English Language syllabus, dot point by dot point

Achievement levels and what they mean: the five LEAP achievement levels (Advanced, Mastery, Basic, Approaching Basic, Unsatisfactory), what they indicate about a student's mastery of the Louisiana Student Standards, the role of LEAP English I or II as a graduation-required end-of-course test, and how the score contributes to the course grade, for LEAP English I or II.

Pacing the assessment: budgeting time across the three LEAP English I and II sessions (about 90, 90, and 80 minutes), splitting each writing session between reading the passages, planning, drafting, and proofreading, allowing for the longer evidence-based and technology-enhanced items, and avoiding the common pacing mistakes on a computer-based test.

Reading the prompt and the rubric: analyzing a LEAP English I or II writing prompt to identify the task, the mode (analyze, explain, argue, or narrate), and the sources to use, and using the matching LEAP writing rubric (analytic or narrative) to write toward the dimensions, so the response answers the question asked and aims at the score.

Technology-enhanced and selected-response item types on LEAP English I and II: multiple choice, multiple select (choose all correct answers), evidence-based selected response (two-part or three-part, worth two points with partial credit), and technology-enhanced items such as drag-and-drop and hot text, and how to read and answer each format correctly on a computer-based test.

The three-session structure of LEAP English I and II: the three computer-based sessions and roughly what each carries (a writing task with a passage set in Sessions 1 and 2, reading literary and informational texts in Session 3), the integration of reading and writing, the role of the universal Research Simulation Task, and how the test fits together, for LEAP English I or II.

Denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning: distinguishing a word's denotation (literal dictionary meaning) from its connotation (the positive or negative feelings it carries), interpreting figurative meaning, and analyzing how word choice and connotation shape tone, on a LEAP English I or II reading passage.

Grammar and usage conventions: applying the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear pronoun reference, consistent verb tense, and correct modifier placement, as tested in revising and editing items and rewarded in the Knowledge of Language and Conventions dimension of the LEAP writing rubrics.

Punctuation and sentence structure: applying the conventions of capitalization, punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and end marks), and correct sentence boundaries, recognizing and fixing comma splices, run-on sentences, and fragments, as tested in editing items and rewarded in the Knowledge of Language and Conventions dimension of the LEAP writing rubrics.

Vocabulary in context: determining the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and inference from surrounding sentences), and choosing the meaning that fits the passage, on a LEAP English I or II reading passage where vocabulary is tested in context.

Word parts: using knowledge of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words, recognizing how a suffix can change a word's part of speech, and combining word-part analysis with context clues on a LEAP English I or II reading passage.

Analyzing argument and claims in informational texts: identifying the author's central claim and supporting claims, distinguishing reasons from evidence, and evaluating whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence relevant and sufficient, including spotting unsupported assertions and fallacious reasoning, on a LEAP English I or II argumentative passage.

Author's purpose and craft in informational texts: identifying the author's purpose (to inform, persuade, or explain) and point of view, and analyzing how craft choices (word choice, tone, rhetorical appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility, and rhetorical devices) advance that purpose on a LEAP English I or II informational passage.

Central ideas in informational texts: determining the central idea of a passage (stated as a full sentence, not a topic word), distinguishing the central idea from supporting details, writing an objective summary, and tracing how the author develops the central idea across paragraphs on a LEAP English I or II informational passage.

Comparing and synthesizing paired texts: analyzing how two or more texts treat the same topic, theme, or question (agreeing, disagreeing, or emphasizing different aspects), comparing their central ideas, evidence, and craft, and synthesizing them into a single response, the reading move at the heart of the LEAP English I or II Research Simulation Task.

Text evidence and inference: citing strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what a text says explicitly, and drawing logical inferences that go just beyond the text while staying anchored to it, including answering the two-part evidence-based selected-response items that LEAP English I and II use across literary and informational passages.

Text structure and organization in informational texts: recognizing common organizational patterns (cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, chronological or sequence, and description), analyzing how sentences and paragraphs develop ideas, and explaining why an author's structural choice suits the content on a LEAP English I or II informational passage.

Analyzing theme and central idea in literary texts: stating a theme as a complete sentence about life or human nature (not a topic word), distinguishing theme from subject and from moral, and tracing how a writer develops a theme through plot, character, and detail across a LEAP English I or II literary passage.

