1. Fall ELL Assessment Update
September 24, 2012
TETN Event #15580
Student Assessment Division
Texas Education Agency

2. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
Disclaimer
These slides have been prepared by the Student Assessment Division of the Texas Education Agency
If any slide is changed for local use, please remove the TEA footer at the bottom of the slide
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

3. Topics What’s New TELPAS Updates
ELL Progress Measure and TELPAS– STAAR Alignment
Review of ELL Assessment Policies
Key Steps to Take this Fall
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

4. What’s New?

5. STAAR L Online Tests
Beginning in spring 2013, STAAR L will be administered as an online testing program in grades 3–8 and EOC
Clarification in English and reading aloud will be provided in online interface
No test administrator-provided accommodations
Students will need headphones if testing in a group
No change to mode of testing for STAAR and STAAR Modified
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

6. December STAAR L EOC Administrations
December 2012 EOC: last STAAR L test administration to use paper test booklets
Clarification in English and reading aloud will be provided by test administrator
English Clarification Guides (ECGs) will be available for test administrators providing clarification
Use the Training on Linguistic Accommodations for the STAAR Program PowerPoint from the February 2012 TETN to train test administrators. PowerPoint is available at
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

7. STAAR L Transition From Paper to Online Mode
2012
SPRING 2013 AND BEYOND
Clarification in English
Provided by Test Administrator
Provided in Online System
Reading Aloud of Text
Bilingual Dictionary
Extra Time (Same Day)
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update 7

8. STAAR L Online Student Tutorial
Available starting January 2013
Should be used to familiarize students with clarification and read aloud accommodations and standard TestNav tools
Test administration directions for spring STAAR L assessments will assume some familiarity with online interface
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

9. STAAR L Paper Administrations for Spring 2013 and Beyond
Paper test booklets (and ECGs as applicable) will be approved by TEA in rare circumstances
Accommodations that are not available in TestNav
Unavoidable technological problems that make online testing impossible
Other special situations (e.g., homebound students, JJAEPs, etc.)
Similar to TELPAS paper request process
Detailed information about STAAR L paper request process will be posted on Coordinator Manual Resources page at ls/dccm/
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

10. STAAR L EOC Eligibility
For EOC, eligibility for STAAR L can be carried over from spring to the July and December administrations
Example: A student was in his 3rd year in U.S. schools in the 2011–2012 school year. He took STAAR L in May, but did not pass. The LPAC may carry over eligibility to both the July 2012 and December 2012 STAAR L EOC administrations. In spring 2013, however, he would be in his 4th year in U.S. schools and no longer eligible for STAAR L

11. Fall EOC administration: December 3–14
ESC LPAC Training
LPAC assessment training-of-trainers TETN to be held earlier this year so that LPACs can meet and make decisions for December EOC administrations
ESCs will need to turn training around to districts earlier than in the past
Fall EOC administration: December 3–14
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

12. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
SSI Policies
SSI policies related to recent immigrant ELLs and unschooled asylees/refugees undergoing agency review
Policies will be finalized and disseminated in a letter to districts in time for implementation
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

13. Data Collection Changes
For this year, years in U.S. schools data collection will continue as it has in the past
Possible additional data collection that would help inform whether and how to differentiate for extenuating circumstances of ELLs in progress measure:
Unschooled ELL asylees/refugees
Other immigrant ELLs who enter U.S. with little prior schooling
First-year immigrant ELLs who enter U.S. schools late in school year
ELLs who go back and forth between U.S. and another country (gaps in continuous schooling in U.S.) within and across school years
ELLs with a disability that significantly affects growth in second language acquisition
More information will be sent to districts once decisions are finalized
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

14. TELPAS Validity and Reliability Audit for Spring 2013
TEA will evaluate the writing domain in grades 2–12 by rescoring a statewide representative sample of student writing collections
Districts will be notified of the campuses selected for the audit in the spring
Information about rater adherence to the assessment protocol and district adherence to required training and testing procedures will be collected
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

15. Standard Setting Plans
February 2012 for EOC assessments
October 2012 for grades 3–8 assessments, including STAAR Spanish for grades 3–5
Student reports will be available for districts in January 2013
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

16. Writing Student Performance in 2012
Grade 4 Spanish writing
Narrative writing: student performance on the 2012 test was lower compared to 2011 field test-data
Expository writing: student performance on the test was better compared to 2011 field test data
English I EOC
Students performed lower than expected
Literary and expository scoring guides available on Student Assessment webpage writing/
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

