Harlingen Consolidated Independent
School District
TELPAS Reading Training for Campus
Testing Coordinators and Principals
January 2015
Attending this training does not take the
place of reading the appropriate test
administration manuals.
Read all applicable manuals to include the
2015 District and Campus Coordinator
Manuals (DCCM) and the 2015 TELPAS
Reading Test Administrator Manual.
General Information About
TELPAS Reading for Grades 2–12

The TELPAS domain of reading in grades 2–12 is assessed through
online multiple-choice tests.

The reading tests are designed specifically for ELLs, whose ability to
demonstrate general reading skills is often obscured by their emerging
understanding of the English language.

The tests measure English reading ability according to the TELPAS
English language proficiency continuum, which is aligned to the ELPS
and based on the stages of second language acquisition of ELLs.
2015 TELPAS TA manual, page 8
Grade Clusters for Online Reading

The TELPAS reading assessments for grades 2–12
consist of six grade cluster tests:
2015 TELPAS TA manual,
page 8
General Information About TELPAS Reading for
Grades 2–12

TELPAS reading tests are not timed. Students must be allowed
to work at their individual speed.

Once a student begins a test, he or she must complete it on
the same day.

Districts are not required to test beyond regular school hours
but are free to do so if they choose.

Districts should exercise judgment about starting a test session
after lunch, as some students may not have enough time to
work at their individual speed to respond to the test questions
before the end of the school day.

Every effort should be made to assess all eligible students. If
students are not present for their assigned test session, they
should be moved to another test session in the testing window.
2015 TELPAS TA manual,
page 8
TELPAS Reading
The following procedures are not permitted, as they may invalidate
the test.
■ Students may not receive reading assistance.
■ Students may not use English-language or foreign-language
reference materials.
■ Test questions and reading selections may not be translated.
■ Test questions, answer choices, and selections may not be rephrased
or clarified.
2015 DCCM, page T-36
Prepare Students for Online Testing
Browser-based TELPAS online reading test student tutorials are
available to assist students in becoming familiar with the online testing
environment. The student tutorials are optional and separate from the
online tests; however, it is recommended that students have the
opportunity to access the tutorials for the following reasons:
■ Students will increase their familiarity with the TestNav tools.
■ There are no sample questions at the beginning of the TELPAS
reading tests.
Access the student tutorials at the links listed below.
 http://www.texasassessment.com/TELPAS/tutorials/
 http://www.texasassessment.com/training_resources/studentmat
erials/
Harlingen CISD students must complete the TELPAS online
Reading tutorials prior to taking the TELPAS Reading tests online.
2015 TELPAS TA manual,
page 13
Plan for and Conduct Training for Reading
Test Administrators
1.
Designate Reading Test Administrators

In cooperation with the district coordinator and principal,
select a sufficient number of test administrators to meet your
campus needs.
 Designate at least one test administrator for every 30
students to be tested.
 Test administrator credentials, which are the same for
STAAR and TELPAS, are found in the STAAR section of this
manual.
 Select any personnel you plan to assign as online session
administrators. These individuals are able to perform a
broader range of technological functions in the Assessment
Management System than test administrators.
2015 DCCM Page T-20
Plan for and Conduct Training for Reading
Test Administrators
2. Schedule Reading Test Administrator
Training
 All test administrators, online session administrators,
and monitors are required to have annual training in
general and TELPAS-specific assessment
procedures.
 This training is required annually for staff assigned to
these roles.
 The end date for this training is March 13, 2015. If
necessary, additional training may be conducted after
this date to address extenuating circumstances.
2015 DCCM Page T-20
Plan for and Conduct Training for Reading
Test Administrators
3. Distribute TELPAS Reading Test
Administrator Manual
 Distribute the TELPAS Manual in time for trainees to read before the
training session.
 Direct them to prepare for their training by thoroughly reading the sections
of the manual for test administrators and applicable sections of the
following online resources:
○ the Assessment Management System User’s Guide, which provides
details for navigating and using resources of the Assessment
Management System
○ TestNav 7 Technical Guide, which provides information about
navigating TestNav and conducting online sessions
2015 DCCM Page T-20
Plan for and Conduct Training for Reading
Test Administrators
4. Conduct Test Administrator Training
 Review the test administrator duties in the TELPAS Reading Test
Administrator Manual and other applicable online resources.
 Test administrators can use the Practice Center to practice using
the Assessment Management System without affecting real data.
A separate user ID and password are required for the Practice
Center.
 Reading test administrators must initial and sign an oath after
training and prior to handling secure materials.
 Allow enough time in the training session for questions and
discussion.
2015 DCCM Pages T-20 and T-21
Become Familiar with the
Administration Directions

Prior to testing, familiarize yourself with the administration directions
that you will read aloud to students.

