Category: English Learners

TELPAS testing window: Texas students wearing headsets take the online listening and speaking test
The TELPAS testing window 2027 runs February 15 to March 26. Every results date, the TEA manuals, accommodations and what districts plan before the window.
TELPAS proficiency level descriptors: a Texas student explains her answer aloud to a classmate beside a five-level chart
The TELPAS proficiency level descriptors (PLDs) by domain: which PLD document applies in 2026-2027, the four TELPAS levels and the five new ELPS levels.
OELPA practice test: two Ohio students practice on a laptop, one answering aloud into a headset microphone
The OELPA practice test: where Ohio posts it, how the four domain tests work, the February 1 to March 26, 2027 window, and the 4-or-5 exit rule.
AZELLA testing window: an Arizona kindergartner answers a teacher's questions during a one-on-one language check
The AZELLA testing window 2027: Spring Reassessment February 1 to March 19, Placement from July 20, the placement flow chart, required trainings and the DTC checklist.
A teacher working one to one with a teenage student with interrupted formal education using a picture book
SLIFE explained: what limited or interrupted formal education means, how SIFE differs, how New York identifies these students, and why they are not simply newcomers.
Middle school English learners using tablet apps for speaking practice while their teacher guides them
Apps for English language learners, sorted by what they do: vocabulary, reading, translation, and speaking practice. What works in a K-12 programme and what does not.
Supporting newcomer students in a welcoming school
A practical guide to supporting newcomer students: the first weeks, language and content strategies, social-emotional support, and family engagement.
SIFE students working with a teacher
SIFE students (students with interrupted formal education) need distinct support. Who they are, how to identify them, and the instructional approaches that work.
Science of reading for English learners
How the science of reading applies to English Learners: what the research says, what transfers, what must be adapted, and why oral language is the missing piece.
Oral language development for English learners
Oral language development is the foundation of reading and academic success for English Learners. What it is, why it matters, and how districts can build it at scale.