Assessing ELLs for English Language Proficiency

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Assessing ELLs for English Language Proficiency
Texas Assessment Conference, December 2006
Georgina González, Director, Bilingual/ESL
Unit Curriculum Division Texas Education Agency
Laura Ayala Director, ELL Assessment Student
Assessment Division Texas Education Agency
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TOPICS

• Overview of State ELP Assessments
• TELPAS Results
• TOP Test Administration Procedures
• RPTE II Field Testing in Spring 2007

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Overview of State English Language Proficiency
Assessments for ELLs TELPAS
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TELPAS

• TOP and RPTE form TELPAS the Texas English
  Language Proficiency Assessment System.
• TOP assesses students in K-12 in four English
  language proficiency domains
• listening, speaking, reading (K-2 only), writing
• RPTE assesses students in Grades 3-12 in the
  domain of reading.

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TELPAS
K12
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Teaching ELLs to listen, speak, read, and write
at grade-appropriate levels is the shared
responsibility of all who teach them. Listening,
speaking, reading, and writing skills are needed
in all subject-area learning.
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(No Transcript)
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Language Proficiency, Academic English Language
Proficiency, and Academic Achievement
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Key Features of Proficiency Levels

• Beginning Little or no ability to function in
  English in social and academic settings
• Intermediate Limited ability to function in
  English in social and academic settings can
  understand and use simple language structures and
  high-frequency English in routine contexts
• Advanced Can handle grade-appropriate English,
  although ongoing linguistic support is needed
• Advanced high Can handle grade-appropriate
  English with minimal linguistic support limited
  English does not stand in the way of academic
  achievement

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TELPAS Results
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Language Domain Weights in TELPAS Composite
Ratings
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About ELLs in Texas, Spring 2005

• In spring 2005, approximately 600,000 ELLs were
  assessed with TELPAS.
• In Grades 212, over 30,000 1st year immigrants
  were reported.
• In Grades 312, about half of the 1st year
  immigrants were rated as beginners in TELPAS.

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About ELLs in Texas, Spring 2005

• In Grades 312, over 130,000 ELLs were reported
  as enrolled for 5 or more years.
• Close to 60,000 ELLs enrolled for 3, 4, or 5 or
  more years were still at the beginning or
  intermediate levels of English language
  proficiency.

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TELPAS and AMAOs

• TELPAS is used in AMAO federal accountability
  measures for ELLs. Under NCLB, states must show
  annual increases in the progress ELLs make in
  learning English and in attaining English
  language proficiency.
• Our progress goal is to evaluate the percent of
  ELLs making at least one proficiency level of
  progress a year.
• Our attainment goal is to evaluate the percent of
  ELLs reaching the Advanced High proficiency level.

AMAOs are Annual Measurable Achievement
Objectives.
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Percent Progressing (AMAO 1) and Attaining (AMAO
2) to Meet AMAO Standards Grades K-2
Progress and attainment standards for 2006-2007
school year should be considered tentative until
official dissemination by TEA.
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Percent Progressing (AMAO 1) and Attaining (AMAO
2) to Meet AMAO Standards Grades 3-12
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AMAO 3 LEP AYP

• AMAO 3 whether district meets AYP for LEP
  student group for reading and mathematics.
• AYP standards for spring 2007 testing
• Reading 60
• Math 50
• Goal AMAOs 1 and 2 should support meeting AMAO
  3.
• Meeting AMAOs means meeting all AMAO indicators.

For AYP purposes the LEP group includes current
and monitored students.
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Gr K-1 TOP Results, Spring 2006

• Results of 2005 and 2006 were similar in each
  language domain
• Composite proficiency ratings for 2005 and 2006
  were generally similar

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Gr 2-12 TOP Results, Spring 2006

• In each language domain, significantly fewer
  students at Beginning than in 2005
• In each language domain, significantly more
  students at Advanced High than in 2005
• Generally similar composite proficiency ratings
  for 2005 and 2006

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Grade 2 TELPAS WRITING Proficiency Ratings
Spring 2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 5 TELPAS WRITING Proficiency RatingsSpring
2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 8 TELPAS WRITING Proficiency Ratings
Spring 2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 11 TELPAS WRITING Proficiency Ratings
Spring 2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 3 TELPAS RPTE Proficiency Ratings Spring
2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 5 TELPAS RPTE Proficiency Ratings Spring
2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 8 TELPAS RPTE Proficiency Ratings Spring
2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Grade 11 TELPAS RPTE Proficiency Ratings Spring
2005 and Spring 2006
B Beginning I Intermediate A Advanced
H Advanced High
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Spring 2007 TOP Administration Highlights
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TOP Training Qualification Rates

• Spring 2006 49,444 out of 53,901 individuals,
  or 92, completed the qualification component of
  TOP training successfully.
• Fall 2006 16,706 out of 17,940 individuals, or
  93, completed the qualification component of TOP
  training successfully.

