Paradise Unified School District - English Language Assessments

English Language Assessments

Students in transitional kindergarten through grade twelve whose home language is not English are required by law to be assessed in English language proficiency (ELP). The ELP allows schools to identify students who need to improve their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.

California is in the process of transitioning from the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC). The CELDT will be administered in the fall to PUSD students identified as initial assessments for the 2017-18 school year. Schools also give the ELP test each year to students who are still learning English (annual assessments). The ELPAC will be administered in the spring to PUSD students identified as annual assessment for the 2017-18 school year.

When the transition to the ELPAC is complete, the ELPAC will be aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards, and will be comprised of two separate ELP assessments:

an initial identification of students as English Learners
an annual summative assessment to measure a student's progress in learning English and to identify the student's ELP level

Who can administer the CELDT and ELPAC?

Only test examiners who are employees of Paradise Unified, are proficient in speaking English, have received formal CELDT and ELPAC training, and have completed the test security affidavit may administer the assessments.

Do English learners with disabilities take the assessment?

Yes. English learners, and newly enrolled students who have a home language other than English, with disabilities must be tested. Students with disabilities who participate in the CELDT may use variations, accommodations, and/or modifications as specified in their individualized education programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans.

Do foreign exchange students take the assessment?

Yes. The law does not specify that any student(s) may be exempted.

Do students in transitional kindergarten classes take the assessment?

Yes. These students are to take the kindergarten test. All students enrolled in PUSD in the first year of a two-year kindergarten program (i.e. transitional kindergarten), whose primary language is other than English as determined by a home language survey, must be administered the CELDT within 30 calendar days of enrollment or 60 calendar days prior to instruction, but not before July 1.

Please visit the CELDT page for a more detailed overview of the CELDT.

Please visit the About the ELPAC Web page for additional ELPAC information.

To learn more about the successor to the CELDT, visit the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Web page for the latest information.

Additional Resources:

Parent/Guardian Resources

ELPACS Guides to Test Reports

ELPAC Reference and Videos

ELPAC Quick Reference Guides and Videos

Reclassification

How does an English learner become a Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) student?

Once the Summative ELPAC is operational, local educational agencies (LEAs) may elect to use the results to determine whether or not a student has met the English language proficiency assessment criterion, in addition to the redesignation criteria listed below. Because the threshold scores at this time are preliminary, LEAs may locally determine their own ELPAC threshold scores, in combination with the general performance level descriptors, for reclassification purposes until the SBE approves the final threshold scores in fall 2108.

Existing Reclassification Criteria

Under current state law (Education Code Section 313), students who are identified as English learners must participate in the annual administration of the CELDT until they are identified as RFEP. Districts are to establish local reclassification policies and procedures based on the four criteria below:

Assessment of ELP, using an objective assessment instrument, including, but not limited to, the state test of ELPAC (ELPAC Overall PL 4 only); and
Teacher evaluation, including, but not limited to, a review of the student’s curriculum mastery; and
Parent opinion and consultation; and
Comparison of student performance in basic skills against an empirically established range of performance in basic skills based on the performance of English proficient students of the same age.

Districts shall use Overall PL 4 to determine whether a student has met the ELP assessment criterion. All other criteria remain locally determined.