texas english language proficiency assessment system …...els advanced in grade level up to 8th...

Mishan Jensen, Ph.D.

October, 2018

Publication 17.44

Texas English Language Proficiency

Assessment System (TELPAS)

Spring 2018 Results

Austin Independent School District

Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to provide information on the results of the Texas English

Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) Spring 2018 administration in the

Austin Independent School District (AISD). This document summarizes the results for

grade levels, language programs, and years in U.S. schools.

TELPAS is a state-required assessment of English language proficiency, administered to

English learners (ELs) in kindergarten through 12th grade. TELPAS assesses ELs in four

domains: listening, speaking, writing, and reading. A proficiency rating is provided for

each domain in one of four levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced

high. Additionally, a composite rating is provided in one of four levels: beginning,

intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.

TELPAS went through some major changes for the Spring 2018 administration. The

reading portion of the assessment was dramatically shortened, and the listening and

speaking portions were changed to item-based standardized assessments. These

changes required new standards, or cut scores, to be set. In addition, for the first time,

students with admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee exemptions for one or

two of the domains received composite ratings. Furthermore, the weighting for each

domain in the calculation of the composite rating was changed to equal weights for

each domain. All of these changes resulted in an assessment that is not comparable to

the assessment administered in the spring of 2017. Due to this incomparability, the

yearly progress measure was not provided this year.

These changes had an impact on the distribution of composite ratings for all grade

levels. The percentage of ELs attaining advanced high was substantially lower than in

the previous year. From 3rd grade through 8th grade, more than half of the ELs at each

grade level received composite ratings of advanced or advanced high. ELs in 5th, 6th, 8th,

and 12th grades had the highest percentages of attaining advanced or advanced high

composite ratings. These changes in the distribution of the composite ratings were due

to the change in the weighting of the domains and the changes to the listening and

speaking tests. Listening and speaking were previously holistically rated and each

domain only accounted for 10% of the composite rating. The speaking test appears to

have had the biggest impact on the composite ratings. Across all grade levels, the

percentages of ELs attaining advanced high on the speaking test were much lower than

those of the other three domains. When this test was equally weighted with the other

three domains, the resulting composite ratings decreased. This decrease in the percent-

age of ELs in grades 3 through 12 attaining advanced high on the speaking domain test

was seen statewide, a decrease of 43 percentage points from 2017 to 2018. Additionally,

although not as dramatic, the percentage of ELs attaining advanced high on the listen-

ing domain test, in grades 3 through 12, decreased by 29 percentage points between

2017 and 2018. These decreases on the speaking and listening domain tests resulted in

a 15 percentage point decrease in the composite ratings for ELs achieving advanced

high statewide.

Greater percentages of ELs at low-poverty campuses than at high-poverty campuses

had advanced or advanced high TELPAS composite ratings; however, at the secondary

level, the number of ELs at low-poverty campuses was very small. At elementary schools, lower percentages of

Spanish-speaking ELs than of ELs speaking other languages attained advanced or advanced high TELPAS

composite ratings. However, this trend was reversed at the middle school level and the difference was negligible

at the high school level.

For all programs, the percentages of ELs with advanced or advanced high ratings progressively increased as the

ELs advanced in grade level up to 8th grade, and 71% to 83% of students reached advanced or advanced high

proficiency in English by 5th grade.

The goal is for ELs to attain advanced high after 5 years in a BE or ESL program, which is reflected in the per-

centages of elementary ELs attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings increasing as the years in

U.S. schools increases. At the elementary level, the highest percentage of ELs attaining advanced or advanced

high were students who had been in U.S. schools for 5 years. At the secondary level, the percentages of ELs

attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings were higher the longer the students had been in U.S.

schools.

