English as a Second Language

Overview

Themainpurposeofthisdocumentistodescribeandexplainstagesofsecondlanguageoral

languagedevelopment.Studentsacquiringwrittenlanguageskillsalsogothroughdevelopmentalphases.
Manyteachershaveassumedthatliteracyinstructionshouldwaituntilorallanguageiswelldeveloped,
andthereissomelogictothatassumption.Afterall,writtenlanguageisbasedonorallanguage.
However,particularlywhenstudentshaveliteracyskillsintheirfirstlanguage,writtenlanguagecanbe
introducedlongbeforeorallanguageiswelldevelopedinthesecondlanguage.Theoralproductionofa
secondlanguageshouldnotinhibitorpreventthestudentfromcontinuinghisconceptualdevelopment
andcommunicativecompetencyinhis/herprimarylanguage.Writingmayevenenhancethe
developmentofvocabularyandfluencyinthesecondlanguage.Stagesinthedevelopmentoflanguage
proficiencyarenotdiscreet.Studentsmaydevelopstrengthsastheyprogressthroughthecontinuumand
mayexhibitcompetenciesthatoverlapfromonestagetoanother.Thisisexpectedasthestudentsgrow
inlanguageproficiency.
InTexas,theTexasEssentialKnowledgeandSkillsincludestudentexpectationsbygradelevels
forEnglishLanguageArts,SpanishLanguageArts,andEnglishasaSecondLanguage(ESL);thethree
setsofexpectationsarealmostidenticalwithslightmodifications.ForgradesK10th,Texasalsoincludes
studentexpectationsforsecondlanguagelearningintheareasoflearningstrategiesandthefourdomains
oflanguage;oflistening,speaking,writing,andreading.Louisianahasasimilarconfigurationas
reflectedinGradeLevelExpectations(GLEs)thatdescribewhatstudentsareexpectedtoknowin
EnglishLanguageArts,Math,Science,andSocialStudies.AllLouisianastudentsareexpectedtomeet
thesamechallengingStateacademiccontentandstudentacademicachievementstandardsasrequiredby
TitleIandTitleIIIofNCLB.TheEnglishLanguageDevelopmentStandards(AppendixA)include
ProficiencyLevelDescriptors.TheStandardsincludeProficiencyLevelDescriptorswhicharefurther
subdividedintobenchmarksandperformanceindicatorswhichcanbeusedfromgradesK12.Since
languageisdevelopmental,performanceindicatorsareageappropriate.
LouisianaEnglishLanguageDevelopmentStandards
TitleIIIofNoChildLeftBehindrequiresthatallstatesestablishEnglishlanguageproficiency
standards.TheLouisianaEnglishLanguageDevelopmentStandards(ELDS)arealignedtothestate's
EnglishLanguageArtsandlinkedtothestate'sMath,Science,andSocialStudiesStandards.TheELDS

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arealsoalignedtotheEnglishLanguageDevelopmentAssessmentthatwasfieldtestedinSpring2004
andoperationalinSpring2005.TheLouisianaEnglishLanguageDevelopmentAssessmentisalignedto
theStatesELDS,andthestudentsresultsoftheassessmentareusedtodriveinstruction.TheELDS
identifywhatanEnglishLanguageLearnerisabletodoatfivelevelsofEnglishlanguageproficiencyin
thefourdomainsoflanguage,listening,speaking,reading,andwriting.TheELDSwillinfluencethe
educationalmethodsandstrategiesthattheteachersusedintheclassroom,themethodsofassessment,
andtheacademicachievementofEnglishlanguagelearners.TheELDSdescribethelanguagebehaviors
ateachlevelofEnglishproficiencythatwillassistinthecomprehensiveevaluationofanEnglish
languagelearnertodetermineeligibilityforspecialeducationservices.
ItisevidentasidebysideanalysiscouldnotbedonesinceTEKSESLstudentexpectationsare
bygradelevelandtheLouisianaGLEsareexpectationsforstudentsinwhatevergradelevelstudentsare
enrolled.TheexpectationsforstudentsinTexasandLouisianaarebasicallythesame.StudentsinTexas
havetomasterTEKSandstudentsinLouisianahavetomastergradelevelGLEs.Acomparisonwas
completedinthecrosswalkbetweenTEKSEnglishLanguageArtsandLouisianasEnglishLanguage
GLEs;however,acomparisonofTexasEnglishProficiencyLevelandLouisianaEnglishLanguage
DevelopmentDescriptorswasmadeasfollows:
Louisiana English Language Proficiency
LevelDescriptors(ELDAS)
LevelIBeginningProficiencyindicatesthat
thestudentwhoislimitedEnglishproficientis:
Beginningtounderstandshortutterances
Beginningtousegesturesandsimplewords
tocommunicate
Beginningtounderstandsimpleprinted
material
Beginningtodevelopcommunicativewriting
skills
LevelIILowerIntermediateProficiency
indicatesthatthestudentwhoislimited
Englishcan:
Understandsimplestatements,directions,and
questions
Useappropriatestrategiestoinitiateand
respondtosimpleconversation
Understandthegeneralmessageofbasic
readingpassages
Composeshortinformativepassageson
familiartopics.

