TELPAS stands for the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System, which is an assessment program for students in Texas public schools who are learning the English language. The program is designed to assess the progress that emergent bilingual (EB) students make in learning the English language. TELPAS fulfills ESSA requirements for assessing EB students in kindergarten through grade 12 in four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

In grades K-1, TELPAS includes holistically-rated listening, speaking, reading, and writing assessments based on ongoing classroom observations and student interactions. For each language area assessed, teachers use specific language proficiency guidelines to determine whether a student is at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of learning English. In grades 2-12, TELPAS includes online tests for listening and speaking, reading, and writing.

TELPAS tests are given in the spring, and every student who participates in TELPAS receives a report card with their test results. TELPAS uses four proficiency ratings —Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced, and Advanced High —to show the progress students make in learning English from year to year. The goal of TELPAS is to show growth, meaning that students are expected to progress from one proficiency level to the next.

TELPAS is an important tool for assessing the progress of English learners in Texas public schools. It provides valuable information to teachers, parents, and administrators about the language proficiency of students and helps to ensure that students are making steady progress in learning English.