Annual Assessment of English Learners

Administration of the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is a multi-step process. Local educational agencies (LEAs) are required to administer the Summative ELPAC English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) or Summative Alternate ELPAC to all eligible English learners (ELs) enrolled during the annual testing window until they are reclassified. Students may NOT be opted out of the administration of the assessment (5 CCR 11518.15 and 11518.25).

Summative ELPAC

  1. The student is identified as an EL student.
  2. They are assessed annually until reclassified as fluent English proficient.

Summative Alternate ELPAC

  1. An individual education program (IEP) team has determined the student is eligible for alternate assessments.
  2. The student is identified as an EL student.
  3. They are assessed annually, until reclassified as fluent English proficient (RFEP).

Students identified as EL students must be assessed annually to determine their ELP to measure their progress and receive appropriate EL services and programs on the basis of the results of the assessment and other local measures. The Summative ELPAC or Summative Alternate ELPAC must be administered to EL students annually until they meet all four reclassification criteria and are reclassified as RFEP.

Reclassification and Monitoring

Reclassification is the process whereby a student is reclassified from EL status to RFEP status. Reclassification can take place at any time during the academic year, immediately upon the student meeting all the criteria. State and federal laws require LEAs to monitor students who have exited EL status for a period of four years after they have RFEP status (20 USC 6841[a][4][5]; 5 CCR Section 11304).

For more information on reclassification and RFEP progress monitoring, refer to the Reclassification webpage.