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Palo Alto draws families from around the world. Many arrive for work at Stanford, the research park or local tech companies and their children start school speaking Mandarin, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian or another language. Palo Alto Unified's English Learner Program helps those students learn academic English while keeping up with the rest of their classes.
This page follows the district's English Learner Program page and its English Learner Master Plan, which the board and the District English Learner Advisory Committee approved on May 21, 2024. Questions go to the EL Program office at 650-833-4219. For registration itself, start with our enrollment guide.
Step one: the home language survey
California requires every family to complete a home language survey when they register. PAUSD posts the form in English, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. The survey asks four questions:
- What language did this student learn when first beginning to talk?
- What language do you use most frequently to speak to this student?
- What language does this student most frequently use at home?
- What language is most often spoken by the adults at home?
If the answer to any of the first three is a language other than English, the student's English is assessed. The fourth question alone does not trigger testing. Answer the survey accurately. A student who grew up speaking two languages may still be tested. That is normal.
The ELPAC test
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, or ELPAC, is the state's test of English proficiency. It replaced the older CELDT in 2018. Some PAUSD pages still mention the CELDT, but the ELPAC is the test in use. It covers four domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
There are two versions:
- Initial ELPAC. Given to new students whose survey points to another language. It decides whether the student is an English learner or initial fluent English proficient. The master plan says there is no parent opt out or medical exemption.
- Summative ELPAC. Given every spring to English learners from transitional kindergarten through grade 12. It measures progress and is one of the measures used to decide when a student no longer needs services.
Students with significant cognitive disabilities whose IEP calls for it take the Alternate ELPAC instead. The California Department of Education's ELPAC pages have practice tests and score explanations for families.
Notification and appeals
The master plan says parents are notified of the result within the first 30 days of enrollment. Parents can appeal the designation until the Summative ELPAC is given. The district's student services director then reviews test scores and school progress and meets with the family.
Elementary schools (TK to grade 5)
Every elementary student, English learner or not, sits in a regular English-language classroom. Each school is assigned an EL Specialist who works mainly through a push-in model. Specialists plan with teachers on how to build language support into every subject and may work with small groups of students inside the class. Teachers are trained in SDAIE, which stands for Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English, a set of strategies that make lessons understandable while students build academic English.
Parents sometimes ask about the dual immersion programs. Mandarin immersion at Ohlone and Spanish immersion at Escondido are choice programs open to all families by lottery. They are not English learner programs, though native speakers of those languages take part. Our choice programs guide explains them.
Middle and high school
In grades 6 to 12, English language development is taught through English and social studies classes. The master plan places students with novice or intermediate English in structured English immersion classes for those two subjects. Students with well developed English go into mainstream classes.
JLS Middle School
Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School hosts the comprehensive middle school program. Sixth graders take EL English and a sheltered ancient history class. Seventh and eighth graders are placed in one of three levels of EL English and take a sheltered world history or U.S. history class. Students take science and math in mainstream classes with help from primary language tutors. Greene and Fletcher offer a support class for long-term English learners called Academic Language Development, which JLS also offers.
Gunn High School
Gunn hosts the high school program, with EL English courses at several levels, a transition course called Intermediate Composition and English learner social studies courses. Gunn's programs page says the University of California grants admission credit for its ELL social studies courses. Gunn posts an English Learner Program overview for parents covering testing and reclassification.
Transfers to JLS and Gunn
Families who live outside the JLS or Gunn attendance areas do not lose out. The district says students will be granted a transfer to attend the program. Our transfers guide explains how other transfers work.
Support for newcomers
PAUSD does not run a separate newcomer school. Newly arrived students join their grade with extra support built in:
- Primary language tutors. Beginning English learners may be assigned tutors, depending on availability and need. Tutors help in core subjects, translate, assist with testing and help families communicate with teachers. JLS lists tutors in Spanish, Hebrew, Mandarin, Korean, French, Japanese and Russian, among others.
- Grade placement. The district places students by birth date. Students arriving mid-year or from a school year on a different schedule are placed in the grade they just completed or were enrolled in, which the district describes as a lower-pressure start while they adjust.
- Transcripts. High school students need an official transcript with a professional English translation for course placement.
Parents learning English can take free ESL classes at the Palo Alto Adult School, described in our adult education guide. Our guides to Palo Alto libraries and immigrant resources list more help for families.
Reclassification
Students stay in the program until they are reclassified as fluent English proficient, often shortened to RFEP. The master plan lists four criteria:
| Criterion | What PAUSD uses |
|---|---|
| English proficiency test | Overall level 4 on the Summative ELPAC (level 3 on the Alternate ELPAC) |
| Teacher evaluation | Bridging level on the state's OPTEL observation tool |
| Parent opinion | A parent consultation using the completed OPTEL |
| Basic skills | Top 25 percent of Nearly Met or higher on the state English test, or district reading and writing measures for grades without it |
After reclassification, students are monitored for several years. High school students who build strong skills in two languages can also work toward the State Seal of Biliteracy, which PAUSD awards at graduation.
How families can take part
- ELAC. Each school with 21 or more English learners has an English Learner Advisory Committee. Parents of English learners and of English-only students can join. It advises the principal, staff and school site council.
- DELAC. Each ELAC sends a representative to the District English Learner Advisory Committee, which meets with the EL Program coordinator and advises the board.
- Parental exception waivers. The master plan describes a process for parents who want their child placed differently from the district's recommendation at the secondary level. The request is reviewed with the director of student services.
Families who need an interpreter for a conference or meeting should ask the school office ahead of time.
Good to know
- Answer the home language survey carefully. It decides whether the ELPAC is given.
- Expect the Summative ELPAC each spring until reclassification.
- The middle school program is at JLS and the high school program at Gunn.
- Bring translated transcripts for high school placement.
Frequently asked questions
Will my child be tested in English when we enroll in PAUSD?
Only if the home language survey points to another language. If any of the first three survey answers names a language other than English, the student takes the Initial ELPAC. The result designates the student as an English learner or as initial fluent English proficient. PAUSD's master plan says there is no parent opt out for this test.
What is the ELPAC?
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California is the state test of English for students whose primary language is not English. It replaced the CELDT in 2018. There is an initial version to identify English learners and a summative version given each spring to measure progress, covering listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Which PAUSD schools have English learner classes?
Every elementary school has an EL Specialist who supports students in their regular classroom. For grades 6 to 8 the comprehensive program is at JLS Middle School and for grades 9 to 12 it is at Gunn High School. Students who live elsewhere in the district are granted a transfer to join those programs.
How does a student stop being an English learner in PAUSD?
Through reclassification. PAUSD's master plan uses four criteria: an overall level 4 on the Summative ELPAC, a teacher evaluation using a state observation tool, a parent consultation and an English language arts measure such as the state test or district reading and writing assessments.
Can parents of English learners get involved?
Yes. Each school with 21 or more English learners has an English Learner Advisory Committee that advises the principal and site council. Each committee sends a representative to the District English Learner Advisory Committee, which advises the district and the board.