ADULT SECONDARY LOW COMPETENCY OUTLINE

CASAS Range: 236-245 TABE Range: 9.0-10.9

By the end of this level, learners will have worked on and attained competency in the following areas:

1. Communication

   1. Fill out personal information forms for a variety of situations.

      1. school enrollment

      2. training

      3. children’s school

      4. financial aid

      5. census forms

      6. Respond to questions in all areas

         1. name

         2. address

         3. phone number, fax number

         4. email

         5. gender

         6. ethnicity

         7. marital status

         8. household income

         9. educational background

         10. financial information

         11. disability status

   2. Practice effective group communication.

      1. Team building and team work

         1. team roles, positive and negative

         2. verbal and nonverbal feedback

         3. leadership

         4. consensus

      2. Team management skills

         1. assuming leadership role

         2. materials management

         3. setting agendas

         4. note-taking

2. Consumer Economics

   1. Interpret information about mortgages.

      1. Interest rates

      2. Payback term

      3. Escrow

      4. Down payment

      5. Balloon payment

      6. Research mortgage interest rates through various sources

   2. Interpret information in a credit report.

      1. Write a letter to correct credit information

   3. Research information on a major purchase and compare financing options.

      1. Research sources

         1. internet

         2. non-profit organizations

         3. magazines

         4. recommendations for others

      2. Compare product information

         1. price

         2. warranty

         3. guarantee

         4. service

         5. financing options

      3. Compare financing options

         1. term

         2. interest rate

         3. down payment

         4. monthly payment

         5. penalty for early payback

      4. Make a budget plan to purchase the item

   4. Interpret information on the maintenance and repair of possessions.

      1. Operating instructions

      2. Assembly instructions

      3. Safety instructions and warnings

      4. Warranties and guarantees

      5. Repair instructions

   5. Compare savings plans.

      1. IRA

      2. pension

      3. 401K, 403B

      4. savings account

      5. money market account

      6. certificate of deposit

      7. stocks and bonds

      8. government bonds

3. Community Resources

   1. Interpret information on business licensing and regulations.

      1. Identify business types that need licensing (i.e. child care)

      2. Identify licensing agencies

      3. Complete licensing paperwork

   2. Understand aspects of culture.

      1. Ethnic groups

      2. Religion

      3. Social issues

      4. Cultural groups

      5. Language groups

4. Health

   1. Communicate with health care providers and insurers.

      1. Make a complaint

      2. Request service

      3. Enroll in a plan

      4. Question a bill

   2. Interpret health information.

      1. AIDS

      2. Sexually transmitted diseases

      3. Communicable diseases

      4. Non communicable diseases

      5. Conditions

      6. Treatment

   3. Understand health maintenance practices.

      1. Immunizations

      2. Preventive care

         1. physicals

         2. teeth cleaning

         3. eye exams

      3. Healthy diet

      4. Exercise

5. Employment

   1. Develop a career plan.

      1. Skills, abilities, and interests

      2. Training requirements

      3. Career availability and viability

   2. Interpret workplace information.

      1. Employee handbooks

      2. Personnel policies

      3. Job manuals

      4. Safety procedures

   3. Understand elements of job performance and evaluation.

      1. Job descriptions

      2. Performance evaluations

      3. Raises

      4. Set performance goals

   4. Interpret information on workplace discrimination and harassment.

      1. Sexual, gender, ethnic, religious

      2. Workplace reporting

      3. Reporting beyond the workplace

   5. Understand common workplace technology and systems.

      1. Filing

         1. alpha

         2. numeric

         3. alpha-numeric

      2. Basic computer operation

         1. keyboarding

         2. use of common software

         3. keyboard and mouse commands

      3. Receptionist

         1. take messages

         2. answering the phone

         3. placing on hold

         4. business voice mail

   6. Interpret machine operating and repair instructions.

   7. Communicate effectively orally and in writing in the workplace.

      1. Give, follow, clarify, and respond to

         1. Feedback

         2. Instructions

         3. Criticism

      2. Interpret and write

         1. memos

         2. notes

         3. reports

         4. letters

         5. email

      3. Team work

         1. work cooperatively

