English as a Second Language Program

POLY offers two types of ESL programs: Semi-Intensive and Intensive. Each program has six (6) ESL levels followed by TOEFL Prep courses. The semi-intensive program offers the academic English courses: Listening/Speaking and Reading/Writing. In the Intensive program, General English courses are added to further develop communicative skills to better interact with native speakers of English in various settings. After completing the level 6, the TOEFL iBTPreparation courses are recommended for those students pursuing higher education.

Each program consists of 7 levels: 6 ESL levels and a TOEFL Prep course. POLY's ESL program is divided into 3 sub-programs that are designed to better cater to the workload desired by our students. Our Semi-Intensive Program offers only the core components of language learning. In the Intensive Program, students heighten their learning comprehension/retention by adding grammar to their core classes. Our Intensive Plus Program is our best offer since it provides core language components with additional critical and challenging components of the English language such as grammar, pronunciation or idioms. The combination and intensity of this program will enrich students’ language learning.

Sample Schedules

The POLY ESL programs consist of choosing classes from the Listening/Speaking series, the Reading/Writing series, the General English series, and the TOEFL iBT Preparation courses.

Intensive Program

Students study for 30 hours a week for a total of 120 hours of instruction per term.

Intensive Program

Students study for 25 hours a week for a total of 100 hours of instruction per term.

Semi-Intensive Program

Students study for 20 hours a week for a total of 80 hours of instruction per term.

Course Descriptions

Courses are grouped by course types. For each course type, total instructional/lecture hours are stated. The total lecture hours include holidays and the last day of school reserved for online finals as if classes are held on those days. Each clock hour of instruction or lab has a 10-minute break; each instructional hour is 50 minutes long.

For each level, its applicable courses are listed by their titles and codes. Each course is 4 weeks long, the same duration as the school term. For each course, after its description, there are prerequisites that students must complete with a passing grade of “C” or better.

Academic English (Listening/Speaking)

Lecture: 80 hours per level (40 hours per term)

The goal of the Listening/Speaking courses is to develop and refine students’ English language skills. At the introductory levels, students encounter language necessary for everyday communication. Students are introduced to many useful language functions, vocabulary, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of level-appropriate thematic topics and receptive task-based activities. As students advance, they begin to focus on language and skills necessary for academic success. Students in intermediate and advanced levels encounter increasingly complex vocabulary, language functions, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques. In all levels, students explore a variety of level-appropriate topics and themes.

Beginner (L/S 101 & 102):
The goal of these courses is to develop students’ basic listening and speaking skills necessary for everyday language at the low-beginner level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize basic vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the low-beginner level. Prerequisite: None

High Beginner (L/S 201 & 202):
The goal of these courses is to further develop students’ basic listening and speaking skills necessary for everyday language use at the high-beginner level. The objectives for these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize basic vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the high-beginner level. Prerequisite: L/S 102 and R/W 102

Low Intermediate (L/S 301, 302):
The goal of these courses is to broaden and develop students’ listening and speaking skills for academic success at the low-intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize common vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the low-intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 202 and R/W 202

Intermediate (L/S 401, 402):
The goal of these courses is to further develop and enhance students’ listening and speaking skills necessary for academic success at the intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize common vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 302 and R/W 302

High Intermediate (L/S 501, 502):
The goal of these courses is to broaden and deepen students’ listening and speaking skills for academic success at the high-intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the high-intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 402 and R/W 402

Advanced (L/S 601, 602):
The goal of these courses is to expand and further refine students’ listening and speaking skills for academic success at the advanced level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply listening skills in comprehension activities and utilize advanced vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the advanced level. Prerequisite: L/S 502 and R/W 502

Reading/Writing (Lecture hours: 80/level or 40/course)

The goal of the Reading/Writing courses is to develop and refine students’ English language skills. At the introductory levels, students encounter language necessary for everyday communication. Students are introduced to many useful language functions, vocabulary words, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques in a variety of level-appropriate thematic topics and receptive task-based activities. As students advance, they begin to focus on language and skills necessary for academic success. Students in intermediate and advanced levels encounter increasingly complex vocabulary words, language functions, grammar points, and pronunciation techniques. In all levels, students explore a variety of level-appropriate topics and themes.