4

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 2

List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ 4

List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Background ............................................................................................................................................ 5

TELPAS Composite Ratings .................................................................................................................... 5

Performance on TELPAS ........................................................................................................................ 5

Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 12

Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 12

Appendix.............................................................................................................................................. 13

List of Figures

Figure 1 Spring 2018 TELPAS Composite Ratings, by Grade Level .......................................................... 6

Figure 2 2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Listening Ratings, by Grade Level ....................................................... 7

Figure 3 2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Speaking Ratings, by Grade Level ....................................................... 7

Figure 4 2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Writing Ratings, by Grade Level ......................................................... 8

Figure 5 2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Reading Ratings, by Grade Level ......................................................... 8

Figure 6 TELPAS Advanced/Advanced High Composite Ratings for AISD ELs, by Bilingual Education/

English as a Second Language Program, in Elementary Grades, Spring 2018 ........................................ 10

Figure 7 Percentage of AISD Elementary School Students’ TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High

Composite Ratings, by years in U.S. Schools ........................................................................................ 11

Figure 8 Percentage of AISD Middle School Students’ TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Com-

posite Ratings, by years in U.S. Schools ................................................................................................ 11

Figure 9 Percentage of AISD High School Students’ TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Compo-

site Ratings, by years in U.S. Schools .................................................................................................... 12

List of Tables

Table 1 ELs’ Performance on 2018 TELPAS, by Campus Socioeconomic Status and School Level ........... 9

Table 2 ELs’ Performance on 2018 TELPAS, by Home Language and School Level ................................. 9

5

Background

The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) is the annual state-

required assessment for English learners (ELs). TELPAS assesses English acquisition and

proficiency for kindergarten through grade 12 in four domains: listening, speaking,

reading, and writing. TELPAS is directly aligned with the Texas English Language Profi-

ciency Standards (ELPS). Additionally, the ELPS are directly aligned with the Texas Essen-

tial Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), the state-required curriculum. In kindergarten through

grade 1, all four domains are holistically rated based on classroom observations and

student-teacher interactions. In grades 2 through 12, reading, listening, and speaking are

standardized online assessments. The writing for grades 2 through 12 is holistically rated

based on writing collections completed by the student within the collection window,

which was February 12th through April 6th, for the 2018 administration.

After the 2016–2017 school year, the blueprint for the reading test domain was dramati-

cally shortened. Additionally, the 2017–2018 school year was the first year of administra-

tion for the standardized listening and speaking domains, which were previously holisti-

cally rated. These changes required new standards to be set through the standard setting

process. This process established cut scores that define the performance levels, or English

language proficiency, for the shortened reading and for the standardized listening and

speaking domains. Additionally, these major changes in the assessment resulted in the

assessment not being comparable to last year’s assessment; therefore, yearly progress was

not reported. Students’ English proficiency in each one of the four domains is classified

into one of four performance levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced

high. For more information on TELPAS, see https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ell/

telpas/.

TELPAS Composite Rating

Before the 2017–2018 school year administration, an EL had to have been assessed in all

four domains to receive a composite rating. The 2018 administration allowed for a compo-

site rating to be calculated if the student was assessed in at least two domains and had

admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee exemptions from taking the other

domains. This change offered the opportunity to assess students who previously would

not have received a composite rating. In addition, this required changes to the calculation

of the composite rating.

Previously, the composite rating was only provided if all four domains had been completed

and was determined by weighting the four domains as follows: 10% listening, 10% speak-

ing, 50% reading, and 30% writing. This year, the composite rating, when all four domains

are completed, is determined by weighting the four domains as follows: 25% listening,

25% speaking, 25% reading, and 25% writing (see sidebar for calculation of the composite

rating when one or two of the domains are not completed). There are four composite

proficiency levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.

Performance on TELPAS

Examining 2018 TELPAS composite ratings by grade level (Figure 1), the percentages of

students with advanced or advanced high ratings tended to be higher at upper elementary

than at lower elementary grades, which is consistent with gradual language acquisition of

ELs as they matriculate through school. From 3rd grade through 8th grade, more than half

Previous administrations re-quired assessment in all four domains for a composite rating to be provided. Allowing for assessment of students who were exempt from completing one or two domains to receive a composite rating required changes to the calculation of the composite rating.

