TExES exam prep
TExES ESL Supplemental Online Center
This TExES ESL Supplemental Online Center brings together practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Choose the resource that matches the skill you want to work on next.
2 free pop-up tests · 102 flashcards · 3 weighted domains
2 pop-up practice tests102 connected lessons1 complete flashcard deck
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TExES ESL Supplemental Practice Center
Take a full form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Domain II is forty-five percent of this exam on its own, so if that block is weak it outranks everything else you could study.
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TExES ESL Supplemental at a glance
This is a supplemental certification exam, taken alongside a base certificate to add an ESL endorsement in Texas. Eighty questions, no written assignment, and a weighting that does most of your planning for you: Domain II, which is instruction and assessment, is forty-five percent on its own. Texas uses the term emergent bilingual for these students, and the exam’s whole orientation follows from that word: the home language is an asset to build on, not a problem to work around.
| Test code | 154 (English as a Second Language Supplemental) |
|---|---|
| Status | Current, with an announced successor. Texas has published that a revised exam, code 254, launches September 1, 2028. The last day to take 154 is August 31, 2028, and the last day to be recommended on a 154 score is August 31, 2029. |
| Number of questions | 80 selected-response questions. There is no constructed response. |
| Time limit | 5 hours total: 15 minutes for the tutorial and compliance agreement, then 4 hours 45 minutes of testing. |
| Format | Computer-administered |
| Calculator | None is listed for this exam. |
| Passing score | 240 on a scale of 100 to 300. |
Texas publishes weights by domain: Language Concepts and Language Acquisition 25 percent, ESL Instruction and Assessment 45 percent, and Foundations of ESL Education, Culture, and the Family and Community 30 percent. Texas does not publish a percentage for individual competencies, so any competency-level breakdown you find elsewhere is an estimate. Domain II alone is nearly half the exam.
The three domains, in plain language
Texas states each competency. Here is what each domain asks of you, with its published weight.
Domain II: ESL instruction and assessment (45 percent)
The largest domain by a wide margin.
- Sheltered instruction and making grade-level content comprehensible
- The English Language Proficiency Standards and the four language domains
- Proficiency levels and differentiating by level
- Teaching literacy to emergent bilinguals
- Content-area vocabulary and academic language
- Assessment of language proficiency, including TELPAS
- Telling a language difference from a learning disability
Domain III: Foundations, culture, and the family and community (30 percent)
The context around the instruction.
- Cultural responsiveness and the assets families bring
- Acculturation and its stages
- Program models: dual language, transitional bilingual, ESL pull-out and push-in
- Family and community partnership
- Advocacy for emergent bilingual students
- Legal and ethical obligations, in principle
Domain I: Language concepts and language acquisition (25 percent)
How language works and how a second one is learned.
- Phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
- First and second language acquisition theory
- The stages of acquisition, including the silent period
- BICS and CALP
- Comprehensible input and the affective filter
- Interlanguage, fossilization, and first-language transfer
- Code-switching and translanguaging
A study routine for a 285-minute exam
Nearly five hours for eighty questions means time is not the constraint. Precision about the acquisition vocabulary is, and so is knowing the Texas-specific framework.
DiagnoseTake Practice Test 1 cold. Score the three domains separately and compare against 25 / 45 / 30.
Live in Domain IIForty-five percent. Sheltered instruction, scaffolding, the ELPS, proficiency levels, and assessment. This is where the exam lives.
Get the acquisition terms exactBICS against CALP, the silent period, comprehensible input, the affective filter, transfer against interference. The distractors are written for candidates who are approximately right about these.
Learn the Texas framework by nameThe ELPS and their four language domains, the proficiency levels, and TELPAS. A stem that assumes these will not define them.
Prove itTake Practice Test 2 under time.
Complete topic map
The descriptive statements Texas publishes across the competencies of the three domains.
Competency 001: Fundamental Language Concepts and the Structure of English
- 01Understands the nature of language and the interrelated systems of language, including phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, semantics, pragmatics, and discourse.
- 02Understands language functions, registers, and the social and academic purposes for which language is used.
- 03Understands the interrelatedness of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and how development in one domain supports the others.
- 04Knows the structure and conventions of English, including sound system, word formation, sentence structure, and mechanics, at a level sufficient to teach them explicitly.
- 05Applies knowledge of English structure and conventions to support students’ development of English language proficiency consistent with the Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS).
- 06Understands the role of language variation, dialect, and accent, and distinguishes language difference from language disorder.
Competency 002: First- and Second-Language Acquisition
- 07Knows theories, concepts, and research related to first-language acquisition and second-language acquisition, and the stages through which learners progress.
- 08Selects and applies instructional methods and strategies that are consistent with research on second-language acquisition.
- 09Understands the cognitive processes involved in internalizing language rules and in developing communicative competence in a second language.
- 10Analyzes the interrelatedness of L1 and L2 development, including how the first language influences second-language development and how skills transfer across languages.
- 11Understands individual, sociocultural, affective, and educational factors that affect the rate and route of second-language acquisition, including the role of comprehensible input and low anxiety.
- 12Identifies common difficulties that English learners experience in acquiring English and applies effective strategies for addressing them.
Competency 003: ESL Teaching Methods and Planning Instruction
- 13Knows the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and uses them to plan grade-level appropriate instruction.
- 14Selects and applies ESL instructional methods, approaches, and strategies appropriate to students’ proficiency levels and instructional goals.
- 15Applies content-based and communicative instructional practices that integrate language and content learning.
