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The ELPAC is California’s official test of English language proficiency, and it shapes how more than a million students are identified, supported, and reclassified each year. This guide explains what the ELPAC is, the difference between the Initial and Summative versions, the four domains, the performance levels, who takes it, and how districts use the results.
Table of contents
What Is the ELPAC?
Quick answer: the ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California) is the state-required test that measures how well students whose home language is not English understand and use English. It is given in two forms: the Initial ELPAC, which identifies whether a new student is an English Learner, and the Summative ELPAC, taken every spring to measure progress. It assesses four domains, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and reports an overall level from 1 to 4. California adopted the ELPAC in 2018, replacing the CELDT.
Initial ELPAC vs Summative ELPAC
The same assessment name covers two different jobs.
| Initial ELPAC | Summative ELPAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Identify whether a new student is an English Learner | Measure an English Learner’s yearly progress |
| When | Once, within 30 days of enrollment, when the home language survey indicates a language other than English | Every spring, until the student is reclassified |
| Result | Initial Fluent English Proficient (IFEP) or English Learner | An overall proficiency level (1 to 4) used toward reclassification |
See Initial vs Summative ELPAC for a deeper comparison.
The Four Domains
The ELPAC measures four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Speaking and listening make up the oral language score, and speaking is consistently the domain where English Learners get the least classroom practice, which is why it often holds back the overall result.
ELPAC Performance Levels
The Summative ELPAC reports an overall performance level from Level 1 (minimally developed) to Level 4 (well developed). These levels align with the three proficiency ranges California uses for instruction under the CA ELD Standards: Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging.
| Overall level | Meaning | Support needed |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Minimally developed | Substantial |
| Level 2 | Somewhat developed | Moderate |
| Level 3 | Moderately developed | Light |
| Level 4 | Well developed | Minimal |
For the full breakdown, see ELPAC levels explained and ELPAC scoring explained.
Who Takes the ELPAC
Any student in transitional kindergarten through grade 12 whose home language survey lists a language other than English takes the Initial ELPAC, and every student then classified as an English Learner takes the Summative ELPAC each year until reclassification. This is a large population: California enrolls about 1 million English Learners, roughly 17 percent of its students, the largest English Learner population of any state.
How Districts Use ELPAC Results
ELPAC results drive several decisions: identifying English Learners, placing them in appropriate English language development instruction, monitoring annual growth, and determining reclassification as Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) when combined with other criteria. Because the oral language score carries real weight, districts that raise speaking practice tend to move students toward reclassification faster. See RFEP and reclassification in California.
The ELPAC’s Origins and Legal Basis
The ELPAC did not appear in a vacuum. Federal law requires every state to identify English Learners and measure their English proficiency annually, and California meets that requirement with the ELPAC as its state-designated assessment. The ELPAC replaced the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) in 2018 and was built to align with the 2012 California ELD Standards, which the CELDT predated. That alignment is the point: because the ELPAC and the ELD Standards share the same Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging language, a score connects directly to the instruction a student needs, rather than sitting apart from the curriculum.
The identification pathway is also set in law. A Home Language Survey is completed at enrollment, and within 30 calendar days a student whose survey indicates a language other than English is assessed with the Initial ELPAC. From there, every student classified as an English Learner is assessed annually with the Summative ELPAC until reclassification. One recent change is worth noting: under Assembly Bill 2268, transitional kindergarten students are exempted from taking the ELPAC, a policy that took effect in the 2024 to 2025 school year and shifted how the youngest learners enter the identification process.
How the ELPAC Is Administered
The ELPAC is a computer-based assessment covering all four domains across defined grade spans: kindergarten, grade one, grade two, and grade spans of three through five, six through eight, nine and ten, and eleven and twelve. The Summative ELPAC is given in an annual testing window that opens in February and closes at the end of May, while the Initial ELPAC is administered year-round as new students enroll. Districts also have access to free official practice and training tests so students can become familiar with the interface and item types before test day.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Computer-based; the speaking domain is scored on students’ spoken responses. |
| Grade spans | K, 1, 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 10, and 11 to 12. |
| Summative window | Annually, roughly February through May. |
| Initial administration | Year-round, within 30 calendar days of a qualifying student’s enrollment. |
| Accessibility | Universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations are available for eligible students. |
Accessibility resources matter for validity: the goal is to measure a student’s English proficiency, not their ability to navigate an unfamiliar interface, so districts confirm that eligible students, including those with disabilities designated by an IEP or Section 504 plan, have the supports they are entitled to before testing begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ELPAC stand for?
English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, the state test of English proficiency for students whose home language is not English.
What is the difference between the Initial and Summative ELPAC?
The Initial ELPAC identifies whether a new student is an English Learner; the Summative ELPAC, taken every spring, measures an English Learner’s annual progress toward reclassification.
What does the ELPAC test?
Four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening and speaking form the oral language score.
What are the ELPAC levels?
An overall performance level from 1 (minimally developed) to 4 (well developed), aligned with the Emerging, Expanding, and Bridging ranges of the CA ELD Standards.
Did the ELPAC replace the CELDT?
Yes. California replaced the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) with the ELPAC in 2018.
Do transitional kindergarten students take the ELPAC?
No longer. Under Assembly Bill 2268, transitional kindergarten students are exempted from the ELPAC, a change that took effect in the 2024 to 2025 school year. Students are still assessed as they move into kindergarten and beyond when the home language survey indicates a language other than English.
Why is the ELPAC required?
Federal law requires states to identify English Learners and measure their English proficiency each year. California uses the ELPAC as its state-designated assessment to meet that requirement and to align results with the California ELD Standards.
Is the ELPAC given on a computer?
Yes. The ELPAC is a computer-based assessment across all four domains, with the speaking domain scored on students’ spoken responses. Accessibility resources are available for eligible students so the test measures English proficiency rather than familiarity with the interface.
Related Resources
- ELPAC Practice Test
- English Learners in California
- ELPAC Levels Explained
- ELPAC Scoring Explained
- ELPAC vs WIDA
Conclusion
The ELPAC is the backbone of English Learner identification and monitoring in California: an Initial test to identify students, a Summative test to track yearly growth across listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and levels that connect to the CA ELD Standards. For the state’s million English Learners, progress on the ELPAC, and especially on its oral language score, comes down to consistent, individualized speaking practice.
Sources: California Department of Education, ELPAC; CDE, Summative ELPAC; CDE, Facts about English Learners in California.
Where the ELPAC’s Oral Score Is Really Won
For California’s roughly one million English Learners, the ELPAC does its work once a year, and the domain that most often holds back the overall level is the same one across classrooms: speaking. Listening and speaking form the oral language score, and speaking is where students get the least practice during a normal school day.
The reason is a matter of capacity, not teaching. Reading and writing can be practiced by a whole class at once, but spoken language has to be produced one student at a time. In a full classroom, no teacher can hold enough individual conversation for every English Learner, so the oral domain tends to grow the slowest even where instruction is strong.
That is why districts that find ways to raise speaking practice tend to move students toward reclassification faster, and some are adding individualized oral practice that does not depend on a single teacher’s time, aligned to the CA ELD Standards. Telo AI is one example of that approach.
See how California districts add individualized oral language practice aligned to the CA ELD Standards: https://mytelo.ai/how-telo-works/
Given the weight the oral language score carries, more of that practice, plus a clearer view of who is close before spring testing, is often what separates students who reclassify on time from those who stall. For a million English Learners, that daily oral practice is the quiet lever behind the annual score.