ESL Achievement Scale

Reading
ESL 1	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a beginner level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Identify the author’s purpose; – Analyze pros and cons; – Differentiate main ideas from supporting ideas; – Synthesize information and summarize content; infer reasons and motivations, problems and solutions – Analyze cause and effects, and an argument; – Relate video content to the reading. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words.
ESL 2	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- beginner level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Differentiate key details from supporting ideas; – Synthesize information and summarize content; infer reasons and motivations, problems and solutions – Analyze cause and effects, and an argument; – Relate video content to the reading. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words.
ESL 3	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of an intermediate-level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Differentiate main ideas from supporting details; – Identify facts and speculations; – Relate video content to the reading. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words.
ESL 4	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- intermediate level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Differentiate main ideas from supporting details; – Identify facts from theories; – Relate video content to the reading. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words.
ESL 5	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context from an advanced level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Distinguish fact from speculation; – Differentiate main ideas from supporting ideas and reasons; – Identify and comprehend figurative language and similes; – Relate video content to the high-advanced level reading passage. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words in familiar, advanced level contexts.
ESL 6	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- advanced level reading passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meaning; – Analyze evidence for an argument and a writer’s point of view; – Evaluate the use of cohesion: repetition, paraphrase and key phrases; – Differentiate main ideas from supporting ideas and reasons; – Identify supporting examples and literary elements: plot, characters, setting, point of view and theme; – Interpret figurative language; – Relate video content to the high- advanced level reading passage. 2. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words in familiar, high-advanced level contexts.
TOEFL	At a 70% proficiency, from context of an academic level reading passage on an unknown topic, students will: 1. Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas, key details and meanings; 2. Differentiate between fact, fiction and opinion; identify negative facts from stated, mentioned or true statements; 3. Make inferences from stated facts; 4. Simplify meanings of complex sentences; 5. Explain why author includes certain words, phrases or sentences in a passage; 6. Determine where to insert a sentence into a passage based on key word or idea; 7. Analyze and evaluate text; 8. Interpret meanings of unfamiliar words in an academic level context.

Writing
ESL 1	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Compose grammatically- correct sentences with proper sentence structure and word order using learned vocabulary with: – Comparative adjectives, negative statements, adverbs of frequency, adverb clauses: using because to give a reason for something; and, time expressions. 2. Based on a known topic, write a short or one-paragraph composition which demonstrates organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements. – Topics: personal habits, risks, forms of transportation, and future dreams. Complete vocabulary definitions from context of a beginner level reading passage
ESL 2	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Compose grammatically- correct sentences with proper sentence structure and word order using learned vocabulary. 2. Based on a known topic, write a one-paragraph composition which demonstrates organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements. – Topics: information technology, endangered animals, support of an argument, and opinion. 3. Complete vocabulary definitions from context of a high-beginner level reading passage.
ESL 3	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Construct different types of sentences using grammatically correct sentence structure and word order containing learned vocabulary. – Topic: daily activities, suggestion, description, prediction, and rationale. 2. Based on a known topic, write one-paragraph compositions which demonstrate organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements. 3. Plan writing compositions and demonstrate understanding of the writing process at an intermediate level. 4. Complete vocabulary definitions from context of an intermediate reading level.
ESL 4	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Construct grammatically correct sentences and word order containing learned vocabulary. – Topic: topic, suggestion, description, prediction and rationale. 2. Based on a known topic, write a one-paragraph composition which demonstrate organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements. – Topic: description, opinion, explanation, and persuasion 3. Plan writing compositions and demonstrate understanding of the writing process at a high- intermediate level. 4. Complete vocabulary definitions from context of a high-intermediate reading level.
ESL 5	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Construct sentences using grammatically correct sentence structure and word order containing learned vocabulary. 2. Based on a known topic, write one- to three- paragraph compositions and short essays which demonstrate organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements and/or paragraphs. – Paragraph topics: comparison, opinion, descriptive; introductory, body and concluding paragraphs; – Essay topics: cause and effect, explanatory. 3. Plan writing compositions and demonstrate understanding of the writing process at an advanced level. 4. Complete vocabulary definitions from context from an advanced reading level.
