Use With Caution: What CELDT Results Can and Cannot Tell Us

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines the validity and reliability of California’s English Language Development Test (CELDT), which is mandated by state law and the federal No Child Left Behind Act. It evaluates whether CELDT can accurately identify English learners, determine their proficiency level, and track progress across listening, speaking, reading, and writing domains. Conclusions indicate strong suitability for group judgments but insufficient support for major decisions about individual students, due to validity and reliability limitations and administration concerns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Overview of the CELDT and Its Uses

Purpose and alignment to English Language Development Standards

Scoring and performance levels

Initial Classification

Home Language Survey requirement

Criteria for IFEP and EL classification

Reclassification

Eligibility rules for RFEP

KATIE STOKES-GUINAN Stanford University CLAUDE GOLDENBERG Stanford University Use With Caution: What CELDT Results Can and Cannot Tell Us Both California state law and the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require that all schools assess the English language proficiency of newly enrolled students who speak a language other than English at home and, annually, all English learners (ELs) already enrolled. California meets this requirement by administering the California English Language Development Test, or CELDT. The CELDT has three primary purposes: to identify students who are ELs, determine their English proficiency level, and assess their progress in acquiring listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English through time. We examine data on the validity and reliability of the CELDT to determine if it is an appropriate tool for carrying out these purposes. We conclude that the CELDT is likely a sufficiently valid and reliable tool for making judgments about groups of students but not for making crucial educational decisions about individual students. California’s public schools educate approximately 6.3 million students in kindergarten through 12th grade. About 1.5 million of these students, or 25%, are classified as English learners (ELs); in other words, they are not native English speakers and do not speak or understand English well enough to benefit adequately from mainstream classroom instruction. Both California state law and the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) require that all schools assess the English language proficiency of newly enrolled students who speak a language other than English at home and, annually, all English learners already enrolled (California Department of Education, 2008). California meets this requirement by administering the California English Language Development Test, or CELDT, developed by CTB/McGraw-Hill. The CELDT is a highly consequential assessment. Decisions based on CELDT data affect individual students, schools, districts, and the state as a whole. It is important for educators and policy makers to understand its strengths and limitations. In particular, we argue that the CELDT is likely a sufficiently valid and reliable tool for making judgments about groups of students. However, because of issues with construct validity, interrater reliability, and nonstandard administration, the CELDT may not be sufficiently valid and reliable for The CATESOL Journal 22.1 • 2010/2011 • 189 making crucial educational decisions about individual students. Finally, eventhough the present paper is focused on the use of the CELDT, issues discussed here could have implications for other language proficiency tests used with ELs nationwide. Overview of the CELDT and Its Uses The CELDT is the principal means by which California students are identified as English learners (sometimes referred to as “limited English proficient”) . It is aligned to California’s English Language Development Standards (California Department of Education, 2002) and provides a measure of students’ overall English language proficiency as well as their proficiency in four language domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing (CTB/McGraw-Hill, 2005) .1 The CELDT has distinct forms for each of four grade spans: kindergarten through grade 2, grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 8, and grades 9 through 12. Students receive a performance-level score ranging from 1 to 5 for each of the domains and an overall performance-level score calculated by weighing the domain scores equally. The five performance levels are: 1. Beginning; 2. Early Intermediate; 3. Intermediate; 4. Early Advanced; and 5. Advanced. CELDT scores are used for initial classification of students as English learners, reclassification of English learners to fluent English proficient, district accountability, and making school-level decisions. We address each of these in turn. Initial Classification Upon t

FAQs

What are the primary purposes of the CELDT described in the paper?

The CELDT is used to identify students as English learners, determine their English proficiency level, and assess their progress over time in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

How do the authors characterize the CELDT’s strengths and limitations?

The paper concludes the CELDT is likely sufficiently valid and reliable for judgments about groups of students, but not for crucial educational decisions about individual students due to issues such as construct validity and interrater reliability.

What determines whether a student is initially classified as IFEP or an English learner?

The paper explains that overall and domain scores on the first CELDT administration guide initial classification, with certain score combinations indicating initial Fluent English Proficient (IFEP) and others indicating English learner (EL) status, alongside guidance from the California Department of Education.

Oct 15, 2026

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