- 16Integrates technology and instructional resources to support English language development.
- 17Knows how to create and manage an effective, well-organized learning environment for students at varied English proficiency levels.
- 18Plans instruction that is linguistically accommodated and that provides appropriate scaffolds and supports.
Competency 004: Communicative Language Development in English
- 19Applies the ELPS proficiency level descriptors for the listening and speaking domains to plan and adjust instruction.
- 20Creates a language-rich, comprehensible environment that promotes meaningful communication.
- 21Applies effective practices for promoting listening comprehension and oral communication in a variety of settings.
- 22Promotes students’ oral language proficiency in ways aligned with the ELPS, including academic oral language.
- 23Applies strategies that help students transfer oral language skills from the first language to English.
- 24Provides targeted instruction appropriate for beginning and intermediate English learners.
- 25Provides appropriate feedback on oral language production that supports growth without discouraging risk taking.
Competency 005: Literacy Development in English
- 26Applies the ELPS proficiency level descriptors for the reading and writing domains to plan and adjust instruction.
- 27Applies knowledge of the connections among listening, speaking, reading, and writing when planning literacy instruction for English learners.
- 28Promotes the development of phonological knowledge, decoding skills, and sight-word vocabulary in English.
- 29Applies strategies for facilitating reading comprehension for English learners, including building background knowledge and vocabulary.
- 30Applies strategies for promoting writing development in English, including the writing process and English writing conventions.
- 31Applies strategies that help students transfer literacy skills from the first language to English, including awareness of differences between writing systems.
- 32Provides targeted literacy instruction appropriate for students at varied proficiency levels.
- 33Addresses individual and personal factors that affect English learners’ literacy development.
Competency 006: Content-Area Learning and Academic-Language Development
- 34Provides linguistically accommodated, content-based instruction that makes grade-level content comprehensible to English learners.
- 35Teaches learning strategies that support content-area achievement, including note taking, graphic organizers, and study skills.
- 36Promotes the development of academic language and content-specific vocabulary across the curriculum.
- 37Addresses individual differences in prior schooling, background knowledge, and English proficiency when planning content instruction.
- 38Addresses affective and personal factors that affect content-area learning for English learners.
- 39Collaborates with content-area teachers to support English learners across the curriculum.
Competency 007: Assessment of English Learners
- 40Understands basic concepts of test design and development, including validity, reliability, and bias as they apply to English learners.
- 41Applies formal and informal assessment procedures and instruments used in ESL programs.
- 42Interprets the results of standardized tests, including English language proficiency assessments, and understands their appropriate uses and limitations.
- 43Understands and implements the procedures and responsibilities of the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC), including identification, placement, monitoring, and reclassification of English learners.
- 44Understands the relationships among state standards, instruction, and assessment.
- 45Uses ongoing formal and informal assessment results to plan, adapt, and differentiate instruction.
- 46Knows appropriate linguistic accommodations for assessment so that results reflect content knowledge rather than English proficiency alone.
Competency 008: Foundations of ESL Education and Program Models
- 47Knows the historical, theoretical, and policy foundations of ESL education, including relevant federal and state legislation and court decisions.
- 48Knows the characteristics, goals, and features of the major program models, including ESL self-contained, ESL pull-out, newcomer centers, dual language, and immersion programs.
- 49Applies knowledge of program models to make appropriate instructional and placement decisions.
- 50Knows the state requirements governing ESL programs in Texas and the rights of English learners and their families.
- 51Incorporates research findings on program effectiveness into the implementation of ESL instruction.
Competency 009: Factors Affecting Learning and the Multicultural Learning Environment
- 52Understands cultural and linguistic diversity and the sociocultural, affective, and educational factors that affect English learners’ learning.
- 53Creates a multicultural and multilingual learning environment that addresses students’ affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs.
- 54Identifies and addresses sources of disparity, bias, and inequitable treatment in the classroom and school.
- 55Demonstrates sensitivity to and respect for students’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and incorporates them as instructional assets.
- 56Builds students’ awareness of cultural and linguistic differences and promotes cross-cultural understanding among all students.
- 57Understands the process of cultural adjustment and its effects on learning and behavior.
Competency 010: Advocacy and Family and Community Involvement
- 58Advocates for English learners’ equitable access to educational opportunity, including through participation on the LPAC and other school committees.
- 59Facilitates meaningful parent and guardian participation in the education of English learners.
- 60Communicates effectively with families across language and cultural differences, including through interpreters and translated materials.
- 61Knows how to access and use community resources and partnerships to sharpen English learners’ learning.
- 62Acts as a resource for colleagues regarding the needs of English learners and effective practices for serving them.
Before test day
One orientation answers a surprising share of this exam. Texas calls these students emergent bilingual because they are becoming bilingual, not because they are deficient in English, and the correct answer nearly always treats the home language and the family’s knowledge as something to build on. Beyond that, the distinction the exam returns to most often is between a language difference and a disability, and the right answer there is almost always to gather more information rather than to refer immediately.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
TExES ESL Supplemental: study questions
What can I study in this TExES ESL Supplemental Online Center?
This TExES ESL Supplemental Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Domain II: ESL instruction and assessment (45 percent), Domain III: Foundations, culture, and the family and community (30 percent), Domain I: Language concepts and language acquisition (25 percent).
How should I use the TExES ESL Supplemental resources?
Choose a topic or practice activity from this Online Center. Review the linked explanation, try the practice, and use the result to decide what to study next. Check each resource’s directions for its format and access requirements.
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