Achievement Scale

Standard English Program Level Descriptions

*potentially college ready in green

Above is a chart comparing NYEA levels to Common European Framework (CEFR) and as well as TOEFL and IELTS scores, with potential college readiness shaded in green (Level 4 to 6).
Source : https://www.ets.org/toefl/institutions/scores/compare

• Level 1Beginner Level
  (CEFR Level : A1)

  Course description

  This is a beginner course for students looking to expand on their rudimentary English knowledge.
  This course introduces beginner Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, and Grammar in American English.
  In addition, this class is aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale at the A1 Level.
  Goals of this course include utilizing basic verb forms and simple phrases.
  In addition, students will also begin to understand the connection between American culture and language.
  Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to successfully express basic preferences and opinions, understand present, past and future tenses, express agreement and disagreement, and establish basic social contact by utilizing simple greetings.

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Describe personal experiences with a very basic range of simple expressions and vocabulary (CEFR)
  • Establish basic social contact by using the simplest everyday polite forms of: greeting and farewells, introductions, saying please/ thank you/ sorry (CEFR)
  • Indicate time by such phrases as next week, last Friday, in November, three o’clock (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Present/past of “to be”
  • Questions using “be” and “have”
  • Present Continuous Tense
  • There + be in present/ past tense
  • Comparative Adjectives
  • Future tense with be going to

  Topics

  • Art
  • Friends and families
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Adventure
  • Phobias

  Assignments and Exams

  • Writing assignment and impromptu speaking exercise every week (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Come to class on time
  • Treat each other respectfully
  • Complete assignments and participate in class activities
  • Keep cell phone/device use to a minimum

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• Level 2Intermediate Level
  (CEFR Level : A2)

  Course description

  In level 2, students will continue to enhance their basic vocabulary and expressions.
  Students will also discover new integrative methods to enhance comprehension in the sounds, syntax, and vocabulary of the English language.
  Students will be able to write simple phrases with simple connectors.
  In addition students will be able to perform basic information exchange, and express opinions and attitudes in a simple way.
  This course is aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale at the A2 level.
  At this level, students can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance
  (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, and or employment. Overall students will be able to develop greater spoken and written skills necessary to begin navigating a variety of everyday situations in English including debate and polite disagreement.)

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test or L1

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Properly utilize the past, present and future tenses
  • Share information by interviewing classmates
  • Read very short, simple texts (CEFR)
  • Tell a story or describe something in a simple list of points, every day aspects of environment (e.g. people, places, work, etc.) (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Simple past/ present tense
  • Modals of possibility
  • Future with going to, will, present progressive
  • Time clauses in present tense
  • Too much/ too many, too +adjective

  Topics

  • Student or work life
  • Money
  • Food and health
  • Etiquette
  • Language
  • Space

  Assignments and Exams

  • Writing assignment and impromptu speaking exercise every week (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Come to class on time
  • Treat each other respectfully
  • Complete assignments and participate in class activities
  • Keep cell phone/device use to a minimum

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• Level 3High-Intermediate Level
  (CEFR Level : B1)

  Course description

  In level 3, students will acquire the ability to respond to various topics, events, activities, and personal experiences in a more authentic and natural way.
  Students will practice and develop proper stress and intonation and learn to express opinions clearly and naturally.
  This Level 3 course has been aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale B1, Independent User.
  ** At this level students can, “understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test or L2

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Produce continuous writing which is generally intelligible throughout. (CEFR)
  • Understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters
  • Convey information and ideas on abstract as well as concrete topics
  • Express and respond to feelings such as surprise, happiness, sadness, interest, indifference. (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Modals of advice
  • Because and even though clauses
  • Definite and indefinite articles
  • Comparatives and equatives
  • Reflexive and reciprocal pronouns

  Topics

  • Fraud
  • Careers
  • Marriage
  • Climate change
  • Tourism
  • Extreme sports

  Assignments and Exams

  • Writing assignment and impromptu speaking exercise every week (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Come to class on time
  • Treat each other respectfully
  • Complete assignments and participate in class activities
  • Keep cell phone/device use to a minimum

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• Level 4Advanced Level
  (CEFR Level : B2)

  Course description

  In level 4, students will improve their ability to communicate in English with fluency and accuracy.
  They will focus on strengthening their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills while also working on improving their command of English grammar and pronunciation.
  Specifically, students will develop the ability to articulate their opinions in written and spoken language, as well as inferring vocabulary meaning based on contect.
  This course has been aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale B2, Independent User.
  At this level students can, “understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in my field of specialization.
  I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
  I can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.”

