Assessment Testing

Foothill’s Language Arts Guided Self-Placement is designed to accomplish two goals.

• First, it will help decide whether English Composition (English 1A) or English for Second Language Learners courses are most appropriate for you.
• Second, you will be able to self-place into an English 1A or ESLL course based on your self-assessment.

Once a language arts pathway is determined, students will:

• Learn about the different English 1A or ESLL courses offered at Foothill College
• Complete self-diagnostics, review sample course material, and self-reflect
• Self-place into a course you feel is most appropriate for skill level

You will be able to see sample material and switch between different courses and pathways to review the content.

The goal of guided self-placement is for you to decide what course is best for you based on your self-assessment. However, if you are still not sure which course to choose, it is recommended to meet with a college counselor to help you decide.

Please take the Guided Self-Placement for Language Arts seriously as it will determine your placement and can only be done one time.

English 1A and ESLL Course Comparison

SKILL SET ENGL 1A FOCUS ESLL COURSE FOCUS       Focus on rhetorical analysis. Students will read a minimum of 2 book lengths and additional readings. Students will analyze college level text. Comprehend an author's reasoning and main points. Draw inferences and draw comparisons to other works. Focus on academic reading and summary skills. Courses designed to meet the needs of English language learners. Students will develop basic-to-advanced reading skills, such as comprehending texts holistically, as well as close reading to identify and analyze argumentative strategies used by authors.       Focus on writing compositions. Students will write a total of at least 6000 word thesis-based compositions. Students will focus on the writing process, drafting, revision, and editing. Include paraphrasing, synthesizing, quotations and documenting (MLA) Focus on developing writing skills and compositions. Students will learn and practice basic-to-advanced elements of college-level, academic writing. Focus on organization, paragraph development, and multi-page compositions on culturally relevant topics.     Focus on editing and proofreading. Students should have command of English grammar to editing/proof read compositions, and be able to use and understand advanced vocabulary. Focus on grammar and vocabulary. Students will review and improve basic-to-advanced grammar. Focus on developing clear and concise paragraphs composed of varied sentence structures and academic vocabulary.   Focus on discussions and class presentations. Students will participate in group discussions, Socratic seminars, and create presentations to be presented in front of the whole clas Focus on developing oral communication skills. Students will learn and practice academic speaking, listening and strategies for class discussion.