Texas General English Proficiency Levels

BeginningESOLstudentsassociate
utteranceswithmeaningsas
Theymakeinferencesbasedonactions,
visuals,texts,toneofvoice,and
inflections.Theyuseunanalyzedshort
phrasesoflanguagesporadicallysuch
asItsmyturnandWhoisit?
ESOLstudentsatthebeginninglevel
mayneedtousethenativelanguageto
demonstratecomprehension.
IntermediateESOLstudentsusethe
listeningprocesstoimprove
comprehensionandoralskillsin
English.Throughlisteningand
speakinginmeaningfulinteractions,
theyclarify,distinguish,andevaluate
ideasandresponsesinavarietyof
situations.IntermediateESOLstudents
participatesuccessfullyinacademic,
social,andworkcontextsinEnglish
usingtheprocessofspeakingtocreate,
clarify,critique,andevaluateideasand

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responses

evel Level III - Upper Intermediate Proficiency

indicates that the student who is limited
English proficient can:
Understandstandardspeechdeliveredinmost
settings
Communicateorallywithsomehesitation
Understanddescriptivematerialwithinfamiliar
contextsandsomecomplexnarratives
Writesimpletextsandshortreports

LevelIVAdvancedProficiencyindicates
thatthestudentwhoislimitedEnglish
proficientcan:
Identifythemainideasandrelevantdetailsof
discussionsorpresentationsonawiderangeof
topics
Activelyengageinmostcommunicative
situationsfamiliarorunfamiliar
Understandthecontextofmosttextin
academicareaswithsupport
Writemultiparagraphessays,journalentries,
personal/business,andcreativetextsinan
organizedfashionwithsomeerrors

AdvancedESOLstudents,through
developmentallisteningskills,actively
expandtheirvocabularytoevaluateand
analyzespokenEnglishforavarietyof
situationsandpurposes.Thesestudents
participateinavarietyofsituations
usingspokenEnglishtocreate,clarify,
critique,andevaluateideasand
responses.AdvancedESOLstudents
continuallydevelopreadingskillsfor
increasingreadingproficiencyin
contentareatextsforavarietyof
purposesandgeneratewrittentextfor
differentaudiencesinavarietyof
modestoconveyappropriatemeaning
accordingtotheirlevelofproficiency.
SomeESOLstudentsexhibitadditional
firstlanguageand/oracademicneeds
duetotheirpreviouseducational
experiencesthatmayinclude
interruptedand/orlimitedschooling.In
addition,thereareESOLstudentswho
haveachievedoralproficiencyin
Englishbutneedadditionalacademic
competencyskills.Theseneeds,aswell
asacculturationissues,shouldbe
consideredwhenmakingprogrammatic
andinstructionaldecisions.

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LevelVFullEnglishProficiencyindicates
thatthestudentwhoislimitedEnglish
proficientcan:
Understandandidentifythemainideasand
relevantdetailsofextendeddiscussionor
presentationsonfamiliarandunfamiliartopics
isfluentandaccurateinlanguageproduction
Usereadingstrategiesthesameastheirnative
Englishspeakingpeerstoderivemeaningfrom
awiderangeofbothsocialandacademictexts
Writefluentlyusinglanguagestructures,
technicalvocabulary,andappropriatewriting
conventionswithsomecircumlocutions
UsingtheProficiencyLanguageDescriptorsandStrategiesforTeachingEnglishLanguage
Learners
Secondlanguagelearnersvarygreatlyintheiracquisitionofthenewlanguage.However,as
alreadymentioned,thereareseveralpredictablestagesthathavebeenidentifiedasthelearnerprogresses
towardslanguageproficiency.KrashenandTerrell(1983)discussthree:comprehension,early
production,andextendingproduction.Extendingproductionactuallyleadstowhatothershave
describedasintermediateandadvancedstagesofdevelopment.Sometheoristsbreakdownthesetwo
stagesintoearlyintermediateandintermediateandearlyadvancedandadvanced(California
DepartmentofEducation,1998).Whileotherresearchersorlinguistsmayusesomewhatdifferent
schemestoanalyzewhatisreallyacontinuousprocessintostages(oftenforpurposesofprogram
design),thereislittleargumentthatsecondlanguagelearnersproceedfromarelativelysilentperiodthat
maylastseveralmonths,throughaperiodoflimitedproductionofthenewlanguage(althoughtheir
receptivelanguagemayalreadyreflectgreaterproficiencytheirexpressivelanguage),andperiodsof
productionandcomprehensionofincreasinglycomplexgrammarandvocabulary.Everystudentisan
individualashe/sheprogressesthroughthecontinuumofdevelopment.
Asstatessetcriteriaandguidelinesforstudentplacement,itmaybethatTexasandLouisianause
slightlydifferentstagesthatmatchlevelsonstandardizedtestsusedfordeterminingprogramplacement.
TheLouisianaEnglishLanguageDevelopmentAssessmentandEnglishLanguageDevelopment
StandardsarenotusedforplacementbutratherformeasuringprogressinEnglishproficiencyandused
toprovideappropriateinstructioninthecontent.Pleasenotethatteachersworkingwithstudentswhoare
stilllearningEnglishandwhomayormaynothavehadspecialtraininginworkingwithELLsarefaced
withthedualtaskofsupportingthelearnersacquisitionofEnglishbothforsocialandforacademic
purposes.Language,nevertheless,istheprimarymeansforacquiringandprocessingknowledge.