There are four composite profi-ciency ratings a student can re-ceive: beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.

To achieve the advanced high composite proficiency rating, a student must receive

a composite score greater than or equal to 3.5 or

a minimum proficiency level 3 (advanced) in all four do-mains.

To achieve the advanced compo-site proficiency rating, a student must receive


a minimum proficiency level 2 (intermediate) in all do-mains or

a minimum proficiency level 3 (advanced) in at least half of the domains assessed.

To achieve the intermediate composite proficiency rating, a student must receive


a minimum proficiency level 2 (intermediate) in at least half of the domains as-sessed.

This information was received via personal communication with the Texas Education Agency (TEA). For more information, contact the Student Assessment Division at TEA.

Changes to the TELPAS Composite Rating

6

of ELs at each grade level received composite TELPAS ratings of advanced or advanced high. At grades 5, 8, and 12, the

highest percentages of ELs attained advanced high ratings (Figure 1). These results are consistent with last year’s

results. Many ELs are reclassified as English proficient (EP) by 5th grade because they are determined by their campus

committee to have met the TEA criteria. In the middle school grades (6 through 8) and beginning of high school (grades

9 and 10), the percentages of ELs attaining advanced or advanced high ratings were not as high as for ELs in 5th grade,

but that may be due to the enrollment of some ELs in U.S. schools for the first time. Lastly, in 11th and 12th grade, the

majority of ELs received advanced or advanced high TELPAS composite ratings.

Overall, the percentage of ELs attaining intermediate and advanced composite ratings increased substantially com-

pared with the percentages seen in the 2017 results. Additionally, the percentage of 9th-grade ELs receiving a beginning

composite rating decreased by more than half, whereas the percentage receiving an intermediate rating almost doubled

(Figure 1). In Appendix A, Figure A1 shows the 2017 overall TELPAS composite ratings for all ELs tested in AISD at

each grade level. Figure A2 in Appendix A shows the 2018 overall TELPAS composite ratings for all ELs in AISD at each

grade level. The impact on the overall TELPAS composite rating from the change to the domain weights can be seen at

all grade levels.

The changes seen in the distribution of the composite ratings is likely due to the change in the weighting of the four

domains to equal weighting, and the change from holistically rating the listening and speaking domains to an item-

based standardized test. Figures 2 through 5 show the distribution of ratings for listening, speaking, writing, and

reading, respectively. The distribution of ratings for listening exhibits a similar pattern to the overall composite rat-

ings, with a somewhat smaller percentage of ELs attaining an advanced rating, compared with the composite rating

percentages (Figure 2). Examination of the distribution of ratings for speaking reveals a very different pattern than that

of the composite ratings, with low percentages of ELs receiving advanced high ratings and much larger percentages

receiving intermediate and beginning ratings, compared with the composite (Figure 3). The writing portion of TELPAS

remained the same as in previous years, when it was holistically rated, although it is now equally weighted with the

Source. AISD student TELPAS 2018 records

46%

19%

7%

3%

5%

4%

4%

6%

4%

9%

8%

3%

2%

37%

44%

55%

40%

36%

25%

30%

35%

31%

48%

48%

38%

32%

11%

24%

32%

43%

44%

48%

52%

46%

50%

36%

35%

46%

50%

6%

13%

6%

14%

15%

23%

14%

13%

15%

7%

9%

12%

17%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

Beginning Intermediate Advanced Advanced high

n = 2,224

n = 2,210

n = 2,188

n = 2,233

n = 2,166

n = 2,093

n = 1,371

n = 1,147

n = 1,041

n = 1,031

n = 855

n = 553

n = 431

Figure 1. Spring 2018 TELPAS Composite Ratings, by Grade Level

7

other domains. A large percentage of ELs attained advanced high in writing (Figure 4). The reading portion of TELPAS

was dramatically shortened, and new cut scores were created for the 2018 administration. Figure 5 shows the distribu-

tion of ratings for the reading domain. The distribution for the reading domain ratings was similar to that of the listen-

ing domain, with slightly lower percentages of students attaining advanced or advanced high.

