Texas provides an extensive system of bilingual and ESL education to K-12 students with limited English proficiency. School districts are required to provide bilingual education when they have more than twenty English language learners enrolled within the same grade level (TEA 16). Such districts have the obligation to recruit qualified teachers that can meet the needs of ESL students and to consistently assess their achievement. In case when a school district is not required to offer bilingual education, English language learners have to be offered an ESL program, regardless of their home language and the number of such students (TEA 64).
To efficiently address the concerns of bilingual education, every public or charter school in Texas is required to operate a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC), even if it currently has no English language learners among its students. A committee has to include one qualified bilingual educator, transitional language educator, campus administrator and a parent of a student with limited English proficiency (TEA 39). In school districts that are not required to provide bilingual education, a LPAC consists of one or more professional language personnel, campus administrator and a parent of student with limited English proficiency (TEA 25).
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As advocates of the interests of English language learners in Texas, LPACs are responsible to identify the students who require bilingual or ESL education and to determine the most suitable educational program for them. Also, they assess the proficiency of English language learners to define when they are ready to exit bilingual and ESL programs. LPACs have to review all pertinent information about English language learners, starting with their enrollment and to monitor their achievement two years after they exit a bilingual or ESL program (TEA 26). Moreover, they should facilitate the participation of such students in other programs offered to them on local, state or national level.
School district decides whether bilingual education or ESL program is necessary for a particular student based on the results of home language survey. Home language survey consists of two questions that seek information about the language that the students speaks at home (TEA 24). However, school district representatives are authorized to indicate additional pertinent information on the survey. Home language survey has to be administered to all new students upon their enrollment, as well as to those who have not taken them earlier for some reason.
If the results of home language survey indicate that a student speaks a language other than English at home, he is she is then tested by Language Proficiency Assessment Committee that may classify him or her as English language learner and advise bilingual education or ESL program, providing a written note to the parents or guardians (TEA 26). The criteria for being classified as English language learners for students at grades 2-12 are their low level of English proficiency and low scores in English reading and English language arts.
The decision for a student’s entry into bilingual education is taken by Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee in conjunction with LPAC within 20 days from the student’s school enrollment (TEA 28). In case the parental consent is obtained, such students are provided with bilingual education until they meet exit criteria or graduate. To exit from bilingual or ESL program, students must be identified as English proficient and fully able to participate in all-English education. This classification is based on the results of TEA-approved proficiency tests and criterion-referenced tests, as well as students’ performance on reading assessment (TEA 29). The decision about exit from bilingual or ESL education is also taken by both ARD and LPAC.
To certify that English language learners are instructed in English that they need to succeed academically, there are federally required English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) that specify content areas to be covered in bilingual and ESL education. ELPS includes four basic components. Introduction connects language instruction with content areas, while District Responsibilities strategically adjust instruction to the proficiency level. Student Expectations for Second Language Acquisition define learning strategies for speaking, reading, writing and listening; Proficiency Level Descriptors specify criteria for beginning, intermediate, advanced and high advanced levels in each language domain (TELPAS 14).
The annual progress of K-12 English language learners in Texas is measured with the help of Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS). The purpose of this program is to set goals for English language learners, to keep their parents aware of their progress, and to help committees determine the time of students’ exit from bilingual education. TELPAS defines proficiency level ratings (beginning, intermediate, advanced and high advanced) in all language domains: listening, reading, writing, listening. Also, it includes an overall composite rating. There is a close connection between TELPAS and ELPS since TELPAS applies the ESPS Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLD) and Student Expectations in the course of formative assessments. TELPAS raters are therefore consistently trained to use PLD in their work.
The achievement standards for English language learners in Texas educational agencies are identified in the Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) as Progress, Attainment and ELL Accountability (TEA (a) 4). The objective of progress estimates how many ELLs in this agency have increased their proficiency at least by one level in one year. Attainment measures the number of ELLs who achieved the TELPAS Rating of advanced high. ELL Accountability determines how many ELLs have met the targets of participation and performance in Reading and Mathematics. An educational agency must meet all the AMAO criteria to obtain the general AMAO status as met.
- TEA. “Language Proficiency Assessment Committee”. Texas Education Agency, 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
- TEA (a). “2013 AMAOs Guide”. Texas Education Agency, 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
- TELPAS. “Making the ELPS-TELPAS Connection: Grades K-12 Overview. Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System, 2014. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
