Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System

Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS):

The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) is a federally required assessment program design to measure the annual progress that ELLs make in learning the English language.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), English language proficiency assessments must assess students annually in kindergarten through grade 12 in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. TELPAS assesses the following domains through holistically rated assessment in English only. In grades K-1 students are assessed in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, while in grades 2-12 assessments only assess listening, speaking and writing. TELPAS measures

The assessment summarizes key features of the PLDs in terms of how well ELLs can understand and/or use English in social and academic settings at each of four levels. These key features are beginning (little or no English ability); intermediate (limited ability, simple language structures, high frequency vocabulary, routine contexts); advanced (grade appropriate, with second language acquisition support); and advanced high (grade appropriate, with minimal second language acquisition support). Students at the beginning level have little or no ability to understand/use English. They may know a little English but not enough to function meaningfully in social and academic interactions. Intermediate students do have some ability to understand and use English. They can function in social and academic settings as long as tasks require them to understand and use simple language structures and high-frequency vocabulary within routine contexts. Advanced students are able to engage in grade-appropriate academic instruction in English, although ongoing second language acquisition support is needed to help

These assessments are not designed to measure mastery of content with a pass or fail score as learning a second language takes time. The TELPAS assessment results provide a measure of progress, indicating annually where each ELL is on a continuum of English language development designed for second-language learners. This continuum is divided into four proficiency levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high. The progress of students along this continuum is the basis for the TELPAS reporting system and the key to helping districts monitor whether their ELLs are making steady annual growth in learning to listen, speak, read, and write in