Mateo, a fourth grader whose first language is Spanish, is at the intermediate level in TELPAS speaking. When reading aloud he says "choe" for shoe, "chee" for she, and "chip" when the text says ship. Which activity most directly targets the source of this difficulty?

Hearing and sorting minimal pairs such as ship/chip and shoes/choose

Practicing rising intonation on yes/no questions that begin with should

Clapping the syllables in multisyllabic words such as shadow and children

Segmenting and blending onset and rime in rhyming words such as ship/lip

Minh, a fourth grader at the intermediate level, cannot solve a two-step word problem alone, but he solves it when the teacher asks guiding questions and points to key words. According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, how should the teacher plan instruction for Minh?

Target tasks he can complete with guidance, and gradually fade the support.

Focus on tasks he already completes without help to build his confidence.

Wait until he can complete these tasks independently before assigning them.

Present such tasks only in his first language until he masters them fully.

Bao, a fifth grader who arrived recently, is at the beginning level of English proficiency. Under the English Language Proficiency Standards, what kind of instruction should Bao receive in addition to linguistically accommodated content instruction?

Focused, targeted and systematic second language acquisition instruction in listening, speaking, reading and writing

Pull-out instruction in English grammar only, replacing his grade-level science and social studies

Instruction in all content areas delivered only in his home language until he reaches the intermediate proficiency level

Placement in content classes without language support until he completes his silent period

Amira, a fifth grader who arrived from Jordan four months ago, was cheerful and eager during her first weeks. Lately she complains that school rules make no sense, says she hates the cafeteria food, and has had several angry exchanges with classmates. Which stage of acculturation does Amira's behavior most likely reflect?

Hostility, when early excitement gives way to frustration with the new culture

Adaptation, when the student functions comfortably in both the home and new cultures

Honeymoon, when the novelty of the new culture brings enthusiasm and optimism

Adjustment or recovery, when the student begins to understand and accept new routines

Omar, a sixth grader whose first language is Arabic, says "I bark the car" when he means park and reads pin as "bin." His teacher wants to explain the pattern and plan a response. Which explanation and response are most accurate?

Arabic lacks /p/ as a separate phoneme, so practice /p/–/b/ minimal pairs.

English /p/ and /b/ are allophones, so the substitution needs no instruction.

Arabic lacks /b/ as a separate phoneme, so practice voicing initial /b/.

Arabic lacks consonant clusters, so practice adding vowels between consonants.

Bao, a second grader at the beginning level, answers questions about a picture book with one or two words, such as "Red car" or "Yes," and uses a few memorized phrases. Which questioning approach best matches his current stage while encouraging more production?

Either/or and short-answer questions, such as "Is it a cat or a dog?"

Prompts that require a multi-sentence retelling of the entire story in order.

Open-ended questions that require explanation, such as "Why did the bear leave?"

Questions that need only a gesture, such as "Point to the dog in the picture."

Which classroom practice would best create a language-rich environment for ELs at varied proficiency levels in a fourth-grade class?

An interactive word wall with pictures and example sentences that students use and add to during lessons

Rules posted in English that students copy into their notebooks at the beginning of the year

Worksheets of vocabulary definitions that students complete independently each Friday

A quiet independent reading block in which students read self-selected books silently without any discussion

Seventh-grade intermediate-level ELs are mixing up the order of events in a unit on the Texas Revolution and are using verb tenses inconsistently when they write about the events. Which support best addresses both the content and the language need?

An illustrated timeline paired with past-tense frames using before, after, and while

A Venn diagram comparing Texas and Mexico in the period leading up to the Texas Revolution

A list of key people with short biographies that students read silently and summarize

A map of Texas showing the locations of major battles color-coded by the side that won

A counselor explains to teachers that newcomer students often seem happy and energetic in their first weeks but may later become homesick, withdrawn or irritable. Which planning decision best applies this understanding of culture shock?

Keep check-ins and supports going well past the first weeks, when difficulties often emerge

Delay academic instruction until students reach the adaptation stage and feel fully ready

Treat later irritability as a discipline issue, since students showed they could adjust

Concentrate support in the first week, since newcomers' adjustment needs peak on arrival

TExES (ESL) (154)

Free TExES (ESL) (154) Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the TExES (ESL) (154), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Language Concepts and Language Acquisition, ESL Instruction and Assessment, Foundations of ESL Education, Cultural Awareness, and Family and Community Involvement.

