Examining the Relationship Between TELPAS Reading and TAKS Reading for Students With Limited English Proficiency

In the performance-driven culture of education today, though arguments regarding the definition of student success abound, few argue its importance. This issue is complicated with an additional dimension for those who are learning English as a second language. For those students who lack proficiency in the English language, academic content must be learned concurrently with the acquisition of the English language. The issue of language acquisition became part of the national education dialogue with the Supreme Court Decision Lau v. Nichols in 1974. It has continued to be a serious issue throughout the country and particularly in the southeast region of Texas. This article will examine how English-language learners (ELLs) are assessed. Specifically, it will focus on the relationship between the standardized academic exam administered to almost all students in Texas and the language acquisition exam for reading administered to almost all ELL students in the state. Furthermore, this article will examine the results of a regression analysis performed to determine the predictive value of using raw scores on the reading test for ELLs to predict raw scores on the standardized academic exam taken by those students at Grades 3, 5 and 8 in the same academic year.