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District reports steady ELPAC gains, reclassifies 386 multilingual students
Summary
The San Mateo‑Foster City School District reported modest gains on the 2025 ELPAC, reclassifying 386 multilingual students this summer and outlining five strategies to accelerate language proficiency.
The San Mateo‑Foster City School District told its board on Sept. 25 that a modest share of multilingual learners are reaching the highest proficiency on California’s ELPAC test and that staff reclassified 386 students this summer.
Alita Barretta Cruz, executive director for multilingual learner services, said about “approximately 15% of our students score at level four,” an increase from about 12.5% in 2024, and described the district’s five priorities for improving language outcomes: integrated and designated EL instruction, professional development and coaching, seal of biliteracy pathways, a Tier 2 intervention during ELO instructional time, and a dual‑identified committee to support dually identified students. “We are steadily making gains,” she said.
Barretta Cruz explained the district’s four reclassification criteria: an ELPAC level 4 (or level 3 on alternate assessments), a satisfactory score on the district literacy measure, teacher evaluation via the Elevation dashboard, and parent consultation. She said the district reclassified 386 students in summer 2025 out of roughly 3,000 multilingual students (about 15%). “Out of 3,000 current multilingual students…386 reclassified,” she said.
Trustees asked for deeper breakdowns. An assistant superintendent noted the district’s English Learner Progress Indicator (LP) has hovered between roughly 46% and 54% over recent years and that the state uses LP progress—rather than reclassification rate alone—as an accountability signal. Trustees pressed staff for data on students who decreased one or two ELPAC levels and for grade‑level and program (IEP vs. general education) splits; staff said they would return with more detailed analyses.
Staff also described monitoring practices: students who reclassify are tracked for four years per state guidance, using teacher feedback and district interim assessments to monitor sustained progress. Barretta Cruz and other staff emphasized the challenge of accelerating performance in upper grades, where the ELPAC and other assessments become more difficult.
Next steps: staff said they will provide further disaggregated data on decreases in proficiency and on the students selected for extended‑learning programs. The board received the item for information and asked staff to return with requested breakdowns.
