Grade 1 ELA TEKS Standards

Cross-curricular second language acquisition/learning strategies.

use prior knowledge and experiences to understand meanings in English;

monitor oral and written language production and employ self-corrective techniques or other resources;

use strategic learning techniques such as concept mapping, drawing, memorizing, comparing, contrasting, and reviewing to acquire basic and grade-level vocabulary;

speak using learning strategies such as requesting assistance, employing non-verbal cues, and using synonyms and circumlocution (conveying ideas by defining or describing when exact English words are not known);

internalize new basic and academic language by using and reusing it in meaningful ways in speaking and writing activities that build concept and language attainment;

use accessible language and learn new and essential language in the process;

demonstrate an increasing ability to distinguish between formal and informal English and an increasing knowledge of when to use each one commensurate with grade-level learning expectations;

develop and expand repertoire of learning strategies such as reasoning inductively or deductively, looking for patterns in language, and analyzing sayings and expressions commensurate with grade-level learning expectations.

Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening.

distinguish sounds and intonation patterns of English with increasing ease;

recognize elements of the English sound system in newly acquired vocabulary such as long and short vowels, silent letters, and consonant clusters;

learn new language structures, expressions, and basic and academic vocabulary heard during classroom instruction and interactions;

monitor understanding of spoken language during classroom instruction and interactions and seek clarification as needed;

use visual, contextual, and linguistic support to enhance and confirm understanding of increasingly complex and elaborated spoken language;

listen to and derive meaning from a variety of media such as audio tape, video, DVD, and CD ROM to build and reinforce concept and language attainment;

understand the general meaning, main points, and important details of spoken language ranging from situations in which topics, language, and contexts are familiar to unfamiliar;

understand implicit ideas and information in increasingly complex spoken language commensurate with grade-level learning expectations;

demonstrate listening comprehension of increasingly complex spoken English by following directions, retelling or summarizing spoken messages, responding to questions and requests, collaborating with peers, and taking notes commensurate with content and grade-level needs.

Cross-curricular second language acquisition/speaking.

practice producing sounds of newly acquired vocabulary such as long and short vowels, silent letters, and consonant clusters to pronounce English words in a manner that is increasingly comprehensible;

expand and internalize initial English vocabulary by learning and using high-frequency English words necessary for identifying and describing people, places, and objects, by retelling simple stories and basic information represented or supported by pictures, and by learning and using routine language needed for classroom communication;

speak using a variety of grammatical structures, sentence lengths, sentence types, and connecting words with increasing accuracy and ease as more English is acquired;

speak using grade-level content area vocabulary in context to internalize new English words and build academic language proficiency;

share information in cooperative learning interactions;

ask and give information ranging from using a very limited bank of high-frequency, high-need, concrete vocabulary, including key words and expressions needed for basic communication in academic and social contexts, to using abstract and content-based vocabulary during extended speaking assignments;

express opinions, ideas, and feelings ranging from communicating single words and short phrases to participating in extended discussions on a variety of social and grade-appropriate academic topics;

narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail as more English is acquired;

adapt spoken language appropriately for formal and informal purposes;

respond orally to information presented in a wide variety of print, electronic, audio, and visual media to build and reinforce concept and language attainment.

Cross-curricular second language acquisition/reading.

learn relationships between sounds and letters of the English language and decode (sound out) words using a combination of skills such as recognizing sound-letter relationships and identifying cognates, affixes, roots, and base words;

recognize directionality of English reading such as left to right and top to bottom;

develop basic sight vocabulary, derive meaning of environmental print, and comprehend English vocabulary and language structures used routinely in written classroom materials;

use pre-reading supports such as graphic organizers, illustrations, and pretaught topic-related vocabulary and other prereading activities to enhance comprehension of written text;

read linguistically accommodated content area material with a decreasing need for linguistic accommodations as more English is learned;

use visual and contextual support and support from peers and teachers to read grade-appropriate content area text, enhance and confirm understanding, and develop vocabulary, grasp of language structures, and background knowledge needed to comprehend increasingly challenging language;

demonstrate comprehension of increasingly complex English by participating in shared reading, retelling or summarizing material, responding to questions, and taking notes commensurate with content area and grade level needs;

read silently with increasing ease and comprehension for longer periods;

demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing basic reading skills such as demonstrating understanding of supporting ideas and details in text and graphic sources, summarizing text, and distinguishing main ideas from details commensurate with content area needs;

demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing inferential skills such as predicting, making connections between ideas, drawing inferences and conclusions from text and graphic sources, and finding supporting text evidence commensurate with content area needs;

demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing analytical skills such as evaluating written information and performing critical analyses commensurate with content area and grade-level needs.

