1. The New Peralta ESL Curriculum
…coming to colleges
near you
Fall 2012

2. Why the change? Some issues with the
current curriculum:
• Vulnerable to arbitrary class cuts that destroy program
integrity based on scheduling, enrollment, other factors
not in our control
• Lockstep 5-6 levels not responsive enough to individual
rates of progress, both faster and slower
• “Cafeteria Model” resulted in students taking too many
units at lower levels and getting “stuck,” running out of
financial aid, not getting enough reading, etc.
• College/career skills not consistently scaffolded through
the levels/skill areas

3. How did we create the new
curriculum?
• August 2010: district discipline meeting with
administrator
• March 2011: district-wide ESL meeting to
agree on components of new curriculum
• June/August 2011: mapped out levels and
strands
• August 2011-February 2012: wrote 24 new
course outlines, entered in Curricunet, and
passed them through all relevant committees

4. What’s new about the new
curriculum?
• Responds strategically to program cuts by
changing unit values to prioritize our core classes
while still offering a variety of electives
• Offers a flexible, accelerated progression to
better meet individual student needs
• Streamlines pathways to student goals by
consolidating course offerings and integrating
more reading into the writing classes
• Scaffolds U.S. college/career skills more
consistently at all levels

5. Overview of Main Features
• 4-8 level A/B system for flexible acceleration
• Main new classes offered at each level:
– Reading & Writing (6 units) (adv level transferable)
– Listening & Speaking (4 units) (adv level transferable)
– Grammar (4 units)
• 6 skill strands in addition to language objectives
(technology, study skills, US culture, etc.) run through all
main courses at all levels
• Existing electives still offered (vocabulary, CTE, workshop,
etc.)
• Other new electives (reading topics, U.S. culture, content
support, and more) under development

6. How do the levels correspond?
old new
(6) advanced
5
4 high intermediate
3 intermediate
2
1 high beginning

7. Levels of Difficulty
High High
Intermediate Advanced
Beginning Intermediate
Grammar
(4 Units) 284A/B 215A/B 216A/B 217A/B
Listening &
Speaking
(4 Units) 283A/B 232A/B 233A/B 50A/B
Reading &
Writing
(6 Units) 285A/B 222A/B 223A/B 52A/B

8. Students who complete this Should go to this course in Fall 2012:
course in Spring 2012:
252A (Grammar 1) 284A (High Beginning Grammar)
252B (Grammar 2) 215A (Intermediate Grammar)
203A (Grammar 3) 216A (High Intermediate Grammar)
203B (Grammar 4) 217A (Advanced Grammar)
250A (Speaking 1) 283A (High Beginning Listening/Speaking)
250B (Speaking 2) 232A (Intermediate Speaking/Listening)
200A (Speaking 3) 233A (High Intermediate Speaking/Listening)
200B (Speaking 4) 50A (Advanced Speaking/Listening)
251A (Writing 1) 285A (High Beginning Reading/Writing)
251B (Writing 2) 222A (Intermediate Reading/Writing)
201A (Writing 3)
223 A (High Intermediate Reading/Writing)
201B (Writing 4)
21A (Writing 5) 52A (Advanced Reading/Writing)

9. New Placement Scores for Grammar
and Listening & Speaking Classes:
CELSA
Recommended Courses
score
217A: Advanced 50A: Advanced
60-75
Grammar Listening & Speaking
216A: High Intermediate 233A: High Intermediate
48-59
Grammar Listening & Speaking
215A: Intermediate 232A: Intermediate
35-47
Grammar Listening & Speaking
284A: High Beginning 284A: High Beginning
20-34
Grammar Listening & Speaking

10. New Placement Scores
for Reading & Writing Classes:
Essay Placement Score Recommended Course
Category 2 (may have minor errors,
but shows mastery of essay)
Refer to English Assessment
Category 1 (may have errors, but same
errors as native speakers)
6 52A: Advanced
5 Reading & Writing
223A: High Intermediate
4
Reading & Writing
222A: Intermediate
3
Reading & Writing
2 285A: High Beginning
1 Reading & Writing

11. Variable 4-8 level A/B plan at a glance:
READING/ HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH
WRITING BEG BEG INT INT INT INT ADV ADV
A B A B A B A B
6 UNITS
LISTENING/ HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH
SPEAKING BEG BEG INT INT INT INT ADV ADV
A B A B A B A B
4 UNITS
GRAMMAR HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH
BEG BEG INT INT INT INT ADV ADV
4 UNITS A B A B A B A B

12. Visualization #1 of the A/B plan:
Accordion

13. Visualization #1 of the A/B plan:
Accordion
HIGH ADV
INT A A
INT
A
HIGH
INT HIGH ADV
BEG A INT B
HIGH B B
BEG B
STUDENT
ADVANCING
FAST

14. Visualization #1 of the A/B plan:
Accordion
HIGH ADV
INT A A
INT
A
HIGH
INT HIGH ADV
BEG A INT B
B B
HIGH
BEG B
STUDENT
ADVANCING
SLOWER

15. Visualization #1 of the A/B plan:
Accordion
HIGH ADV
INT A A
INT
HIGH A
BEG A INT HIGH ADV
B INT B B
HIGH
BEG B
STUDENT
ADJUSTING
TO PROGRESS

16. Visualization #2 of the A/B plan:
Stairs
ADV B
STUDENT
ADVANCING ADV A
FASTER
HIGH INT B
HIGH INT A
INT B
INT A
HIGH BEG B
HIGH BEG A

17. Visualization #2 of the A/B plan:
Stairs
ADV B
ADV A
STUDENT HIGH INT B
ADVANCING
SLOWER HIGH INT A
INT B
INT A
HIGH BEG B
HIGH BEG A

18. Visualization #2 of the A/B plan:
Stairs
ADV B
STUDENT
ADJUSTING ADV A
TO PROGRESS HIGH INT B
HIGH INT A
INT B
INT A
HIGH BEG B
HIGH BEG A

19. Other features of A/B system:
• All students initially test into an A level
• B levels are only for those who have passed A
and are not ready for the next A level
• Students taking A and B of a level are in class
together and are only identified on the roster
• Attempt to alternate, not repeat instructors/
materials if possible

20. Other features of A/B system:
• Students assessed toward end of semester to
determine their best next class:
• Students finishing A level:
– If failing, repeat the A level
– If marginal, advance to the B level
– If proficient, advance to the next A level
• Students finishing B level:
– If failing, repeat the B level
– If proficient, advance to the next A level

21. Example: 3 students toward the end of
High Intermediate A
Got it! Ready
Advanced A
to move
ahead!
I worked hard and
even got a C+, but High
I can’t really Intermediate B
perform all of the
SLOs.
High Intermediate A
Wow! That was
too hard! I got
a D or an F.

22. What are the “strands”?
• 6 sets of skills we build consistently in all of
the main classes at all levels
• Introduce/expose at high beginning level
• By advanced level, students are ready for
transfer/career in these areas

23. What are the “strands”?
• U.S. College, Classroom, and Study Skills
• Information Literacy: Computer Skills/Research
• Intercultural Communication and U.S. Culture
• Sentence-Level Accuracy
• Comprehension (Reading/Listening) and
Production (Writing/Speaking) Processes
• Critical Thinking

24. Questions/suggestions?