The ELPS—English Language Proficiency Standards

The English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) were approved by the State Board of Education on November 16, 2007, and will replace the ESL TEKS beginning in the 2008-2009 school year, and may be found online at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/biling/

elps.html.

What are the ELPS?

Part of required curriculum for each subject including proficiency standards and level descriptors

What are Level Descriptors? Beginning Students- few

simple conversations Intermediate Students-

requests clarification, needs adaptations and supports

Advanced Students-seeks clarification with some processing time

Advanced High Students- longer discussions on unfamiliar topics

International High School

What does this mean?

ELLs need social and academic English language proficiency to be successful.

ELLs must READ, WRITE, LISTEN, and SPEAK in increasing complexity.

What are the District’s Responsibilities?

Identify students’ proficiency levels Provide linguistically accommodated

content instruction Provide linguistically accommodated

content-based language instruction Focused, targeted, and systematic language

instruction for beginning and intermediate ELLs (Grade 3 or higher)

What do I need to do now?

TEACH students language and strategies to use when they don’t know what to say.

Strategies to Encourage Proficiency

Encourage students to speak in complete sentences. This should be the culture of the classroom.

What Else Can We Do Now?

Use response signals for students to monitor their own comprehension(thinker’s chin, thumbs up).

Use strategies for pre-reading, during reading, and post reading.

Encourage Whole Class Participation

It’s all about accountable talk!

Engagement

Make sure you ask every student in the classroom to participate. Turn to the person next to you and discuss a strategy you will use this year in your classroom to ensure whole class participation.

Lesson Plans Are All In My Head!

Lesson planning is essential in order to differentiate instruction!

Good Teaching Is Something We Already Do!

Prompt elaboration

Use effective questioning strategies

Formative AssessmentFormative Assessment

Can someone tell us what the ELPS are, and what part they

must play in our AISD classrooms?

Think-Pair-Share

Turn to the person next to you and discuss how these strategies will help your ELLs in your classroom.

A Question for the McCallum Knights…

After a brief discussion, share with us a strategy that works well for promoting accountable talk in the classroom.

Confused? Don’t Be!

BE AWARE of the linguistic level of your students!

Plan accordingly!

More Information on the ELPS to come!

The district and your campus will provide more information on this new standard during the school year. Your campus ELA teachers will be quite well-versed in more ELPS strategies next week!

Eastside Memorial Eastside Memorial High School High School atat

GO RAMS!GO RAMS!

Assessment Time… Turn to the person

next to you and explain to one another what the ELPS are, and what we are expected to do in our district to incorporate them into our lesson planning and teaching.

Proud members of our EMHS at the Johnston Campus student body.