California’s new English learner reclassification rules.
What changed under AB 2555, which students to review before January 31, and what families should hear when their child is reclassified.
Four things to know
before you dive in.
- 01
The qualifying score is enough. Since September 27, 2026, the state’s English proficiency assessment threshold has determined eligibility.
- 02
Start with last spring’s results. Review students who met the threshold in 2025–26 and are still classified as English learners.
- 03
January 31 is a records deadline, too. Reclassify eligible students and submit their updated status to CALPADS by January 31, 2027.
- 04
Keep checking in after reclassification. Schools monitor students’ academic progress for four years.
A student earned a qualifying English proficiency score last spring but is still listed as an English learner this fall. Maybe the school was waiting for a basic-skills assessment or a conference. Under California’s new rules, the team can go back to that spring score and use it to reclassify the student now.
Which scores qualify
Assembly Bill 2555 makes the qualifying score on the state’s summative English proficiency assessment the basis for reclassification.
Overall Performance Level 4
English Language Proficiency Assessments for California
Overall Performance Level 3
For students who take the alternate assessment
The previous process also used teacher evaluation, parent input and consultation, and a comparison of basic skills. Schools can still use what they learn from teachers and families to plan support after reclassification.
CDE reclassification and monitoring guidanceThe dates that matter
- September 27, 2026
The new rule takes effect
This is the earliest reclassification date under the new rule.
- January 31, 2027
Reclassify and report
Complete the update for students who qualified on the 2025–26 assessments and are still classified as English learners.
- February 1, 2027
Summative testing opens
Review testing rosters ahead of time so reclassified students are spared an unnecessary retest.
CDE expects automated reclassification to start with the release of 2027–28 summative assessment results in spring 2028. Local teams handle this January’s updates.
Your January 31 checklist
Pull the 2025–26 list.
Ask your assessment coordinator for the ELPAC Students Meeting Reclassification Criteria 1 Report in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS). Compare it with current enrollment and English learner status. Leave reclassifications already certified for 2025–26 in that reporting year.
Check who owns each record.
Pay particular attention to students who changed schools or districts. For currently enrolled students, the local educational agency where the student is enrolled handles this round of updates.
Update the local record and submit it to CALPADS.
Record Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) in your student information system. Submit the Student English Language Acquisition (SELA) record for 2026–27 with the current school of attendance. Use a status start date from September 27, 2026, through January 31, 2027. It must fall within the student’s enrollment period and differ from the enrollment start date.
Verify that the records landed.
Compare the CALPADS statuses with the list your team worked from, clear any rejected records, and reconcile February’s testing roster. January 31 falls on a Sunday. Set an earlier internal cutoff so staff have time to fix anything that comes back.
Tell families what the change means.
Explain the assessment result, what reclassification means for the student’s classes or services, and who can answer questions. Use language the family can understand. Ask the counselor or site lead to review course placement and add the student to the school’s four-year monitoring roster.
Use “Print guide” above for a copy to bring to your next team meeting.
Reading this year’s reclassification rate
A student can qualify on a 2025–26 test and count in the 2026–27 reclassification rate. That’s what happens when the school records the change this year. If the rate moves, put both years on the slide you take to the board. An increase may partly reflect students whose scores already qualified and whose status changed under the new rule.
CALPADS Update Flash #333Sources & updates
This guide reflects California Department of Education guidance reviewed on November 6, 2026.
- CDE’s AB 2555 reclassification FAQ Qualifying scores, transition dates, and reporting deadlines.
- CALPADS Update Flash #333 The TOMS report, the CALPADS fields, and the transition to automated reclassification.
- CDE reclassification and monitoring guidance The statewide criterion and the four-year monitoring period.
- CDE guidance for families How California identifies, assesses, and reclassifies English learners.