Level Descriptors

Beginning Literacy

NRS: Level 1

This level is for learners with beginning literacy proficiency, who have little to no English language ability.

Level Goals: This course focuses on developing basic literacy competencies so that students can understand and participate in short, simple exchanges about their immediate needs and about everyday topics.

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  recognizing high-frequency words and phrases related to everyday topics, and scanning short texts such as lists and schedules for relevant information.

●  communicating about everyday topics by using: 

○  simple sentences to describe needs, activities, and locations

○  basic grammar 

●  recognizing and producing some basic vowels and numbers in real-life contexts

●  participating in short conversations and written exchanges

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of and use basic vocabulary on topics such as personal information, family, health, home, and jobs.

2. Recognize and use possessive adjectives, prepositions, and present tense.

3. Ask and answer questions; form wh- and yes/no questions with be and do.

4. Pronounce numbers in prices and telephone information exchange.

5. Recognize and produce some basic vowel sounds (/a/, /e/, /o/, /u/, /i/).

6. Complete sentences to briefly talk or write about topics of immediate relevance

Low Beginning

ELP: Level 1 / NRS: Level 2

This course is for learners with low beginning English language proficiency, who have basic overall English ability.

Level Goals: This course works to further develop students’ basic English skills, so that they can understand and communicate in everyday life (at home, with family) and professional settings (at work, at school).

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  identifying key words in context such as in basic, spoken or written contexts 

●  writing sentences, notes, and basic paragraphs describing everyday topics, as well as personal skills and past/future plans

●  recognizing and producing syllables and word endings 

●  gathering, recording, and producing information about relevance of the course topics to students’ community 

●   participating in conversations about everyday topics

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of and use key vocabulary in short conversations, readings, and real-life, written documents related to work and everyday life.

2. Communicate by forming sentences, yes/no questions, wh- questions, and answers in present simple and continuous tenses.

3. Recognize and use imperatives and basic verbs in past simple tense.

4. Recognize word syllable formation, -ed and -s endings.

5. Use basic adjectives to describe appearances, daily activities or plans orally or through email communication.

High Beginning

ELP: Level 2 / NRS: Level 3

This course is for learners with high beginning English language proficiency.

Level Goals: This course focuses on adding key details and descriptions to short verbal and written exchanges about daily life, major events, and work, as well as common problems associated with these familiar topics.

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  recognizing the main topic and key details in spoken texts such as descriptive and factual information about current and past actions, as well as in short, commonly encountered written documents 

●  composing short, descriptive and expository paragraphs with attention to paragraph organization and cohesion

●  interacting in social exchanges with special focus on asking questions, showing understanding, clarifying meaning and giving advice/recommendations. 

●  delivering short, descriptive oral presentations 

●  comparatively using various core verb tense forms, as well as some adverbs and modals with increasing awareness of their pragmatic uses

●  recognizing and pronouncing syllabic stress and pragmatic intonation patterns in questions

●   participating in conversations about everyday topics, as well as formal topics of common interest or relevance (e.g. major events, employment history, solving common problems)

●  engaging in common conversational routines by listening actively and responding appropriately

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate general understanding of and attention to details in spoken texts such as course descriptions, stories, and personal information, as well as in common, short written texts including order forms, medicine labels, schedules and invoices.

2. Write structured paragraph-length texts such as journal entries, and personal letters; use cohesive devices such as first, second, third.

3. Actively maintain a conversation and engage in oral descriptions on personal (e.g. needs and wants, habits) and non-personal, more topics (e.g. job duties).

4. Use various regular and irregular verb tenses (present, past, future), as well as adverbs of frequency, and modals of request and advice (can, could; should, might).

5. Identify and pronounce strong syllables and the two main question intonation patterns

6. Make a request or offer and respond to it; express agreement and disagreement.

Low intermediate

ELP: Level 3 / NRS: Level 4

This course is for learners with low intermediate English language proficiency.

Level Goals: This course works to build English skills and strategies so that students can communicate about a broader range of topics (daily life, data) and with a variety of methods (analysis, comparison, suggestion) used in various formal and informal settings.

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  identifying and using formal vocabulary on concrete and abstract topics

●   scanning for key information in real-life documents and graphically organized texts

●  organizing and delivering short oral presentations on specific and more general topics

●  writing multi-paragraph texts on varied topics and short genres 

●  recognizing and using complex verb tense forms, clauses, and structures

●  distinguishing between voiced and voiceless sounds; recognizing natural speech phenomena in controlled oral tasks

●  engaging in conversations and oral descriptions on a wide range of informal and formal topics of interest 

●   reviewing common conversational routines 

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of and use words and phrases related to habits, educational & professional goals, health, and entertainment.

2. Recognize basic, key information in bar graphs, pie charts, and informational ads and brochures.

3. Give short oral presentations about classmates’ likes/dislikes, habits, goals, and plans.

4. Compose three to four paragraphs on various topics such as jobs for specific personality types; report on short research projects, and write a thank-you letter.

5. Demonstrate understanding of and use perfect tenses, adverb and conditional clauses, as well as gerundial structures.

6. Recognize the difference between voiced and voiceless consonants; identify reductions and linking.

7. Participate in conversations about daily routines, goals, personality types, problems, preferences, plans and strategies.

