These levels of English Acquisition determine English instruction for Lynchburg City Schools.

Pre-Literacy:

Student demonstrates very limited or no proficiency in English. This student may understand and use simple, short utterances. This student is not able to converse in English in simple social situations. This student lacks formal education and/or may have experienced interrupted schooling; therefore, the student has not acquired the skills necessary for reading and writing in his/her native language or English.

Beginning:

Student demonstrates limited proficiency in English. This student may use patterned expressions when he/she speaks. This student can participate in simple conversations and respond to routine classroom procedures. This student has acquired some skills necessary for reading and writing, but has not yet acquired a level of English sufficient to read and write.

Intermediate:

Student demonstrates some proficiency in English. This student may understand and use basic sentence patterns when he/she speaks. This student can converse in social situations with some repetition and hesitation and may begin to demonstrate the ability to participate in class discussions of limited content area topics. This student may read and write, but is confused by complex structures and technical language. This student cannot meet passing requirements independently in the mainstream classroom.

Advanced:

Student demonstrates English proficiency in social situations and some proficiency in classroom situations. This student can understand and use complex sentence structure in conversation, but demonstrates some difficulty with content area topics. This student may read and write, but needs assistance with content area class work and therefore, does not yet meet passing requirements independently in the mainstream classroom.