35%

10%

8%

4%

12%

8%

7%

8%

7%

14%

15%

8%

6%

34%

34%

34%

19%

34%

34%

23%

26%

21%

35%

37%

31%

29%

20%

35%

37%

36%

37%

41%

40%

38%

36%

38%

34%

43%

44%

11%

22%

20%

41%

17%

27%

30%

29%

37%

12%

14%

18%

21%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,226

n = 2,210

n = 2,205

n = 2,258

n = 2,184

n = 2,104

n = 1,389

n = 1,167

n = 1,058

n = 1,092

n = 881

n = 559

n = 445


Figure 2.

2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Listening Ratings, by Grade Level


47%

21%

12%

7%

10%

11%

9%

12%

13%

35%

30%

22%

18%

30%

38%

60%

52%

44%

40%

53%

56%

49%

34%

33%

32%

28%

15%

24%

25%

34%

41%

44%

36%

30%

35%

28%

34%

40%

47%

9%

17%

4%

7%

6%

6%

3%

2%

4%

3%

3%

6%

8%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,224

n = 2,210

n = 2,204

n = 2,255

n = 2,182

n = 2,100

n = 1,389

n = 1,166

n = 1,058

n = 1,092

n = 881

n = 559

n = 445

Figure 3.

2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Speaking Ratings, by Grade Level

8


72%

46%

26%

15%

12%

8%

9%

10%

8%

14%

9%

3%

1%

16%

33%

42%

38%

28%

23%

22%

24%

19%

25%

31%

24%

14%

7%

12%

21%

30%

33%

36%

35%

37%

37%

35%

32%

43%

38%

6%

9%

11%

17%

27%

34%

34%

29%

37%

27%

28%

31%

47%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,224

n = 2,208

n = 2,186

n = 2,229

n = 2,159

n = 2,081

n = 1,371

n = 1,144

n = 1,044

n = 1,029

n = 854

n = 555

n = 432

Figure 4.

2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Writing Ratings, by Grade Level


71%

40%

26%

18%

10%

6%

13%

17%

11%

13%

18%

12%

8%

15%

32%

43%

35%

35%

24%

36%

35%

42%

43%

44%

38%

39%

8%

16%

21%

34%

31%

32%

31%

26%

28%

31%

28%

38%

39%

6%

12%

11%

23%

25%

38%

20%

22%

18%

13%

11%

13%

18%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,224

n = 2,208

n = 2,181

n = 2,221

n = 2,153

n = 2,076

n = 1,366

n = 1,139

n = 1,037

n = 1,022

n = 851

n = 552

n = 429

Figure 5.

2018 AISD ELs’ TELPAS Reading Ratings, by Grade Level

9

The 2018 administration of TELPAS allowed EL students who had ARD committee exemption from one or two domains

to receive a composite rating. Of the 19,401 EL students who received composite ratings, only 2% had ARD exemptions.

The majority of ELs with exemptions had exemptions from more than two of the domains and therefore did not receive

a composite rating. Of the four domains, reading had the most exemptions with 336, writing had 324, speaking had 261,

and listening had 250. Overall, 346 ELs had at least one ARD exemption, and of those, only 83 received a composite

rating. Of the 83 ELs who received a composite rating, three ELs attained advanced high, 14 attained advanced, 36

attained intermediate, and 30 attained a beginning rating.

