elarteks

Texas English Language Arts Standards (TEKS) have been revised
 The revised Texas English Language Arts and Reading standards (TEKS) went into effective September 1, 2009. Although the skills that students need to communicate well have not changed, the state standards have been drastically reorganized and specificity has been added about which types of text students will read and write in the classroom. It is imperative that teachers be teaching these standards immediately and not wait until the TAKS test changes in 2012. If students don't receive instruction in the additional TEKS, their performance on the new tests will slip.

Education Service Centers around the state are offering workshops for teachers and administrators to acquaint them with the new standards. It is vital that teachers have a clear understanding of the standards, as this knowledge should drive daily instructional decisions teachers make.

The standards have been organized into **five strands**: **reading**, **writing**, **research**, **oral & written conventions**, and **listening & speaking**. To dispel any misunderstanding about implementing the separate strands, TEA has chosen the star to represent the concept that all the strands must be integrated within classroom instruction. Each point of the literacy star represents one of the strands, and it takes all five strands working together to complete the star. When teachers integrate the strands effectively, students will understand the connection among the strands and see each one of them as one aspect of good communication.

 **English/Spanish TEKS website ** Also check out the teacher resources available on the English/Spanish TEKS website. Teachers can download copies of the new standards in the K-12 Vertical Alignment format, the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), and the College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) section that applies to ELA. A Reading Resource Websites Listhas also been added. This website was created at the request of the State Board of Education to provide resources for teachers. (The new standards are also online at TEA's website, but not in the vertical alignment format.)