Cross-curricular second language acquisition/writing.

learn relationships between sounds and letters of the English language to represent sounds when writing in English;

write using newly acquired basic vocabulary and content-based grade-level vocabulary;

spell familiar English words with increasing accuracy, and employ English spelling patterns and rules with increasing accuracy as more English is acquired;

edit writing for standard grammar and usage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and appropriate verb tenses commensurate with grade-level expectations as more English is acquired;

employ increasingly complex grammatical structures in content area writing commensurate with grade-level expectations, such as:

using correct verbs, tenses, and pronouns/antecedents;

using possessive case (apostrophe s) correctly;

using negatives and contractions correctly;

write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths, patterns, and connecting words to combine phrases, clauses, and sentences in increasingly accurate ways as more English is acquired;

narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail to fulfill content area writing needs as more English is acquired.

The student develops oral language through listening, speaking, and discussion.

listen actively, ask relevant questions to clarify information, and answer questions using multi-word responses;

follow, restate, and give oral instructions that involve a short, related sequence of actions;

share information and ideas about the topic under discussion, speaking clearly at an appropriate pace and using the conventions of language;

work collaboratively with others by following agreed-upon rules for discussion, including listening to others, speaking when recognized, and making appropriate contributions; and

develop social communication such as introducing himself/herself and others, relating experiences to a classmate, and expressing needs and feelings.

The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors' choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies author's craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances.

discuss the author's purpose for writing text;

discuss how the use of text structure contributes to the author's purpose;

discuss with adult assistance the author's use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes;

discuss how the author uses words that help the reader visualize; and

listen to and experience first- and third-person texts.

The student uses the writing process recursively to compose multiple texts that are legible and uses appropriate conventions.

plan a first draft by generating ideas for writing such as by drawing and brainstorming;

develop drafts in oral, pictorial, or written form by:

organizing with structure; and

developing an idea with specific and relevant details;

revise drafts by adding details in pictures or words;

edit drafts using standard English conventions, including:

complete sentences with subject-verb agreement;

past and present verb tense;

singular, plural, common, and proper nouns;

adjectives, including articles;

punctuation marks at the end of declarative, exclamatory, and interrogative sentences; and

adverbs that convey time;

prepositions;

pronouns, including subjective, objective, and possessive cases;

capitalization for the beginning of sentences and the pronoun "I";

correct spelling of words with grade-appropriate orthographic patterns and rules and high-frequency words with adult assistance; and

publish and share writing.

The student uses genre characteristics and craft to compose multiple texts that are meaningful.

dictate or compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry;

dictate or compose informational texts, including procedural texts; and

dictate or compose correspondence such as thank you notes or letters.

The student engages in both short-term and sustained recursive inquiry processes for a variety of purposes.

generate questions for formal and informal inquiry with adult assistance;

develop and follow a research plan with adult assistance;

identify and gather relevant sources and information to answer the questions with adult assistance;

demonstrate understanding of information gathered with adult assistance; and

use an appropriate mode of delivery, whether written, oral, or multimodal, to present results.