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Appropriatemethodologycanreducethelanguageloadofacademiclearning,butintheenditis
largelythestudentscompetencyinacademiclanguageproficiencyuponwhichclassroomlearningand
successfulperformancerests.Cumminsframeworkforcontextembedded,contextreduced,cognitively
demandingandcognitivelyundemandingcomponentsoflearningactivitiesbecomemeaningfuland
usefultoteachersastheyplantheneedsofsecondlanguagelearners,theacademictaskstobecompleted,
andthelanguagethatsupportsthelearningastheyprogressthroughtheschoolyears(Cummins,2001).
Whenteachersdesigninstructionbasedonproficiencylevels,individualstudentneedsaremet,and,
therefore,curriculumbecomesmuchmoreaccessibletoEnglishlanguagelearners.Whenproficiency
levelsareunknown,classroominstructionmaynotbedifferentiatedandappropriatecomprehensible
inputstrategiesmaynotbeusedtodeliverinstruction.
Ideally,languageuseandcurricularcontentshouldbeintegratedratherthantaughtasisolated
subjects(Cummins,1989).Acommondenominatoroftherecommendationsofmanyresearchersand
theoristsisactiveandmeaningfullearningthatgoesbeyonddiscretefactsandrules(Cambourne,1989;
Cummins,1989;Garcia,1995;Krashen,1983;Moll,1992;Perez&TorresGuzmn,1992;Scarcella,
1990;Tharp&Gallimore,1991).AsSnowhasobserved,somuchofthelanguagethatislearnedisnot
explicitlytaught.Itgoesbeyondtheinformationgivenintheenvironmentofthelearnershowing
howimportanttheactive,creativeroleofthelearneris(1992,p.16).Thismeansthattheteachersrole
ismoreofalanguageandlearningfacilitatorandthestudentsroleistobecomeanactiveparticipant
usinglanguageinthelearningprocess,bothforreceptiveandexpressivelanguageuses.
ItisalsoimportanttoconsiderMaslowshierarchyofhumanneedsthatyournewELLsbring
intotheclassroom:Safety/security:outofdanger;BelongingandLove:affiliatewithothers,be
accepted;andEsteem:toachieve,becompetent,gainapprovalandrecognition.Astheteacherbecomes
awareofthestudentneeds,he/shewillbebetterabletoprovidesocial/emotionalsupport.The
experiencesthatthestudentbringsandhisculturalbackgroundneedtobecomeatoolforgreater
learning.Oncehenewstudentfeelscomfortableandapartofaclassroomssocialandacademicroutine,
secondlanguageacquisitionandacademiclearningwillbeaccelerated.
AnanalysisofEnglishlanguageProficiencyLevelDescriptors(ELDs)andTexasObservational
Protocols(TOP)canbefoundinappendixB.Otherobservationsandrecommendationsweremadebythe
TexasESLconsultant.

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AppendixA

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SouthwestEducationalDevelopmentLaboratory(December2005)

LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

LISTENING
Standard:Studentsdemonstratecompetenceinlisteningasatoolforlearningandcomprehension.
ProficiencyLevelI:Studentsatthislevelarebeginningtounderstandshortutterances.Theyoccasionallyunderstand
isolatedwords,suchascognates,borrowedwords,orhighfrequencysocialconventions.
I
L1.1
L1.2
L1.3
L1.4
L1.5
L1.6
L1.7

Benchmark:Studentsdemonstrategrowthincomprehensionoforal
languageandbegintoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA4)
Detectnonverbalandverbalcues
Focusattentionselectively
Demonstratecomprehensionthroughnonverbalresponses.
Respondcorrectlytohighfrequencysocialconventions(e.g.:greetings,
introductions,leavetakingetc.)
Respondtosimpledirectionsorinstructions
Listentoandimitateothersuseoflanguage
Comprehendafewwords,phraseswithbasicEnglishgrammaticalforms

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X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

ProficiencyLevelII:Studentsatthislevelunderstandsimplestatements,directions,and
questions.Theyrelyonaspeakersuseofrepetition,gestures,andothernonverbalcuestosustaincommunication.
II
L2.1
L2.2
L2.3
L2.4
L2.5
L2.6

Benchmark:Studentscomprehendsimplestatements,directions,andquestions
andcontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA4)
BegintodiscriminatethesoundsandintonationpatternsoftheEnglishlanguage
Understandbasicstructures,expressions,andvocabularysuchasschool
environmentandbasicpersonalinformation(e.g.:homeaddress,phonenumber,
emergencynumber)
Comprehendkeywords,phrasesand/orsentenceswithbasicEnglishgrammatical
forms
Followmultisteporaldirectivestocompleteatask
Interpretspeakersmessage,purpose,andperspectives(e.g.:inflection,intonation
andstress)
Assesshowlanguagechoicereflectsthetoneofthemessage

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X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
9

LOUISIANAENGLISHLANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTSTANDARDS
LISTENING
ProficiencyLevelIII:Studentsatthislevelunderstandstandardspeechdeliveredinmostsettingswithsome
repetitionandrephrasing.Theyunderstandthemainidea(s)andrelevantdetailsofextendeddiscussionsor
presentations.Studentsdrawonawiderangeoflanguageforms,vocabulary,idioms,andstructures.Students
atthislevelarebeginningtodetectaffectiveundertonesandtheyunderstandinferencesinspokenlanguage.
III
Benchmark:Studentscomprehendsimplenarrativesandstructuresinshort K2 35
68
912
interactionswithpeersandadultsandcontinuetoaccessthecurriculumin
coresubjectareas(ELA5)
L3.1 Demonstrateproficiencyofthelisteningprocesssuchasfocusingattention,
X
X
X
X
interpretingandrespondingtotopicsineverydaysituations.
L3.2 Listenattentivelytostories/informationandidentifymainidea,keydetailsand
X
X
X
X
conceptsusingbothverbalandnonverbalcuesofthespeaker
L3.3 Identifyavarietyofmediamessagesandgivesomesupportingdetails
X
X
X
X
ProficiencyLevelIV:Studentsatthislevelunderstandmoststandardspeech.Theyidentifymainideasandrelevant
detailsofdiscussionsorpresentationsonawiderangeoftopics,includingunfamiliarones.Studentsinfermeaningfrom
stress,intonation,paceandrhythm.
IV
Benchmark:Studentsunderstandspeechinmostauthenticsituationswith
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somerepetitionandrewordinginbothsocialandcoreacademicsettings
approachinggradelevel(ELA6)
L4.1 Listentoproficient,fluentmodelsoforalreading,includingselectionsfrom
X
X
X
X
classicandcontemporaryworks.
L4.2 Useeffectivelisteningtoprovideappropriatefeedbackinavarietyofsituations
X
X
X
X
suchasconversationsanddiscussionsandinformative,persuasive,orartistic
Presentations
L4.3 Demonstrateunderstandingoffigurativelanguageandidiomaticexpressionsby
X
X
X
X
respondingtoandusingsuchexpressionsappropriately
ProficiencyLevelV:Studentsatthislevelunderstandandidentifythemainideasandrelevantdetailsofextended
discussionsorpresentationsonawiderangeoffamiliarandunfamiliartopicsinanumberofmodalities.Studentsapply
linguisticskillsandknowledge,includingvocabulary,Idioms,andcomplexgrammaticalstructures,tothelearningof
academiccontent.Theycomprehendsubtlenuanceddetailsofmeaning
V
Benchmark:Studentsmastercomprehensionofstandardspeechatgrade
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levelinbothsocialandcoreacademicsettings.(ELA7)
L5.1 Differentiatebetweenthespeakersopinionandverifiablefact
X
X
X
X
L5.2 Demonstratecomprehensionof,andappropriatelistenerresponsetoideasina
X
X
X
X
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L5.3

persuasivespeech,andoralinterpretationofliteracysections,interviews,ina
varietyofreallifesituations,andeducationalandscientificpresentations
Identify,analyzeandimitateaspeakerspersuasivetechniquessuchasselling,
convincing,andusingpropaganda

LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

SPEAKING
Standard: Students demonstrate competence in speaking for effective communication in social and academic contexts.

ProficiencyLevelI:Studentsatthislevelusegestures,simplewordsorphraseswhengivensufficientcontextorvisual
cuestorespondtoorrequestinformation.
I

S1.1
S1.2
S1.3
S1.4
S1.5

Benchmark:Studentswillshowgrowthinoralcommunicationusinghigh
frequencylearnedwordsandphrasestobegintoaccessthecurriculumin
coresubjectareas(ELA4)
Communicatewithgesturesandnonverbalmodalities

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Communicateusingcommonsocialgreetingsandsimplerepetitivephrases
Answersimplequestionswithoneandtwowordresponses
Communicatebasicneeds,wantsandfeelings
Generateafewwords,phraseswithbasicEnglishgrammaticalformand
phonemicaccuracy

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

ProficiencyLevelII:Studentsatthisleveluseappropriatestrategiestoinitiateandrespondtosimpleconversationwith
hesitation,relyingonknownvocabulary,familiarstructuresandutterancesandmayhavetorepeatthemselvestobe
understood.
II

S2.1
S2.2
S2.3
S2.4
S2.5

Benchmark:Studentsuseappropriatestrategiestoinitiateandrespondto
simplestatementsandquestionstocontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincore
subjectareas(ELA4)
Namepeople,places,objects,eventsandbasicconceptssuchasdaysoftheweek,
food,occupationsandtime
Restateoraldirectionsorinstructions
Askandgiveinformationsuchasdirections,address,name,ageandnationality
Askandanswerquestionsusingsimplephrasesorsentences
Respondtofactualquestionsabouttextsreadaloud

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X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
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S2.6

Narratebasicsequenceofevents

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LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

SPEAKING
ProficiencyLevelIII:Studentsatthislevelcommunicateorally,oftenwithhesitation,whenusinglowfrequency
vocabulary.Theybegintoproducecomplexsentencestructures,useverbtensescorrectly,anddiscussacademictopics.
III
S3.1
S3.2

