Each course objective (A-E) focuses on a specific area of language skill development. The proficiency scale demonstrates alignment of all levels of the curriculum.
Listening and Speaking - Levels Foundation - 6
| Fdn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| A. |
Understand short statements, basic questions, and very short conversations about survival topics. |
Recognize, identify, and understand topic, main ideas, and major details of short conversations and monologues with slow and clearly articulated speech about familiar, concrete topics. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, main ideas, major details, and some supporting details of conversations and short talks with clearly articulated speech about everyday topics. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, structure, purpose, central theme, main ideas, supporting details, and their relationships in conversations and talks with controlled speech about general interest topics. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, structure, audience, register, purpose, central theme, main ideas, implied main ideas, major details, and their relationships in adapted and authentic academic discourse. | Recognize, identify, and understand main ideas, important details, logical implications, and rhetorical strategies of authentic academic discourse. | Recognize, identify, and understand main ideas, details, and implications of university-level listening passages and full-length lectures from a range of academic disciplines. |
| B. | Successfully communicate about self and survival topics using formulaic phrases and simple sentences. | Engage effectively in short, direct exchanges about familiar, concrete topics using short sentences. | Engage effectively in direct exchanges about familiar topics using multiple sentences. | Engage effectively in guided conversations and successfully interview native speakers about general interest topics. | Engage effectively in unscripted academic discourse. | Determine and evaluate points of view in academic listening material and respond effectively. | Respond critically in discussions to information and arguments presented in university-level listening passages, peer presentations, and full-length lectures. |
| C. |
Incorporate sufficient accuracy and fluency in speech to communicate in prepared, basic, highly structured interactions and other level-appropriate tasks. |
Incorporate sufficient range, accuracy, and fluency in speech to communicate in highly-structured interactions. | Incorporate sufficient range, accuracy, and fluency in speech to communicate meaningfully in semi-structured interactions. | Effectively communicate results of interviews and/or surveys in speaking tasks, giving proper credit to sources in presentations. | Effectively communicate main ideas, details, and examples in speaking tasks. Use information from outside sources appropriately to support viewpoints. | Communicate about controversial topics, supporting viewpoints with details, examples, and other evidence from academic sources. | Support arguments, refute opposing viewpoints, and incorporate information from authentic academic sources in speaking tasks. |
| D. | Incorporate sufficient range, accuracy, and fluency in speech to be understood in speaking tasks about general interest topics. | Incorporate sufficient range, accuracy, and fluency in speech to clearly convey ideas in class discussions and presentations about familiar, academic topics. | Use academic vocabulary, a variety of grammar structures, and accurate pronunciation to clearly convey ideas and opinions in class discussions and presentations about academic topics. | Use academic vocabulary, a variety of grammar structures, and accurate pronunciation to support arguments, elaborate on academic topics, and be understood in a university classroom. | |||
| E. | Use a process approach to delivering a presentation. | Take a process approach to preparing and delivering academic discourse. | Take a process approach to preparing and delivering academic presentations that includes selecting, evaluating, and integrating source material with correct citations. | Take a process approach to preparing and delivering academic presentations that includes selecting, evaluating, and synthesizing academic source material, using correct citations. |
Reading and Vocabulary - Level Foundation - 4
| Fdn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| A. | Identify and understand main ideas and major details in authentic and adapted texts appropriate for this level. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, main ideas, and major details in authentic and adapted texts appropriate for this level. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, main ideas, major details, and some supporting details in authentic and adapted fiction and nonfiction texts appropriate for this level. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, structure, purpose, central theme, main ideas, supporting details, and their relationships in authentic and adapted general interest texts appropriate for this level. | Recognize, identify, and understand topic, structure, audience, register, purpose, central theme, main ideas, implied main ideas, major and minor supporting details, and their relationships in authentic and adapted texts appropriate for this level. |
