M11: Writing Assessment (TELPAS)

TELPAS (Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System)

ELs in Texas are required to be assessed using the TELPAS every year.  The TELPAS is a teacher rated assessment of all areas of language.  The writing is a writing sample that the students turn in and the teacher scores it on a rubric provided by the state. This usually happens in the spring.  Everything you ever want to know about TELPAS is found here. Links to an external site.  It is a bit much, though.  So let's chunk some of that info.

TELPAS Assessment Components

TELPAS assesses the English language proficiency of K–12 ELs in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. English language proficiency assessments in grades K–12 are federally required to evaluate the progress that ELs make in becoming proficient in the use of academic English.

The assessment components for grades K–1 and 2–12 differ in the following ways:

  • Grades K–1: TELPAS includes holistically rated listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments based on ongoing classroom observations and student interactions.
  • Grades 2–12: TELPAS includes online reading and listening and speaking tests and holistically rated student writing collections.

Alignment with State Curriculum TELPAS assesses the ELPS, which districts are required to implement as an integral part of each foundation and enrichment subject of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

TELPAS results are used in the following ways:

  • to help parents monitor the progress their children make in learning English
  • to inform instructional planning and program exit decisions for individual students
  • to report performance to local school boards, school professionals, and the community
  • to evaluate programs, resources, and staffing patterns
  • to evaluate districts and campuses in a variety of state and federal accountability measures

TELPAS Writing, Grades K–1

English language proficiency in writing is defined for TELPAS as the ability to produce written text with content and format to fulfill grade-appropriate classroom assignments. Students in kindergarten and grade 1 (ELs and non-ELs) vary in how quickly they learn to write. K–1 ELs may be at different developmental stages of learning to write regardless of their English language proficiency. As is customary in K–1 instruction, students build foundational writing skills through applicable oral prerequisite activities, activities based on emergent forms of writing, and activities that involve self-generated connected written text. Throughout the year, teachers monitor and develop the English language writing proficiency levels of their K–1 ELs as they incorporate the ELPS and content area TEKS in daily instruction. The TELPAS writing assessments for kindergarten and grade 1 are performance-based and holistically rated by teachers of the students.

Here is the rubric used for grades K-1 for TELPAS Writing:  

TELPAS proficiency descriptons K-1 Writing.png

TELPAS Writing, Grades 2–12

English language proficiency in writing is defined for TELPAS as the ability to produce written text with content and format to fulfill grade-appropriate classroom assignments. The definition relates specifically to the communication skills that an EL needs in order to use English as an effective medium for academic instruction. As described in Chapter 2, the TELPAS grades 2-12 writing assessments comprise performance based student writing collections holistically rated by trained raters. Though TELPAS is administered in the spring of the year, teachers use the holistic assessment process in formative ways throughout the year to identify and respond to the needs their ELs have related to learning to express themselves clearly in English. In the spring of the year, teachers assemble writing assignments from routine instruction to form TELPAS writing collections. Trained TELPAS raters use the writing PLDs for grades 2–12 to rate the English language proficiency exhibited in the writing collections.

The assignments in TELPAS writing collections are taken from authentic, performance-based classroom instruction that is grounded in the content area TEKS and ELPS student expectations. Examples of Grades 2-12 writing assignments that can be used for TELPAS writing include (but are not limited to):

  • descriptive writing on a familiar topic
  • writing about a familiar process
  • narrative writing about a past event
  • reflective writing
  • extended writing from language arts classes
  • expository or procedural writing from science, math, and social studies

TELPAS writing collections are required to contain at least five writing assignments, including:

  • at least one assignment that elicits the use of past tense, and
  • at least two writing assignments from the mathematics, science, or social studies content areas.

Writing samples that best portray the overall English language proficiency of the student are chosen for the collection. The included samples show how clearly and extensively the student is able to express thoughts, ideas, and information in English to complete writing assignments in core content areas. Short-answer writing assignments are not appropriate for the collections.

(From p. 94 of the 2020 TELPAS Manual - Click here to see the whole manual) Links to an external site.

TELPAS Writing