How to Use ELPS Online Helper

A comprehensive guide to navigating and using all features of the ELPS Online Helper app. Access 2026 ELPS standards, generate AI-powered lesson plans, and find research-based strategies, all designed to make your work easier.

Overview: Three Main Sections

ELPS Online Helper is divided into three main sections, each serving a different purpose:

📚 Reference Mode

Like having a digital book where you can browse ELPS standards, Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs), accommodations, and research-based strategies. Available to everyone - no account needed.

📖 Learn About ELPS

Five guided modules covering what ELPS are, the legal framework, 2026 changes, the 5-level proficiency system, and classroom implementation. Available to everyone - no account needed.

🎯 Teaching Assistant Mode

Interactive tools to generate strategies, create lesson plans, and chat with an AI tutor. Basic features available to all, but advanced features require an account.

📚 Reference Mode: Quick ELPS Lookup

Reference Mode gives you instant access to all 2026 ELPS standards, Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs), accommodations, scaffolds, sentence stems, and research-based strategies. Simply select your grade level, content area, proficiency level, and language domain to see everything you need. This section is available to everyone - no account needed.

How It Works:

  1. Select Grade Level: Choose between K-3 or 4-12 grade bands
  2. Select Content Area: Choose from ELAR, Math, Science, Social Studies, or General
  3. Select Proficiency Level: Choose Pre-Production, Beginning, Intermediate, High Intermediate, or Advanced (2026 ELPS 5-level system)
  4. Select Language Domain: Choose Listening, Speaking, Reading, or Writing
  5. View Your Results: You'll see:
    • ELPS Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) for that combination
    • Recommended accommodations for that proficiency level
    • Research-based strategies for that domain and proficiency level
    • Scaffolds and sentence stems to support instruction
    • Language patterns and linguistic support statements

💡 What You'll Get: For any combination you select, you'll instantly see:

  • ELPS Language Patterns - Content-area specific language patterns from the 2026 ELPS Standards
  • Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs) - Official rubrics that describe student capabilities at each proficiency level
  • Recommended Accommodations - TELPAS-based accommodations tailored to the proficiency level
  • Recommended Strategies - Research-based instructional strategies for the selected domain
  • Scaffolds & Sentence Stems - Ready-to-use supports for instruction

Who can use it: Everyone - logged in or not. Perfect for quick lookups and understanding the relationships between ELPS components.

🎯 Teaching Assistant Mode: Strategy & AI Lesson Plan Generator

Teaching Assistant Mode goes beyond simple reference—it helps you create differentiated lesson plans and strategies tailored to your students. Generate instant strategy cards, create AI-powered lesson plans with TEKS integration, and plan tutoring sessions for small groups. The features available depend on whether you're logged in or not.

👤 Available to Everyone (No Account Needed):

Quick Strategy Generator (Strategy Card)

Get instant, actionable strategies, accommodations, and scaffolds for your students. This creates a comprehensive Strategy Card with all the ELPS information, TELPAS accommodations, research-based strategies, scaffolds, and sentence stems you need—all in one place, ready to use.

  1. Select a grade level band (K-3 or 4-12)
  2. Select a content area (ELAR, Math, Science, Social Studies, or General)
  3. Select a proficiency level (Pre-Production, Beginning, Intermediate, High Intermediate, or Advanced)
  4. Select a language domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, or Writing)
  5. View your Strategy Card with all relevant accommodations, strategies, scaffolds, and sentence stems
  6. Use the clipboard icons (📋) to copy any content to your clipboard for pasting into other documents
  7. Click "Generate AI Lesson Plan" (if logged in) to create a complete lesson plan with time controls and detailed activities

💡 Copy to Clipboard Feature: Throughout the strategy card, you'll see clipboard icons (📋). Click any clipboard icon to copy that specific content to your clipboard. You can then paste it into any document (Word, Google Docs, lesson planning software, etc.). When you click a clipboard icon, it will show "✓ Copied" to confirm the content was copied.

Note: You can view and copy strategies, but you cannot save them or generate AI lesson plans without an account.

✨ Available with a Free Account (After Signing Up):

1. AI-Powered Lesson Plan Generator (with TEKS Integration)

Create comprehensive, differentiated lesson plans tailored to specific students with automatic TEKS alignment. The AI combines your selected TEKS objective with ELPS standards, proficiency level, and domain to generate a complete lesson plan with time controls, detailed activities, scaffolds, and assessment strategies.