| B. | Apply reading strategies effectively to understand and respond to level-appropriate texts. | Apply reading strategies effectively to understand and respond to information in short and simple texts about basic topics. | Apply reading strategies effectively to understand and respond to information in adapted fiction, nonfiction texts about everyday topics, and short stories. | Apply reading strategies effectively to understand and respond to information in authentic or adapted fiction and nonfiction texts. | Apply reading strategies effectively to understand and respond to information in adapted or authentic fiction and academic texts. |
| C. | Comprehend and accurately use at least 100 target vocabulary words, including words related to concrete and familiar topics and areas of immediate need. | Comprehend and accurately use at least 120 target vocabulary words, including words related to topics such as personal and family information, shopping, and employment. | Comprehend and accurately use at least 150 target words, including words related to familiar topics of personal interest. | Comprehend and accurately use at least 150 target vocabulary words, including words related to personal and familiar abstract concepts. | Comprehend and accurately use at least 120 target vocabulary words from the Academic Word List. |
| D. | Use effective vocabulary-learning strategies, including using a dictionary, memorizing sights words, and sounding out unfamiliar words. | Use effective vocabulary-learning strategies, including creating individual vocabulary lists and using visual representations to learn new words. | Use effective vocabulary-learning strategies, including using vocabulary logs and extensive reading to learn new words. | Use effective vocabulary-learning strategies, including using collocations, word families, roots, and affixes to learn new words. | Use effective vocabulary-learning strategies, including using context to decode unfamiliar words. |
Writing and Grammar - Levels Foundation - 4
| Fdn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| A. | Successfully communicate about self and survival topics using formulaic and simple sentences. | Effectively write short paragraphs about familiar, concrete topics. | Effectively write paragraphs and multi-paragraph compositions on familiar topics. | Effectively write summaries and multi-paragraph compositions about topics of general interest. | Effectively paraphrase, summarize, and write compositions about academic topics. |
| B. | Apply strategies for generating ideas and writing connected sentences. | Apply strategies for drafting paragraphs. | Apply strategies for drafting paragraphs and multi-paragraph compositions. | Apply strategies for summarizing and drafting responses to different types of level-appropriate situations in paragraphs and multi-paragraph compositions. Give proper credit to sources in compositions. | Apply strategies for summarizing, paraphrasing, integrating sources, proofreading, and formulating argumentative responses to different types of level-appropriate rhetorical situations in compositions. |
| C. | Incorporate target grammar structures with sufficient accuracy in level-appropriate writing activities. | Incorporate target grammar structures and sentence variety with sufficient range and accuracy in level-appropriate writing activities. | Incorporate target grammar structures and sentence variety with sufficient range and accuracy in level-appropriate writing activities. | Incorporate target grammar structures and sentence variety with sufficient range and accuracy in level-appropriate writing activities. | Incorporate target grammar structures and sentence variety with sufficient range and accuracy in level-appropriate writing activities. |
| D. | Use a process approach to writing compositions. | Use a process approach to preparing and drafting academic discourse. |
Reading and Writing - Levels 5 - 6
| 5 | 6 | |
| A. | Recognize, identify, and understand main ideas, important details, logical implications, and rhetorical strategies in authentic academic texts appropriate for this level. | Recognize, identify, and understand main ideas and supporting details in authentic academic texts from a range of disciplines. |
| B. | Apply reading and writing strategies to effectively generate academic compositions. | Read university-level texts critically, summarizing and evaluating the ideas and arguments. |
| C. | Develop editing skills in one’s own writing, and learn to review, revision, and rewrite using advanced syntax and grammar structures. | Clearly support arguments, effectively refute opposing viewpoints, and synthesize evidence in a cohesive academic essay. |
| D. | Take a process approach to writing an essay that requires relevant information to be located, evaluated, and applied to an academic thesis with appropriate credit given to the sources in correct citation format. | Use a variety of academic vocabulary, sentence types, and grammar structures to differentiate and show the importance of related ideas in academic writing. |
| E. | Take a process approach to writing an essay that requires relevant information to be located, evaluated, and applied to an academic thesis with appropriate credit given to the sources in correct citation format. |
The Proficiency Scale for Level Advancement includes core course objectives for all levels of the Academic English program. Students must demonstrate achievement of objectives at their current level before they may advance to the next level in the curricular sequence.