S3.3
S3.4
S3.5
S3.6
S3.7

Benchmark: Students initiate and sustain a simple conversation in social and

core academic settings (ELA 4,7)
AskandanswerquestionstogatherandprovideinformationinEnglish
Converseonsimpletopics

beginningtousemostconventionsoforallanguage
includingintonation,syntaxandgrammar(subjectverbagreement,complete
sentencesandcorrecttense)
Narratesimplesequenceofevents
Retellandparaphrasesfamiliarstorieswithsimplesentences
Askandanswerinstructionalquestionsaboutsimplewrittentextswithsimple
wordsandphrases
Givedirections/procedures
Preparesanddeliversshortoralpresentations(e.g.:tellsastoryusingpictures,
academictopic)

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X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

ProficiencyLevelIV:Studentsatthislevelengageinmostcommunicativesituationswithsomeerrors,demonstrating
competenceinorallanguage.Theyhaveahighdegreeoffluencyandaccuracywhenspeakinginsocialsettings,although
theymayencounterdifficultyinacademiclanguageproduction.
IV
S4.1
S4.2
S4.3
S4.4

S4.5
S4.6

Benchmark:Studentsapproachinggradelevelcommunicatewithconfidence
inmostsituationswithsupportinacademicareas(ELA4,7)
Recognizeappropriatewaysofspeakingthatvarybasedonpurpose,audience,and
subjectmatter
Respondtofactualquestionsabouttextsreadaloud
Communicateeffectivelyinconversationsandgroupdiscussionswhileproblem
solvingandplanning
Usetheconventionsoforallanguageeffectivelyincludingintonation,syntax
andgrammar(e.g.:subjectverbagreement,completesentencesandcorrect
tense)
Narratecomplexsequenceofevents
Useavarietyofidiomaticexpressionsandfigurativelanguageappropriately

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X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
13

S4.7

Persuade,argueorreasontosupportspokenideaswithevidence,elaborations
andexamples

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LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

SPEAKING
ProficiencyLevelV:Studentsatthislevelarefluentandaccurateinlanguageproductionsomehesitationregarding
technicalcontentareavocabulary.
V

S5.1
S5.2
S5.3

S5.4
S5.5
S5.6
S5.7

Benchmark:Studentsongradelevelengageinsocialandacademic
communicationwithmasteryofcomplexlanguagestructuresinvaried
situations(ELA4,7)
Adaptspokenlanguagesuchaswordchoice,diction,andusagetotheaudience,
purposeandoccasion
Useeffective,rate,volume,pitchandtonefortheaudiencesetting
Activelyparticipateandinitiatemoreextendedsocialconversationsor
discussionswithpeersandadultsonfamiliarorunfamiliartopicsbymaking
relevantcontributions,askingandansweringquestions,restatingandsoliciting
information
Demonstrateeffectivecommunicationskillsthatreflectsuchdemandsas
interviewing,reporting,requesting,andprovidinginformation
Prepareanddeliverextendedoralpresentationsthatfollowaprocessof
organizationusingavarietyofsourcesforaresearchproject
Explainabstracttasksand/orconceptswithappropriatesequencingtakinginto
accountthelistenersperspective
Negotiatewithconfidenceusingcomplexlanguagestructuresforexpressionof
personalviewofabstractideas

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X
X

X
X

X
X

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LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

READING
English Language Learners (ELLs) enter school a wide range of literacy skills and abilities in their native
language. During the education process, students progress in their reading development from emerging literacy
to fluency. Students develop reading strategies and skills at their own pace depending in part on their level of
education and native language proficiency, the age at which they enter school in the U.S., and their ability to
learn another language. English Language Learners acquire reading fluency by drawing upon life experiences,
their knowledge of word meanings and sentence structure (syntax), and exposure to a variety of text genres.
They accomplish this by reading for a variety of purposes in order to become proficient and knowledgeable readers.
The goal is to become lifelong readers and productive members of society and the workplace.
Standard: Students read, comprehend, analyze and respond to a range of materials using various strategies for
different purposes.
ProficiencyLevelI:Studentsatthislevelunderstandsimpleprintmaterial.Studentsidentifyhighfrequency
wordsandsymbolswhenstronglysupportedbycontext.
I
R1.1
R1.2
R1.3
R1.4
R1.5
R1.6
R1.7
R1.8
R1.9
R1.10

Benchmark:Studentsdevelopinitialprintawarenessandbegintoaccessthe
curriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA1,5,6,7)
Holdprintmaterialinthecorrectposition

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Recognizecommonsignsandlogos
Distinguishindividualprintedlettersfromwordsandsentences
Identifywordsfromlefttorightandtoptobottomontheprintedpage
Recognizetheorderofthealphabetandformofletters,andArabicnumbers
Knowthedifferencebetweencapitalandlowercaseletters
Recognizephoneticpronunciationofthelettersofthealphabet
Matchoralwordstoprintedwordsorgraphics
Readsimpleonesyllableandhighfrequencywordswhenstronglysupportedby
context(e.g.:basicsightwords)
Useemergingreadingskillstomakemeaningfromprint

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

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LOUISIANA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

READING
Proficiency Level II: Students at this level understand the general message of basic reading passages that contain
simple language structures and syntax. Students begin to use reading strategies to guess the meaning of unfamiliar
words through the use of pictures, diagrams, cognates, and context.

