Summary Tables of Texas Adult Education Content Standards & Benchmarks

Created by M.J. Ochoa, Far West GREAT Center
July 2008 (revised January 2009)

ESL CONTENT STANDARDS
LEVEL 4 – LOW INTERMEDIATE

SPEAK SO OTHERS CAN UNDERSTAND

• Determine the purpose for communicating.
• Organize and relay information to effectively serve the purpose, context and listener.
• Pay attention to conventions of oral English communication, including grammar, word choice, register, pace and gesture in order to minimize barriers to listener’s comprehension.
• Use multiple strategies to monitor the effectiveness of the communication.

LISTEN ACTIVELY

• Attend to oral information.
• Clarify purpose for listening and use listening strategies appropriate to that purpose.
• Monitor comprehension, adjusting listening strategies to overcome barriers to comprehension.
• Integrate information from listening with prior knowledge to address listening purpose.

READ WITH UNDERSTANDING

• Determine the purpose for reading.
• Select reading strategies appropriate to the purpose.
• Monitor comprehension and adjust reading strategies.
• Analyze the information and reflect on its underlying meaning.
• Integrate new understanding with prior knowledge to address the reading purpose.

CONVEY IDEAS IN WRITING

• Determine the purpose for communicating.
• Organize and present information to serve the purpose, context, and audience.
• Pay attention to conventions of English language usage, including grammar, spelling and sentence structure.
• Seek feedback and revise to enhance the effectiveness of the communication.

Vocabulary for Communication
(S1.4) Use expanded vocabulary in familiar and some unfamiliar situations.

Example: Respond to an oral interview about some general personal information.

Grammar Usage
(S2.4) Demonstrate control of basic grammar conventions while beginning to use some complex grammar in authentic communication.

Example: Give simple directions to a coworker on what needs to be done next.

Monitor Communication
(S3.4) Use several complex strategies to monitor communication and self-correct.

Example: Ask appropriate questions to check for understanding.

Pronunciation
(S4.4) Produce spontaneous comprehensible oral language independently with some control of pronunciation, rhythm, stress, and intonation.

Example: Interact with instructional tapes or CDs.

Attend to Oral Communication
(L1.4) Understand and respond to sentence-length communication in face-to-face conversations, instructions and short narratives related to familiar topics or tasks.

Example: Follow instructions on completing a simple job-related task.

Recognize Grammar Usage
(L2.4) Recognize and respond to some complex grammar conventions used in speech.

Example: Respond to present perfect tense.

Attend to Pronunciation
(L3.4) Distinguish similar sounds in conversations from speakers in a variety of settings to determine meaning.

Example: Understand speech at a normal rate of speed with some repetition.

Develop Comprehension Strategies
(L4.4) Use several strategies to gather missing information and/or to repair problems in general comprehension.

Example: Ask speaker to rephrase, clarify, or provide elaboration.

Recognize Cultural Conventions of Speech
(L5.4) Use knowledge of some complex cultural conventions to understand oral communication.

Example: Demonstrate understanding of the situation, conversational protocols and registers: distinguish between situations, such as job interview and interactions with supervisors vs. casual conversations.

Purpose
(R1.4) Read for real-life and self-selected purposes.

Example: Read to a child.

Decoding
(R2.4) Decode and recognize most words with fluency in short-to-medium-length, continuous text with minimal assistance.

Example: Draw on content knowledge and vocabulary.

Vocabulary and Language Structure
(R3.4) Demonstrate familiarity with high-interest vocabulary.

Example: Understand and use high-interest vocabulary related to work, family, school, and community.

Locating Information
(R4.4) Locate information in text and graphs in response to questions or to satisfy personal objectives using a few strategies.

Example: Use index and table of contents of a book.

Comprehension
(R5.4) Comprehend key points and many supporting details in texts and some authentic documents.

Example: Use authentic materials.

Monitor Reading
(R6.4) Self-monitor accuracy in comprehension using more advanced strategies.

Example: Adjust reading rate.

Determine Purpose
(W1.4) Write for a specified purpose and audience as directed.

Example: Write a note to a school to explain a child’s absence.

Organize Information
(W2.4) Organize ideas around a single familiar topic to produce a short, legible, and comprehensible document.

Example: Demonstrate use of simple graphic organizers.

Present Information
(W3.4) Convey ideas by writing simple paragraph with instructional support.

Example: Write a paragraph with a main idea and supporting details on familiar topics with expected grammatical and spelling errors.

Revise Content of Writing
(W4.4) Make changes in content, organization, and grammar with some independence.

Example: Provide an example or illustration of a general or main point.

Edit Grammar and Mechanics of Writing
(W5.4) Use resources to make simple edits with increasing independence.

Example: Use quotation marks, commas, and apostrophes.