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 school year, and may be found online at 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 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 High School at 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.