ESL 6	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Construct sentences using grammatically correct sentence structure and word order containing learned vocabulary. 2. Based on a known topic, write one- to three- paragraph compositions and short essays which demonstrate organization with introduction, body and conclusion statements and/or paragraphs. – Essay topics: cause and effect on human impact, visual art form, expository on geography, argumentative research paper about longevity, personal narrative, and an analysis of literature; 3. Apply cohesive devices to emphasize key concepts; add detail to writing using nonrestrictive adjective clauses; refer to sources with quotes or paraphrases; explain the significance of evidence; use sensory details for narrative and descriptive writing; write critically about literature. 4. Plan writing compositions and demonstrate understanding of the writing process at a high- advanced level. – Use the two-draft essay writing process: brainstorm, outline, research, first draft, edit, and final second draft; – Cite evidence to support a thesis 5. Use a variety of sentence types: simple and compound sentences. 6. Evaluate essay prompt, thesis statements and supporting ideas; assess peer writing. 7. Complete vocabulary definitions from context of a high-advanced reading level.
TOEFL	At a 70% proficiency, from context of an academic level reading passage on an unknown topic, students will: 1. Construct sentences using grammatically-correct sentence structure and word order containing learned vocabulary; 2. Write five-paragraph essays which demonstrate organization with introduction, body and conclusion paragraphs; 3. Relate passages to personal experiences and opinions; 4. Plan writing compositions and demonstrate understanding of the writing process at an academic level; 5. Use the two-draft essay writing process: brainstorm, outline, research, first draft, edit, and final second draft; 6. Use simple, compound and complex sentence structures; 7. Evaluate sample essays; assess peer writing.

Listening
ESL 1	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a beginner level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of a beginner level video content, and identify main ideas and key details
ESL 2	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- beginner level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of a high-beginner level video content, and identify main ideas and key details.
ESL 3	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of an intermediate-level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of an intermediate-level video content; and, identify main ideas and details.
ESL 4	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- intermediate level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of a high-intermediate level video content; and, identify main ideas and details.
ESL 5	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context from an advanced level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of an advanced level video content; and, identify main ideas and details.
ESL 6	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From context of a high- advanced level listening passage on a known topic: – Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; – Complete an outline with information from the listening passage; – Summarize the listening passage to include a general opening statement, the main ideas and a concluding statement while using transitions; – Enumerate steps of a process in correct order; – Interpret meaning of unfamiliar words. 2. Demonstrate understanding of an advanced level video content; and, identify main ideas and details.
TOEFL	At a 70% proficiency, from context of an academic level reading passage on an unknown topic, students will: 1. Demonstrate comprehension, identify main ideas and key details; 2. Synthesize information from different parts of the passage to interpret overall meaning and purpose of passage; 3. Draw conclusions and identify the speaker’s function or purpose, i.e., the speaker said something in order to apologize, explain, clarify a point, change a topic, indicate a change of opinion, or suggest a new action; 4. Identify the speaker’s stance or attitude: i.e., the speaker feels positive or negative, happy or sad, impressed or unimpressed, enthusiastic or bored, doubtful or certain about a topic; 5. Predict an outcome, recognize a sequence and determine the cause for a certain effect.

Speaking
ESL 1	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From a beginner level conversation or listening passage of a known topic: – Demonstrate grammatically- correct use of new vocabulary; – Deliver grammatically-correct statements. – Discuss the content and give feedback; 2. Demonstrate proper intonation and/or word stress while using the appropriate expression for: – Comparing and contrasting, showing interest, asking questions to encourage communication; words of encouragement and gratitude 3. Plan and give short individual and group presentations at a beginner level with: – Appropriate speaking volume, use of notes and eye contact, and use of visuals (i.e., charts or picture); – Asking for and answering audience questions; – Topics: personal role models, adventure trip, modern vehicle, and types of vacation.
ESL 2	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. From a high-beginner level conversation or listening passage of a known topic: – Demonstrate grammatically- correct use of new vocabulary; – Deliver grammatically-correct statements. – Discuss the content and give feedback; 2. Demonstrate proper intonation for: – Asking questions, making a request, Wh-questions, expressing difficulty, and showing agreement and disagreement. 3. Plan and give short individual and group presentations at a high-beginner level with: – Appropriate speaking volume, use of notes and eye contact; – Answering audience questions; – Topics: tradition, personal challenge(s), and conducted survey.
ESL 3	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Demonstrate grammatically correct use of new and appropriate vocabulary in an intermediate-level conversation. 2. Create grammatically-correct statements on a known topic of an intermediate-level conversation or listening passage. 3. Give feedback while listening to an intermediate-level conversation or listening passage. 4. Demonstrate appropriate use of proper intonation for: – Asking questions to show interest, and yes/no and Wh- questions; express preferences, agreement and disagreement; – Making suggestions; showing thanks and appreciation. 5. Discuss the content and demonstrate understanding of an intermediate-level video. 6. Plan and give short individual and group presentations at an intermediate level with: – Appropriate speaking volume and use of notes and eye contact; – Answering audience questions.