         2. promote effective group interaction

         3. take personal responsibility

         4. negotiation

   8. Understand purpose and types of workplace resources.

      1. Human resources

      2. On-site medical

      3. Employee assistance programs

      4. Dislocated worker services

      5. Training programs

      6. Tuition assistance

6. Government and Law

   1. Locate and interpret information on special interest groups.

      1. Funding

      2. Lobbying

      3. Political Action Committees

      4. Role in making laws

   2. Understand the legislative process

      1. Role of the legislative branch of federal and state government

      2. Who makes up the legislative system

      3. How a law is drafted and enacted

   3. Identify historical documents.

      1. US Constitution

      2. Declaration of Independence

      3. Bill of Rights

   4. Identify the US states, major countries, regions of the world and geographical features.

      1. Locate the states

      2. Locate major countries and regions of the world

      3. Identify geographical features

   5. Understand information on basic legal rights.

      1. Basic court procedures

      2. Rights of the accused

      3. Reporting a crime

      4. Victim of a crime

   6. Understand information on civic responsibilities.

      1. Voting

      2. Jury duty

      3. Paying taxes

   7. Interpret information on recycling.

      1. Local process

      2. Why

7. Computation

   1. Identify and evaluate ratios and proportions.

      1. Express relationships as ratios and proportions

   2. Solve narrative math problems.

      1. Multiple problem solving methods

      2. Multi-step problems involving whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages

   3. Use a scientific calculator.

      1. Order of operations

      2. Square, square root

      3. Fractions

   4. Use algebra to solve problems.

      1. Write expressions and equations from words

         1. whole numbers

         2. fractions

         3. decimals

      2. Notation conventions

         1. parentheses

         2. letters for unknowns

         3. subscript numbers

      3. Substitution

      4. Variables in formulas

      5. Combining like terms

      6. Rewrite equations using commutative, associate, and distributive properties

      7. Linear equations

      8. Simple geometric proofs

      9. Inequalities

      10. Technical formulas (i.e. V=IR)

      11. Pythagorean theorem

      12. Simple quadratic equations

   5. Apply exponent concepts.

      1. Negative and positive exponents

      2. Special properties of exponents

      3. Scientific notation

   6. Demonstrate understanding of positive and negative integers.

      1. Computations

      2. Absolute value

      3. Ordering

   7. Demonstrate understanding of the Cartesian coordinate system.

      1. Plot and label order pairs

      2. Plot ordered pairs from a data table

      3. Slope

      4. Distance of a line

      5. Equation of a line

      6. Functional relationships

      7. Graph linear function

   8. Apply concepts of polygons.

      1. Types of polygons

      2. Types of quadrilaterals

      3. Properties of polygons and quadrilaterals

         1. two and three dimension

      4. Formulas to solve perimeter, area, volume

      5. Similarity

      6. Congruency

   9. Apply elements of circles.

      1. Two and three dimension

      2. Radius

      3. Diameter

      4. Arc

      5. Area, circumference, volume formulas

   10. Apply concepts of lines and angles.

       1. Parallel, perpendicular, interesting

       2. Vertical

       3. Transverse

       4. Right, acute, obtuse, straight

       5. Use a protractor

   11. Demonstrate spatial relationships.

       1. Scale figure

          1. interpret

          2. draw

       2. Enlarge and reduce diagrams using proportion

   12. Interpret rates.

       1. Computation and word problems

       2. Formulas

       3. Velocity

       4. Frequency

       5. Consumption

       6. Flow

       7. Change

       8. Unit

       9. Averaging

   13. Convert metric and US units.

       1. Weight, capacity

       2. Convert using decimals and abbreviations

       3. Estimate conversions

   14. Read, interpret, analyze and represent mathematical data.

       1. Charts, tables, lists, graphs

       2. Extract data

       3. Compare data from different representations

       4. Mean, median, mode, range

       5. Data samples

       6. Conclusions, predictions, trends

       7. Basic statistical language

       8. Draw charts, tables, lists, graphs

       9. Create representations that include calculations

       10. Data sets

       11. Sampling

       12. Randomizations

8. Learning to Learn (Reading)

   1. Set personal, educational, and workplace goals.

      1. Personal

      2. Educational

      3. Workplace

   2. Create a schedule.

      1. To do lists

      2. Prioritizing

   3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills.

