ELPS–TELPAS Proficiency Level Descriptors
Grades K–12 Speaking
BEGINNING INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED ADVANCED HIGH
(A) Beginning ELLs have little or no (B) Intermediate ELLs have the ability to (C) Advanced ELLs have the ability to (D) Advanced high ELLs have the
ability to speak English in speak in a simple manner using speak using grade-appropriate ability to speak using grade-
academic and social settings. English commonly heard in routine English, with second language appropriate English, with
academic and social settings. acquisition support, in academic and minimal second language
social settings. acquisition support, in academic
and social settings.
These students: These students: These students: These students:
(i) mainly speak using single words (i) are able to express simple, original (i) are able to participate comfortably in (i) are able to participate in extended
and short phrases consisting of messages, speak using sentences, and most conversations and academic discussions on a variety of social
recently practiced, memorized, or participate in short conversations and discussions on familiar topics, with and grade-appropriate academic
highly familiar material to get classroom interactions; may hesitate some pauses to restate, repeat, or topics with only occasional
immediate needs met; may be frequently and for long periods to think search for words and phrases to clarify disruptions, hesitations, or pauses
hesitant to speak and often give up about how to communicate desired meaning
in their attempts to communicate meaning (ii) communicate effectively using
(ii) discuss familiar academic topics using abstract and content-based
(ii) speak using a very limited bank of (ii) speak simply using basic vocabulary content-based terms and common vocabulary during classroom
high-frequency, high-need, needed in everyday social interactions abstract vocabulary; can usually speak instructional tasks, with some
concrete vocabulary, including key and routine academic contexts; rarely in some detail on familiar topics exceptions when low-frequency or
words and expressions needed for have vocabulary to speak in detail academically demanding
basic communication in academic (iii) have a grasp of basic grammar features, vocabulary is needed; use many of
and social contexts (iii) exhibit an emerging awareness of including a basic ability to narrate and the same idioms and colloquialisms
English grammar and speak using describe in present, past, and future as their native English-speaking
(iii) lack the knowledge of English mostly simple sentence structures and tenses; have an emerging ability to use peers
grammar necessary to connect simple tenses; are most comfortable complex sentences and complex
ideas and speak in sentences; can speaking in present tense grammar features (iii) can use English grammar
sometimes produce sentences structures and complex sentences
using recently practiced, (iv) exhibit second language acquisition (iv) make errors that interfere somewhat to narrate and describe at a level
memorized, or highly familiar errors that may hinder overall with communication when using nearly comparable to native
material communication when trying to use complex grammar structures, long English-speaking peers
complex or less familiar English sentences, and less familiar words and
(iv) exhibit second language acquisition expressions (iv) make few second language
errors that may hinder overall (v) use pronunciation that can usually be acquisition errors that interfere
communication, particularly when understood by people accustomed to (v) may mispronounce words, but use with overall communication
trying to convey information interacting with ELLs pronunciation that can usually be
beyond memorized, practiced, or understood by people not accustomed (v) may mispronounce words, but
highly familiar material to interacting with ELLs rarely use pronunciation that
interferes with overall
(v) typically use pronunciation that communication
significantly inhibits
communication