Table 1 compares the 2018 TELPAS performance of ELs in schools where 75% or more of students were economically

disadvantaged (from a high-poverty campus) with the performance of ELs in schools where 25% or fewer students were

economically disadvantaged (from a low-poverty campus). Economic disadvantage was determined by eligibility for free

or reduced-price meals, and consequently, the number of economically disadvantaged students on a campus was

directly related to parents’ willingness to request free or reduced-price meals assistance. At the secondary level, the

number of ELs at low-poverty campuses was very low, which could be inaccurately low due to parents’ not choosing to

request free or reduced-price meal assistance. The majority of ELs in AISD (88%) were eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch in 2017–2018. Results show that TELPAS performance tended to be higher at low-poverty schools than at high-

poverty schools. These results were similar to those found in 2017.

Table 2 compares TELPAS performance of ELs who speak Spanish at home with the performance of ELs who speak other

non-English languages. At the elementary level, a larger percentage of ELs who speak other languages achieved ad-

vanced or advanced high levels of English proficiency, such as Korean (85%), Mandarin (74%), and Vietnamese (73%),

compared with Spanish-speaking ELs, resulting in a 16 percentage point difference between ELs who speak another

language at home and those who speak Spanish; however, the number of ELs speaking these languages at home were

too small at the middle and high school level to make any meaningful comparisons. This effect seemed to reverse once

ELs reached middle school. At middle school, a larger percentage of Spanish-speaking ELs (15%) than of ELs who spoke

another language achieved advanced or advanced high levels on TELPAS. At high school, the difference was negligible

(2%). Fifty-one percent of ELs in middle school with a home language other than Spanish had 3 years or less in U.S.

schools, whereas only 12% of Spanish-speaking ELs had 3 years or less in U.S. schools.

TELPAS performance, by home language School level Home language % Advanced/ advanced high

Elementary schools Spanish 49% (n = 11,249) Other 65% (n = 1,454)

Middle schools Spanish 70% (n = 3,151) Other 65% (n = 275)

High schools Spanish 61% (n = 2,412) Other 59% (n = 310)

Table 2.

ELs’ Performance on 2018 TELPAS, by Home Language and School Level


TELPAS performance, by campus poverty level School level Campus socioeconomic characteristic % Advanced/ advanced high

Elementary schools Low-poverty (n = 575) 70% (n = 405) High-poverty (n = 9,882) 46% (n = 4,571)

Middle schools Low-poverty (n = 40) 93% (n = 37) High-poverty (n = 2,308) 64% (n = 1,480)

High schools Low-poverty (n = 38) 74% (n = 28) High-poverty (n = 1,375) 50% (n = 687)

Table 1.

ELs’ Performance on 2018 TELPAS, by Campus Socioeconomic Status and School Level

Source. AISD student TELPAS 2018 records Note. Low-poverty indicates schools where 25% or fewer students received free or reduced-price meals. High-poverty indicates schools where 75% or more students received free or reduced-price meals. All group comparisons are statis-tically significant, p < .001.

10

Figure 6 shows percentages of elementary ELs for each grade level and in each type of language program who had either

an advanced or advanced high composite TELPAS rating in 2018. For all programs, the percentages of students with

advanced or advanced high ratings progressively increased as the students advanced in grade level, and 71% to 83% of

students reached advanced or advanced high proficiency in English by 5th grade. The main difference between these

program outcomes was related to their goals: the dual language (DL) program has the intrinsic goal of maintaining or

developing the partner language, and consequently, students reach 5th grade with some proficiency in English and in

Spanish, Mandarin, or Vietnamese. The percentage of 5th-grade ELs attaining advanced high was similar in all programs,

between 22% to 27%. For the number of students tested, see Table B1 in Appendix B. ELs whose parents denied lan-

guage programs displayed a non-linear pattern; however, interpretation of this pattern should be done with caution, as

the number of students is very small (see Table B1 in Appendix B).

Evaluation of performance on TELPAS by the years in U.S. schools is another way to assess language acquisition. Figures

7 through 9 display the percentage of ELs attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings for each school level.

