Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career - English Language Proficiency Standards

Oct 2, 2026

Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career define English language proficiency expectations for English learners (ELLs) across kindergarten through grade 12. The document distinguishes social and academic language proficiency and requires districts to implement English language proficiency standards as part of each subject’s required curriculum, aligned with TEKS. It specifies instruction that integrates second language acquisition with content-area learning, provides opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write, and uses proficiency level descriptors to guide teachers’ linguistically accommodated instruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

About the ELPS

English Language Proficiency Standards

(a) Introduction

(b) School district responsibilities

Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career ©2009 University of Texas System/Texas Education Agency About the ELPS This document is a slightly reformatted version of the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) rule text, which is available on the Texas Education Agency Web site, [http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074a.html\#74.4](http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074a.html#74.4) . This version of the ELPS has been designed for the Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career—English and Spanish Language Arts and Reading professional development series. The proficiency level descriptors are formatted like the charts found in the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS), rather than the lists found in section (d) of the ELPS rule text. The ELPS consist of the following sections: • (a) Introduction • (b) School district responsibilities • (c) Cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills • (d) Proficiency level descriptors* *Note: For ease of use, the proficiency-level descriptor charts included in the following pages are from TELPAS, an assessment used to determine a student’s level of English language proficiency in four domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Information about TELPAS can be found on the TEA Web site, http://www. [tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3300&menu_id3=793](tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3300&menu_id3=793) . Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career ©2009 University of Texas System/Texas Education Agency §74.4. English Language Proficiency Standards. (a) Introduction. (1) The English language proficiency standards in this section outline English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for English language learners (ELLs). School districts shall implement this section as an integral part of each subject in the required curriculum. The English language proficiency standards are to be published along with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each subject in the required curriculum. (2) In order for ELLs to be successful, they must acquire both social and academic language proficiency in English. Social language proficiency in English consists of the English needed for daily social interactions. Academic language proficiency consists of the English needed to think critically, understand and learn new concepts, process complex academic material, and interact and communicate in English academic settings. (3) Classroom instruction that effectively integrates second language acquisition with quality content area instruction ensures that ELLs acquire social and academic language proficiency in English, learn the knowledge and skills in the TEKS, and reach their full academic potential. (4) Effective instruction in second language acquisition involves giving ELLs opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current levels of English development while gradually increasing the linguistic complexity of the English they read and hear, and are expected to speak and write. (5) The cross-curricular second language acquisition skills in subsection (c) of this section apply to ELLs in Kindergarten-Grade 12. (6) The English language proficiency levels of beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high are not grade-specific. ELLs may exhibit different proficiency levels within the language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The proficiency level descriptors outlined in subsection (d) of this section show the progression of second language acquisition from one proficiency level to the next and serve as a road map to help content area teachers instruct ELLs commensurate with students’ linguistic needs. ELPS INTRODUCTION Standards for Ensuring Student Success From Kindergarten to College and Career ©2009 Un

FAQs

What is the purpose of the ELPS introduction for English learners?

It outlines English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for ELLs, requiring districts to implement the standards as an integral part of each subject in the required curriculum.

How do the standards define social vs. academic language proficiency in English?

Social language proficiency supports daily interactions, while academic language proficiency supports critical thinking, understanding and learning new concepts, processing complex materials, and communicating in academic settings.

What responsibilities do school districts have under the ELPS?

Districts must identify ELL proficiency levels across listening, speaking, reading, and writing, provide linguistically accommodated instruction aligned to TEKS, include cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills, and offer intensive foundational instruction for qualifying ELLs in Grade 3 or higher.

Oct 2, 2026

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