3.8.5 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 Initial ELPAC is a required state test, administered only once to identify students as either an English Learner (EL), or as fluent in English. 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 Summative ELPAC is a required state test only given to students who have previously been identified as an EL based upon the Initial ELPAC 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 Summative ELPAC is 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 for both the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC 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.