8. Compare and contrast information to show preference or make a choice; offer a

suggestion or advice.

High intermediate

ELP: Level 4 / NRS: Level 5

This course is for learners with high intermediate English language proficiency.

Level Goals: This course aims to build students’ understanding and use of more complex language relating to both concrete and abstract topics, as well as, environmental, social, academic, and professional ones.

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  determining the main idea/key details of and citing evidence in conversations or written texts about formal and academic topics of general and professional interest

●  delivering brief oral presentations that describe relationships (e.g. cause/effect and problem/solution) by using formal and academic language

●  writing source-based, multiple-paragraph texts with attention to genre (e.g. expository, persuasive, compare and contrast), text type (e.g. cover letter, research report), and register (e.g. formal/informal).

●  using various verb tense forms comparatively, as well as a wide range of clauses and complex, indirect structures

●  developing academic vocabulary depth, as well as noticeable sensitivity to word formation and formal transition words through readings about various topics

●  distinguishing intonation patterns and stress in content and function words; recognizing linking phenomena in controlled and some semi-controlled oral tasks

●  participating in discussions about formal and informal topics by demonstrating awareness of a variety of speech functions and levels of politeness

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Identify the main idea/key details of and use information from conversations and written texts about topics such as personal strengths, future plans, technology, and

environmental issues.

2. Give short, formal and academic oral presentations that focus on experiences, problems, hypothetical solutions, and causes/effects of relationships.

3. Compose four to five source-based paragraphs of various structure and register comparing and contrasting experiences, advantages and disadvantages, describing personality types, and arguing for solutions to environmental problems.

4. Use a wide range of verb tenses with attention to their pragmatic nuances; produce complex structures (e.g. passive voice, indirect speech) and sentences (e.g. noun and adjective clauses).

5. Identify and use a wide range of academic word families, words with many meanings, antonyms, compounds, and formal transition words in readings about various topics.

6. Recognize intonation patterns in wh- questions, stressed/unstressed words, and linking consonant-vowel sounds.

7. Participate in discussions about topics such as aptitudes and intelligence types,

technology, and hopes and wishes by politely expressing opinions, agreement/disagreement and making recommendations.

Advanced

ELP: Level 5 / NRS: Level 6

This course is for learners with advanced English language proficiency, who have successfully completed Ventures 4 or have tested out of the National Reporting System (NRS) high-intermediate level. Ventures Transitions is for students who have academic, vocational, or employment goals.

Level Goals: This course is designed to sharpen the skills needed to achieve academic, vocational, and employment goals, with a focus on language function, context, and appropriacy. 

Level Objectives: Through individual and group activities, students will practice:

●  analyzing multiple written and spoken texts of varied lengths, text types, and registers to determine key ideas and their support, compare and contrast facts, make inferences, summarize, and cite evidence from them 

●  writing formal, evidence-based, multiple-paragraph texts of a wide range of genres and rhetorical styles (e.g. explanatory, argumentative) and text types (e.g. college admission essay, action plan)

●  delivering individual and group oral presentations of varied, formal and academic content and rhetorical style, and supported by summarized evidence from multiple sources

●  recognizing thought group boundaries; identifying and producing connected speech in semi-controlled and open oral tasks 

●  analyzing and determining the meaning of vocabulary based on contextual clues: word formation, word families, word definitions, and punctuation; recognizing, defining, and using academic words from various written and spoken texts

●  reviewing verb tenses, recognizing pragmatic uses of modals, and using a wide range of formal and informal transition words and phrases common in oral and written discourse

●  participating in various spoken interactions (e.g. small talk, discussions, job interviews), based on listening notes or other sources of evidence

Assessment: Students will be assessed based on their performance in summative in-class assessments. 

Student Learning Outcomes: At the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Analyze multiple written and spoken texts of varied lengths, text types (articles, lectures, talks), and registers (formal and informal); identify and compare key, explicit and implicit information (ideas, details, factual evidence, and other support) and summarize or cite it in follow-up tasks.

2. Write formal, evidence-based, multiple-paragraph texts of a wide range of genres, rhetorical styles, and text types relevant to their academic and workplace interests (e.g. college application, problem/solution and opinion essays).

3. Deliver source-based, individual and group oral presentations of varied content and style based on learners’ academic and workplace interests (e.g. education and jobs, small talk across cultures).

4. Determine thought group boundaries in short lectures and conversations; recognize and produce natural speech phenomena (reductions, contractions, blending, linking) in semi- controlled and open oral tasks.

5. Analyze and determine the meaning of vocabulary based on contextual clues: prefixes and suffixes, roots, word definitions, and punctuation marks (e.g. parentheses); recognize, define, and use academic words from various written and spoken texts (e.g. articles, online texts, lectures).

6. Review simple and complex verb tenses (past, present, future), recognize pragmatic uses of modals (e.g. should have, could have, might have) and use a wide range of formal and informal transition words and phrases common in oral and written discourse (e.g. to show contrast, add ideas and information).

7. Participate in various spoken interactions (e.g. small talk, discussions, job interviews) on topics such as jobs, school applications, personal professional growth, based on listening notes or other written or oral sources of evidence.