Character and point of view in literary texts: inferring traits and motivation from indirect characterization (actions, dialogue, thoughts, and others' reactions), tracking how a character changes, and analyzing how the point of view (first person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient) shapes what the reader knows on a LEAP English I or II literary passage.

Figurative language and literary devices in literary texts: identifying simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, hyperbole, and tone, and analyzing the effect of these choices and of an author's word choice on meaning and tone, on a LEAP English I or II literary passage.

Plot, conflict, and structure in literary texts: the stages of plot (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), internal and external conflict, and analyzing how an author's structural choices (event order, flashback, foreshadowing, pacing) create effects such as tension, mystery, or surprise on a LEAP English I or II literary passage.

Reading poetry on the LEAP: paraphrasing a poem for meaning (speaker, situation, and feeling), then analyzing how structure (stanzas, line breaks, form), sound (rhyme, repetition, refrain), and figurative language work together to create meaning and tone on a LEAP English I or II poetry passage.

Editing for grammar and usage: identifying and correcting errors in subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and reference, verb tense, and modifier placement within a draft passage, choosing the correction that follows standard English, on a LEAP English I or II revising and editing item.

Revising and editing item types: recognizing the forms these items take (multiple-choice best-revision questions, underlined-portion corrections, technology-enhanced formats such as drag-and-drop and hot text), telling a revising question from an editing question, and using the question stem to choose the right kind of improvement on a LEAP English I or II passage.

Revising for clarity and organization: improving a draft's focus, development, and organization by choosing the best transition, the most logical sentence order, the sentence that best supports a point, or the change that sharpens meaning, distinguishing revising (content and clarity) from editing (mechanics) on a LEAP English I or II revising and editing item.

Sentence boundaries and combining: recognizing and correcting comma splices, run-on sentences, and fragments, and combining short or choppy sentences into clearer, more varied ones using coordination, subordination, and appositives, on a LEAP English I or II revising and editing item.

Word choice and precision: improving a draft by choosing the most precise and appropriate word, cutting wordiness and redundancy, matching tone and register to the writing, and selecting words for their connotation, on a LEAP English I or II revising and editing item, the skill that also lifts written expression on the prose responses.

The LEAP writing rubric and scoring: how the two prose constructed-response rubrics work, the analytic rubric for the Literary Analysis and Research Simulation tasks (Reading Comprehension and Written Expression, holistic 0 to 4 times 4, plus Knowledge of Language and Conventions 0 to 3, up to 19) and the narrative rubric for the Narrative Writing Task (Written Expression 0 to 4 times 3, plus conventions 0 to 3, up to 15), the rule that an unscorable response earns 0, and how to write toward the top of each, for LEAP English I and II.

The Literary Analysis Task on LEAP English I and II: reading one or more literary texts, building an analytic claim about how the author develops theme, character, or structure, and writing an essay that supports the claim with specific text evidence and explanation, scored on the combined Reading Comprehension and Written Expression dimension plus Knowledge of Language and Conventions.

The Narrative Writing Task on LEAP English I and II: reading a stimulus text and writing an original narrative connected to it (a continuation, a new point of view, or a narrative reflecting its theme), using effective narrative technique, a well-structured sequence of events, and precise detail, scored on the narrative Written Expression dimension plus Knowledge of Language and Conventions.

The Research Simulation Task on LEAP English I and II: reading several related sources (often informational, sometimes with charts or other media), answering text-dependent questions, and writing an essay that analyzes or explains ideas across the sources using evidence from more than one, scored on combined Reading Comprehension and Written Expression plus Knowledge of Language and Conventions.

Understanding the written response tasks on LEAP English I and II: the three prose constructed-response (PCR) tasks (Literary Analysis Task, Research Simulation Task, Narrative Writing Task), the rule that every student does the Research Simulation Task plus either the Literary Analysis Task or the Narrative Writing Task, and what all text-based responses share: a response built from the provided passages, not a free-topic essay.

Using text evidence in the written response: selecting relevant and specific evidence from the provided passages, integrating it smoothly (quoting or paraphrasing), and explaining how each piece supports the claim or controlling idea, with attention to drawing on more than one source on the Research Simulation Task, for the LEAP English I and II analytic prose constructed responses.