MUSD Completes K–2 Re-Screening — Used a Vendor Not on State's Approved List, District Confirms

<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong><br>July 7, 2026<br>Contact: newsroom@dismalfreedompress.org</p><p>Manteca Unified School District notified the California Department of Education in late June that it had completed re-screening of all kindergarten through second grade students for reading risk, satisfying the deadline set in CDE's April 3 non-compliance letter — but documentation obtained by DFP through a June 18 CPRA request raises new questions about whether the instrument used meets the state mandate.</p><p>MUSD's response to DFP's CPRA request identifies ELPAC — the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California — as the re-screening instrument. ELPAC is a language proficiency assessment required for English learners. It does not appear on CDE's approved reading screener list under Education Code § 53008, which specifies instruments calibrated for reading risk identification.</p><p>DFP has submitted a follow-up inquiry to CDE asking whether MUSD's use of ELPAC satisfies the non-compliance order. A CDE spokesperson said the department is reviewing the district's compliance submission and declined to comment further.</p><p>MUSD's communications office did not respond to DFP's follow-up questions.</p><p>###</p>