Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 36

34 Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) Public school districts are federally required to assess En- glish language proficiency among ELLs, and Texas public schools utilize the Texas English Language Proficiency As - sessment System (TELPAS). ELLs in grades K-12 are as- sessed with TELPAS in four language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and it is aligned with the En - glish Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), which is the state curriculum (Texas Education Agency, 2011a). Scores were composed of four individual proficiency ratings of be - ginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high, and students received a composite language proficiency score (Texas Education Agency, 2011a). Mathematics Performance Although there is a system in place to measure and hold school districts accountable for student performance, chil- dren who are ELLs are at risk for difficulties in learning mathematical skills (Shaftel, Belton-Kocher, Glasnapp, & Poggio, 2006). According to the Texas STAAR data, first and second year of monitoring limited English proficient stu - dents are outperforming English proficient students in the North Texas ISD in the study on state mathematics assess- ments. Freeman and Crawford (2009) stated that limited English proficient students or English Language Learners are underperforming on state and federal mathematics as- sessments. Their data was tied to ethnicity results and not specific LEP results. Nationally, 82% of Hispanic fourth grade students and 88% of Hispanic eighth grade students are below proficient level in mathematics assessments (Free - man and Crawford, 2009). English Language Learners The identification process for English Language Learners begins when a student is first enrolled in a school district. When the student enrolls in a public school, the parent or guardian fills out a Home Language Survey (HLS). In most states, the HLS is used to identify students who need addi - tional English language support (Bailey andKelly, 2012). The state of Texas requires school districts to administer a home language survey to determine the language classification of a student. Once the language classification is established, it will determine whether the school district is required to pro - vide a bilingual education or English as a Second Language program (Texas Education Agency, 2013b). In Texas, a student may exit a bilingual education or En- glish as a Second Language program if they are classified as English proficient at the end of the academic school year. After the student has exited from a bilingual education pro- gram or an ESL program, the language proficiency assess - ment committee (LPAC) will monitor the student’s academ - ic progress for two years (Texas Education Agency, 2013b). Mathematics Performance Although there is a system in place to measure and hold school districts accountable for student performance, chil- dren who are ELLs are at risk for difficulties in learning mathematical skills (Shaftel, Belton-Kocher, Glasnapp, & Poggio, 2006). According to the Texas STAAR data, first and second year of monitoring limited English proficient stu - dents are outperforming English proficient students in the North Texas ISD in the study on state mathematics assess- ments. Freeman and Crawford (2009) stated that limited English proficient students or English Language Learners are underperforming on state and federal mathematics as- sessments. Their data was tied to ethnicity results and not specific LEP results. Nationally, 82% of Hispanic fourth grade students and 88% of Hispanic eighth grade students are below proficient level in mathematics assessments (Free - man and Crawford, 2009). English Language Learners and Mathematics A student’s ability to comprehend the language of instruc- tion dictates how successful he or she will be in school (Alt, Arizmendi, and Beal, 2014). English Language Learners have deficiencies in speaking, reading, writing, and listening in English, but they are enrolled in classes of English only in- struction (Rojas and Iglesias, 2013). Since English Language Learners have deficiencies in the English language, their “language proficiency can affect academic performance, par - ticularly mathematics achievement” (Alt et al., 2014, p. 220). Their language proficiency puts them at a disadvantage com - pared to non-English Language Learners (Alt et al., 2014). Nathan S. Frymark, Ed.D.