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Tyler ISD reports steady TELPAS gains, expands newcomer and summer bilingual supports
Summary
Dr. Cassandra Chapa, Tyler ISD executive director of state and federal programs, told trustees the district served roughly 4,500 emergent bilingual students last year and is expanding summer and newcomer supports while targeting TELPAS-driven campus interventions.
Dr. Cassandra Chapa, Tyler ISD executive director of state and federal programs, gave the board the district's annual bilingual and English-as-a-second-language update, saying the district served roughly 4,500 emergent bilingual (EB) students last school year and that “we now refer to them as emergent bilingual.”
Chapa explained the assessment and standards that shape the program: TELPAS (Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System) drives language-acquisition growth measures, and ELPS (English Language Proficiency Standards) guide classroom instruction. She told trustees the district offers multiple program models — transitional bilingual (early-exit), dual-language (one-way and two-way immersion) and ESL delivered either as sheltered, content-based instruction in core classes or as pull-out electives. “Throughout last school year, we ended with about 4,500 EBs,” she said.
Why it matters: TELPAS growth can affect campus accountability ratings under state rules, so the district is targeting supports for campuses where language proficiency growth could influence letter grades. Chapa showed longitudinal TELPAS composite scores and reclassification trends and said Tyler ISD’s EB STAR performance is “at or above the state level.”
What the district is doing: Chapa outlined multiple interventions and professional supports. Beyond compliance-focused summer school for pre-K through first grade, Tyler ISD extended bilingual summer offerings through third grade and, for newcomers, up to fifth grade. She said the district served an additional 26 newcomers last year after expanding eligibility. For staff capacity, the district uses a visiting international teacher program and contracts with Region 7 for TELPAS boot camps and ELPS training. The district purchased asynchronous professional development through a vendor called Elevation and adopted Summit K–12 pathways for individualized student practice.
On certification and staffing: Chapa described certification rules that trigger bilingual services and waiver requirements. “If we have 20 or more students in a grade level, a district must offer bilingual education,” she said, and added that ESL certification is required for teachers who are rostered with EB students unless the district submits an appropriate waiver and provides sheltered-instruction training. She reported Tyler ISD currently serves students speaking more than 29 native languages and that, for the past two years, the district has not had to file a bilingual exception waiver because bilingual classrooms have certified teachers.
Trustee questions and clarifications: Trustees asked how many visiting international teachers are on the district roster; Chapa said about 25 (recruited from Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and other countries) and that most of those staff serve in bilingual or dual-language classrooms rather than as ESL-only instructors. Chapa also explained that international hires typically have one-year contracts through the recruiting vendor and that district policy provides a two-year probationary window for newly hired teachers under the District of Innovation plan.
Access to advanced coursework: Trustees asked whether students coded as ESL or bilingual are blocked from pre-AP or IB courses. Chapa said current practice is not to restrict access: students who meet academic requirements may enroll in pre-AP/advanced courses; decisions about continued placement are driven by academic progress and supports, not automatic exclusion based on language-coding.
Evidence: Sections of Dr. Chapa’s presentation and trustee Q&A appear in the board transcript beginning at 00:00:55 (Chapa introduction) and continuing through the Q&A that ends at 00:14:17.
Outlook: Chapa said the district will continue targeted TELPAS supports, focus-campus coaching, newcomer interventionists at five priority elementary campuses, and parent-engagement roadshows, while monitoring certification needs and the effect of ELPS and sheltered-instruction coaching on proficiency growth.
