English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA)

Re-enacted English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA)

On May 21, 2014, Colorado’s Governor signed HB14-1298 that repealed and re-enacted with amendments to the English Language Proficiency Act (ELPA). The re-enacted ELPA provides funding for Colorado districts with eligible English learners (ELs).

There is a substantial number of students in Colorado who are English learners; per ELPA, Local education providers or local education agencies (LEAs), must provide evidence-based English language proficiency, or English language development (ELD) programs for English learners to enable them to develop and acquire English language proficiency while achieving and maintaining grade-level performance in academic content areas. The state and LEAs must enhance all educators' effectiveness in supporting English language development and in enabling English learners to achieve and maintain grade-level performance in academic content areas. Finally, the state must develop the educational approach and goals of LEAs to help ensure that English learners are postsecondary and workforce ready at graduation.

District requirements under ELPA:

Follow State guidance to identify English learners
Report and certify through the Student October Pupil Enrollment collection the numbers and proficiency levels of English learners in the district and the number of ELs who have exited from the program
Administer and provide evidence-based English language development programs for identified English learner students while also providing access to grade-level content
Provide professional development to all staff members supporting English learners to enhance their abilities to provide English language development and access to grade-level content

Program Description

ELPA supports the requirement to provide an evidence-based ELD program for all English learners
ELPA provides funding for identified English learners, certified through annual Student October Count, in evidence-based ELD programs for up to a total of five budget years, including prior years of funding

ELPA Program

22-24-104, C.R.S. State Grant Code 3140

The ELPA Program is a categorical program that supports the requirement to provide an evidence-based English language proficiency program for all English learners. The ELPA Program provides funding intended to offset the cost of educating English learners. This goal of the program is to increase the English language proficiency and academic performance of English learners. HB14-1298 provides $22,994,436 in funding for FY 2019-20 to local education providers, based on the identified English learners in evidence-based ELD programs. Identified English learners, certified annually in Student October Count, may receive funding for up to a total of five budget years, including prior years of funding. Districts and the Charter School Institute must distribute 100% of the ELPA Program funds to those charter schools that identified and reported English learners in the Student October Count.

ELPA PD and Support Program

22-24-108, C.R.S. State Grant Code 3139

HB14-1298 provides $27,000,000, subject to annual appropriation, for the PD and Support Program to provide effective professional development for all educators who may work with English learners and to offset the cost of assisting students who, at any time, have been identified as English learners in achieving content proficiency. Identified students, certified annually in Student October Count, may receive funding for up to a total of five budget years, including prior years of funding. Districts and the Charter School Institute must distribute 100% of the PD and Support Program funds to those charter schools that identified and reported English learners in the Student October Count.

Allocation Information

View 2020-2021 ELPA Allocations

The ELPA Program is a categorical program and is part of the required annual inflationary calculation for Amendment 23 purposes. The legislature sets the amount of funding available for each categorical program. The Support Program is subject to annual appropriations and has no state constitutional required increases.

Allowable Uses of Funds

Districts must provide ELD programs for all identified English learners. This responsibility includes students who enter the district after October count each year and who, therefore, are not included in the reported count for that year. ELPA provides funds to offset the cost of this programming, but ELD programming must be provided regardless of funds.

The ELPA Program funds are to be used to:

Provide evidenced-based English language development (ELD) programs designed to develop English learners’ English language proficiency while enabling them to achieve and maintain grade level performance in academic content and
Identify and assess English learners.

The Support Program funds are to be used to:

Offset the cost of annually reporting the number of English learners who exit the English language development program,
Provide effective professional development activities related to teaching English learners for all educators who may work with English learners, and
Expand programs to assist students who have at any time been identified as an English learner in achieving greater content proficiency.

ELPA Reports

The ELPA Report on the Data Pipeline includes the following information: district code, school code and name, student number, grade level, language background code and name, ESL/Bilingual, language proficiency (NEP, LEP, FEP M1, FEP M2), and number of years in the ELPA program. To access the ELPA Report, go to: Data Pipeline - Cognos Reports - Student October - ELPA Student Report, and select the year.

Users will need the OCT LEAUSER or LEAAPPROVE role assigned to their account. In order to view the district totals and filter by any category, the reports are best viewed as Microsoft Excel files downloaded to your computer.