The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.

demonstrate phonological awareness by:

producing a series of rhyming words;

recognizing spoken alliteration or groups of words that begin with the same spoken onset or initial sound;

distinguishing between long and short vowel sounds in one-syllable words;

recognizing the change in spoken word when a specified phoneme is added, changed, or removed;

blending spoken phonemes to form one-syllable words, including initial and/or final consonant blends;

manipulating phonemes within base words; and

segmenting spoken one-syllable words of three to five phonemes into individual phonemes, including words with initial and/or final consonant blends;

demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by:

decoding words in isolation and in context by applying common letter sound correspondences;

decoding words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs;

decoding words with closed syllables; open syllables; VCe syllables; vowel teams, including vowel digraphs and diphthongs; and r-controlled syllables;

using knowledge of base words to decode common compound words and contractions;

decoding words with inflectional endings, including -ed, -s, and -es; and

identifying and reading at least 100 high-frequency words from a research-based list;

demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by:

spelling words with closed syllables, open syllables, VCe syllables, vowel teams, and r-controlled syllables;

spelling words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs;

spelling words using sound-spelling patterns; and

spelling high-frequency words from a research-based list;

demonstrate print awareness by identifying the information that different parts of a book provide;

alphabetize a series of words to the first or second letter and use a dictionary to find words; and

develop handwriting by printing words, sentences, and answers legibly leaving appropriate spaces between words.

The student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively.

use a resource such as a picture dictionary or digital resource to find words;

use illustrations and texts the student is able to read or hear to learn or clarify word meanings;

identify the meaning of words with the affixes -s, -ed, and -ing; and

identify and use words that name actions, directions, positions, sequences, categories, and locations.

The student reads grade-level text with fluency and comprehension. The student is expected to use appropriate fluency rate, accuracy, and prosody when reading grade-level text.

The student reads grade-appropriate texts independently. The student is expected to self-select text and interact independently with text for increasing periods of time.

The student uses metacognitive skills to both develop and deepen comprehension of increasingly complex texts.

establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts with adult assistance;

generate questions about text before, during, and after reading to deepen understanding and gain information with adult assistance;

make, correct, or confirm predictions using text features, characteristics of genre, and structures with adult assistance;

create mental images to deepen understanding with adult assistance;

make connections to personal experiences, ideas in other texts, and society with adult assistance;

make inferences and use evidence to support understanding with adult assistance;

evaluate details to determine what is most important with adult assistance;

synthesize information to create new understanding with adult assistance; and

monitor comprehension and make adjustments such as re-reading, using background knowledge, checking for visual cues, and asking questions when understanding breaks down.

The student responds to an increasingly challenging variety of sources that are read, heard, or viewed.

describe personal connections to a variety of sources;

write brief comments on literary or informational texts;

use text evidence to support an appropriate response;

retell texts in ways that maintain meaning;

interact with sources in meaningful ways such as illustrating or writing; and

respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.

The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts.

discuss topics and determine theme using text evidence with adult assistance;

describe the main characters and the reasons for their actions;

describe plot elements, including the main events, the problem, and the resolution, for texts read aloud and independently; and

describe the setting.

The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

demonstrate knowledge of distinguishing characteristics of well-known children's literature such as folktales, fables, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes;

discuss rhyme, rhythm, repetition, and alliteration in a variety of poems;

discuss elements of drama such as characters and setting;

recognize characteristics and structures of informational text, including:

the central idea and supporting evidence with adult assistance;

features and simple graphics to locate or gain information; and

organizational patterns such as chronological order and description with adult assistance;

recognize characteristics of persuasive text with adult assistance and state what the author is trying to persuade the reader to think or do; and

recognize characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.

Implementation. The provisions of this section shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

General requirements. In fulfilling the requirements of this section, school districts and charter schools shall:

identify the student's English language proficiency levels in the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in accordance with the proficiency level descriptors for the pre-production, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, and advanced levels delineated in subsection (e) of this section;

provide instruction in the knowledge and skills of the foundation and enrichment curriculum in a manner that is linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student's levels of English language proficiency to ensure that the student learns the knowledge and skills in the required curriculum;

provide content-based instruction, including the cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills in subsection (d) of this section, in a manner that is linguistically accommodated to help the student acquire English language proficiency; and

provide intensive and ongoing foundational second language acquisition instruction to emergent bilingual (EB) students in Kindergarten-Grade 12 who are at the pre-production, beginning, or intermediate level of English language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, or writing as determined by the state's English language proficiency assessment system. These EB students require focused, targeted, and systematic second language acquisition instruction to provide them with the foundation of English language necessary to support content-based instruction and accelerated learning of English.

