English as a Second Language, Level 4

1. Listening and speaking
   1. Demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for various purposes.
   2. Use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes.
   3. Use the language structures correctly and appropriately to communicate in English orally.
2. Reading
   1. Read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes.
   2. Use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts.
   3. Use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary.
   4. Locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.
3. Writing
   1. Write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences.
   2. Organize ideas coherently in writing.
   3. Use conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage, spellings, and punctuation.
   4. Use the stages of writing process.
4. Socio-Cultural Competence and Media Literacy
   1. Use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriate in a variety of social contexts.
   2. Demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian Citizenship, and the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society.
   3. Demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario educational system.
   4. Demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media texts.

All course material is online and no textbook purchase is required. Resources and reference for course materials will be provided on course webpage. Students are expected to watch and read all lecture videos and reading materials provided and complete relevant exercises at student’s time of continence.

• Access to ESL online course of study
• Access to a scanner or digital camera
• Access to a word-processing software
• Access to Google and various online resources
• Access to YouTube

Reference Texts
This course is entirely online and does not require any textbook.

As in a conventional classroom, instructors employ a range of strategies for teaching a course:

• Clear writing that connects English to real life texts
• Examples of activities and opportunities to learn along the way
• Direct instructions and coaching on student work by the teacher.

In addition, teachers and students have at their disposal several tools that are unique to electronic learning environments.

• Electronic simulation activities
• Video presentations
• Discussion board and emails
• Assessment with real-time feedback
• Interactive activities that engage both the students and teacher in the subject
• Peer review and assessment
• Internet instructional videos.

All course material is online and no textbook is required. Assignments are submitted electronically. Tests are completed online at a time convenient for the student, and the course ends with a final exam which the student writes under the supervision of a proctor approved by QW Language School at a predetermined time and place. The final mark and report card are then forwarded to the student’s home school.

Students must achieve the Ministry of Education learning expectations of a course and complete 110 hours of planned learning activities, both online and offline, in order to earn a course credit. Students must keep a learning log throughout their course which outlines the activities they have completed and their total learning hours. This log must be submitted before the final exam can be written.

The chart below indicates some general examples of online and offline activities.

Students are expected to access and participate actively in course work, and course forums on a regular and frequent basis. This interaction with other students is a major component of this course and there are minimum requirements for student communication and contribution.

QW Language School’s approach to assessment and evaluation is based on the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Growing Success 2010 document. Assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment for this purpose is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning”. As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning. QW Language School teachers use evidence from a variety of sources in their assessment. These include formal and informal observations, discussions, conversations, questioning, assignments, projects, portfolios, self-assessments, self-reflections, essays, and tests.

Assessment occurs concurrently and seamlessly with instruction. Our courses contain multiple opportunities for students to obtain information about their progress and achievement, and to receive feedback that will help them improve their learning. Students can monitor their own success through the tracking of learning goals and success criteria throughout all courses.

Summative “assessment of learning” activities occur at or near the end of periods of learning. Evidence of student achievement for evaluation is also collected over time from different sources, such as discussions, conversations and observation of the development of the student’s learning. Using multiple sources of evidence increases the reliability and validity of this evaluation. The evaluations are expressed as a percentage based upon the levels of achievement.

Assessment Strategies

Growing Success articulates the vision the Ministry has for the purpose and structure of assessment and evaluation techniques. There are seven fundamental principles that ensure best practices and procedures of assessment and evaluation by QW Language School teachers. Assessment and evaluations:

• Are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students
• Support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Metis, or Inuit
• Are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students
• Are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course
• Are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning
• Provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement
• Develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.

The Final Grade

The evaluation for this course is based on the student’s achievement of curriculum expectations and the demonstrated skills required for effective learning. The percentage grade represents the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for the course and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline. A credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student’s grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:

• 70% of the grade will be based upon evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
• 30% of the grade will be based on final assessment, which may be a final exam, a final project, or a combination of both an exam and a project.

The general balance of weighting of the categories of the achievement chart throughout the course is:

The Report Card

Two official report cards are issued: midterm and final. Each report card will focus on two distinct but related aspects of student achievement. First, the achievement of curriculum expectations is reported as a percentage grade. Additionally, the course median is reported as a percentage. The teacher will also provide written comments concerning the student’s strengths, areas for improvement and next steps. Second, the learning skills are reported as a letter grade, representing one of four levels of accomplishment. The report cards contain separate sections for the reporting of these two aspects. The report card also indicates whether an OSSD credit has been earned.

Teachers should explore aspects of intercultural communication – for example, how different cultures interpret the use of eye contact and body language in conversation and during presentations. Teachers should be aware of global events that may affect students and that can also be used as opportunities for instruction.

Note: A student whose achievement is below 50% at the end of a course will not obtain a credit for the course.

The purpose of the achievement chart is to:

1. Provide a common framework that encompasses all curriculum expectations for all courses
2. Guide the development of high-quality assessment tasks and tools
3. Help teachers plan instruction for learning
4. Assist teachers in providing meaningful feedback to students
5. Provide various categories/criteria with which to assess and evaluate students’ learning.

The achievement chart provides a reference point for all assessment practice and a framework within which achievement will be assessed and evaluated.

1. The chart is organized into four broad criteria; Knowledge/Understanding, Thinking/Investigation, Communication, and Application.
2. The achievement chart describes the levels of achievement of the curriculum expectations within each subset of criteria.
3. The “descriptor” indicates the characteristic of performance, with respect to a particular criterion, on which assessment or evaluation is focused.
4. A specific “qualifier” is used to define each of the four levels of achievement. It is used along with a descriptor to produce a description of performance at a particular level.
5. The following link provides a summary description of achievement in each percentage grade range and corresponding level of achievement…

Summary Description of Achievement