NYSESLAT - Determining an English Language Learner’s (ELL) English Language Proficiency Level - Memo

Oct 2, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore

Memo from the New York State Education Department (Office of State Assessment) explains 2024 NYSESLAT scale score ranges and how to interpret scale scores to determine an ELL student’s English language proficiency level for Grades K–12. It outlines exiting ELL status rules by grade band, provides guidance for accessing individual score reports, and specifies how to convert raw modality scores (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) using Attachments A–H to compute total scale scores and match Attachment H ranges.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

NYSESLAT 2024 Scale Score Guidance

ELL Exit Criteria by Grade

Score Report Availability (L2RPT) and Sharing

Raw Score to Scale Score Conversion Charts (Attachments A–H)

Method to Determine Proficiency Level

Additional Resources and Contact Information

THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234 ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER Office of State Assessment August 2024 TO: District Superintendents Superintendents of Public School Districts Principals of Public Schools Leaders of Charter, Religious, and Independent Schools Directors of Regional Information Centers FROM: Zachary Warner SUBJECT: NYSESLAT—Determining an English Language Learner’s (ELL) English Language Proficiency Level This memorandum provides the scale score ranges for the 2024 New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT), along with guidance and information concerning the interpretation of the scale scores. The NYSESLAT scale score ranges associated with the proficiency levels for Grades K-12 are the same as the scale score ranges established following the 2016 administration, with the exception of Grade 1. In 2024, a Standard Setting was conducted to establish the new scale score ranges for the Grade 1 NYSESLAT first administered earlier that spring. Please note that, in accordance with Part 154 of the Commissioner’s Regulations, ELLs can exit ELL status in the following ways: • Grades K–12: Scoring at the Commanding level on the NYSESLAT OR • Grades 3–8: Scoring at the Expanding level on the NYSESLAT and level 3 or above on the New York State English Language Arts (ELA) assessment taken within the same school year • Grades 9–12: Scoring at the Expanding level on the NYSESLAT and 65 or above on the Regents Examination in English Language Arts taken within the same school year Superintendents, principals, and charter school leaders are advised to share this information immediately with English as a New Language and Bilingual Education program administrators and coordinators. In August, individual student NYSESLAT Score Reports will be available in the Level 2 Reporting (L2RPT) environment. More information on how to access these reports is available on the Information and Reporting Services website. Schools are to provide these reports to each student’s parent/guardian and make them available to the student’s teachers. RAW SCORE TO SCALE SCORE CONVERSION CHARTS Students will receive a scale score for each modality (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) . In addition, each student will receive a total scale score for the test, which is the sum of the student’s scale scores for all four modalities. For example, if a student earned a scale score of 60 in each of the four modalities, the student’s total scale score would be 240. Students’ proficiency levels will be one of five levels: Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, Expanding, or Commanding 1 . A student must receive a valid score for each of the four modalities in order to receive a proficiency level. The attached charts (Attachments A–H) should be used to convert a student’s 2024 raw score in each modality (Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking) to a scale score. Please note that there are separate conversion charts for each modality within each of the six grade bands. The table below shows the attachment associated with each grade band. | NYSESLAT
Grade Band | 2024 Raw Scores to Scale Scores Conversion Chart | | --- | --- | | K | Attachment A | | 1 | Attachment B | | 2 | Attachment C | | 3–4 | Attachment D | | 5–6 | Attachment E | | 7–8 | Attachment F | | 9–12 | Attachment G | The correspondence between the scale scores and the raw scores in the conversion charts depends on the overall difficulty of the questions on the NYSESLAT. As a result, the conversion charts change from one administration year to another to reflect the differences between examinations. It is crucial that the attached conversion charts are used to determine the student’s final score for the 2024 NYSESLAT. The attached conversion charts are only usable for the administration of the 2024 NYSESLAT. METHOD FOR DETERMINING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY LEVEL A studen

FAQs

What documents and charts are used to convert NYSESLAT raw scores into scale scores for 2024?

Attachments A–H are used to convert 2024 raw scores for each modality (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) into scale scores, with separate charts for each of the six grade bands.

How is an ELL student’s total scale score calculated for the NYSESLAT?

A student receives a scale score for each modality. The total scale score equals the sum of the student’s scale scores across all four modalities.

How do schools determine a student’s English language proficiency level for 2024?

First use the appropriate conversion chart for the grade band tested in spring 2024, match each modality raw score to its scale score, sum the four modality scale scores, then use Attachment H (“NYSESLAT 2024 Scale Score Ranges for Determining English Language Proficiency”) to match the student’s total scale score to the correct level.

Oct 2, 2026

Uploaded by kopisore