Introduction.

The English language proficiency standards (ELPS) outline student expectations and proficiency level descriptors for EB students in English. The ELPS are organized across four language domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Language acquisition is a complex process that consists of several interrelated components, including phonetics, phonology, semantics, syntax, morphology, and pragmatics. As students develop proficiency in these language structures, they are able to make connections between their primary language and English.

Classroom contexts foster social and academic registers, which are types of language appropriate for a situation or setting, to support language proficiency. Informal (social) language consists of English needed for students to effectively interact, exchange ideas, and engage in various settings and contexts. Formal (academic) language consists of oral and written language used to build knowledge, participate in content-specific discourse, and process complex academic material found in formal school settings and interactions.

The progression of skills in the four language domains are developed simultaneously and can be divided into two categories: receptive skills and expressive skills. Listening and reading are the receptive (input) skills. Students' development in receptive skills is necessary for comprehension and attainment of the English language and content. Speaking and writing are the expressive (output) skills. Students' ability to express and share their personal ideas and content knowledge allow teachers the opportunity to check for understanding and adjust instruction. Effective content-based language instruction involves engaging EB students in scaffolded opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current levels of proficiency while gradually increasing linguistic complexity.

In order for EB students to be successful, educators must create an environment that welcomes and encourages students to leverage their unique cultural and linguistic experiences as they develop English language skills and learn academic content. Educators must cultivate an approach that integrates students' and their families' funds of knowledge into the classroom instructional practices. Culturally and linguistically sustaining practices leverage and celebrate students' cultural heritage and backgrounds while elevating their cultural and linguistic identities. Teaching and learning cognates that connect both (or multiple) languages can also construct bridges between languages and increase confidence as English language acquisition progresses.

The ELPS student expectations are the knowledge and skills students must demonstrate. They indicate what students should know and be able to do in order to meet academic content standards. Proficiency level descriptors describe behaviors EB students exhibit across five proficiency levels as they acquire English. EB students may exhibit different proficiency levels within and across the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

The ELPS demonstrate an asset-based approach to address the affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs of EB students in accordance with §89.1210(b) of this title (relating to Program Content and Design) as follows:

acknowledge and leverage the existing funds of knowledge students possess, including linguistic repertoire, cultural heritage, and background knowledge;

demonstrate targeted and intentional academic language skills to ensure content-area teachers are able to accurately evaluate the abilities of EB students and scaffold toward the increasingly complex English that students hear, speak, and are expected to read and write; and

provide an exact and incremental measure of the stages of English language acquisition with attention to the fact that EB students at all levels of proficiency can engage in cognitively demanding tasks and master the required essential knowledge and skills with appropriate language support.

The proficiency level descriptors are organized into general proficiency level descriptors and content-area proficiency level descriptors. General proficiency level descriptors are descriptions of a broad scope of student behaviors that can be observed in a variety of educational settings and across content areas. Content-area proficiency level descriptors describe student behaviors and language associated with discipline-specific learning in English language arts and reading, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Cross-curricular English language acquisition student expectations.

Student expectations--listening. The EB student listens to a variety of speakers, including teachers, peers, and multimedia, to gain an increasing level of comprehension in all content areas. The EB student may be at the pre-production, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, or advanced proficiency levels in listening. The student is expected to:

distinguish sounds and intonation patterns by responding orally, in writing, or with gestures;

demonstrate an understanding of content-area vocabulary when heard during formal and informal classroom interactions by responding with gestures or images, orally, or in writing;

follow oral directions with accuracy;

use context to construct the meaning of descriptive language, words with multiple meanings, register, or figurative language such as idiomatic expressions heard during formal and informal classroom interactions;

demonstrate listening comprehension from information presented orally during formal and informal classroom interactions by recalling, retelling, responding, or asking for clarification or additional details; and

derive meaning from a variety of auditory multimedia sources to build and reinforce concepts and language acquisition.