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Spring Holistic Rating Training

• Face-to-face training for newly assigned raters
• Supplemental training of this falls trainees who
  did not successfully qualify
• 3 online refresher training courses on the
  holistic rating process
• Spring online qualification round

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TOP Online Training

• Assembling and Verifying Writing Collections (now
  open)
• Grades 2-12 Level 1 Refresher Training (now
  open)
• Grades 2-12 Level 2 Refresher Training (opens
  Jan. 29)
• K-1 Refresher Training (opens Jan. 29)
• Spring Online Qualification(opens Jan. 29)

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Users Guide for Online Course Participants

• An e-mail about this users guide and other TOP
  training information has been sent to all
  district testing coordinators. The users guide
  is available online at
• http//k12testing.tx.ncspearson.com/tx_dist_guide
  s.htm
• TOP TrainingCenter website is up and running at
• http//pearson.learn.com/TOP/
• The users guide for TOP online training
  administrators is scheduled to be available by
  December 15.

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New TOP Administration Procedures

• District coordinators are required to implement
  one or more procedures for ensuring the validity
  and reliability of TOP ratings.
• The procedures may be district-wide or may vary
  by campus.
• Campus coordinators will document the procedures
  followed and keep the documentation for one year.

For more information see pages 317-318 and 366 of
the 2007 District and Campus Coordinator Manual.
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New TOP Administration Procedures

• Procedures for assembling and verifying the
  contents of TOP writing collections need emphasis
  in TOP administration training.
• Note that fall 2006 training did not include this
  component.

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New TOP Administration Procedures

• Paraprofessionals will not be authorized by TEA
  to perform the verifiers checks in the TOP
  writing collection assembly process.
• A checklist has been added to the 2007 TOP Rater
  Manual to help raters and verifiers ensure the
  correctly assembly of the writing collections.
• Incident reports will be required to address
  procedural errors associated with TOP
  administration procedures.

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RPTE II
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How Will RPTE II Differ?

• Title III of NCLB requires English language
  proficiency tests to emphasize the ability to
  read, write, listen, and speak in core content
  areas (math, science, social studies, etc.).
• So more of the reading assessed on RPTE II will
  be directly aligned to the reading that ELLs do
  in these content areas.
• A Grade 2 RPTE test will be added.
• RPTE II is planned to be an online assessment.

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RPTE II Transition Planned Events

• Spring 2007 Last administration of RPTE I and a
  separate online RPTE II field test of
  approximately 1/3 of the states ELLs (Grades
  2-12)
• Spring 2008 Implementation of RPTE II (paper
  format), with a separate online field test of
  approximately 2/3 of the states ELLs
• Spring 2009RPTE II is given exclusively online

Online in 2009!
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Spring 2007 RPTE II Field Testing
December2006

• Both paper and online field testing will occur
  this spring during the TELPAS administration
  window.
• Paper field testing will occur much the same way
  as last year (embedded items in Grades 312 RPTE
  test booklets separate Grade 2 field-test
  booklet).

See page 310 of 2007 District and Campus
Coordinator Manual.
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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Spring 2007 RPTE II Field Testing
December2006

• The paper booklets will be configured as they
  were last year to enable RPTE I to be
  administered and field-test data on RPTE II to be
  collected.
• The RPTE answer documents will match the
  configuration of the test booklets.

Page 310
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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Spring 2007 RPTE II Field Testing
December2006

• A mandatory, separate online field test will
  occur for Grades 212. Statewide, about 1/3 of
  the LEP students in these grades have been
  selected to participate.
• The selected students in Grades 312 will take
  their RPTE test on paper AND also the online
  field test.

Page 310
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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Spring 2007 RPTE II Field Testing
December2006

• For Grade 2, LEP students not selected for the
  online field test are selected for the paper
  Grade 2 field test.
• Grade 2 students will not take both a paper and
  online field test, but all second grade ELLs will
  take EITHER a paper OR online field test.

Page 310
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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RPTE II Online Field Testing
December2006

• Students who will not take the online field test
• ARD-exempt LEP students served by special
  education
• 2nd semester immigrant students deemed by
  the LPAC to read virtually no English
• visually impaired students served by special
  education or under Section 504 who need a
  braille or large-print test (These are not
  available for field tests.)

S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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RPTE II Field Testing, Grade 2
December2006

• The fact that there is a statewide Grade 2 field
  test does not mean second graders will not be
  assessed in TOP reading.
• Second graders will be rated for TOP in all
  domains, as in the past. The rating of TOP
  reading will be discontinued when RPTE II is
  implemented in spring 2008.

Page 310
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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RPTE II Field Testing, Grade 2
December2006

• Grade 2 paper booklets will be shipped regardless
  of whether the paper or online version of the
  Grade 2 field test is being administered.
• In both cases, the student identification
  information, TOP score code, and TOP rating
  information must be filled in on the cover of the
  paper booklet.

Page 310
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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Online Field Test Administration Materials
December2006
Administration materials for the RPTE II online
field test will be posted at http//etestTX.com.
S T U D E N T A S S E S S M E N T D I V I S I
O N ? T E X A S E D U C A T I O N A G E N
C Y
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Complete ESC Training PowerPoint

• For the complete set of ELL assessment (and
  other) PowerPoint slides, go to
  www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment.
• Click on ESC Training December 2006 in the
  Whats New box.

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Other ELL Assessment Information

• Go to the TEA Student Assessment web site at
  www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment. Click on
  ELL Assessment Information in the green
  vertical menu bar.
• Or go to
• http//www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/
  admin/rpte/index.html

ELL assessment e-mail address
ELL.tests._at_tea.state.tx.us