II
R2.1
R2.2
R2.3
R2.4
R2.5
R2.6
R2.7

Benchmark:Studentsunderstandsimplematerialforacademicorsocial
purposestocontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA1,5,6,7)
Usepriorknowledgetointerpretpictures
Usepicturestomakepredictionsaboutthetext
Recognizesound/symbolrelationships
Readcommonwordfamiliesandsimplesentences
Readcompoundwordsandcontractions
Usecognatesforacademicorsocialcomprehension
Recognizebasicwordorderrulesinphrases,simplesentences,orsimpletext

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X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

ProficiencyLevelIII:Studentsatthislevelunderstanddescriptivematerialswithinfamiliarcontextsandsomecomplex
narratives.Thestudentsusevisualandcontextualcuestoderivemeaningfromtextthatcontainsunfamiliarwordsand
expressions.Adisparitymayexistbetweenreadingfluencyandcomprehension.
III

R3.1
R3.2
R3.3
R3.4
R3.5
R3.6
R3.7
X

Benchmark:Studentsunderstandamorecomplexnarrativeanddescriptive
materialswithinafamiliarcontexttocontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincore
subjectareas(ELA1,5,6,7)
Demonstrateknowledgeoftaughtcontractions
Recognizecommonabbreviations
Usecapitalizationandpunctuationtocomprehend
Locatethemeanings,pronunciationsandderivationsofunfamiliarwordsusing
dictionaries,glossaries,andothersources
Recognizeanduseknowledgeofspellingpatternswhenreading
Recognizetheformatofpoetryversusprose
Identifythemainidea
Identifymultisyllabicwordsbyusingcommonsyllablepatterns

SouthwestEducationalDevelopmentLaboratory(December2005)

K2

35

68

912

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

17

LOUISIANAENGLISHLANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTSTANDARDS
READING
ProficiencyLevelIV:Studentsatthislevelcomprehendthecontextofmosttextintheacademicareaswithsome
degreeofsupport.Theyreadmanyliterarygenresforpleasureandhaveahighdegreeofsuccessfulfactualbut
nontechnicalprose.
IV
R4.1
R4.2
R4.3
R4.4
R4.5
R4.6

Benchmark:Students,approachinggradelevel,understandthecontentof
mosttextwithsupportinacademiccontentareas(ELA1,5,6,7)
Interactindependentlywithavarietyoftexts
RecognizemostcommonEnglishmorphemesinphrasesandsentences
Applyknowledgeofwordrelationships,suchasrootandaffixestoderivemeaning
fromliteratureandtextsincontentarea
Relyoncontextcluestodeterminemeaning
Usereferencematerialsincludingtheglossary,dictionary,indexthesaurus,
almanac,atlas,andmultimediaresources
Distinguishbetweenmainideaandsupportingdetails

K2

35

68

912

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X

ProficiencyLevelV:StudentsatthislevelusethesamereadingstrategiesastheirnativeEnglishspeakingpeersto
derivemeaningfromawiderangeofbothsocialandacademictexts.
V
R5.1
R5.2
R5.3
R5.4
R5.5
R5.6

Benchmark:Studentsunderstandawiderangeofbothsocialandacademic
textsavailabletonativeEnglishspeakersatgradelevel(ELA1,5,6,7)
Createartworkorawrittenresponsethatshowscomprehensionofaselection
Comprehendmaterialfromavarietyofgenres
Drawcorrelationfromliteratureandlinkstoreallifesituations
Nameandanalyzestoryplot,settingandconflict
Analyze,evaluate,anddrawconclusionbyprovidingevidencepresentedinthetext
Organize,evaluate,andcondenseinformationforuseinapresentationorwriting

SouthwestEducationalDevelopmentLaboratory(December2005)

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68

912

X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X

18

LOUISIANAENGLISHLANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTSTANDARDS
WRITING
StudentswhoareLimitedEnglishProficient(LEP)areexpectedtoperformonanacademiclevelcommensurate
withtheirEnglishspeakingpeers.TheskillsinherenttodevelopingtheirEnglishwritingfluencyarevirtuallythe
sameateverygradelevel.SkillsconsideredcharacteristicofaspecificgradelevelfornativeEnglishspeakingstudents
mightormightnothavebeenpartofthestudentseducationalexperienceintheircultureoforigin.Students
awarenessofessentialinformationrelativetodevelopingwrittenfluencyiscrucialtotheiroverallacademicsuccess.
InstructionisdesignedtoaddresstheirlevelofwrittenEnglishproficiency.
Standard: Students write proficiently in English for various purposes and audiences.
ProficiencyLevelI:Studentsatthislevelarebeginningtodevelopcommunicativewritingskillsincludingtheformation
ofindividuallettersandtranscriptionoffamiliarwordsorphrases.Instructionforthesestudentswilltargetalphabetic
awarenessandbasicwritingtechniquesrelativetophonological,graphalogical,andmorphologicalconcerns.
I
W1.1
W1.2
W1.3
W1.4
W1.5
W1.6
W1.7
W1.8

Benchmark:Studentsdemonstrategrowthincommunicativewritingskillsto
begintoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA2,ELA3)
Draworcopyfromamodel
Printupperandlowercaselettersofthealphabet
Printlegiblyusinglefttoright,toptobottomdirectionality
Writehis/herownnameandotherimportantwords
Printlegiblyusingcorrectspacingbetweenlettersandwordsandsentences
Copywordspostedandcommonlyusedintheclassroom
Labelkeypartsofcommonobjects
Capitalizefirstwordsofasentence,propernouns,andinitials(e.g.:names,months,
daysoftheweek)

