses in their home. 

SFUSD uses home language survey responses to determine eligibility for Biliteracy language programs (see the "Who needs to take a language assessment" section for more information). 

Home language survey responses also determine which students are designated as English Learners. Any student who lists a language other than English on one of the first three questions of the home language survey will be assessed to determine their English language skills, using the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessment of California (Initial ELPAC). This assessment is conducted by the school staff during the school year, and does not impact language program eligibility.

Providing false answers to the Home Language Survey, for example to waive an assessment, will cause any enrollment associated with the false answers to be canceled. In this case, the student will be assigned to the nearest school with space available in the General Education program.