_{Introduction to}

_{Ohio’s Revised Standards for}

_{English Speakers of Other Languages:}

_{Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing}

_{Prepared by}

_{ABLE Evaluation Design Project}

_{Center on Education and Training for Employment}

_{College of Education}

_{The Ohio State University}

_{1900 Kenny Road}

_{Columbus, OH 43210-1090}

_{December 2004}

_{The Ohio ESOL document located in the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse includes the introduction and standards in one document. Pagination may not be identical with the original document. All the individual components can be found on the state Web site.}

_{Ohio’s revised English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) standards for listening, speaking, reading and writing were developed and validated through the combined efforts of many people.  Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) practitioners with content area and teaching expertise provided invaluable guidance throughout the revision process.}

_{Also, a word of thanks goes to the Resource Center Network staff for their assistance and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) ABLE office for support throughout the standards revision process.}

_{Standards Development}

_{Lin Adams}

_Yass Benis

_{Paul Bettinger}

_{Wendy Buckey}

_{Mary Lou Cardwell}

_{Carol Fleischman}

_{Airika Freeman}

_{Gloria Gillette}

_{Marilyn Gillespie (Reviewer)}

_{Molly Haines}

_{Dorothy Juelich}

_{Alice Kiderman}

_{Jill Kramer}

_{Margi Lofaro}

_{Andy Nash (Reviewer)}

_{Kathy Olson
Sue Pliskin}

_{Sarah Reyes-Cairo}

_{Anne Siebert}

_{Regie Stites (Reviewer)}

_Doris Stull

_{Christina Theuerling}

_Irene Tron

_{Sharon Wallar}

_{Barbara Wookey}

_{Standards Validation*}

_{Yass Benis}

_{Valerie Biggs-Hill}

_{Sharon Halter}

_{Terry Hamovitch}

_{Val Harmon}

_{Linda Harp}

_{Ellen Harris}

_{Nancy Lougheed}

_{Jerusha McClendon}

_{Jimmi McIntosh}

_{Mary Ann Oatney}

_{Alayne Payne}

_{Kathy Petrek}

_{Eileen Rehg}

_{David Smiddy}

_{Christina Theuerling}

_{Maria Wagenbach-Ball}

_{Jo Ann Washburn}

_{Lew Washburn}

_{Linda Weeks}

_{Joyce Winters}

_{Barbara Wookey}

_{*In addition to those mentioned above, appreciation goes to all the ESOL practitioners who responded to the statewide validation survey.}

_{ODE ABLE Staff}

_{State Director:  Denise Pottmeyer}

_{Regional Consultants:                 Donna Albanese}

                                                  _{Jeff Gove}

                                                  _{Karen Scheid}

                                                  _{Cindy Zengler}

_{ABLE Evaluation Design Project Staff}

_{Project Director:  Bob Mahlman}

_{Project Manager:  Jim Austin}

_{Erich Fein}

_{Traci Lepicki}

_{Kirk Ross}

_{Kathy Summerfield}

_{To ensure continuous improvement, Ohio ABLE adopted the national Equipped for the Future (EFF) listening, speaking, reading and writing content standards for its English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) population.  Replicating the Adult Basic Education (ABE) standards revision process, local and national practitioners with expertise in the four content areas (i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing) revised and validated Ohio’s ESOL standards.  Ohio’s revised ESOL standards will replace the standards and competencies beginning July 1, 2005.  This document presents the final product of the standards revision process.}

_{The purpose of this document is to introduce and clarify Ohio’s revised standards for listening, speaking, reading and writing.  This guide will:}

• _{explain the standards revision and validation processes and}
• _{present the revised standards.}

_{What are standards?}

_{Standards are broad statements of what students should know and be able to do.  They define the content and process used to make decisions about planning, teaching and assessing.}

_{Students should be at the center of the planning, teaching, and assessing cycle.  For example:}

_{· Planning:  Students are                  integral in developing the Individual Learning Plan.}

_{· Teaching:  In collaboration, students and teachers can develop activities that are grounded in what students already know (e.g., using materials such as newspapers or magazines familiar to students).}

_{· Assessing:  Students can evaluate their own progress toward goals as well as collaborate with the teacher on the selection of evidence for the portfolio.}

