Setting TELPAS Goals with Your ESL Students: A Simple and Effective Approach
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with TELPAS or any official TELPAS organizations. The information and strategies shared here are based on my own experiences as an educator and are intended to help fellow teachers support their ESL students in setting meaningful language goals.
TELPAS can feel overwhelming for a lot of our students. They don't always know where to start or how to improve. But when we sit down and set clear goals together, the whole thing gets a lot more manageable and they start to take ownership of their own progress.
Here's the exact approach I use in my classroom.
Start with Last Year’s TELPAS Scores and Track Their Progress
One of the first things I do is sit down with each student to review their TELPAS scores from the previous year. We look at where they landed overall and dig into each section: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Visuals make this process easier, so I often create simple charts to show their progress over time. This allows students to see where they’ve improved and where there may have been a dip. Together, we talk about any challenges that might have caused those dips—whether it was test-day nerves, lack of practice, or just an area where they struggled. Reviewing TELPAS scores like this is all about showing students their growth and setting the foundation for meaningful goal-setting.
Set Clear TELPAS Goals for Each Section
Next, we break down the TELPAS sections one by one. We go over what each part measures and discuss where they want to improve most. Setting goals for every section can feel overwhelming, so we usually choose one or two to focus on based on their scores and needs. You can use this tool to keep track of their goals and progress.
For example, if a student struggled in reading comprehension, that might become our priority. If speaking is more challenging, we’ll focus on daily conversation practice. The goal is to create a specific and manageable plan for improvement, so they don’t feel like they have to tackle everything at once. Focusing on a few sections at a time also makes it easier to see progress and build their confidence.
Develop an Action Plan for TELPAS Success
With our goals set, we create an action plan for the year. Together, we brainstorm regular activities that target each goal, making sure the activities feel manageable and effective. Here are some of the go-to activities we use:
Reading: Weekly vocabulary practice, comprehension passages, and reading response journals.
Writing: Journal entries, paragraph writing exercises, and sentence starters to ease them into writing.
Listening: Listening exercises with quick recaps to build comprehension.
Speaking: Daily conversations or storytelling activities to build fluency and confidence.
Explaining the “why” behind each activity helps students see these exercises as valuable steps toward achieving their TELPAS goals, rather than just extra work.
Track TELPAS Progress Throughout the Year
Tracking progress is essential for keeping students motivated and helping them see their improvement over time. We set up a simple tracker, like a chart or journal, so they can record their growth. Whenever they reach a small milestone—whether it’s a jump in fluency or improvement in reading comprehension—we celebrate it. These little wins keep them engaged and show that their hard work is paying off.
Regular check-ins also let us adjust goals as needed. Maybe they’ve made great strides in reading, so we shift focus to writing. Keeping the process flexible reminds them that improvement isn’t always a straight line but a journey they’re on.
Prepare for TELPAS with Confidence
As TELPAS testing approaches, we review everything we’ve worked on throughout the year. We might do some focused practice to ensure they feel familiar with the test format, but I focus more on reinforcing their confidence than on cramming.
For example, if we’ve been practicing speaking, we’ll do quick conversations in class or role-plays. For reading and listening, we might do timed activities to help them feel prepared. I want them to approach TELPAS feeling calm and capable, knowing that they’ve worked hard.
Finally, I remind them that TELPAS is just one way of showing their growth. It’s not about a single score; it’s about all the small steps they’ve taken to improve. Setting TELPAS goals and achieving them is a big accomplishment in itself.
Helping ESL Students Reach TELPAS Goals: Why Goal-Setting Works
Setting TELPAS goals is about more than test preparation. It’s a way for students to see their own progress, to take charge of their learning, and to understand that they’re capable of achieving their goals. Regular TELPAS goal-setting sessions help build confidence and show ESL students that improvement is possible, one step at a time.
Goal setting works best when it's part of a bigger system. If you're also trying to figure out how to plan lessons without a set curriculum, check out my post on that here.
If you’re working with ESL students, I encourage you to have regular goal-setting conversations with them. Even brief discussions can help students take ownership of their learning journey, so they feel prepared for TELPAS and beyond.
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