Student expectations--speaking. The EB student speaks using a variety of language structures for a variety of purposes with an awareness of different language registers (formal/informal) using vocabulary with increasing accuracy and fluency in all content areas. The EB student may be at the pre-production, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, or advanced proficiency level of English language acquisition in speaking. The student is expected to:

produce sounds of newly acquired vocabulary such as long and short vowels, silent letters, and consonant clusters to pronounce words with accuracy;

speak using content-area vocabulary during formal and informal classroom interactions to demonstrate acquisition of new words and high-frequency words;

speak using a variety of language and grammatical structures, sentence lengths and types, and connecting words;

speak using appropriate register to convey a message during formal and informal classroom interactions with accuracy and fluency;

narrate, describe, or explain information or persuade orally with increasing specificity and detail during formal and informal classroom interactions; and

restate, ask questions about, or respond to information during formal and informal classroom interactions.

Student expectations--reading. The EB student reads a variety of texts for different purposes with an increasing level of comprehension in all content areas. The EB student may be at the preproduction, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, or advanced proficiency levels of English language acquisition in reading. For Kindergarten and Grade 1, certain student expectations apply to text read aloud for students not yet at the stage of decoding written text. The student is expected to:

demonstrate awareness of print concepts and directionality of reading as left to right and top to bottom;

decode words using relationships between sounds and letters;

use high-frequency words, cognates, and content-area vocabulary to comprehend written classroom materials;

use context to construct the meaning of figurative language such as idiomatic expressions, descriptive language, and words with multiple meanings to comprehend classroom materials;

use pre-reading strategies, including previewing text features, connecting to prior knowledge, organizing ideas, and making predictions, to develop comprehension;

derive meaning from and demonstrate comprehension of content-area texts using visual, contextual, and linguistic supports;

demonstrate reading comprehension of content-area texts by making connections, retelling, or responding to questions; and

read with fluency and demonstrate comprehension of content-area text.

Student expectations--writing. The EB student writes using a variety of language structures with increasing accuracy to effectively address a variety of purposes (formal and informal) and audiences in all content areas. The EB student may be at the pre-production, beginning, intermediate, high intermediate, or advanced proficiency levels of English language acquisition in writing. For Kindergarten and Grade 1, certain student expectations do not apply until the student has reached the proficiency level of generating original written text using a standard writing system. The student is expected to:

apply relationships between sounds and letters of the English language to represent sounds when writing;

spell words following conventional spelling patterns and rules;

write using high-frequency words and content-area vocabulary;

write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths and types and connecting words;

write formal or informal text using conventions such as capitalization and punctuation and grammatical structures such as subject-verb agreement and verb tense; and

write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas.

Proficiency level descriptors.

The following five proficiency levels describe students' progress in English language acquisition.

Pre-production. The pre-production level, also known as the silent period, is the early stage of English language acquisition when receptive language is developing. Students develop comprehension when highly scaffolded instruction and linguistic support are provided. Student responses are mostly non-verbal.

Beginning. The beginning level is characterized by speech emergence (expressive language) using one word or two-to-three-word phrases. Students at this level require highly scaffolded instruction and linguistic support. Students at this level begin to consistently use present tense verbs and repeat keywords and familiar phrases when engaging in formal and informal interactions.

Intermediate. The intermediate level is characterized by the ability to use receptive and expressive language with demonstrated literal comprehension. Students at this level need moderately scaffolded instruction and linguistic support. Additional visual and linguistic support is needed to understand unfamiliar or abstract concepts such as figurative language, humor, and cultural or societal references. Students at this level begin to consistently use short phrases and simple sentences or ask short questions to demonstrate comprehension during formal and informal interactions.

High intermediate. Students at the high intermediate level begin to consistently use a variety of sentence types, express opinions, share thoughts, and ask for clarification. Students at this level have an increased level of literal and abstract comprehension. Students may need minimal scaffolded instruction and linguistic support to engage in formal and informal classroom interactions.

Advanced. The advanced level is characterized by the ability of students to engage in formal and informal classroom interactions with little to no linguistic support. Students at this level engage in discourse using content-area vocabulary and a variety of grammatical structures with increasing accuracy.

The Kindergarten-Grade 3 proficiency level descriptors are described in the figure provided in this paragraph.