Question 1 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
Mateo, a fourth grader whose first language is Spanish, is at the intermediate level in TELPAS speaking. When reading aloud he says "choe" for shoe, "chee" for she, and "chip" when the text says ship. Which activity most directly targets the source of this difficulty?
- A.Practicing rising intonation on yes/no questions that begin with should
- B.Clapping the syllables in multisyllabic words such as shadow and children
- C.Segmenting and blending onset and rime in rhyming words such as ship/lip
- D.Hearing and sorting minimal pairs such as ship/chip and shoes/choose
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Hearing and sorting minimal pairs such as ship/chip and shoes/choose
Most varieties of Spanish lack /ʃ/ as a separate phoneme, so Mateo substitutes the closest sound, /tʃ/. Minimal-pair work isolates exactly that contrast so he can hear and then produce the difference in meaning. Onset-rime and syllable activities build phonological awareness but never contrast the two phonemes he is merging.
Question 2 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
Minh, a fourth grader at the intermediate level, cannot solve a two-step word problem alone, but he solves it when the teacher asks guiding questions and points to key words. According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, how should the teacher plan instruction for Minh?
- A.Focus on tasks he already completes without help to build his confidence.
- B.Wait until he can complete these tasks independently before assigning them.
- C.Target tasks he can complete with guidance, and gradually fade the support.
- D.Present such tasks only in his first language until he masters them fully.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Target tasks he can complete with guidance, and gradually fade the support.
The gap between what Minh can do alone and what he can do with guidance is his zone of proximal development, where instruction is most productive. Scaffolding within that zone, then removing support, moves the task into independent performance. Waiting for independence or practicing only mastered tasks keeps instruction below his ZPD.
Question 3 · ESL Instruction and Assessment
Bao, a fifth grader who arrived recently, is at the beginning level of English proficiency. Under the English Language Proficiency Standards, what kind of instruction should Bao receive in addition to linguistically accommodated content instruction?
- A.Pull-out instruction in English grammar only, replacing his grade-level science and social studies
- B.Focused, targeted and systematic second language acquisition instruction in listening, speaking, reading and writing
- C.Instruction in all content areas delivered only in his home language until he reaches the intermediate proficiency level
- D.Placement in content classes without language support until he completes his silent period
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Focused, targeted and systematic second language acquisition instruction in listening, speaking, reading and writing
The ELPS require that ELs in grade 3 or higher who are at the beginning or intermediate level receive focused, targeted and systematic second language acquisition instruction, in addition to linguistically accommodated content instruction, so that they can participate in grade-level content. Withholding support during the silent period, replacing content instruction with grammar, or delivering all content only in the home language does not meet that requirement in an ESL setting.
Question 4 · ESL Instruction and Assessment
A fourth-grade math teacher wants her ELs to develop a deep understanding of the concept polygon. She plans an organizer in which students write a definition, list characteristics, draw examples such as triangles and hexagons, and draw non-examples such as circles and open figures. Which graphic organizer is she describing?
- A.A Frayer model
- B.A semantic map
- C.A flow chart
- D.A Venn diagram
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A Frayer model
A Frayer model organizes a concept into a definition, characteristics, examples, and non-examples, which is especially helpful for ELs learning content-specific terms. A Venn diagram compares two items, a flow chart shows a sequence of steps, and a semantic map branches related ideas without the example/non-example contrast.
Question 5 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
Amira, a fifth grader who arrived from Jordan four months ago, was cheerful and eager during her first weeks. Lately she complains that school rules make no sense, says she hates the cafeteria food, and has had several angry exchanges with classmates. Which stage of acculturation does Amira's behavior most likely reflect?
- A.Adaptation, when the student functions comfortably in both the home and new cultures
- B.Honeymoon, when the novelty of the new culture brings enthusiasm and optimism
- C.Adjustment or recovery, when the student begins to understand and accept new routines
- D.Hostility, when early excitement gives way to frustration with the new culture
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Hostility, when early excitement gives way to frustration with the new culture
Complaints, irritability and conflict that follow an initial period of excitement are hallmarks of the hostility or frustration stage of culture shock. The honeymoon stage describes her first weeks, not her current behavior, and adjustment and adaptation involve growing acceptance and comfort rather than rejection of the new setting.