ESL 4	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Demonstrate grammatically correct use of new and appropriate vocabulary in a high-intermediate level conversation. 2. Create grammatically-correct statements on a known topic of a high-intermediate level conversation or listening passage. 3. Give feedback while listening to a high-intermediate level conversation or listening passage. 4. Demonstrate appropriate use of proper intonation for – Clarification, surprise and congratulations 5. Discuss the content and demonstrate understanding of a high-intermediate level video. 6. Plan and give short individual and group presentations using notes at a high- intermediate level with: – Proper posture, eye contact and hand gestures; – Appropriate voice projection; – Asking and answering audience questions.
ESL 5	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Demonstrate grammatically correct use of new and appropriate vocabulary in an advanced level conversation. 2. Create grammatically-correct statements on a known topic of an advanced level conversation or listening passage. 3. Give feedback while listening to an advanced level conversation or listening passage. 4. Demonstrate appropriate proper intonation for: – Greetings, expressing expectations, asking for repetition, making suggestions or a request, asking sensitive or negative questions, demonstrating interest; and stress patterns before suffixes. 5. Discuss the content and demonstrate understanding of an advanced level video. 6. Plan and give individual and group presentations using notes at an advanced level with: – Proper eye contact; – Appropriate visuals (slides, chart, pictures, etc.); – Correct speaking rate and pauses; – Questions and answer after presentation.
ESL 6	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Demonstrate grammatically correct use of new and appropriate vocabulary in a high-advanced level conversation while using: – Active voice to emphasize the agent of an action; passive voice when the agent is unknown or unimportant; paraphrasing to restate information – Compound adjectives; tag questions to keep a conversation going; – Expressions to show one is following a conversation; connectors of concession to show differences between two statements (i.e., surprising or unexpected information); – Connectors to add and emphasize information; 2. Create grammatically-correct statements on a known topic of a high-advanced level conversation or listening passage. 3. Give feedback while listening to an advanced level conversation or listening passage. 4. Demonstrate appropriate proper intonation and expressions for: – Expressing agreement or disagreement, uncertainty and opinion; – Confirming understanding; giving recommendations to solve a problem; – Asking for clarification and sensitive questions; dealing with difficult questions; – Digressing from a topic; sharing advice; checking background knowledge. 5. Discuss the content and demonstrate understanding of an advanced level video. 6. Plan and give individual and group presentations using notes at an advanced level with: – Proper eye contact with individuals in the audience and use of notes/outline; – Appropriate visuals (slides, chart, pictures, etc.) and use of hand gestures to add emphasis; – Correct speaking rate and pauses, allowing each group member to present; – Questions and answer after presentation; -Preparation of a 2-minute persuasive speech with a statement of one’s position, supporting examples and reasons, and a conclusion; – Presentation topics: Problem and solution, fashion trends, budget presentation, health and fitness, persuasive speech, memory skills and genetically modified crops.
TOEFL	At a 70% proficiency, from context of an academic level reading passage on an unknown topic, students will: 1. Correctly respond to questions with supporting examples from both the reading and listening passage; 2. Integrate main and supporting ideas from a reading and listening passage; 3. Summarize key points from the passage; 4. Relate passages to personal experiences and opinions; 5. Plan and deliver speaking responses that provides an introductory statement, supporting ideas and a conclusion statement.

Grammar
ESL 1	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Simple present and past tense; present progressive tense; – Simple present: yes/no questions, short answers, affirmative and negative statements; contractions – Irregular verbs: do, go and have; non-action verbs – Imperatives – Preposition of place and time; Wh- questions; articles – Nouns: plural and possessive, count and non- count; – Adjectives: descriptive and possessive; – Adverbs: frequency adverbs and expressions – Measurement words – There is/are statements, questions and short answers; indefinite pronouns 2. Write a one-paragraph composition about: – Topics: family members, a celebration, job, daily life, planning an event, opinion about a place, and life activities.
ESL 2	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Simple past: in statement and questions, irregular verbs; past progressive tense; future tense with present progressive; – Past and future time clauses; if clauses; – Adjectives: modifying using nouns with adjectives, using nouns as adjectives, modifying nouns with adjectives; – Adverbs of manner; – Modals: should/shouldn’t for advisability; can/may for permission; have to for necessity; can/could for ability and possibility statements; be able to and know how to; might/may for possibility – Comparative and superlative adjectives in short and long form; – Possessive pronouns. 2. Write a one-paragraph composition about: – Topics: blog entry, life events, animals, person’s challenges, comparison, request for permission, and personal statement.