The percentages of elementary ELs attaining advanced or advanced high 2018 TELPAS composite ratings were higher

the longer students had been in U.S. schools (Figure 7). The highest percentage of elementary ELs attaining advanced or

advanced high composite ratings had been in U.S. schools for 5 years. The percentage of elementary ELs attaining

advanced or advanced high decreased by 11 percentage points for those who had been in U.S. schools for 6 or more

years compared, with ELs who had been in U.S. schools for 5 years. ELs who had the fewest years in U.S. schools had the

lowest percentage of attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings, likely due to many students entering

school for the first time as kindergartners. The percentages of middle school ELs attaining advanced or advanced high

composite ratings were higher the longer the students had been in U.S. schools, with the highest percentage for those

students who had been in U.S. schools for 6 or more years (Figure 8). Consistent with elementary school ELs, middle

school ELs newest to U.S. schools had the lowest percentages attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings;

however, when looking at home language, students whose language was not Spanish had higher percentages than did

19%

39%42%

62% 62%

74%

51%

69%

52%

69%66%

71%

34%

46%

60%67%

67%

76%

6%

27%

35%

58% 58%

71%

18%

47% 44%

65%65%

83%

63%

94%

46%

74%

58%

67%

AISD ELLs ESL Late exit 1-way DL 2-way DL

KG 1 2 3 4 5

Denials

KG 1 2 3 4 5 KG 1 2 3 4 5 KG 1 2 3 4 5 KG 1 2 3 4 5 KG 1 2 3 4 5

Source. AISD student TELPAS 2018 records Note. KG is kindergarten. Numbers tested for each grade level and BE/ESL program are included in Appendix B.

Figure 6.

TELPAS Advanced/Advanced High Composite Ratings for AISD ELs, by Bilingual Education/English as a Second Language Pro-

gram, in Elementary Grades, Spring 2018

11

Spanish-speaking ELs of attaining advanced or advanced high rating with 3 years or less in U.S. schools (see Appendix

D, Figures D1 and D2). The impact of these non–Spanish-speaking ELs’ performance on TELPAS is not reflected in the

overall performance of middle school ELs because they only represented 9% of the ELs in middle school. The same

pattern was seen with high school ELs: higher percentages of ELs attained advanced or advanced high composite ratings

the longer the students were in U.S. schools, 6 or more years (Figure 9). Those high school ELs newest to U.S. schools

had the lowest percentages of attaining advanced or advanced high composite ratings, consistent with the patterns seen

at elementary and middle school. ELs attaining advanced or advanced high in reading and writing followed the same

pattern as seen for the composite ratings (see Appendix C, Figures C1 through C6). Inconsistent patterns were seen in

the listening and speaking domains at the elementary level (Appendix C, Figures C7 through C12). Rather than in-

creased percentages of ELs attaining advanced or advanced high as years in U.S. schools increased, decreases were seen

at 4 years in U.S. schools for listening, and at 2 years in U.S. schools for speaking. Additionally, the percentages of ELs

attaining advanced or advanced high across school levels were lower for listening and speaking than for the other two

domains. This could be due to a number of factors, such as the change from a holistic to an item-based standardized test

or trouble with using the technology required for these two domains’ tests (i.e., microphones and recording devices).

Source. AISD TELPAS 2018 records

19

3641

6367

77

66

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Years in U.S. Schoolsn = 2,191 n = 2,331 n = 2,373 n = 2,165 n = 1,995 n = 1,780 n = 202

Figure 7. Percentage of AISD Elementary School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Composite Ratings by, Years in U.S.

Schools


0

1823

46

5561

77

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Years in U.S. Schools

n = 0 n = 146 n = 289 n = 158 n = 147 n = 123 n = 2,675

Figure 8. Percentage of AISD Middle School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Composite Ratings, by Years in U.S.

