Requerimientos funcionales del sistema

The following two sections (Part 2 and Part 3 of the High Advanced, Level VI) were designed especially for academically and professionally oriented ESOL students. The competencies focus on those that are required for aca-demic work. In addition, ESOL students who have successfully completed all the levels of the BEST test, but still need additional work in an ESOL class may wish to pursue these parts of Level VI.

“I like to learn English. I need to know English because I travel alone from my country to the U.S.A. My grandchildren like to hear history before they go to sleep and I need to read English to them. I know very nice people here. I would like to speak with them and I cannot. This year I’m feeling proud because I improved my English a little. My teacher is a very nice person and wonderful teacher. My classmates are so nice, too. I am so glad. I am feeling happy.”

—Student Learner

■Demonstrate English skills necessary to listen effectively.

• Use various teacher-selected texts and be able to answer written compre-hension questions on these texts.

• Idiom matching exercises (teacher-developed).

• Alternative assessment:

_______________________________________________

■Demonstrate English skills necessary to speak effectively.

• Provide oral presentation (Use a scored matrix provided by the teacher.)

■Demonstrate English skills necessary to read effectively.

• Use reading tests supplied by the teacher.

■Demonstrate English skills necessary to write effectively.

• Develop an essay (Use TOEFL scoring matrix).

■Demonstrate English skills necessary to apply standard grammar structures.

• Use the unit tests (with 75% + accuracy) in the text, Understanding and Using English Grammar by Betty Schrampfer AZAR (Prentice Hall/

Regents).

• Alternative assessment:

_________________________________________

Part 2 – High Advanced, Level VI, continued

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Part 3 of Level VI—ESOL High Advanced Level

Many ESOL programs use the TOEFL preparation materials as the basis for their High Advanced ESOL Level Curriculum. Most ESOL publishing com-panies carry TOEFL preparation texts.

Reprinted by permission of the TOEFL Program, Educational Testing Service.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is designed to evaluate the English proficiency of people whose native language is not English.

TOEFL scores are required for admissions purposes by more than 2,400 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada, and eighty other countries. Because the TOEFL test is independent of any curriculum or teaching method, the proficiency level of any test taken can be compared with that of any other student or group of students regardless of academic background or English training.

The test consists of four sections: Listening, Structure, Reading, and Writing. Two sections, Listening and Structure, are computer-adaptive, which means questions are tailored to examinees’ proficiency levels. There-fore, students will receive fewer questions that are too easy or too difficult in those sections and candidates’ abilities can be estimated more accurately.

The TOEFL Web site is (www.toefl.org). To order a copy of the TOEFL Bulletin, you may download a copy from the Web site at (www.toefl.org/

infobull.html) or you may call 1-609-771-7100.

There are four sections of the TOEFL.

Sample Writing Topics

■Modern life is causing many traditions and beliefs to become less impor-tant. Choose one tradition or belief and explain why you think it should be

Computer-Based TOEFL Test Format

Listening Questions 30 to 50 questions 40 to 60 minutes Structure Questions 20 to 25 questions 15 to 20 minutes Reading Questions 44 to 55 questions 70 to 90 minutes

Writing (essay) 1 topic 30 minutes

“I love to live in the United States because I have security.”

—Student Learner

■Neighbors are people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

For a full list of the writing topics, see the TOEFL Web site at (www.toeflorg/cbprpmat.html) or the TOEFL Information Bulletin.

Special Strategies for Each Section

Listening. Before the day of the test, examinees should: Practice listening to radio, TV, and movies in order to become accustomed to North American English.

Structure. Use paper-based test preparation materials for practice in addi-tion to computer-based preparaaddi-tion materials. The computer-based test contains the same types of Structure questions featured in the paper-based TOEFL test.

Reading. Become accustomed to scrolling techniques and reading onscreen by:

• Using computer-assisted language learning software

• Reading on the Internet

• Reading electronic documents at the library

• Reading passages in the TOEFL Sampler

Writing. Become familiar with the topics listed in the “Bulletin” and at the Web site (www.toefl.org/cbprpmat.thml#topics), and practice writing several 30-minute draft essays using the topics.

Keep in mind that there is no choice of topic. Candidates should realize that if they click on “Next” and then “Answer Confirm” they will not see another topic, and they will have lost the opportunity to complete the essay.

The writing tutorial explains this procedure.

Suggestions for Using the TOEFL Material With Your Level 6 or Academic Level Students.

It is not intended that these suggestions be rigidly followed, rather, they are meant to be a source of ideas for teachers to adapt or use in their own classes or programs. These ideas can be adjusted to the needs of the stu-dents being served.

Each TOEFL textbook has selections of both pre- and post-tests. The students should begin working on the TOEFL by taking a pre-test. It will then be most helpful if they start this project by beginning to work on the section where they received their lowest score.

Part 3 – TOEFL:

High Advanced, Level VI, continued

“Everything is so big! Even the grocery stores! The people are so big” —Student Learner

Test #1: Listening

Listening measures a student’s ability to understand spoken North Ameri-can English. The statements and conversations in the listening comprehen-sion section are samples of what a student would hear if he/she were in a classroom with a group of North American students.

Test #2: Structure

This section is designed to measure a student’s ability to recognize language that is appropriate for standard written English. (In many classes, this would be called a “grammar usage test”.) The paper-written test is multiple choice. The computer test is multiple choice and includes the essay.

Test #3: Reading

The Reading Test is designed to measure a student’s comprehension of standard written English. Many students who have taken this test think it is the most difficult test. They have found that they should have spent more time on reading preparation. There are usually several long passages that must be read and questions to answer about what has been read.

The best way to prepare students for this test is to have them read, read, read. Have them read newspapers, news magazines, books assigned to them by their teacher and anything that has long reading passages.

Test #4: Essay

A student will be given 30 minutes to write on a topic that will be given to the students by the test administrator. The student can NOT choose the essay topic. This essay can be handwritten or written on a computer.

A student should handwrite the essay if he/she is not comfortable

• Typing

• Composing written material on a keyboard, or

• Using a keyboard with English characters.

Sample Writing Topics for the Essay

■“How do movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.”

■“You must select a person to teach others to do a job. Which one of the fol-lowing is the most important for you to consider in making your selection?

• The person’s education

• The person’s work experience

Part 3 – TOEFL:

High Advanced, Level VI, continued

“Everything is hard for the beginner.” —Student Learner

During the Program Year 2000, the Office of Adult Education of the United States Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education presented nine grants to Adult Education ESOL programs in Tennessee.

The following curriculum is the culmination of the work produced by these grantees in a joint action research project.

The purpose of this curriculum is to provide English language instruction that will emphasize instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizen-ship, naturalization procedures, civic participation and U.S. history and government.

The curriculum is divided into the six ESOL levels, identified by the NRS (National Reporting System). It is not intended that students progress through this curriculum sequentially. The instructor may present topic-centered lessons that integrate information from several areas.

“For adult English language learners, civics education is a broad term that includes:

• Instruction on how to gain U.S. citizenship;

• Instruction about U.S. history and culture, including lessons on diversity and multiculturalism;

• Instruction and guidance on becoming active participants in their new communities.

A key element of civic participation education for adult English lan-guage learners is that learning needs to have real-life consequences. One of its purposes is for learners to become active in community life. For exam-ple, learners might collaborate to fight for a community improvement, learn about and participate in the American electoral system (if appropri-ate), or join the local Parent Teacher Association.” (Lynda Terrill, National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.)