      1. Paraphrase

      2. Causal relationships

      3. Comparisons

      4. Classifications

      5. Fact vs opinion

      6. Judgments

      7. Assumptions

   4. Demonstrate inductive and deductive reasoning.

      1. Hypothesize

      2. Predict

      3. Conclude

      4. Synthesize

   5. Demonstrate ability to use decision making factors.

      1. Goals

      2. Constraints

      3. Consequences

      4. Alternatives

   6. Demonstrate ability to use a problem solving process.

      1. Identify a problem and causes

      2. Hypothesize an outcome

      3. Implement a solution

      4. Evaluate outcome

      5. Modify

   7. Interpret information on personal management.

      1. Stress management

      2. Self-esteem

      3. Values

      4. Self-image

   8. Interpret vocabulary.

      1. Tier 2 vocabulary

      2. Specialized contexts

         1. consumerism

         2. work

         3. field of interest

      3. Connotation vs. denotation

      4. Analogies

      5. Metaphors

      6. Similes

   9. Read and analyze a variety of texts.

      1. Fiction

         1. Plot

         2. Characters

         3. Characterization

         4. Setting

         5. Figurative language

            1. Simile

            2. Metaphor

            3. Personification

         6. Theme

      2. Drama

         1. Protagonist

         2. Antagonist

         3. Stage directions

      3. Poetry

         1. Rhythm

         2. Rhyme

         3. Point of view

         4. Figurative language

            1. Simile

            2. Metaphor

            3. Personification

            4. Alliteration

            5. Consonance

      4. Non-fiction

         1. Personal essays

         2. Academic texts

         3. Informational articles

      5. Complex forms

         1. medical

         2. insurance

         3. legal

      6. Graphic documents

         1. maps

         2. charts

         3. graphs

         4. tables

         5. lists

         6. diagrams

         7. political cartoons

      7. Themes

         1. universal themes in literature

         2. as related to current events

         3. as related to life experiences

      8. Author’s bias

         1. cultural

         2. gender

         3. religious

         4. historical

         5. geographic

   10. Utilize reference tools

       1. Standard dictionary

       2. Glossary

       3. Thesaurus

       4. Encyclopedia

   11. Apply reading strategies.

       1. Pre-reading

          1. previewing

          2. predicting

       2. KWL

       3. Graphic organizers

       4. Text types

          1. compare/contrast

          2. cause/effect

          3. problem/solution

          4. description

          5. narrative

          6. persuasive

       5. Summarize

       6. Paraphrase

       7. Inferences

       8. Conclusions

       9. Stated and unstated assumptions

       10. Faulty logic

       11. Point of view

       12. Purpose and audience of a text

9. Grammar and writing

   1. Use Edited American English in all written tasks.

   2. Follow a writing process.

      1. Prewriting

         1. brainstorming

         2. clustering

         3. mapping

         4. outlining

      2. Multiple drafts

      3. Revising

         1. content

         2. clarify

         3. tone

      4. Editing

         1. mechanics

         2. usage

         3. grammar

      5. Publishing/sharing

   3. Write sentences correctly in a variety of structures.

      1. Compound sentences

      2. Complex sentences with subordination

      3. Appositives

      4. Parallelism

      5. Subject-verb agreement

      6. Pronoun-antecedent agreement

   4. Write paragraphs and essays of various types.

      1. Narrative

      2. Problem-solution

      3. Descriptive

      4. Opinion

      5. How-to

   5. Evaluate writing of others for errors and clarity.

      1. Locating and correcting errors

         1. spelling

         2. grammar

         3. usage

         4. punctuation

         5. agreement

      2. Clarity of message

      3. Paragraphing