“TELPAS is not your friend it’s time to break up with TELPAS!” shared Dr. Edith Treviño, affectionately known as Dr. ET.
Dr. Treviño led more than 13 sessions across five district high schools over a two-day period, reaching more than 600 high school students.
The TELPAS camps were designed to intentionally strengthen students’ academic language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing while building confidence and familiarity with TELPAS expectations. Students across the district participated in targeted, hands-on language practice aligned to TELPAS proficiency descriptors through structured conversations, collaborative activities, and purposeful writing tasks.
Through modeling and feedback, students gained a clearer understanding of how to express their thinking in English and confidently demonstrate their language growth.
Many students shared that they felt prepared, supported, and empowered to showcase their abilities, reflecting a shift in mindset from anxiety to readiness. Several also reported feeling more confident in speaking and writing and more willing to participate in class discussions.
TELPAS results will continue to be monitored to assess student growth and measure improvements in performance.
“Having Dr. ET here on campus was a great chance to motivate our students to succeed on the TELPAS exam,” said Matt Widacki, Dean of Instruction at Killeen High School.
“Dr. ET is of course the subject matter expert, but she presents with a flair that only she can provide,” Widacki added. “She worked with students to understand the writing and speaking process of the TELPAS exam and encouraged them to not just pass the exam — but destroy the exam because they are all extremely capable. Dr. ET presented an exciting and engaging twist that motivated our students to show growth and succeed on this exam.”
ESL teachers, CIS staff, and campus deans expressed appreciation for the opportunity to bring the TELPAS camps to their campuses, noting that the experience energized emergent bilingual students and equipped them with practical strategies for success.
“Many high school students have taken TELPAS for years, and they are tired of the exam,” Widacki said. “We took the opportunity to leverage that mindset so that they will take the test one last time this year, do their absolute best, and never have to take it again.”
Through intentional preparation and districtwide collaboration, the TELPAS camps reinforced the district’s commitment to ensuring students feel confident and ready to succeed on TELPAS this spring.
View Flickr Album: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCJh7d