17. STAAR Spanish Summary Report Grade 4 Personal Narrative
RATING
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

18. STAAR Spanish Summary Report Grade 4 Expository Writing
RATING
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

19. In a Nutshell―Lower Score Range
Typical Problems
Wrong or weakly matched organizational structure/form for purpose
personal narrative instead of expository
fantasy instead of personal narrative
expository instead of personal narrative
Weak, evolving, or nonexistent central idea
negatively affects focus and coherence; causes the writer to “jump” from idea to idea
Wasted space: repetition, wordiness, looping/meandering, meaningless introductions and conclusions, development that does not contribute (e.g., the “bed-to-bed” approach)
Inclusion of too many ideas for one page (26 lines)
General/vague/imprecise use of language
Essay poorly crafted
Weak written language conventions (errors evident in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage; lack of sentence boundaries)
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

20. In a Nutshell―Higher Score Range
Typical Strengths
Strong match between structure/form and purpose
Explicit central (controlling) idea and sustained focus
Narrow and deep development with no wasted words or space – Quality over Quantity
Introduction and conclusion short but effective
Specific use of language
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

21. TELPAS Updates

22. TELPAS Holistic Rating Training – Spring 2012
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

23. TELPAS Holistic Rating Training for Spring 2013
Course and calibration requirements same as last year!
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

24. Holistic Rating Training Resources
PowerPoint presentations (updated)
Making the ELPS-TELPAS Connection: K–12 Overview
Introductory Training on the PLDs (separate modules for K–1 and 2–12)
Grades 2–12 Writing Collection Overview
Holistic Rating Training Requirements
Educator Guide to TELPAS
These resources are available on the TELPAS Resources webpage at
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

25. TELPAS Administration
Assessment window for spring:
March 18 – April 10
Data verification window:
April 11-12
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

26. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
TELPAS Spring Dates
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

27. TELPAS Online Reading Test
Minor changes to Texas Assessment Management System
Updated tutorials to be available in January to include new tools
2010 TELPAS reading released tests are currently being updated to browser-based version of TestNav and will be available at
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

28. ELL Progress Measure and TELPAS-STAAR Alignment

29. STAAR and TELPAS Relationship
TELPAS is aligned with the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), which target development of academic English language proficiency
By supporting development of academic English, ELPS support learning of content area TEKS
As part of transition to more rigorous STAAR program, TEA will examine relationship of TELPAS to STAAR and make adjustments as needed to ensure strong link between academic language proficiency assessed on TELPAS and academic language demands of STAAR
Implementation of STAAR-aligned TELPAS scheduled for spring 2014
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

30. What might an ELL progress measure look like in Texas?
Current plan: Establish a state timeframe for becoming English proficient; then establish academic performance (progress) expectations for ELLs that increase progressively based on relationship between state’s expectations for learning English (measured by TELPAS) and subject matter (measured by STAAR)
Progress expectations to be annually increasing STAAR scale score expectations that culminate in STAAR Level II: Satisfactory standard at the timeframe’s “finish line”
STAAR progress expectations to align with challenging but reasonable expectations for learning academic English
Where the scale score expectations are set should support ability of ELLs to reach STAAR Level II standard within state- established timeframe
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

31. ELL Progress Measure Conceptual Model
Satisfactory
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

32. Review of ELL Assessment Policies

33. Participation in General STAAR Assessment
Taken by ELLs and other students not administered STAAR Spanish, STAAR L, STAAR Modified, or STAAR Alternate
Remember:
STAAR L is for mathematics, science, and social studies, not reading and writing
STAAR Spanish is for grades 3–5 only
Linguistic accommodations beyond testing in native language not permitted for STAAR Spanish
ELLs taking general STAAR assessments permitted some linguistic accommodations
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

34. Alignment of STAAR, STAAR Spanish, and STAAR L
Same:
Assessed curriculum and item types
STAAR blueprints for building tests
Achievement standard alignment
Focus on readiness for next grade level or course with goal of postsecondary readiness
Differences have to do with language accessibility:
STAAR Spanish uses native language to help students understand test
STAAR L provides English-language accommodations to help students understand test
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

35. Eligibility for STAAR Spanish and STAAR L
*For STAAR L EOC tests, eligibility can be carried over from spring to the July and December administrations.
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

36. STAAR L is for…
Students who require moderate to substantial linguistic accommodation to understand the English used on STAAR mathematics, science, and social studies assessments
Students for whom clarification of word meaning in English and/or reading words aloud (in addition to potentially using a bilingual dictionary and having extra time) is important to their ability to understand challenging material written in English
STAAR L is not for ELLs for whom a bilingual dictionary and/or extra time suffice. STAAR allows these linguistic accommodations.
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

