The Scales of Competency Levels

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Level Competency Comprehensive End-of-Cycle Assessment
5
 ADVANCED Competency development is above the requirements.
4
 THOROUGH Competency development clearly meets the requirements.
3
 ACCEPTABLE Competency development meets the requirements to a limited extent.
2
 PARTIAL Competency development is below the requirements.
1
 MINIMAL Competency development is well below the requirements.

 

C1:Uses language/talk to communicate and to learn
Level Scale descriptors
5
 Uses specialized language with precision pertinent to purpose and audience. Enhances the effectiveness of the communication with queries and comments. Intentionally varies volume, intonation, body language and so on, to increase interest. Adjusts register in consideration of audience. Adopts various stances
(interpretation) and/or roles when necessary. Explores and defends various viewpoints. Employs a variety of strategies to disagree constructively and cordially in discussions. Leads a group project using effective strategies, such as taking notes, extending verbal exchanges, clarifying what was said, and so on. Takes action on feedback for improvement of talk texts and to encourage and elevate group thinking. Critiques own performance with a goal for improvement.
4
 Uses appropriate language to communicate meaning to a specific audience and asks focused questions to enhance learning. Organizes material effectively and uses talk to clearly express a specific viewpoint. Detects instances of bias in spoken text. Collaborates verbally: shares viewpoint within a group, seeks verbal feedback during discussions, inquires in order to understand and modifies perspective in light of discussion. Assumes roles and responsibilities when working in groups. Discusses own performance when reflecting on learning.
3
 Incorporates characteristics and needs of target audience in talk exchanges and talk production.
Demonstrates increasing familiarity with codes and conventions of spoken text. Uses appropriate language when communicating ideas such as storyboards, layout and fonts. Participates in a variety of spoken activities, such as reports, improvisations, discussions and research for problem solving. Negotiates within a group to interpret or produce texts. Modifies perspective in light of teacher-led discussions. Talks about own performance subjectively.
2
 Draws on basic listening strategies in group contexts and conveys meaning through talk with ongoing
teacher support. Reacts to others’ work by voicing opinions when prompted. Responds using limited
vocabulary, making connections on an emotional level and/or basic level. Shares ideas with group, with ongoing encouragement.
1
 Participates in spoken production in one-on-one situations, when directly questioned and encouraged.
Requires teacher monitoring to stay on topic. Maintains conversation with teacher supervision when working in groups and will state opinions when questioned. Responds briefly to directed, specific, short questions in one-on-one situations.
C2:Represents her/his literacy in different media
Level Scale descriptors
5
 Tailors productions for targeted audience. Selects codes and conventions for own productions to enhance impact. Articulates decisions about texts produced. Analyzes/critiques representation of others in productions, noting exclusions or stereotypes (references to age, gender, race, and/or religion). Initiates discussions within group to interpret or produce texts. Develops valid and reliable criteria to judge own production process and that of others. Critiques own productions and justifies production decisions.
4
 Uses appropriate codes and conventions to produce text that clearly meets the intended purpose and
audience. Uses a variety of strategies for a planned effect. Compares and contrasts various forms of texts that cover the same topic (e.g. newspapers, radio, television, Internet) and discusses the impact of the different forms on the intended audience or on her/himself. Grounds criticisms of productions in specific concrete terms. Uses feedback to confirm and/or revise own productions to better communicate message, and offers supportive feedback to peers for purposes of revision.
3
 Completes a plan to produce a text (e.g. storyboard). Determines, with increasing familiarity, targeted
audience and purpose, and frames messages to meet intended audience. Constructs interpretation of text through media production. Accepts assigned roles and collaborates with peers to produce media texts. Talks about own productions subjectively.
2
 Considers purpose and/or target audience when reading and developing rudimentary media texts. Locates examples of basic codes and conventions (such as speech bubbles in comic strips) when exploring texts in class. Explains opinions, with ongoing teacher support, about media texts studied in class. Follows a production process with support from peers and teachers. Talks about personal preferences, with ongoing teacher support, when discussing productions. Attempts revisions of own production when directed.