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test or L3

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Understand standard spoken language, live or broadcast, on both familiar and unfamiliar topics (CEFR)
  • Read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes. (CEFR)
  • Recognize main idea, predict meaning, summarize a wide range of factual and imaginative texts (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Passive Voice
  • Gerunds and infinitives
  • Past Unreal Conditional
  • Relative Pronouns in Adjective Clauses
  • Direct and Indirect Speech

  Topics

  • Prodigies
  • Medicine
  • Animal Intelligence
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Generosity

  Assignments and Exams

  • Writing assignment and impromptu speaking exercise every week (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Come to class on time
  • Treat each other respectfully
  • Complete assignments and participate in class activities
  • Keep cell phone/device use to a minimum

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• Level 5High-Advanced Level
  (CEFR Level : C1)

  Course description

  In level 5 students will be able to express with fluency and accuracy.
  Moreover students will develop their abilities to effectively defend personal opinions, vary intonation to express sentence tone correctly, and write clear, well-structured texts on complex subjects.
  This Level 5 course has been aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale C1, Proficient User.
  At this level students can,“understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning.
  Can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions.
  Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns,connectors and cohesive devices.”

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test or L4

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Effectively express/defend personal opinions in written and spoken language
  • Vary intonation and place sentence stress correctly (CEFR)
  • Write clear, well-structured texts on complex subjects (CEFR)
  • Recognize a wide range of idiomatic expressions and colloquialism (CEFR)
  • Produce clear, smoothly flowing, well-structured speech (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Past Unreal Conditional
  • Contrasting simple past, present perfect & present perfect continuous
  • Identifying Adjective Clauses
  • Relative Pronouns in Adjective Clauses
  • Phrasal Verbs

  Topics

  • Past Unreal Conditional
  • The Brain
  • Lying
  • Cross-cultural insights
  • Social Media
  • Poverty
  • The Arts

  Assignments and Exams

  • Writing assignment and impromptu speaking exercise every week (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Come to class on time
  • Treat each other respectfully
  • Complete assignments and participate in class activities
  • Keep cell phone/device use to a minimum

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• Level 6Proficient Level
  (CEFR Level C2)

  Course description

  In Level 6, students will reach a level of language proficiency that allows them to express themselves with a near-native level of fluency, precision, and sophistication.
  Students will develop the ability to argue complex topics effectively, use nuanced language appropriate to varied social, academic, and professional contexts, and produce detailed written and spoken texts with a high degree of coherence and cohesion.
  This Level 6 course has been aligned with the Common European Framework Reference Scale C2, Proficient User.
  At this level, students can, "understand virtually everything heard or read with ease.
  Can summarize information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.
  Can express themselves spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations."

  Prerequisites

  Placement Test or Level 5

  Benchmarks / Learning objectives (SWBAT)

  • Spontaneously express and defend complex ideas in written and spoken language
  • Demonstrate refined use of idiomatic expressions and advanced colloquialisms (CEFR)
  • Produce well-structured, sophisticated written texts on a wide range of topics (CEFR)
  • Understand and interpret virtually all forms of spoken language, including abstract and linguistically complex speech (CEFR)
  • Summarize and synthesize information from multiple sources, producing coherent spoken and written texts (CEFR)

  Grammar

  • Inversion for Emphasis (Negative Inversion)
  • Mixed Conditionals
  • Nominalization
  • Reduced Relative Clauses
  • Advanced Modal Verbs for Speculation and Deduction
  • Phrasal Verbs (Advanced)

  Topics

  • Social Issues and Debates
  • Globalization and Cultural Exchange
  • Ethics in Technology
  • Advanced Cross-cultural Insights
  • Leadership and Influence
  • The Future of Education
  • Art and Critical Theory

  Assignments and Exams

  • Weekly in-depth writing assignments and formal debates (35% of the total score)
  • Exam is given on the third Wednesday of every month (65% of the total score)

  Class Requirements

  • Attend class regularly and punctually
  • Engage in respectful and meaningful discussions
  • Complete assignments and participate actively in class activities
  • Limit cell phone/device use to academic purposes only

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