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San Bernardino County staff outline how English‑learner reclassification works and local supports available
Summary
County curriculum leaders explained state and local reclassification criteria (ELPAC, teacher evaluation, parent consultation, basic skills), the multi‑year journey to reclassification and district options for monitoring and support.
County curriculum staff presented an overview of the state‑defined and locally defined criteria used to reclassify English learners and described supports the county office can provide to districts.
Doctor Serena Straka, director of curriculum, instruction and academic enrichment, reviewed the four reclassification criteria used across California: a qualifying score on the ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California), teacher evaluation, parent consultation and comparison to basic skills of English‑proficient peers. “All students in order to be classified, again, must meet all four of these criteria,” Straka said, noting that one indicator (the ELPAC) is state‑defined while the other three are locally determined by each district.
Straka said reclassification can occur at any time during the school year and that research shows English‑language acquisition typically takes multiple years (“average 5 to 7 years”). She described district practices for applying the local criteria: teacher evaluations are often based on grades across content areas; parent consultation is required as a discussion and not as parental consent; and districts may use local benchmark assessments (e.g., STAR/Accelerated Reader or district progress monitoring) to compare EL student performance to peers.
County staff said the multilingual‑education team can support districts with data analysis, professional development (EL typologies, designated/integrated ELD), communities of practice and EL progress monitoring if districts request assistance. Trustees asked for countywide counts and reclassification numbers; staff agreed to provide those figures in board correspondence.
No policy change or board action was taken; the item was informational and designed to give trustees and districts a clearer view of how reclassification works in practice and where the county office can provide technical support.
