Download (IEP) Proficiency Scale

English Institute for International Students Intensive English Program (IEP) Proficiency Scale
The table below shows students' target proficiency upon successful completion of each level of the program.
Level 1
Low Beginning
Level 2
High Beginning
Level 3
Low Intermediate
Level 4
High Intermediate
Level 5
Advanced
Structure
Students will be able to identify,
understand, and use basic English
sentence structures, nouns, pronouns,
the present and past simple and
progressive tenses, the future tenses,
time signals, basic adverbs of
frequency and time, quantifiers, and
basic verbals.
Students will be able to identify,
understand, and use count, noncount, and possessive nouns; articles;
possessive, reflexive, and reciprocal
pronouns; present, past, future, and
perfect tenses; adverbs of frequency
and manner; time signals; and
quantifiers.
Students will be able to identify,
understand, and use more advanced
forms of all future and perfect tenses,
modals and modal-like expressions,
and the passive voice.
Students will be able to identify,
understand, and use restrictive and
non-restrictive relative clauses, adverb
clauses, noun clauses, reduced
dependent clauses, and transitional
words and expressions.
Students will be able to identify,
understand, and use infinitives,
gerunds, real and unreal conditionals,
and fronted structures in written and
other academic contexts.
Reading
Students will be able to use basic
reading strategies to understand main
ideas and supporting details in texts of
an upper elementary school level.
Students will be able to read
approximately 80-100 words per
minute.
Students will be able to use basic
vocabulary and reading strategies to
understand main ideas and supporting
details in texts of a lower middle
school level. Students will be able to
read approximately 100-120 words
per minute.
Students will be able to use a variety
of reading strategies to understand
main ideas and supporting details in
texts of an upper middle school level.
Students will be able to read
approximately 120-140 words per
minute.
Students will be able to use various
strategies to read and understand
academic and other authentic texts of
a lower high school level. Students will
be able to read approximately 140160 words per minute.
Students will be able to use various
strategies to read, understand, and
evaluate academic and other
authentic texts of an upper high
school level. Students will be able to
read approximately 160-180 words a
minute.
Listening &
Speaking
Students will be able to understand
and use spoken English in basic social
and academic settings. Students will
be able to engage in basic
interpersonal exchanges with
classmates. They will have a basic
understanding and command of
English phonemes and points of
articulation.
Students will be able to understand
and use spoken English in simple
social and academic settings. Students
will be able to give short, personal
presentations in English. They will
have a moderate understanding and
command of English phonemes and
points of articulation.
Students will be able to understand
and use spoken English in modified
social and academic settings. Students
will be able to give simple, short
academic presentations in English
with visual aids. They will have an
intermediate understanding and
command of English phonemes,
points of articulation, and patterns of
stress and intonation.
Students will be able to understand
and use spoken English in a variety of
social and academic settings. Students
will be able to give academic
presentations in English with visual
aids. They will have a good
understanding and command of
English phonemes, points of
articulation, and patterns of stress and
intonation.
Students will be able to understand
and engage in spoken English in most
general social and academic settings.
Students will be able to give fairly
sophisticated academic presentations
in English with visual aids. They will
have a strong understanding and
command of English phonemes,
points of articulation, and patterns of
stress and intonation.
Writing
Students will be able to write basic
five-sentence paragraphs including
topic, supporting, and concluding
sentences. They will be able to
produce simple and compound
sentences in the simple present and
imperative and revise their own work
based on instructor feedback.
Students will be able to write basic
five- to eight-sentence paragraphs
including topic, supporting, and
concluding sentences using the simple
present, simple past, and present
progressive. Students will have begun
to proofread their own work for
accuracy in organization, grammar,
and mechanics.
Students will be able to write
academic expository, process, and
cause/effect paragraphs of eight to
ten sentences including a topic
sentence, major and minor supporting
sentences, and a concluding sentence.
Students will be able proofread their
own work for accuracy in organization,
grammar, mechanics, vocabulary, and
content.
Students will be able to compose fiveparagraph expository and process
essays of approximately two pages in
length, including an introduction with
thesis statement, unified body
paragraphs, and a concluding
paragraph. Students will be able to
proofread their own work for accuracy
in organization, grammar, mechanics,
vocabulary, and content.
Students will be able to compose
standard five-paragraph academic
essays of approximately three pages in
length using the genres of
compare/contrast, cause/effect, and
argumentation. Students will be able
to conduct basic research for
argumentative support and proofread
their own work for accuracy.