English
The English Department believes that all students should be working towards mastery of the standards set forth in the VT Writing Benchmarks and Common Core Standards. Students should draft, revise, edit and critique written products so that final drafts are appropriate to these standards. It is expected that students show mastery of the conventions of written English on grade level.
Per the VT AOE, the English Language Arts (ELA) literate individual can engage with complex texts and communicate effectively with diverse audiences for a variety of purposes, clearly articulating their own point of view or message while considering its potential impact, and listening to the perspectives of others. In addition to traditional grades, students will also be assessed on the critical proficiencies that support this vision.
When choosing courses, students should be aware of the following level expectations:
Level 2: Students should expect to read about 50-100 pages a week from both self-chosen and whole class books, articles, poems, plays and short stories. Students should be able to draft, edit and critique written products so that final drafts are appropriate to standards set forth in the Common Core Standards. They should expect to complete 5-6 multi-draft writing assignments during the semester with at least 1/2 of those assignments meeting the VT writing standards as seen in the writing benchmarks. *Enrollment in a Level 2 English course is based on teacher recommendation, team decision and/or testing results. Students cannot self-enroll.
Level 3: Students should expect to read about 100-150 pages a week from both self-chosen and whole class books, articles, poems, plays and short stories. Students should be able to draft, edit and critique written products so that final drafts are appropriate to standards set forth in the Common Core Standards. They should expect to complete 7-8 multi-drafted papers during the semester with at least half of those papers meeting the VT writing standards as seen in the writing benchmarks.
Level 4: Students should expect to read 150-200 pages a week from (mostly) whole class books, articles, poems, plays and short stories. Students should be able to draft, edit and critique written products so that final drafts are appropriate to standards set forth in the Common Core Standards. They should expect to complete 8-9 multi-drafted papers during the semester with at least 2/3 of those papers meeting the VT writing standards as seen in the writing benchmarks and 1/3 nearly meeting the standards. These students should have mastered the conventions of written English. Students in a level four class should demonstrate independent learning skills needed for a college preparatory program
Level 5: Students should expect to read 200-250 pages a week from high quality literature, articles, poems, plays and short stories. Students should be able to draft, edit and critique written products so that final drafts are appropriate to standards set forth in the Common Core Standards. They should expect to complete 9-10 multi-drafted papers during the semester with 2/3 of those papers meeting the VT writing standards as seen in the writing benchmarks at the 12th grade level. Students will respond to literature on a regular basis and meet a standard appropriate to a freshman in college.