English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)
What is the ELPAC?
The ELPAC test is used to measure how well students in kindergarten through twelfth grade understand English Information from the ELPAC helps your child's teacher provide support in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
How does the ELPAC work?
The ELPAC has two parts. The Initial ELPAC is given to students if they have a primary language other than english within 30 days of when they first enroll in a CA school. The initial ELPAC is used to identify a student as either an English learner who needs support to learn English, or as fluent English proficient.
Identifying students who need help learning English is important so students can get the support they need to do well in school while receiving instruction in all school subjects.
The Summative ELPAC is given to students who are identified as English learners to measure their progress, and the results will tell the school if the student is ready to be reclassified as English proficient. Students who are English learners are given the Summative ELPAC every spring, between February and May, until they are reclassified as fluent English proficient. The Summative ELPAC is an untimed computer-based test. Students in K through grade two will continue to take the Writing portion of the test on paper. Students in K through grade two will be tested on a one-to-one basis.
Do students with disabilities take the ELPAC?
Yes, the ELPAC has been designed so students, including those with special needs, can participate in the test and show what they know and can do. As a result, the test includes accessibility resources that address visual, auditory, and physical access barriers—allowing virtually all students to demonstrate what they know and can do.
How can I help my child get ready for the ELPAC?
You are an important part of your child’s education. Some things you can do to help your child are:
Read to your child, or have your child read to you, on a regular basis.
Use pictures and ask your child to tell you what they see in the picture or what is happening in the picture.
Provide your child with opportunities to use language outside of school.
Talk with your child’s teacher about your child’s listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills to help support your child’s progress.
How do I understand my scores?
In addition to report card grades and class tests, you can use the ELPAC score reports to better understand your child’s progress in learning English to start a conversation with your child’s teacher about how to even better support learning at home. Learn More about the ELPAC test and how to understand your scores HERE.
California Assessment of Students Performance and Progress (CAASPP)
Family and school partnerships are key to your child’s success. Given the disruptions to learning over the past year, it is more important than ever for you to have a complete picture of where your child is academically and how the pandemic impacted their learning. In addition to report card grades, class tests, and your own observations of your child’s learning over the past year, you can use score reports to better understand your child’s strengths and areas for improvement. Then, you can partner with teachers in the fall to co-create learning goals for the school year.
How do I understand my child's scores?
It is natural for every student to have academic strengths as well as areas where they may need more support and improvement. The tests your child takes are meant to measure the most important skills in each subject.
The CAASPP scores students in five areas. Click HERE to learn more and see a sample of a score report:
ELA & MATH
ALTERNATE ELA & MATH
SCIENCE
ALTERNATE SCIENCE
