Making the ELPS/TELPAS Connection

Definitions

• What are the ELPS?

Federally required instructional standards designed to ensure that ELLs are taught the academic English they need for school purposes

• What is TELPAS?

A federally required assessment program designed to measure the annual progress that ELLs make in learning the English language

• What are TELPAS raters? Teachers trained to assess ELLs for TELPAS

Nuts and Bolts

• The ELPS are used in foundation and enrichment instruction of K–12

ELLs.

• TELPAS assesses K–12 ELLs. The ELPS and TELPAS encompass

4 language domains

– Listening

– Speaking

– Reading

– Writing

4 proficiency levels

– Beginning – Intermediate – Advanced – Advanced High

Who Takes TELPAS?

All ELLs in grades K–12, including those whose parents decline bilingual/ESL program services, are assessed annually.

In extremely rare cases, an ELL served by special education may not be required to participate in one or more TELPAS language domains by the ARD committee in conjunction with the LPAC.

TELPAS provides proficiency level ratings for each language domain, plus an overall composite rating.

Assessment Approaches

 TELPAS uses an online multiple-choice test to assess:

2–12 reading

TELPAS uses a holistic rating process and classroom performance to assess:

K–12 listening, speaking and writing 

K–1 reading

Holistic Rating Process

•  A direct and authentic way to assess English language proficiency

•  Rubrics-based process of evaluating abilities as a whole rather than as skills in isolation

•  Focuses on overall ability of students to understand and use English in grade-level academic settings

•  Teacher-conducted and used in ongoing quality instruction and formative assessment

•  Used for official summative TELPAS assessment in spring of year

TELPAS results are used to —

• set learning goals for ELLs

• keep parents and students aware of annual progress in learning English

• inform instructional planning and bilingual/ESL program exit decisions

• report performance to the public

• evaluate programs, resources, and staffing patterns

• evaluate districts and campuses in federal and state accountability and monitoring indicators

English Language Proficiency Standards - ELPS

• Were approved by State Board of Education in 2007–2008

• Are part of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state-required curriculum

• Include instruction school districts must provide to give ELLs full opportunity to learn English and succeed academically

• Require content area teachers to teach content area TEKS and help ELLs become English proficient

• Are an integral part of instruction in each TEKS foundation and enrichment subject

• Available on TEA’s Curriculum website

ELPS Components

a) Introduction

Integrate second language instruction with content area instruction to

-make content comprehensible

-build academic language proficiency

b) District Responsibilities

-Linguistically adjust instruction based on student proficiency levels based on student proficiency

-Implement strategic interventions for beginning and intermediate students in grade 3 and up levels

c) Student Expectations for Second Language Acquisition

-Learning Strategies

-Listening

-Speaking

-Reading

-Writing

d) Proficiency Level Descriptors for each Language Domain

-Beginning

-Intermediate

-Advanced

-Advanced High

ELPS-TELPAS Connection

TELPAS measures the ELPS.

The two are integrally aligned.

Measuring the ELPS

TELPAS assesses the abilities outlined in the

ELPS student expectations (SEs)

and reports performance in alignment with the

ELPS proficiency level descriptors (PLDs).

PLDs and Statewide Assessment

• ForTELPAS,trainedratersofficiallydeterminethe English language proficiency levels of ELLs in the spring.

• ELLsshouldbemakingsteadyprogressallyear.

• TELPAS is a summative assessment that documents the proficiency levels of ELLs as a statewide spring assessment.

Summative TELPAS Assessment

For each domain (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), TELPAS answers the following question:

How well is the student currently able to understand and use

English during grade-level instruction?

Beginning Intermediate Advanced Advanced High

Benefit of TELPAS Rater Training on Formative Classroom Assessment

Teachers trained as TELPAS raters internalize the PLDs so that they are able to naturally and automatically assess their students’ English language proficiency levels during ongoing classroom instruction.

Benefit of Using PLDs in Instruction •

Teachers learn to make effectivel inguistic accommodations in class, which supports:

– learning of academic subject matter (TEKS content area student expectations)

– learning of English language (ELPS student expectations)

Reviewing the ELPS-TELPAS Connection

• Teachers use the SEs and PLDs from the ELPS for formative assessment all year.

• TELPAS raters are trained in depth to learn to use the PLDs for the official purposes of statewide assessment.

• In-depth TELPAS rater training makes on going, formative use of the PLDs easy and serves the purpose of statewide assessment.

A Word About Grades 2–12 Reading

Even though a multiple-choice test is used to assess reading in grades 2–12, teachers use the ELPS student expectations and PLDs for reading in instruction just as they do for the domains of listening, speaking, and writing.

Assessment Information for Administrators and Teachers

To prepare for new school year:

Use TELPAS results to evaluate whether students have been making steady progress in learning English.

– TELPAS confidential campus rosters include

• 2 years of test scores

• how long student has been in U.S. schools

LPAC meetings during school year:

Use previous spring’s TELPAS results and current year’s formative assessment results to gauge progress in English proficiency, plan for instructional interventions as needed, and inform spring decisions

about student’s participation in state-required assessments.

Basics of TELPAS Holistic Rating Process

Grades K–1

Assessment Approach:

Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing

Teachers determine English proficiency levels by observing students in class. They watch how their ELLs 

interact informally with them and other students

 understand and use English 

when receiving academic instruction and completing class work 

during cooperative learning activities

Grades 2–12

Assessment Approach

• There are 3 holistically rated language domains —  listening  speaking  writing

• Assessment approach for listening and speaking differs slightly from writing

Grades 2–12

Assessment Approach:

Listening and Speaking

Teachers determine English proficiency levels by observing students in class. They watch how their ELLs 

-interact informally with them and other students 

-understand and use English when receiving academic instruction and completing class work during cooperative learning activities

Grades 2–12

Assessment Approach:

Writing

TELPAS raters assemble a collection of each student’s writing from a variety of content areas and use the collection as the basis for evaluating the student’s English language proficiency in writing.

• Note that for ongoing formative assessment in grades 2–12, teachers use classroom observations and interactions in addition to student writing samples to monitor and promote growth in English language writing proficiency.

• At the time of TELPAS, student writing collections are the sole basis for the assessment of English language writing proficiency. Information from classroom observations and interactions is not used.

Summing Up

Ways ELPS and TELPAS Reinforce Quality Instruction

• ELLs use and practice their developing language.

• Teachers collaborate about the needs of ELLs.

• Teachers use a common vocabulary

with one another and parents in

 describing language levels and needs of ELLs, and

 setting goals for progress.

Bottom Line

Effective implementation of ELPS and TELPAS assessment approach throughout the school year helps ELLs 

-learn English more quickly 

-grasp academic concepts and skills more readily