How it works:

  1. Go to your Dashboard and create a student profile (using auto-generated pseudonyms for FERPA compliance)
  2. Click "AI Lesson Plan Generator"
  3. Select a specific grade level (K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8) - not just grade bands!
  4. Select a content area (ELAR, Math, Science, or Social Studies)
  5. Select a specific TEKS objective from the dropdown (e.g., "Math 3.2A - Compose and decompose numbers up to 100,000")
  6. Select a proficiency level (Pre-Production, Beginning, Intermediate, High Intermediate, or Advanced)
  7. Select a language domain (Listening, Speaking, Reading, or Writing)
  8. Click "Generate Lesson Plan"

The AI will create a complete lesson plan that:

  • Aligns the selected TEKS objective with 2026 ELPS standards
  • Includes differentiated instruction for the selected proficiency level
  • Incorporates appropriate accommodations and research-based strategies
  • Provides scaffolds, sentence stems, and linguistic support statements
  • Includes time controls and detailed activity sequences
  • Can be saved, modified, and printed

Key Difference: Logged-in users can select specific grades (K-8) and specific TEKS objectives, while logged-out users can only use grade bands (K-3/4-12) and cannot generate AI lesson plans.

2. Quick Tutoring Session Planner

Plan tutoring sessions for small groups of up to 6 students with different proficiency levels.

How it works:

  1. Go to your Dashboard and click "Quick Tutoring Session"
  2. Add up to 6 students (using existing student profiles or create new ones)
  3. For each student, select their proficiency level and language domain
  4. Click "Generate Session Plan"
  5. The AI will create a time-sequenced tutoring plan that addresses all students' needs
  6. Save, modify, or print your session plan

3. Student Profile Management

Create and manage student profiles using auto-generated pseudonyms (FERPA-compliant). No real student names are ever stored.

  • Create unlimited student profiles
  • Associate lesson plans with specific students
  • Track strategies and accommodations used for each student
  • All profiles use pseudonyms like "Student Alpha" or "Learner Blue-5"

4. Save, Print & Export

All your generated lesson plans and tutoring sessions can be saved to your dashboard, modified anytime, and printed or exported for offline use.

📖 Learn About ELPS: Guided Modules

New to ELPS? Our Learn section provides five guided modules that walk you through everything you need to know about the English Language Proficiency Standards. Available to everyone - no account needed.

The Five Modules:

  1. What Are ELPS? - Understanding the English Language Proficiency Standards and their purpose
  2. ELPS and the Law - The legal framework behind ELPS in Texas (Texas Education Code, 19 TAC Chapter 120)
  3. What Changed in 2026 - Key differences between the original and updated ELPS
  4. The 5-Level Proficiency System - Understanding Pre-Production through Advanced levels
  5. ELPS in Your Classroom - Practical strategies for implementing ELPS in daily instruction

💬 ELPS Teaching Assistant (AI Chatbot)

When logged in, you have access to an AI-powered ELPS Teaching Assistant chatbot. Look for the green chat button in the bottom-right corner of any page. The chatbot is trained on the 2026 ELPS standards and can answer questions about proficiency levels, classroom strategies, legal requirements, TELPAS alignment, and more.

What You Can Ask:

  • Questions about the 5 proficiency levels and their characteristics
  • How to apply ELPS to specific content areas (Math, Science, ELAR, Social Studies)
  • Scaffolding strategies for different proficiency levels
  • TELPAS assessment and transition timeline
  • Legal requirements and what the law says about ELPS implementation
  • Best practices for Content-Based Language Instruction (CBLI)

Note: The AI chatbot requires a free account. Responses are generated by AI and should be verified with official TEA publications for critical decisions.

Quick Comparison: Logged-Out vs. Logged-In

FeatureLogged-OutLogged-In (Free Account)
Reference Mode (Browse ELPS)✅ Yes✅ Yes
Quick Strategy Generator✅ Yes (Grade bands: K-3/4-12)✅ Yes (Specific grades: K-8)
AI Lesson Plan Generator❌ No✅ Yes (with TEKS integration)
Select Specific TEKS Objectives❌ No✅ Yes
Quick Tutoring Sessions❌ No✅ Yes (up to 6 students)
Save Lesson Plans & Sessions❌ No✅ Yes
Student Profile Management❌ No✅ Yes (FERPA-compliant)
Print & Export⚠️ Limited✅ Yes
Learn About ELPS (Modules)✅ Yes✅ Yes
AI Teaching Assistant (Chatbot)❌ No✅ Yes

Getting Started

For Everyone (No Account Needed):

  1. Go to the homepage
  2. Click "Reference" mode to browse ELPS standards, PLDs, accommodations, and strategies
  3. Or click "Teaching Assistant" mode to use the Quick Strategy Generator
  4. Select your criteria and explore the resources

To Unlock Advanced Features (Free Account):

  1. Create a free account
  2. Go to your Dashboard
  3. Create student profiles (using auto-generated pseudonyms)
  4. Generate your first AI lesson plan with TEKS integration
  5. Or create a Quick Tutoring Session for a small group

Ready to Get Started?

Create a free account to unlock all features, or explore the Reference Mode right now - no account needed!