ESL 3	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Present: simple, perfect, perfect progressive tenses; Past progressive tense; future tense; – Past and future time clauses; – Adjectives and adverbs; – Used to and would in repeated past actions; – Plural and possessive nouns; count and non-count nouns; quantity and measurement words; – Personal pronouns and possessive adjectives; prepositions of time, place and direction; – Articles with place names; indefinite and definite articles; – Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs; 2. Write a two-paragraph composition about: – Topics: cultural tradition, difficult experience, opinion, a place, changes, description, the future and product review.
ESL 4	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Present perfect and simple past tense; present perfect progressive; future tense – Present tense to express future – Nouns as adjectives – Past and future time clauses; – Comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs; – Conjunctions and adverb clauses – Future conditional – Gerunds and infinitives; gerunds as subject and object; infinitives of purpose – Modals: a) Ability: can/could; be able to b) Past ability: could/ was/were able to c) Possibility: may, might, could d) Logical conclusion: must and must not e) Permission: may, could, can f) Request: would, could, can, will g) Necessity: must and have to h) Prohibition; must not, may not, can’t, couldn’t i) Lack of necessity: not have to j) Logical conclusion: must and must not – Transitive and intransitive verbs and phrasal verbs – Direct and indirect objectives 2. Write a three-paragraph composition about: – Topics: recent changes, predictions about the future,comparison, causes and effects, biography, critical review, opinion, and description.
ESL 5	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Present and past: simple, perfect and progressive tenses; present perfect progressive tense; future tense; – Stative and active verbs; – Past time clauses; present perfect time clauses; future time clauses; – Used to and would to express repeated past actions; – Nouns: possessive, count and non-count; pronouns: personal, possessive, subject and object; – Possessive adjectives; nouns as adjectives; comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs – Prepositions, definite and indefinite articles. – Modals of: a) Necessity and prohibition: must/have to; b) Obligation and expectation: supposed to; c) Ability: able to/can/could; d) Advice, regret and criticism: should, out to, had better, should have; – Gerunds: infinitives with modals: being able to, must be able to. 2. Write a three-paragraph composition about: – Topics: Cultural changes, difficult experience, opinion, location, changes, description, the future and product review.
ESL 6	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Identify and produce grammatically-correct sentences with: – Possibility and logical conclusions: present, past, and future using simple and progressive tenses; – Passive, active and modals; passive gerunds and infinitives; – Causative verb patterns: have, let, make and help; – Phrasal verbs: transitive separable and inseparable; and, intransitive; – Relative clauses: a) Subject relative clauses; non- identifying subject relative clauses; relative clauses with whose; b) Object relative clauses, with prepositions; c) Reduced, with where and when; – Adverb clauses and reduced adverb clauses of: a) Time, reason and purpose; – Present, past and future real conditionals; present, past and future unreal conditionals; – Noun clauses and reported speech. 2. Write a three-paragraph composition about: – Topics: distant relative, informative essay on an endangered animal, blog on an event, plot or storyline, city project, personal essay on career, survey results
TOEFL	At a 70% proficiency, students will: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of grammar basics: Parts of speech; phrases vs. clauses, verbs and subjects; time expressions and verbs; word forms: noun, verb, adjective, adverb; 2. Use noun clauses: beginning with question words, whether or if, that, quoted speech; reported speech; using –ever words; 3. Review for and correct common structure problems: sentence structure, subject- verb agreement, verb tenses, dependent and independent clauses, sentences vs. fragments and run on sentences, subject verb agreement, and verb tenses; 4. Use transition words and phrases to show how ideas are related; 5. Use adjective clauses: adjective clause pronouns used as subject, object of verb and object of preposition; whose, where, when, which; to modify pronouns; punctuating; with expressions of quantity; reducing to adjective phrases; 6. Use verb tenses for making and supporting generalizations, and reporting ideas, statements and thoughts; making generalization less certain; 7. Use coordinating conjunctions: parallel structure, paired conjunctions; separating independent clauses with punctuation; 8. Use passive form verb tenses and generic nouns: active vs passive; for reporting information; 9. Use adverb clauses to show time relationships and causes and effect, express contrast; express conditions; 10. Use parallel structure in joined clauses, phrases and words; use participial phrases to connect ideas, and conditional sentences; 11. Use reduced adverb clauses; 12. Use relative clauses and complements.