Question 6 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
Omar, a sixth grader whose first language is Arabic, says "I bark the car" when he means park and reads pin as "bin." His teacher wants to explain the pattern and plan a response. Which explanation and response are most accurate?
- A.English /p/ and /b/ are allophones, so the substitution needs no instruction.
- B.Arabic lacks /b/ as a separate phoneme, so practice voicing initial /b/.
- C.Arabic lacks consonant clusters, so practice adding vowels between consonants.
- D.Arabic lacks /p/ as a separate phoneme, so practice /p/–/b/ minimal pairs.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Arabic lacks /p/ as a separate phoneme, so practice /p/–/b/ minimal pairs.
Standard Arabic has /b/ but no /p/ phoneme, so Arabic speakers often substitute /b/, merging pairs like park/bark. Because /p/ and /b/ are separate phonemes in English that distinguish meaning, minimal-pair practice is the appropriate response. Calling them allophones is wrong, since swapping them changes the word.
Question 7 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
Bao, a second grader at the beginning level, answers questions about a picture book with one or two words, such as "Red car" or "Yes," and uses a few memorized phrases. Which questioning approach best matches his current stage while encouraging more production?
- A.Either/or and short-answer questions, such as "Is it a cat or a dog?"
- B.Prompts that require a multi-sentence retelling of the entire story in order.
- C.Open-ended questions that require explanation, such as "Why did the bear leave?"
- D.Questions that need only a gesture, such as "Point to the dog in the picture."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Either/or and short-answer questions, such as "Is it a cat or a dog?"
One- and two-word answers and memorized chunks mark the early production stage, where either/or and short-answer questions let the learner produce words he knows. Pointing tasks fit preproduction and would not stretch his speaking, while open-ended why questions and full retellings demand more language than he can yet produce.
Question 8 · ESL Instruction and Assessment
Which classroom practice would best create a language-rich environment for ELs at varied proficiency levels in a fourth-grade class?
- A.Rules posted in English that students copy into their notebooks at the beginning of the year
- B.An interactive word wall with pictures and example sentences that students use and add to during lessons
- C.Worksheets of vocabulary definitions that students complete independently each Friday
- D.A quiet independent reading block in which students read self-selected books silently without any discussion
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. An interactive word wall with pictures and example sentences that students use and add to during lessons
A language-rich environment surrounds students with accessible, meaningful language that they actively use, and an interactive word wall with visuals and example sentences supports all levels while encouraging repeated use. Silent reading without talk, copying rules and isolated definition worksheets provide little interaction or contextualized language practice.
Question 9 · ESL Instruction and Assessment
Seventh-grade intermediate-level ELs are mixing up the order of events in a unit on the Texas Revolution and are using verb tenses inconsistently when they write about the events. Which support best addresses both the content and the language need?
- A.A Venn diagram comparing Texas and Mexico in the period leading up to the Texas Revolution
- B.An illustrated timeline paired with past-tense frames using before, after, and while
- C.A list of key people with short biographies that students read silently and summarize
- D.A map of Texas showing the locations of major battles color-coded by the side that won
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. An illustrated timeline paired with past-tense frames using before, after, and while
A timeline makes chronological sequence visible, and frames with time connectors and past-tense verbs give students the language to explain that sequence. A Venn diagram supports comparison, biographies focus on individuals, and a battle map shows location, so none directly targets sequence and tense.
Question 10 · Language Concepts and Language Acquisition
A counselor explains to teachers that newcomer students often seem happy and energetic in their first weeks but may later become homesick, withdrawn or irritable. Which planning decision best applies this understanding of culture shock?
- A.Delay academic instruction until students reach the adaptation stage and feel fully ready
- B.Treat later irritability as a discipline issue, since students showed they could adjust
- C.Keep check-ins and supports going well past the first weeks, when difficulties often emerge
- D.Concentrate support in the first week, since newcomers' adjustment needs peak on arrival
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Keep check-ins and supports going well past the first weeks, when difficulties often emerge
Because the hostility or frustration stage often follows an initial honeymoon period, support must continue after the first weeks. Front-loading support misses the later dip, treating it as misbehavior ignores a predictable stage, and withholding instruction until adaptation would waste months of learning time.

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