EL Assessment Info

The state of Tennessee is part of the ELPA21 Assessment System, which consists of a comprehensive English language proficiency assessment and instructional framework designed to support English learners and their educators. To learn more about ELPA21, visit their website at www.elpa21.org.

After students are screened for eligibility using the ELPA21 Dynamic Screener, they are required to take an annual English language proficiency assessment to monitor their growth in English acquisition. This yearly assessment is called the ELPA21 Summative Assessment. It is administered in the spring, with results typically available in the summer. Parents will receive a copy of their student’s scores along with an explanation of how to interpret the results in the fall.

Students are assessed in the four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These scores are analyzed and combined to provide a proficiency status, which is used to determine continued placement in the ESL program or eligibility for exit, based on the State of Tennessee’s established proficiency criteria. The specific dates for the ELPA21 testing window are published on the District Assessment Calendar.

In addition to language proficiency assessments, all English learners are also required to participate in TNReady academic testing, regardless of their current English proficiency level. There are no exemptions for students who are newly arrived from other countries. However, there is a provision allowing three years of participation in state assessments before those results are used for school accountability purposes. The TNReady assessments cover English Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies, and are administered each spring. Parents will receive a copy of these scores in the fall.