Schools

12

Conclusions

The changes to the 2018 TELPAS did have an impact on the distribution of composite ratings, as well as the distribu-

tion of domain ratings. The speaking domain appeared to have the largest influence on the composite ratings due to

the substantial decrease from 2017 seen in the percentage of students attaining an advanced high rating in this do-

main. The decrease in speaking ratings from 2017 to 2018 could have been due to the technological changes required

for a standardized test, such as microphones and the process of recording answers. Additionally, the reluctance of

middle and high school students to speak in front of their peers and instead clicking through the test could have been

a factor in the decrease in speaking ratings seen in 2018. This decrease in the percentage of ELs in grades 3 through 12

attaining advanced high on the speaking domain test was seen statewide, a decrease of 43 percentage points from 2017

to 2018. Additionally, although not as dramatic, the percentage of ELs attaining advanced high on the listening

domain test, in grades 3 through 12, decreased by 29 percentage points between 2017 and 2018. These decreases on

the speaking and listening domain tests resulted in a 15 percentage point decrease in the composite ratings for ELs

achieving advanced high statewide. For the statewide summary reports by year, see https://tea.texas.gov/

student.assessment/ell/telpas/rpt/sum/.

Although a decrease was seen from 2017 to 2018 in the percentage of ELs attaining advanced high composite ratings,

after 3rd grade, the majority of students attained advanced or advanced high. This finding is consistent with the prior

year’s results. Additionally, for all programs, the percentages of students with advanced or advanced high ratings

progressively increased as students advanced in grade level to grade 8, with 71% to 83% attaining advanced or ad-

vanced high proficiency in English by 5th grade.

Recommendations

The changes made to the 2018 TELPAS resulted in the inability to provide yearly progress. It is recommended that

AISD investigate other means of assessing progress made in English proficiency. It is also recommended that a com-

parison of current and future AISD TELPAS and statewide results be conducted to examine performance trends. Future

research should examine the TELPAS results relative to the STAAR/end-of-course (EOC) results.


0

1825

34

43

51

69

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 189 n = 322 n = 231 n = 207 n = 117 n = 1,760

Figure 9. Percentage of AISD High School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Composite Ratings, by Years in U.S.

Schools

https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ell/telpas/rpt/sum/

https://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ell/telpas/rpt/sum/

13

Appendix

Appendix A: TELPAS 2017 and 2018 Composite Ratings by Grade Level


46%

19%

7%

3%

5%

4%

4%

6%

4%

9%

8%

3%

2%

37%

44%

55%

40%

36%

25%

30%

35%

31%

48%

48%

38%

32%

11%

24%

32%

43%

44%

48%

52%

46%

50%

36%

35%

46%

50%

6%

13%

6%

14%

15%

23%

14%

13%

15%

7%

9%

12%

17%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,224

n = 2,210

n = 2,188

n = 2,233

n = 2,166

n = 2,093

n = 1,371

n = 1,147

n = 1,041

n = 1,031

n = 855

n = 553

n = 431

Figure A2. Spring 2018 TELPAS Composite Ratings, by Grade Level


70%

35%

19%

12%

8%

6%

9%

8%

7%

20%

10%

2%

1%

17%

36%

40%

30%

25%

15%

20%

19%

15%

20%

26%

17%

9%

7%

17%

27%

30%

39%

34%

40%

38%

40%

33%

40%

40%

38%

4%

11%

12%

25%

25%

42%

29%

32%

34%

19%

20%

36%

40%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

KG

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12


n = 2,359

n = 2,384

n = 2,439

n = 2,462

n = 2,370

n = 2,082

n = 1,435

n = 1,235

n = 1,077

n = 1,232

n = 758

n = 520

n = 420

Figure A1. Spring 2017 TELPAS Composite Ratings, by Grade Level

14

Appendix B: TELPAS 2018 Results for ELs, by BE/ESL Program, Grades 1 Through 5

Grade level Late-exit

number tested

One-way DL

number tested

Two-way DL

number tested

ESL

number tested

Denials

number tested

All ELLs

number tested

Kindergarten 138 1,329 281 424 19 2,191

Grade 1 167 1,376 272 388 16 2,219

Grade 2 239 1,350 202 398 26 2,215

Grade 3 406 1,185 283 366 23 2,263

Grade 4 503 1,052 260 358 24 2,197

Grade 5 499 1,030 217 343 24 2,113


Note. Total numbers tested may not add up to all ELs tested due to miscodes in the program designation.

