In response to the federal testing requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Texas Education Agency developed an assessment system called TELPAS. This system consists of reading tests and holistically rated assessments of listening, speaking, reading (for K-1 students), and writing. TELPAS is designed to assess the progress that limited English proficient (LEP) students make in learning the English language.

Under NCLB, states’ English language proficiency assessments must assess students annually in kindergarten through twelfth grade in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. TELPAS assesses the following language domains.

•  Grades K–1 listening, speaking, reading, writing
•  Grades 2–12 listening, speaking, writing, reading

The domain of reading and writing in Grades 2–12 is assessed through an online multiple-choice test. Together, the reading and writing test and the holistically rated listening and speaking assessments provide performance data used to fulfill state and federal reporting requirements. TELPAS reports student performance in terms of four English language proficiency levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.

TELPAS is administered to all eligible LEP students, including LEP students who do not participate in a bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) program because of parental denial.

The TELPAS Alternate assessment meets the federal requirement mandated under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which requires states to administer an alternate English language proficiency assessment for EB students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in the general ELP assessment, even with allowable accommodations.