Are ELs required to take the tests in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program?
Yes. All students in grades two through eleven participate in the STAR program, including students with disabilities and students who are ELs. In addition to the tests administered in English, all Spanish-speaking ELs who have been enrolled in a school in the United States for less than 12 months or who receive instruction in Spanish regardless of how long they have been in school in the United States, must take the designated primary language test (DPLT), currently the Aprenda 3 (EC 60640). Students whose parents or guardians have submitted written requests to exempt them from STAR program testing do not take any tests (EC 60615). More information is available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr. Standards-Based Tests in Spanish (STS) for reading/language arts and mathematics are currently being developed for grades two, three, and four, and field testing is anticipated for fall of 2006. The tests are to replace the DPLT (Aprenda 3) as each grade becomes operational. The STS blueprints,
