Grades 9-12

An ELL can construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing.

An ELL can participate in gradeappropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

An ELL can speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics.

An ELL can construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence.

An ELL can conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems.

An ELL can analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing.

An ELL can adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing.

An ELL can determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text.

An ELL can create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text.

An ELL can make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing.

use a very limited set of strategies to: identify a few key words and phrases in oral communications and simple oral and written texts.

use an emerging set of strategies to: identify the main topic and retell a few key details in oral presentations and simple oral and written texts.

use a developing set of strategies to: determine the central idea or theme in oral presentations and written texts, explain how the theme is developed by specific details in the texts, and summarize part of the text.

use an increasing range of strategies to: determine two central ideas or themes in oral presentations and written texts, analyze the development of the themes/ideas, cite specific details and evidence from the texts to support the analysis, and summarize a simple text.

use a wide range of strategies to: determine central ideas or themes in presentations and written texts, analyze the development of the themes/ideas, cite specific details and evidence from the texts to support the analysis, and summarize a text.

participate in short conversational and written exchanges on familiar topics, present information, and respond to simple yes/no questions and some wh- questions.

participate in short conversational and written exchanges on familiar topics and texts, present information and ideas, and respond to simple questions and wh- questions.

participate in conversations, discussions, and written exchanges on familiar topics, texts, and issues, build on the ideas of others, express his or her own ideas, ask and answer relevant questions, add relevant information and evidence, and restate some of the key ideas expressed.

participate in conversations, discussions, and written exchanges on a range of topics, texts, and issues, build on the ideas of others, express his or her own ideas clearly, support points with specific and relevant evidence, ask and answer questions to clarify ideas and conclusions, and summarize the key points expressed.

participate in extended conversations, discussions, and written exchanges on a range of substantive topics, texts, and issues, build on the ideas of others, express his or her own ideas clearly and persuasively, refer to specific and relevant evidence from texts or research to support his or her ideas, ask and answer questions that probe reasoning and claims, and summarize the key points and evidence discussed.

with support (including modeled sentences), communicate information about familiar texts, topics, and experiences.

with support (including modeled sentences), deliver short oral presentations and compose written narratives or informational texts about familiar texts, topics, experiences, or events.

with support (including modeled sentences), deliver short oral presentations, compose written informational texts, and develop the topic with a few details about familiar texts, topics, or events.

deliver oral presentations, compose written informational texts, develop the topic with some relevant details, concepts, examples, and information, and integrate graphics or multimedia when useful about a variety of texts, topics, or events.

deliver oral presentations, compose written informational texts, fully develop the topic with relevant details, concepts, examples, and information, and integrate graphics or multimedia when useful about a variety of texts, topics, or events.

express an opinion about a familiar topic.

construct a claim about familiar topics, introduce the topic, give a reason to support the claim, and provide a concluding statement

construct a claim about familiar topics, introduce the topic, provide sufficient reasons or facts to support the claim, and provide a concluding statement.

construct a claim about a variety of topics,  introduce the topic, provide logically ordered reasons or facts that effectively support the claim, and provide a concluding statement.

construct a substantive claim about a variety of topics, introduce the claim, distinguish it from a counterclaim, provide logically ordered and relevant reasons and evidence to support the claim and to refute the counter-claim, and provide a conclusion that summarizes the argument presented.

gather information from a few provided print and digital sources and label collected information, experiences, or events.

gather information from provided print and digital sources, and summarize data and information.

carry out short research projects to answer a question, gather information from multiple provided print and digital sources, evaluate the reliability of each source, paraphrase key information in a short written or oral report, include illustrations, diagrams, or other graphics, and provide a list of sources.

carry out both short and more sustained research projects to answer a question, gather and synthesize information from multiple print and digital sources, use search terms effectively, evaluate the reliability of each source, integrate information into an organized oral or written report, and cite sources appropriately.

carry out both short and more sustained research projects to answer a question or solve a problem, gather and synthesize information from multiple print and digital sources, use advanced search terms effectively, evaluate the reliability of each source, analyze and integrate information into a clearly organized oral or written text, and cite sources appropriately.