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K2

35

68

912

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

19

LOUISIANAENGLISHLANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTSTANDARDS
WRITING
Proficiency Level II: Students at this level describe basic personal needs and compose short informative passage on
very familiar topics. Students use prior knowledge to build understanding of essential grammatical concepts and
constructs such as syntax and semantics.
II
W2.1
W2.2
W2.3
W2.4
W2.5
W2.6
W2.7

Benchmark:Studentscomposeshortinformativepassagesonfamiliartopics
andcontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA2,ELA3)
Arrangewordsinalphabeticalorder
Usephoneticspelling
Produceseveralsimplesentencesonatopic
Usecorrectpunctuationatendofsentence
Writelabels,notes,captionsforillustrations,possessions,chartsandcenters
Filloutsimpleformswithpersonalinformationwithsupport
Begintodemonstrateknowledgeofparagraphstructure

K2

35

68

912

X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X
X
X

ProficiencyLevelIII:Studentsatthislevelwritesimpletexts,personal/businessletters,andshortreportsusinghigh
frequencylanguage.Studentsrecognizeandcorrectobviousgrammaticalandsyntacticalerrors.Studentswritevarious
sentencepatterns/structures.
III

W3.1
W3.2
W3.3
W3.4
W3.5
W3.6
W3.7

Benchmark:Studentswritesimpletexts,correspondenceandshortreports
usinghighfrequency
languageandcontinuetoaccessthecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA2,ELA
3)
Begintodemonstrateconventionalspelling
IdentifycompleteandincompletesentencesinwritinginEnglish
Usebasicgrammaticalconstructionsinsimplesentences
Writemultiplesentencesaroundatopic
Writewithmoreproficientspellingofinflectionalendings,includingpluralsand
pasttenseandwordsthatdropthefinalewhensuchendingsasing,ed,orable
areadded,correctlyuseapostrophesincontractionsandpossessives
Writefriendlynotesandletters(e.g.:thankyounotes)
Editwritingforpunctuation,capitalizationandspelling

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2

35

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912

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X
X
X
X

X
X

X
X

X
X
20

LOUISIANAENGLISHLANGUAGEDEVELOPMENTSTANDARDS
WRITING
ProficiencyLevelIV:Studentsatthislevelwritemultiparagraphessays,journalentries,personal/businessletters,
andcreativetextsinanorganizedfashionwith\someerrors.StudentsrefineEnglishwritingskillsleadingintomore
maturestylisticandexpressiveformats.
IV
Benchmark:Students,approachinggradelevel,writemultiparagraphessays, K2 35 68
912
journalentries,personalandbusinessletters,andcreativetextsinan
organizedfashioninbothsocialandacademiccoresubjectareas(ELA2,ELA
3)
W4.1 Useplanningstrategiesbeforewriting(e.g.:processwriting,graphicorganizers)

X
X
X
Converseonsimpletopicsbeginningtousemostconventionsoforallanguage
includingintonation,syntaxandgrammar(subjectverbagreement,complete
sentencesandcorrecttense)
W4.2 Useresourcestofindcorrectspellings,synonyms,andreplacementwords

X
X
X
W4.3 Use correct spelling of frequently used words in writing and containing affixes,

X
X
X
contractions, compounds and common homophones, and words necessary to topic
in English
W4.4 Writetheaccuratespellingofrootssuchasdrink,speak,read,orhappy,inflections
X
X
X
suchasthosethatchangetenseornumber,suffixessuchableorless,and
prefixessuchasreorun

X
X
X
W 4.5 Spell derivatives correctly by applying the spelling of bases and affixes
W4.6 Write a three-paragraph essay about a topic

X
X
X
W4.7 Editandrevisewritingforgrammarandcontent

X
X
X
W4.8 Beginwritinginavarietyofgenres

X
X
X
ProficiencyLevelV:Studentsatthislevelwritefluentlyusinglanguagestructures,technicalvocabulary,andappropriate
writingconventionswithsomecircumlocutions.Studentscontinuetoexpandwrittenvocabularytoexpressthemselves
invariousgenres.
V
Benchmark:Students,atgradelevel,producefluentacademicwritingusing
K 35 68
912
languagestructures,technicalvocabulary,andappropriatewriting
2
conventionstothecurriculumincoresubjectareas(ELA2,ELA3,ELA7)
W5.1 Organizeandrecordexpositoryinformationonpictures,lists,charts,andtablesfor
X
X
X
literatureandcontentarea
W5.2 Writetoinformsuchastoexplain,describe,report,andnarrate

X
X
X
W5.3 Usefigurativelanguagecorrectly

X
X
W5.4 Useanalogies,quotationsandfactstosupportathesis

X
X
W5.5 Proofreadwritingforappropriatenessoforganization,content,style,and

X
X
X
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W5.6

conventions
Applyrubriccriteriatoevaluatewriting

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APPENDIXB

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EnglishLanguageProficiencyLevelDescriptors(ELDs)andTexasObservationalProtocols
(TOP)Analysis
ByMariaConsueloCantu,Consultant
ThefollowingtableattemptstoplaceELDsintheapproximatelevelinwhichthedescriptors
mayoccurintheTOPframework.Thiswasdoneusingpersonaljudgmentonlyanddoesnot
inferanycorrelationbetweenbothframeworks.(Forexample,onecouldsaythatELDListening
1BeginningproficiencyleveldescriptorswouldprobablyfitbetteratTOPIntermediateLevel,
andsoon.)
DOMAIN ELD
TOP
TOP
TOP
TOP
Possibly
Proficiency Beginning Intermediate Advanced Advanced Higher
Level
High
Grade
Levels

Listening 1(Beg.)
2(L.Int.)

