3.8.5 English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)

State and federal law require that school districts administer a state test of English language proficiency to students whose primary language is other than English. The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards. ELPAC consists of two separate assessments: The Initial Assessment (IA) and the Summative Assessment (SA). The ELPAC IA is administered only once and is used to identify students as either an English learner (EL), or as fluent in English.

The ELPAC SA is only given to students who have previously been identified as an EL based upon the IA results. Its purpose is to measure how well students are progressing with English language development in each of four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.  The resulting proficiency levels are used as one of four criteria to determine if the student is ready to be reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP).  They are also used to help inform proper educational placement, and to report progress for accountability.

The Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (Initial ELPAC) is the required state test for English Language Proficiency (ELP). It will be administered at school sites to students newly enrolled in a California school district whose Home Language Survey, completed by parents when registering their child in school, indicates a primary language other than English. The annual Summative Assessment (SA) will be administered every spring, February through May. The ELPAC must be given to students identified as English Learners (EL) once a year until they are reclassified as English Proficient (RFEP) as per the district guidelines for this purpose. Student score reports may be viewed and downloaded through the SFUSD Family Portal (ParentVUE) at portal.sfusd.edu when they are released.

More information on the ELPAC test, including a link to practice tests, may be found at the following website:  https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ep/elpacparentresource.asp or by contacting the testing coordinator or principal at your child’s school.

Information on reclassification may be found on the district's website.

 

See the full Handbook and downloadable, translated PDFs at sfusd.edu/Handbook.

This page was last updated on August 16, 2023