_{What are standards? (continued)}

_{Benefits of standards}

• _{Standards provide a common language for students, teachers, administrators and the community to discuss and understand Adult Basic and Literacy Education.}
• _{Standards make students aware of what they need to accomplish so they can make progress.}
• _{Standards encourage student participation in learning, fostering a student-centered environment.}
• _{Standards fit naturally within the planning-teaching-assessing cycle.}

_{Why did ODE ABLE adopt standards?}

_{To incorporate both performance and standardized assessment in its system, Ohio released the Uniform Portfolio System (UPS) in July 2000.  Ohio’s standards are a vital part of the UPS and set the stage for the alignment of assessments, curriculum and instruction.  They also help to accomplish goals established in the ODE ABLE Strategic Plan (i.e., Define and raise expectations of what ABLE students should know and be able to do.).}

_{Why were the standards revised?}

_{To ensure continuous improvement, the standards were revised to:}

• _{reflect the content and process of listening, speaking, reading and writing;}
• _{integrate the national EFF listening, speaking, reading and writing standards into the UPS;}
• _{update the content of the standards by building and extending concepts across educational functioning levels;}
• _{reflect feedback for needed improvement to the original standards and competencies;}
• _{further support the planning-teaching-assessing cycle; and}
• _{prepare for validation studies of the standards.}

_{HOW WERE THE STANDARDS REVISED?}

_{The listening, speaking, reading and writing standards were revised through a process of input, evaluation, and synthesis.}

_{ABLE practitioners with content area and teaching expertise revised the standards by:}

_Input

• _{Creating benchmark statements to support the standards}
• _{Collecting and incorporating state, national and international standards resources, as needed}

_Evaluation

• _{Reviewing multiple drafts during revision process}

_Synthesis

• _{Revising draft documents based on evaluation of the benchmarks}

_{Why were the standards VALIDATED?}

_{The main purpose for validating the revised ESOL standards was to make sure they align with National Reporting System’s (NRS) Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs).  Aligning benchmarks with EFLs is important for teaching to the appropriate levels, as well as for capturing student achievement and reporting it to the U.S. Department of Education.  These reports help to document Ohio’s progress.}

_{HOW WERE THE STANDARDS VALIDATED?}

_{Improving on the ABE standards validation process, a panel of practitioners and a statewide survey were used to collect validation information on the revised ESOL standards.  During the panel workshop, practitioners reviewed the study materials and completed a draft version of the survey.  Based on feedback collected at the workshop, the validation study materials were revised.  Then, in a statewide survey, practitioners were asked to indicate matches between the ESOL benchmarks and the EFLs.}

_{HOW DO ABLE PROGRAMS USE STANDARDS?}

_{The following statements guided the revision process and are important to keep in mind as ABLE programs and practitioners transition to the revised listening, speaking, reading, and writing standards:}

_Standards…

• _{are crucial to defining learner success in Ohio’s Student Experience Model;}

• _{focus student and teacher use of Ohio’s Uniform Portfolio System;}

• _{enrich the ABLE classroom as a student-centered environment; and}

• _{guide planning, teaching and assessing.}

_{HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT}

_{To understand the revised listening, speaking, reading, and writing standards, it is important to be aware of the structure of the standards and terms used to describe elements of the standards.}

_{Each of the four standards (i.e., listening, speaking, reading and writing) is organized as follows:}

_{HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT (continued)}

_{The Components of Performance are a series of statements which collectively define each standard “in practice.”  They describe the steps or process of the content area.}

_{Benchmarks describe expected performance at a particular place on the NRS Educational Functioning Level continuum.}

_{· Benchmarks provide “seeing” and “documenting” for standards:  before, during, after instruction.}

_{· Benchmark statements are provided for each content area (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and six educational functioning levels of NRS.}

_{Numbering of Benchmarks}

_{· Each benchmark has a unique letter-number identifier.}

_{w The letter indicates the content area (i.e., listening = L, speaking = S, reading = R, and writing = W).}