identify a point an author or a speaker makes.

identify the main argument an author or speaker makes, and identify one reason an author or a speaker gives to support the argument.

explain the reasons an author or a speaker gives to support a claim, and cite textual evidence to support the analysis.

analyze the reasoning and use of rhetoric in persuasive texts or speeches, including documents of historical and literary significance, determine whether the evidence is sufficient to support the claim, and cite textual evidence to support the analysis.

analyze and evaluate the reasoning and use of rhetoric in persuasive texts, including documents of historical and literary significance, determine whether the evidence is sufficient to support the claim, and cite specific textual evidence to thoroughly support the analysis.

recognize the meaning of some words learned through conversations, reading, and being read to.

adapt language choices to task and audience with emerging control, and  use some frequently occurring general academic and content-specific words in conversation and discussion.

adapt language choices and style according to purpose, task, and audience with developing ease, use an increasing number of general academic and content-specific words and expressions in speech and written text, and show developing control of style and tone in oral or written text.

adapt language choices and style according to purpose, task, and audience, use a wider range of complex general academic and content-specific words and phrases, and adopt and maintain a formal style in speech and writing, as appropriate.

adapt language choices and style according to purpose, task, and audience with ease, use a wide variety of complex general academic and content-specific words and phrases, and employ both formal and more informal styles effectively, as appropriate.

relying heavily on context, visual aids, and knowledge of morphology in their native language, recognize the meaning of a few frequently occurring words, simple phrases, and formulaic expressions in texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events.

using context, visual aids, reference materials, and knowledge of morphology in their native language, determine the meaning of frequently occurring words, phrases, and expressions in texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events.

using context, some visual aids, reference materials, and a developing knowledge of English morphology (e.g., affixes and root words), determine the meaning of general academic and content-specific words and phrases and frequently occurring expressions in texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events.

using context, increasingly complex visual aids, reference materials, and an increasing knowledge of English morphology, determine the meaning of general academic and content-specific words and phrases, figurative and connotative language, and a growing number of idiomatic expressions in texts about a variety of topics, experiences, or events.

using context, complex visual aids, reference materials, and consistent knowledge of English morphology, determine the meaning of general academic and content-specific words and phrases, figurative and connotative language (e.g., irony, hyperbole), and idiomatic expressions in texts about a variety of topics, experiences, or events.

with support (including context and visual aids) and non-verbal communication, communicate basic information about an event or topic, and use a narrow range of vocabulary and syntactically simple sentences with limited control.

with support (including modeled sentences), recount a short sequence of events in order,introduce an informational topic, provide one or two facts about the topic, and use common linking words to connect events and ideas (e.g., first, next, because) with emerging control.

recount a sequence of events, with a beginning, middle, and end, introduce and develop an informational topic with facts and details, use common transitional words and phrases to connect events, ideas, and opinions (e.g., after a while, for example, as a result), and provide a conclusion with developing control.

 recount a longer, more detailed sequence of events or steps in a process, with a clear sequential or chronological structure, introduce and develop an informational topic with facts, details, and evidence, use a variety of more complex transitions to link the major sections of text and speech and to clarify relationships among events and ideas, and provide a concluding section or statement with increasingly independent control.

recount a complex and detailed sequence of events or steps in a process, with an effective sequential or chronological order, introduce and effectively develop an informational topic with facts, details, and evidence, use complex and varied transitions to link the major sections of text and speech and to clarify relationships among events and ideas, and provide a concluding section or statement.

with support (including modeled sentences), recognize and use a small number of frequently occurring nouns, noun phrases, verbs, conjunctions, and prepositions, and understand and respond to simple questions.

with support (including modeled sentences), use frequently occurring verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, and produce simple and compound sentences.

with support (including modeled sentences), use simple phrases (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, adverbial, prepositional), use simple clauses (e.g., independent, dependent, relative, adverbial), and produce and expand simple, compound and a few complex sentences.

use increasingly complex phrases (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, adverbial and participial, prepositional, and absolute), use increasingly complex clauses, and produce and expand simple, compound, and complex sentences.

use complex phrases and clauses, and produce and expand simple, compound, and complex sentences.