Professional Development Topics

The ELPS at a Glance Training can be divided into three sections: Background, Getting Acquainted with the Flipbook, and Applying the Information. The participants’ level of experience with knowledge of the ELPS determines the amount of time devoted to each section. The Background section looks at the implementation of the ELPS, what they are, and district/teacher responsibilities. There is a review of the four proficiency levels and how these levels are determined. Participants also reflect on the four domains of language through a jigsaw-type activity by discussing open-ended questions related to their given domain. Teachers then move into an introduction of the ELPS at a Glance Flipbook through a series of four stations. Each station focuses on a different section of the flipbook at more depth. The four stations cover the proficiency standards, proficiency level descriptors, differentiation/accommodations, and strategies. The final tier of the training involves application to classroom scenarios. Participants are given common classroom applications of the content standards (TEKS). They then use the flipbook to determine a language focus and align it to the language standard (ELPS). Time is then taken to focus on differentiating the classroom application for students by identifying appropriate accommodations for each proficiency level.