1
 Plans media productions when assisted in a step-by-step fashion. Produces simple media text when assisted with sustained one-on-one support. Presents initial draft of media production as final product. Discusses media texts when provided with sustained support. Discusses productions in narrow terms. Requires direction from teacher or peers in collaborative work situations.
C3:Reads and listens to written, spoken and media text
Level Scale descriptors
5
 Reflects on how organization of the texts affects impact on readers by analyzing structures, codes and
conventions. Responds to text and places it in its literary and sociocultural contexts. Appreciates aesthetic aspects of written, spoken and media texts. Asks questions to understand nuances in texts. Adopts a stance, justifying interpretation while respecting the author’s purpose (e.g. considers viewpoints of different characters when reading a novel). Uses conferences to demonstrate personal growth as a reader and to set goals.
4
 Discusses structures, codes and conventions in familiar texts. Detects inferred messages and explains and clarifies meanings through discussion in class. Recognizes obvious bias in familiar texts. Supports ideas through specific quotations from the text when responding, and expresses meaningful connections between own experiences and text. Uses reliable strategies and the help of peers when working with different text types. Discusses preferences as a reader and is willing to try texts recommended by others.
3
 Recognizes, with increasing familiarity, that the purpose for reading affects the stance (viewpoint) that she/he assumes. Calls upon familiar strategies when working with various genres. Constructs personal
interpretations of texts, justifying opinions with reference to text. Explains rationale for choices made when selecting texts to read. Expresses an awareness of self as a reader when participating in teacher-student conferences.
2
 Demonstrates, with assistance, an awareness of the intended audience for familiar texts. Recognizes, with prompting, evident messages in a variety of texts taught in class. Explains the basic purpose of a text with ongoing teacher support. Uses a strategy for reading different text types, such as literary, media and information texts, with ongoing teacher support. Participates in teacher-student conferences when required. Describes reading preferences on a superficial level when prompted.
1
 Identifies obvious features, codes and conventions of familiar texts with one-on-one support. Recalls facts from familiar information-based texts. Demonstrates by retelling a general understanding of text with one-onone support. Makes superficial connections between one text and another with one-on-one support from the teacher. Selects texts for tasks with teacher assistance.
C4:Writes a variety of genres for personal and social purposes
Level Scale descriptors
5
 Analyzes characteristics of targeted audience and tailors codes and conventions to purpose and audience, (e.g., uses specific vocabulary to enhance impact). Generates new questions while researching. Considers the reliability of sources for information used in research. Enhances organization and coherence of texts through use of transitional devices (conjunctions, etc.). Analyzes and critiques own work independently. Justifies decisions made during the revision process. Critiques own writing and sets goals for improvement in explicit terms.
4
 Recognizes and utilizes codes and conventions of different text types when writing for different audiences. Demonstrates and justifies own viewpoint while considering those of others. Consults a variety of appropriate sources to support the writing process and the revision of ideas and texts. Collaborates at all stages of the writing process. Incorporates helpful feedback when revising. Discusses own development as a writer.
3
 Writes with increasing ease for a specific audience, to express feelings and opinions, to inform, to influence or to entertain. Employs basic conventions, i.e. grammar, paragraphing, punctuation, spelling, to construct text. Creates a workable plan (storyboards, graphic organizers or webs.) Shares writing for peer feedback and uses feedback to improve writing. Explains choices made in revision process and approaches conferences with increasing confidence.
2
 Takes a discernible point of view for a specific audience, with ongoing teacher support. Uses feedback to correct basic mechanical errors and revises texts under peer’s/teacher’s guidance. Engages in a writing process with peer/teacher encouragement. Conveys meaning in spite of problems with structure and/or organization. Reflects on basic accomplishments and/or self-evaluates own performance subjectively.
1
 Writes basic text, with one-on-one support, for a familiar audience. When working with a new genre, attempts to follow a model with sustained support. Requires prompting when choosing topic for writing. Follows teacher feedback to a limited extent with respect to basic mechanical errors. Expresses unsubstantiated opinions about peers’ or own writing when prompted.