3(H.Int.)

4(Adv.)

5(FullEng.

Prof.)

Speaking 1
2

1
Gr.2*
K1**
Reading
2
Gr.2
K1
3
Gr.2
4
Gr.2
5
No
TOP***
1
Gr.2
Writing
2

5
NoTOP

*DescriptorapproximatelyfoundinGr.2level
**DescriptorapproximatelyfoundinGr.K1level
***NoTOPdescriptorfoundasgoodmatch,possiblybecauseofRPTEandWriting
samplesrequiredtobescoredholistically

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Observations/Recommendations:
1) TheTexasESLindicatorsinthestatecurriculumarenotorganizedbyproficiency
levels.TheLouisianacurriculumstandardsdonotincludeESLdescriptorsor
benchmarks.Therefore,sincetheyarenotcomparable,thisattemptwastosee
howtheproficiencylevelindicators,theELDs,andtheproficiencylevelsofTOP
mightalign.Itisnotscientific,butinmyopinion,showsthattheELD
expectationsforsecondlanguageacquisitionaregreaterthanthosedescriptors
listedundersimilarlevelsinTOPs.ThisismoreevidentinELDslevels2and3
whicharebothIntermediatelevelsandtheTOPIntermediatelevelswhichmoves
onintotheAdvancedlevel.ELDlevel5expectationsperhapsmorecloselyalign
withAdvancedHighonTOP,butseemtorequiregreatercapacityforlanguage
usebythestudent.
2) ItwasalsodifficulttoexaminetheELDsastohowtheymaybeintegratedinthe
Louisianastatecurriculum,eventhoughthedifferentstandardsarecited.The
Louisianastandardsaremoreholisticacrossgradelevels;theELDshavegreater
specificityacrosslanguageproficiencylevelsandarefoundintheinformation
relatedtoTitleIIIandnotalongwiththeregularcurriculum.
3) ItcouldalsomeanthattheTOPproficiencylevelsneedmoreexamplesor
descriptorsforeachlevelinTexas.Perhapsthestatefindsthatthebestwayisto
incorporatethisinformationinthetrainingofteachersonhowtousetheprotocols
forassessingstudentsandthisiswherethespecificitycomesintoplayinthe
TOPs.
4) ItmaybeimportantwhentrainingteachersinTexasontheLouisianaELDsto
considereachstudentasanindividualandnotbedistractedbythedifferent
proficiencylevelsinbothsystems,whetherinTOPsorELDs,andmovethe
studentforwardwithappropriatemethodologyandinstructionalstrategies.The
Texasteachersneedtobetrainedinthebestmethodologytousewitheachlevel
ofproficiencyandtounderstandthatwhenthestudentsreturntoLouisiana,the
teacher(s)receivingthestudentwillbeusingtheELDs.
5) ItisimportanttonotethatTexaswillbeusingweightstoarriveatacomposite
ratingforlanguageprogressandattainment.Thiswillgivereadingagreater
weightintheresults.

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References
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MaterialspresentedatameetingoftheCaliforniaBilingualCountyCoordinators.
Cambourne,B.(1989).Thewholestory:Naturallearningandtheacquisitionofliteracyinthe
classroom.JeffersonCity,MO:Scholastic.
Cummins,J.(1986).Empoweringminoritystudents:Aframeworkforintervention.Harvard
EducationalReview,56(1),1836.
Cummins,J.(2001a).Language,power,andpedagogy:Bilingualchildreninthecrossfire.Clevedon,
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Garcia,E.(1995).Theeducationoflinguisticallyandculturallydiversestudents:Effectiveinstructional
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Krashen,S.andTerrell,T.(1983).Thenaturalapproach:Languageacquisitionintheclassroom.
Hayward,CA:AlemanyPress.
LouisianaDepartmentofEducation.(2004,April).Bulletin112LouisianaEnglishLanguage
DevelopmentStandards.BatonRouge,LA: http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/index.html
Moll,L.C.(1992).Bilingualclassroomstudiesandcommunityanalysis.Educationalresearcher,21,20
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Scarcella,R.(1990).Teachinglanguageminoritystudentsinmulticulturalclassroom.Englewood
Cliffs,NJ:PrenticeHall.
Snow,C.E.(1992,March).Perspectivesonsecondlanguagedevelopment:Implicationsforbilingual
education.EducationalResearcher,SpecialIssueonBilingualEducation,1619.
TexasEducationAgency.(1997,September).Chapter110.TexasEssentialKnowledgeandSkillsfor
EnglishLanguageArtsandReading.Austin,TX: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/biling/elps.html
Tharp,R.G.&Gallimore,R.(1991).Theinstructionalconversation:Teachingandlearninginsocial
activity(ResearchReport2).SantaCruz,CA:NationalCenterforResearchonCulturalDiversityand
SecondLanguageLearning.

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