LAS Links Online Emergent Bilingual Student Identification Program Requirements – FAQs

Who do we need to test and why?
Please view the TEA’s video The Process for Serving Emerging Bilingual Students”” and go to www.TXEL.org”” for information on who to test, how and why.  

Which form of LAS Links is used for the purpose of Emergent Bilingual Student identification?
LAS Links English Form A and LAS Links Español Form A

What grade levels and domains do we assess with LAS Links?
Per the TEA:

  • Grade 1: should be administered the LAS Links Speaking and Listening domains
  • Grades 2-12: should be administered the LAS Links Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing domains

*LAS Links Español (grades 1-6) should be administered if your LEA provides a bilingual program

What scores are used to determine English learner status?
Grade 1: if a student receives a proficiency level of 1, 2 or 3 in either Speaking and/or Listening, they are to be considered an Emergent Bilingual student.

Grades 2-12, if a student receives a proficiency level of 1, 2 or 3 in any of the 4 domains (Speaking, Listening, Reading and/or Writing) they are to be considered an Emergent Bilingual student.

Can a Test Administrator not test and/or stop the test due to insufficient language?
Per the TEA:

In Texas, many LEAs continue to see (or will see) a rise in enrollment of students who have interrupted education or no education at all. While the Federal requirement is that students must be given the opportunity to attempt all assigned subtests per the requirements set forth for the purpose of the identification of Emergent Bilingual students, please be reminded of the following when working with these students:

  • When the student is new to the country, please allow the student at least a few days in the classroom to acclimate themselves to their new surroundings before testing to meet the requirement.
  • At no time, can a student be labeled “unable to test due to language” without being allowed to attempt each subtest they are assigned.
  • For each subtest, trained test administrators must give students as much time as they need, as long as they are working on the test.
  • If, after a reasonable amount of time, a student appears to not be actively engaged in the subtest they are being presented, a trained test administrator may use his/her professional discretion and may stop the subtest and move the student on to the next subtest.
  • Stopping the test must be documented and provided to the LPAC for consideration.

What is the guidance if a student has an overall score of 4 or 5 on the LAS Links assessment, but scores a 3 or lower in one of the language domains?
Per TEA (and federal guidelines):

The overall score does not factor in the process of the identification of Emergent Bilingual students. Each domain score is to be considered individually regardless of the overall composite score.

Who may administer the assessments?
This is a local decision however, LAS Links should be administered by trained professionals or paraprofessionals who are proficient in the language of the test.

What is the practice test and is it required?
The practice test allows students to "practice" using the online tools as well as a few items in each domain of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The practice test is highly recommended