Introduction to the Initial Alternate ELPAC

Why Do We Give the Initial Alternate ELPAC?

The Initial Alternate ELPAC is the required state test for ELP that is given to students identified as requiring the alternate assessment and whose primary language is a language other than English. State and federal law requires that LEAs administer a state test for ELP to eligible students in kindergarten through grade twelve. The purpose of the Initial Alternate ELPAC is to determine the English proficiency of students entering California schools for the first time. Identifying students who need help learning in English is an important step in ensuring students get the support they need to do well in school while receiving instruction in all school subjects. This assessment is available throughout the year, from July 1 to June 30.

Who Should Take the Initial Alternate ELPAC?

The Initial Alternate ELPAC is intended only for students who have been identified by their IEP team as having the most significant cognitive disabilities and being eligible for alternate assessments, in addition to being identified as a potential EL.

All students in kindergarten through grade twelve (through age twenty-one), whose primary language is a language other than English based on the results of the HLS, must take the Initial ELPAC or the Initial Alternate ELPAC to determine whether they are ELs or IFEP. The first three questions on the HLS identify the use of another language at home; based on the answers to those questions, the ELAS must be assigned as TBD in the SIS. Per ELPAC regulations, the HLS must be administered at the time of registration, and, if needed, the initial assessment must be done within 30 calendar days after a student is first enrolled in a California public school or 60 calendar days prior to instruction but not before July 1. To take the Initial Alternate ELPAC, an eligible student must have an SSID created in CALPADS and an ELAS of TBD.

Who Approved the Initial Alternate ELPAC?

In November 2018, the California SBE approved an amendment to the CAASPP contract that includes the development of the Alternate ELPAC pursuant to California Education Code sections 313 and 60810. The Alternate ELPAC is aligned with the 2012 California ELD Standards, Kindergarten Through Grade 12 via the ELD Connectors. The Alternate ELPAC is administered to kindergarten through grade twelve students (including students up to age twenty-two) following the grade levels and grade spans of the Initial and Summative ELPAC.

The Summative Alternate ELPAC is an annual assessment to measure an EL student’s progress and to identify the student’s ELP. This assessment is given in the spring, from February 1 to May 31 for students with IEPs who have been identified by their IEP team as having the most significant cognitive disabilities and being eligible for alternate assessments, in addition to being identified as an EL.

The ELPAC is aligned with the 2012 ELD Standards and assesses students’ ELP skills in Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.

In November 2018, the SBE approved a plan to transition the ELPAC to a computer-based assessment.

The Initial ELPAC is available from July 5, 2023, through June 30, 2024, for students who do not meet the criteria for the Initial Alternate ELPAC. Refer to the Initial ELPAC Online Test Administration Manual for further details.

What Is the Difference Between the Initial Alternate ELPAC and the Summative Alternate ELPAC?

Table 1 offers a side-by-side view of the Initial Alternate ELPAC and the Summative Alternate ELPAC.