37. ELL Participation in STAAR Modified and STAAR Alternate
ELLs receiving special education services who meet requirements for STAAR Modified or STAAR Alternate may take these assessments
Small number of ELLs
ELLs participate only on basis of disability, not second language acquisition
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

38. Differing Degrees of Linguistic Accommodation for STAAR
STAAR Spanish: Assessment is provided in student’s native language; other linguistic accommodations not applicable
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

39. Linguistic Accommodations Allowable on Regular STAAR
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

40. STAAR Reading and Writing Dictionary Policy Grade 6 and Up
For reading and writing only
For all Texas students in grade 6 and up, including ELLs (new immigrants too) and students with disabilities
Standard English dictionaries allowed, as well as bilingual and ESL dictionaries
Policy specifies minimums and recommended numbers of dictionaries per number of students
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

41. Special English I and II EOC Provisions TAC §101.1007
For ELLs who ―
have been enrolled in U.S. schools 3 school years or less (5 or less if qualifying unschooled asylee/refugee) and
have not yet attained TELPAS advanced high reading rating
Why these provisions? In English I and II/ESOL I
and II courses, these students may require
substantial instructional scaffolding and linguistic
adaptation not feasible on standardized language
arts assessments
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

42. Three Special Provisions
When enrolled in English I or II/ESOL I or II course, eligible ELL shall not be required to —
include assessment score in cumulative score for graduation;
retake assessment each time it is administered if student passes course but does not achieve minimum score; or
have score count for 15% of student’s final grade
Note:
Students are not exempt from test while in the course
Provisions do not apply to English III
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

43. Decision-Making Body
LPAC is responsible for obtaining teacher input and making assessment and linguistic accommodation decisions for ELLs
For ELLs served by special education, the ARD committee and LPAC work in conjunction to make these decisions
More information about procedures for LPACs and ARD committees to follow in making and documenting ELL assessment and accommodation decisions will be available from TEA ELL Assessments webpage
Linguistic accommodation and assessment decisions are not “automatic;” they are made on an individual student basis in accordance with TEA administrative procedures
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

44. ELLs with Parental Denials TAC §101.1005 (f)
Reminder: These students are not eligible for special ELL assessment, accommodation, or accountability provisions
No testing in Spanish
No linguistic accommodations during testing
No English I/II EOC special provisions
No unschooled asylee/refugee provisions
ELLs with parental denials may, however, use bilingual, ESL, or other allowable dictionaries as part of dictionary policy for STAAR reading and writing tests in grade 6 and up; under this policy, use of dictionaries not considered linguistic accommodation
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

45. Key Steps to Take This Fall

46. 1. Conduct ELPS and TELPAS professional development sessions
Teachers are required to implement the ELPS and content area TEKS in instruction
District and campus administrators need working knowledge of ELPS and TELPAS
TELPAS familiarization training is
good for future raters
good way to reinforce use of PLDs all year long
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

47. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
2. Help support teacher use of TELPAS results and ELPS PLDs to monitor and maximize learning of English
Beginning of year:
Review ELLs’ past TELPAS results to see if making steady progress in learning English
TELPAS confidential campus student rosters include
2 years of test scores
how long student has been in U.S. schools
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

48. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
3. Help support LPAC use of TELPAS results and ELPS PLDs to monitor and maximize learning of English
LPAC meetings during school year:
Use previous spring’s TELPAS results and current year’s teacher input to
gauge progress in English proficiency
review and adjust linguistic accommodations used in instruction
plan for instructional interventions, if necessary
plan for linguistic accommodations during state assessment
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

49. Remember
When implemented effectively in instruction, linguistic accommodations
accelerate learning of academic content and English
reduce length of time and degree to which substantial linguistic accommodations needed
The ELPS, as measured by TELPAS, support better learning of the TEKS, as measured by TAKS and STAAR
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

50. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

51. Important…
STAAR linguistic accommodation policies should support but NOT narrow instructional linguistic accommodations.
Not all accommodations appropriate for instruction are allowable on assessments.
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

52. Upcoming ELL Assessment Training and Presentations
Annual ESC LPAC Assessment Training TETN
September 25, 2012
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Event #15581
Open to ESCs only
Texas Assessment Conference
November 27–30, 2012
ELL Assessment Update
TELPAS for Spring 2013: Tips for Success
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

53. Recommendations for Educator Review Committees
As part of test development process for the state assessments, TEA convenes committees of educators each year to review field-test items for state assessment programs
Committees assembled from database of recommended educators
Need recommendations for educators who have experience working with ELLs
Recommendation forms available at
ationEducatorCommittee.pdf
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update

54. TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update
Contact Information
Go to and click on ELL Assessments
Call the TEA Student Assessment Division at
(512)
us at
TEA Fall ELL Assessment Update