State law (Education Code sections 313 and 60810) and federal laws (Titles I and III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA]) require that local educational agencies (LEAs) administer a state test of English language proficiency and develop Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for: (1) newly enrolled students whose primary language is not English, as an initial assessment, and (2) students who are English learners, as an annual assessment. For California’s public school students, this test is the English Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

The purposes of this assessment are:

To identify students who are limited English proficient (LEP)
To determine the level of English language proficiency of LEP students
To assess the progress of LEP students in acquiring the skills of listening, reading, speaking, and writing in English

The ELPAC is aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards and is comprised of two separate ELP assessments: one for the initial identification of students as English learners (ELs), and a second for the annual summative assessment to measure a student’s progress in learning English and to identify the student's level of ELP.

Useful Resources

CDE Parent Guide to Understanding the ELPAC. Also available in:
CDE ELPAC website
ELPAC Practice Tests: