California English Language Development Test

California English Language Development Test
Name	California English Language Development Test
Abbreviation	CELDT
Administered by	California Department of Education
Purpose	English language proficiency assessment
First administered	1999
Last administered	2016
Replaced by	English Language Proficiency Assessments for California

California English Language Development Test

The California English Language Development Test (CELDT) was a statewide California Department of Education-mandated assessment used to identify and monitor English proficiency among students in California public schools, aligning with state law such as the California Education Code and implementing guidelines influenced by federal statutes like the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Designed and deployed under oversight involving contractors and advisory input from entities including the Educational Testing Service, the CELDT functioned alongside statewide assessments such as the California Standards Tests and formed part of accountability measures related to the Every Student Succeeds Act landscape.

Overview

The CELDT operated as an annual assessment instrument administered in coordination with county offices like the Los Angeles County Office of Education and the Sacramento County Office of Education, matching frameworks informed by standards such as the Lau v. Nichols precedent and guidance from organizations including the U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights. It was applied to diverse student populations within districts such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, San Diego Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District, and smaller districts across regions like the Central Valley, Bay Area, Inland Empire, and the San Joaquin Valley.

Purpose and Test Design

The CELDT aimed to fulfill requirements from statutes including the Educational Equity Act (state-level education equity initiatives) and compliance expectations set by the Civil Rights Act. Test design incorporated four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing, with item development influenced by standards-setting panels involving educators from institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, California State University, Long Beach, University of Southern California, and professional associations like the California Teachers Association and the California Association for Bilingual Education. Contractors and vendors like the WestEd research organization and psychometric contributors with links to the American Educational Research Association helped ensure alignment with constructs used in comparable instruments like the ACCESS for ELLs and the WIDA Consortium assessments.

Administration and Scoring

Administration protocols were developed with input from agencies such as the California Department of Education and county offices in partnership with school boards like the San Diego County Board of Education and the Los Angeles County Board of Education. Test administrators received training drawing on materials from organizations such as the National Association for Bilingual Education, the California Association of School Counselors, and university-based professional development centers at California State University, Sacramento and University of California, Los Angeles. Scoring rubrics offered performance levels and cut scores vetted by panels reflecting expertise from bodies including the National Center for Education Statistics and the American Institutes for Research, and results were reported to districts, state agencies, and stakeholders like the Governor of California's educational offices.

Participating Students and Eligibility

Students tested included English learners enrolled in districts like Oakland Unified School District, Fresno Unified School District, and San Jose Unified School District, with identification procedures tied to home-language surveys and parental notifications in collaboration with offices such as the California Department of Social Services and immigrant community organizations including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Eligibility criteria reflected compliance with judicial guidance from cases like Castaneda v. Pickard and policy advisories issued by the U.S. Department of Justice regarding linguistic minority protections. Populations assessed spanned speakers of languages represented by community groups from regions including San Diego, Sacramento, Santa Clara County, and Alameda County.

Impact and Uses of Results

CELDT results influenced placement decisions in programs administered by district entities such as the Los Angeles Unified School District's bilingual programs and San Francisco Unified School District's English learner services, and informed resource allocation monitored by the California State Board of Education. Data shaped professional development initiatives at institutions like the Carnegie Foundation-influenced projects, informed research at centers such as the RAND Corporation and SRI International, and contributed to statewide accountability reporting submitted to federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Education; results also informed local advocacy by nonprofits such as the Children’s Defense Fund and civil rights groups including the ACLU of Northern California.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critiques involved stakeholders like the California Teachers Association, parent groups in communities such as East Los Angeles, civil rights litigants represented by organizations like the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and academic critics from universities including University of California, Irvine and University of California, Riverside. Concerns addressed issues of cultural bias debated in forums sponsored by entities like the American Educational Research Association and the National Education Association, questions of predictive validity explored by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and University of Chicago-affiliated scholars, and controversies over funding and vendor contracts involving state procurement overseen by the California Legislature and the Governor's Office of California.

History and Development

The CELDT emerged in the late 1990s with legislative and administrative origins tied to policies enacted by the California Legislature and implementation by the California Department of Education, replacing earlier local instruments used in districts such as Oakland Unified School District and Long Beach Unified School District. Over time, revisions reflected input from advisory groups including the California English Learner Roadmap partners, researchers at centers like the National Research Council, and comparative analyses with instruments used in other states by consortia such as the WIDA Consortium and federal initiatives administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The CELDT was phased out and succeeded by the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, a transition overseen by the California Department of Education and coordinated with stakeholders including district superintendents, state policymakers, and advocacy organizations like the Education Trust-West.

Category:Education in California