The TELPAS reading administration directions take into account the
difficulties that some ELLs have in understanding oral administration
directions in English, as well as some students’ limited experience
with standardized testing.

Sentences are shorter, the language is simpler, and the instructions
are more explicit.
2015 TELPAS TA manual, page 14
You are permitted to…
■ adjust the language and specificity of the administration directions to
the level of English proficiency of the students in your test session. This
means that you may shorten the directions, explain them further,
simplify an explanation, or state the information in a different way in
order to make the directions more understandable or suitable for your
students. You must not, however, change the substance of the
information contained in the directions
■ to translate into the native language of your students the
administration directions that you read aloud to the students before the
test. (Test questions and reading selections, however, must not be
translated. )
2015 TELPAS TA manual, page 14
Other Steps to Prepare
for TELPAS Reading and Entry
of Holistic Rating

Ensure that testing infrastructure is in
place and that the test delivery system is
configured; conduct test of online testing
system.
2015 DCCM Page T-25
Plan for Administration of Online Reading Tests and
Entry of Holistic Rating Information.

Create Reading Test Sessions and Generate Student
Authorizations
 All ELLs in grades 2–12 must be assigned to a test session.
 In coordination with the district coordinator, campus coordinators




should create reading test sessions at least one to two weeks prior
to testing.
Reading test sessions must be created before students can log in to
TestNav to take the test.
Ensure that proctor caching server is designated in the session
details.
Student authorizations contain the URL that will be entered into a
browser to access TestNav and the unique username and test code
needed to log in to take an assessment.
Student authorizations should be printed at least one day before the
test administration and stored in a secure location.
2015 DCCM Pages T-31 and T-32
Collect Reading
Test Administration Materials

After the final test session, reading test administrators must return all
test materials to you. These materials include the following:
 TELPAS Reading Test Administrator Manual (The manual may be
recycled. They will not be returned to the testing contractor.)
 seating charts
 test session roster(s)
 student authorizations (secure documents)
 scratch paper (secure documents)

Verify that you have received a signed test administrator security oath
from each of your test administrators. Retain these security oaths for
at least five years.

Destroy the student authorizations and scratch paper.
2015 DCCM PageT-39
TELPAS Reading
Testing Procedures
 Students must remain seated and are not allowed to converse
during testing.
 Students must not use reference materials.
 Students may use scratch paper. All scratch paper must be
destroyed immediately after testing.
 Some students may finish a test earlier than others. After they
have finished testing, students may be allowed to quietly read
books or leave the testing room.
2015 DCCM Page T-36
TELPAS Reading
Testing Procedures
Review the TELPAS testing procedures on
pages 20 to 25 of the 2015 TELPAS Reading
Test Administrator Manual.
TELPAS Submission in
Assessment Management System
A student approved by TEA to take a paper
TELPAS reading test will need to be placed in a
TELPAS rating entry group so that holistic
ratings and other rater information can be
entered online.
 A student approved by TEA to take a paper
TELPAS reading test will need to be placed in
an online test session so that responses to test
questions can be transcribed into a special
online form.

TELPAS Student Tutorials
As in the past, tutorials are separate from tests.
 Tutorials are recommended for students new to
TELPAS

 Several different test item formats
 No sample items with test

Tutorials available at
http://www.TexasAssessment.com/TELPAStutorials
TELPAS Release of Spring 2014
Grades 2–12 TELPAS Reading Tests

There was a full release of TELPAS forms for all
grade bands in fall 2014.
 These are released in the online format to allow
them to be seen in the TestNav environment,
just as the students see the operational test.

These released tests can be accessed from
http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ell/
telpas/released-tests/
Support

Texas Education Agency (TEA)
 Phone: (512) 463-9536
 Email: ELL.tests@tea.texas.gov

Pearson’s Austin Operations Center
 Phone: (800) 627-0225
 Email: TXPearsonAccess@support.pearson.com