_{w The first number indicates the NRS level.}

_{w The second number indicates the benchmark number.}

_{For example:}

_{LISTEN ACTIVELY}

Beginning ESOL Literacy (Level 1)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 1, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
L 1.1 Demonstrate comprehension of simple words, including basic, emergency and survival words. L 1.2 Comprehend basic nonverbal cues (e.g., eye contact, gestures) in informal settings. L 1.3 Use verbal and nonverbal strategies to demonstrate lack of comprehension (e.g., asking speaker to rephrase, shrugging, shaking head). L 1.4 Respond appropriately to listening sources (e.g., learned questions, one-step directions with model). L 1.5 Recognize simple conventions of speech (e.g., contractions of verb “to be”) by responding appropriately.
	Beginning ESOL (Level 2)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 2, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
L 2.1 Demonstrate comprehension of simple phrases and sentences with simple vocabulary. L 2.2 Comprehend nonverbal facial and body cues (e.g., frown, smile, shrug) in social settings. L 2.3 Use verbal strategies to demonstrate lack of comprehension (e.g., ask speaker for clarification, repetition, rephrasing). L 2.4 Respond appropriately to listening sources (e.g., limited simple informational questions, one-step directions without model). L 2.5 Recognize conventions of speech (e.g., common contractions, such as, “can’t”, “what’s”) by responding appropriately.
	Low Intermediate ESOL (Level 3)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 3, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
L 3.1 Demonstrate comprehension of sentences on simple topics. L 3.2 Comprehend nonverbal facial and body cues (e.g., personal space, touching, body position) in social, business, formal, or informal settings. L 3.3 Use verbal strategies to demonstrate comprehension (e.g., listener uses simple rephrasing to check understanding). L 3.4 Respond appropriately to listening sources (e.g., simple questions on familiar topics, two to three step directions). L 3.5 Recognize conventions of speech (e.g., reduced speech, such as, “gonna,” “wanna”) by responding appropriately.
	High Intermediate ESOL (Level 4)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 4, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
L 4.1 Demonstrate comprehension of simple information on complex topics. L 4.2 Comprehend tone (e.g., anger, humor) to understand a variety of purposes. L 4.3 Use verbal strategies to demonstrate comprehension (e.g., listener asks targeted/more specific questions for clarification). L 4.4 Respond appropriately to various listening sources (e.g., telephone, video, recorded announcements). L 4.5 Recognize conventions of speech (e.g., common idioms, such as, “What’s up?”) by responding appropriately.
	Low Advanced esol (Level 5)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.

_{The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.}

_BENCHMARKS:

_{By the end of Level 5, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:}

_{L 5.1 Demonstrate comprehension of information on topics from various sources.}

_{L 5.2 Comprehend dialects and social expressions (e.g., “Let’s get together.”) to understand a variety of purposes.}

_{L 5.3 Use various strategies to demonstrate comprehension (e.g., listener provides clarification, when necessary).}

_{L 5.4 Respond appropriately to various listening sources (e.g., questions on a variety of topics, complex directions).}

_{L 5.5 Recognize conventions of speech (e.g., phrasal verbs, such as, “ran into”) by responding appropriately.}

	High Advanced esol (Level 6)
	STANDARD: Listen Actively
	To listen actively, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 6, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
L 6.1 Demonstrate comprehension of information from various sources on complex topics. L 6.2 Comprehend and distinguish between formal and informal language to understand the purpose. L 6.3 Use various strategies to demonstrate comprehension (e.g., listener provides complex clarification, when necessary). L 6.4 Respond appropriately to various listening sources (e.g., speeches, presentations) about complex topics. L 6.5 Recognize conventions of speech (e.g., slang and colloquialisms, such as, “cool”) by responding appropriately.

_{SPEAK SO OTHERS CAN UNDERSTAND}

Beginning ESOL Literacy (Level 1)
	STANDARD: Speak So Others Can Understand
	To speak so others can understand, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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.
The following benchmarks are statements that every Ohio ESOL student will demonstrate the ability to do in order to advance to the next NRS Educational Functioning Level.
BENCHMARKS:
By the end of Level 1, every Ohio ESOL student will know and be able to:
S 1.1 Communicate using basic, emergency, and survival words, memorized phrases and basic sentences. S 1.2 Communicate meaning by using non-native common beginning and final consonant sounds (e.g., “stop”, “red”, “verb”). S 1.3 Use grammatical structures (e.g., verb “to be,” simple present tense) to communicate meaning. S 1.4 Use simple, highly familiar words (e.g., personal names, addresses) and numbers (e.g., dates, phone numbers, prices). S 1.5 Use strategies to monitor and enhance communication (e.g., use simple words and gestures to add to meaning, as necessary).
	Beginning ESOL (Level 2)
	STANDARD: Speak So Others Can Understand
	To speak so others can understand, Ohio ABLE students should: · 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, pa