Table B1. Elementary ELs’ TELPAS 2018 Numbers Tested, by Grade Level and BE/ESL Program

15

Appendix C: TELPAS 2018 Results for ELs, by Domain and School Level


14%

26%30%

48%

58%

72%

60%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Years in U.S. schools

n = 2,191 n = 2,364 n = 2,411 n = 2,195 n = 2,027 n = 1,807 n = 205

Figure C1. Percentage of AISD Elementary Students' TELPAS 2017 Advanced or Advanced High Reading Ratings,

by Years in U.S. Schools


0%

15%19%

30%

45%49%

54%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 161 n = 291 n = 165 n = 149 n = 130 n = 2,751

Figure C2. Percentage of AISD Middle School Students' TELPAS 2017 Advanced or Advanced High Reading Ratings,


0%

17% 19%

28% 31%

41%

53%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 219 n = 327 n = 239 n = 219 n = 126 n = 1,892


Figure C3. Percentage of AISD High School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Reading Ratings,


16



1219

30

48

62

73

63

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


Figure C4. Percentage of AISD Elementary Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Writing Ratings,



0

1723

46

5762

77

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Years in U.S. Schoolsn = 0 n = 148 n = 290 n = 158 n = 147 n = 123 n = 2,671

Figure C5. Percentage of AISD Middle School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Writing Ratings,



0

16

28

39

5357

78

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 189 n = 321 n = 233 n = 207 n = 116 n = 1,759

Figure C6. Percentage of AISD High School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Writing Ratings,


17



30

5155

78

60

70

58

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


Figure C7. Percentage of AISD Elementary Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Listening Ratings,



0

18

27

43

68 70

78

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+

Years in U.S. Schoolsn = 0 n = 161 n = 291 n = 165 n = 149 n = 129 n = 2,746

Figure C8. Percentage of AISD Middle School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Listening Ratings,



0

16 18

26

37

49

68

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 219 n = 328 n = 238 n = 218 n = 126 n = 1,886

Figure C9. Percentage of AISD High School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Listening Ratings,


18



23

36

29

41

4953

38

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


Figure C10. Percentage of AISD Elementary Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Speaking Ratings,



0

15 18

2731

3640

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 161 n = 291 n = 165 n = 149 n = 129 n = 2,745

Figure C11. Percentage of AISD Middle School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Speaking Ratings,



0

2429

36 37 39 41

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 219 n = 328 n = 238 n = 218 n = 126 n = 1,886

Figure C12. Percentage of AISD High School Students' TELPAS 2018 Advanced or Advanced High Speaking Ratings,


19

Appendix D: TELPAS 2018 Results for Middle School ELs, by Home Language


0

38 40

60

74 72

82

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 21 n = 75 n = 43 n = 31 n = 29 n = 76

Figure D1. Percentage of AISD Middle School ELs with Advanced or Advanced High Composite Ratings, by Years in U.S. Schools for ELs

Whose Home Language Is Other Than Spanish


0

15 15

38

48

59

72

0 1 2 3 4 5 6+


n = 0 n = 71 n = 205 n = 109 n = 110 n = 92 n = 2,564

Figure D2. Percentage of AISD Middle School ELs with Advanced or Advanced High Composite Ratings, by Years in U.S. Schools for ELs

Whose Home Language Is Spanish

20

AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Mishan Jensen, Ph.D.

Martha Doolittle, Ph.D.

April 2010

Publication ##.##

October, 2018

Publication 17.44

Department of Research and Evaluation 1111 West 6th Street, Suite D-350 | Austin, TX 78703-5338 512.414.1724 | fax: 512.414.1707 www.austinisd.org/dre | Twitter: @AISD_DRE

texas english language proficiency assessment system …...els advanced in grade level up to 8th...

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