Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that exempts transitional kindergarten students from an English proficiency assessment designed for older children.
The backstory: Under state and federal law, school districts must administer the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, known as ELPAC, to students whose primary language is a language other than English. But TK students were being tested using one designated for kindergarteners, which requires students to know how to read and write letters.
Why it matters: Supporters of the measure said the test was developmentally inappropriate for 4-year-olds, many who are still learning how to read and write their letters. As a result, they say kids were being overidentified as English learners simply because the test was too hard for them.
Why now: The state is in the midst of expanding transitional kindergarten to all four year-olds by the time school starts in 2025. That means younger and younger 4-year-olds will attend, and they would have to have taken an assessment meant for older kids.
What’s next: The state Board of Education meets July 10 to discuss how to move forward with identifying and supporting English learner students.
Transitional kindergarten students in the state who speak another language at home no longer have to take an English proficiency assessment.
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California exempts transitional kindergarten students from English-language proficiency test
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation this month that exempts 4-year-olds from the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, known as ELPAC.
Under state and federal law, school districts must administer the test to students whose primary language is a language other than English within 30 days of enrollment. There are different tests depending on grade level, from kindergarten through 12th grade.
But since TK is technically designated as the “the first year of a two-year kindergarten program” in California, TK students were being tested using an exam designated for kindergartners, which requires students to know how to read and write letters.
What’s the argument for change?
The state is in the midst of expanding transitional kindergarten to all 4-year-olds by the time school starts in 2025. That would mean a lot more 4-year-olds taking an assessment meant for older kids.
“The developmental appropriateness of this test was in question,” said Carolyne Crolotte, director of dual language learner programs at Early Edge California, which co-sponsored the legislation. “Children at that age are not yet reading and writing.”
As a result, Crolotte said, TK students were scoring lower on the assessments and identified as English learners more frequently.
A study from the Public Policy Institute of California found that almost 40% of students in TK were identified as English learners compared to under 30% for kindergartners who didn’t attend TK.
What Is Transitional Kindergarten?
In 2010, state lawmakers required districts to offer a new program— transitional kindergarten— to kids who would be excluded from kindergarten because of a change to the cutoff age.
The California Department of Education considers pre-K as an umbrella term — transitional kindergarten is pre-K, but not everything that could be considered pre-K is transitional kindergarten. (Programs like Head Start, for example.)
Elizabeth Rossi, a TK teacher in Glendale, said she had heard from parents about students being intimidated by the test.
“They felt uneasy, like their child wasn't ready to answer the questions because some of the questions were too hard. And it's also stressful for the child, you know, [their] first public school experience,” she said.
She said TK focuses more on social emotional skills and development, versus kindergarten which is more academic based. She said her goal for her TK classroom by the end of the year was to have children know the sounds of 13 of 26 letters.
“They're reading and writing in kindergarten, whereas in TK, you're writing your name and learning your sounds,” Rossi said. “I always felt in my heart that all students were English language learners in TK, especially because they're still learning the skills, how to speak correctly and properly, comprehension skills, and they're not quite reading yet either.”
What’s next for English assessments?
Martha Hernandez, the executive director of Californians Together, which advocates for English learner students, said while she celebrates exempting young students from EPLAC, the state needs a developmentally appropriate way to identify English-learner students.
“We want them to still receive the supports that they need, even though they will not be identified as an English learner,” said Hernandez, whose group also co-sponsored the measure.
In a press release, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi of Torrance said the “discussion to properly determine how to assess TK students now moves to the California State Board of Education."
The board released a memo last week about the impact of the legislation, which went into effect immediately. While the state discusses how to move forward with assessments, the memo said school districts can use the home language survey it sends to parents to learn about which students need English learning support.