Beginner (R/W 101 & 102):
The goal of these courses is to develop students’ basic reading and writing skills at the low-beginner level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply reading and writing skills in a variety of basic tasks and activities incorporating vocabulary words and grammatical principles appropriate for the low-beginner level. Prerequisite: None

High Beginner (R/W 201 & 202):
The goal of these courses is to further develop students’ basic reading and writing skills at the high-beginner level. The objective of these courses are for students to practice and apply reading strategies and writing skills in a variety of basic tasks and activities incorporating vocabulary words, grammatical principles, and organizational patterns appropriate for the high-beginner level. Prerequisite: R/W 102 and L/S 102

Low Intermediate (R/W 301 & 302):
The goal of these courses is to broaden and develop students’ reading and writing skills for academic success at the low-intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply reading and writing strategies and incorporate vocabulary, grammatical principles, and specific paragraph structure and rhetorical patterns in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the low-intermediate level. Prerequisite: R/W 202 and L/S 202

Intermediate (R/W 401 & 402):
The goal of these courses is to develop and enhance students’ reading and writing skills necessary for academic success at the intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply reading and writing strategies and incorporate vocabulary, grammatical principles, and specific paragraph structure and rhetorical patterns in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the intermediate level. Prerequisite: R/W 302 and L/S 302

High Intermediate (R/W 501 & 502):
The goal of these courses is to deepen and broaden students’ reading and writing skills necessary for academic success at the high-intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and apply reading and writing strategies and incorporate vocabulary, grammatical principles, and specific paragraph structure and rhetorical patterns in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the high-intermediate level. Prerequisite: R/W 402 and L/S 402

Advanced (R/W 601 & 602):
The goal of these courses is to expand and further refine students’ reading and writing skills necessary for academic success at the advanced level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice and utilize reading and writing strategies and incorporate vocabulary, grammatical principles, and specific paragraph structure and rhetorical patterns in a variety of tasks and activities appropriate for the advanced level. Prerequisite: R/W 502 and L/S 502

General English

Lecture: 80 hours per level (40 hours per term)

General English is communicative courses that prepare students to interact successfully and confidently with both native and non-native speakers of English. The goal is for students to become confident, culturally fluent English speakers able to navigate the social, travel, and professional situations they will encounter as they use English in their lives. Students are introduced to various situations with communication goals. For each level-appropriate situations or topics, students are introduced to relevant vocabulary, grammar, and conversation strategies. Students develop productive skills and receptive skills through various activities with emphasis on communitive language teaching.

Beginner (GR 101, 102):
These courses are an introduction to basic English grammar for beginners and false beginners. The goal is for students to build a basic foundation of English grammar and usage. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply basic English grammar structures to everyday usage. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: None

High Beginner (GR 201, 202):
These courses are an introduction to basic English grammar for high-beginners. The goal is for students to further build a basic foundation of English grammar and usage. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply basic English grammar structures to everyday usage. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: L/S 102, R/W 102, or GR 102

Low Intermediate (GR 301, 302):
These courses are for low-intermediate level students. The goal is for students to build their knowledge of somewhat complex English grammar structure and usage, which can help all areas of language use. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply somewhat complex English grammar concepts and usage leading to an internalization of the language. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: L/S 202, R/W 202, or GR 202

Intermediate (GR 401, 402):
These courses are for intermediate level students. The goal is for students to further build their knowledge of somewhat complex English grammar structure and usage, which can help all areas of language use. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply somewhat complex English grammar concepts and usage leading to a deeper understanding an internalization of the language. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: L/S 302, R/W 302, or GR 302

High Intermediate (GR 501, 502):
These courses are for high-intermediate level students. The goal is for students to deepen their knowledge of complex English grammar structure and usage, which can help all areas of language use. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply complex English grammar concepts and usage leading to a deeper understanding an internalization of the language. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: L/S 402, R/W 402, or GR 402

Advanced (GR 601, 602):
These courses are for advanced level students. The goal is for students to extensively deepen their knowledge of complex English grammar structure and usage, which can help all areas of language use. The objectives of these courses are for students to engage in various level-appropriate activities in which they apply very complex English grammar concepts and usage leading to a deeper understanding an internalization of the language. The courses will not be based solely on lecturing on grammatical patterns and terminology. Prerequisite: L/S 502, R/W 502, or GR 502

Electives (Lecture hours: 40/level or 20/course) )

The purpose of the elective courses is to supplement POLY’s core courses, the Reading/Writing and Listening/Speaking courses. In the elective courses, the emphasis is on pronunciation and idioms. Additionally, students are introduced to format of and test taking strategies for TOEFL iBT. By taking elective courses, students can enhance their English language skills through further study of word stress, intonation, common American idioms, as well as being introduced to the TOEFL iBT exam.

Beginner (EPr 101 & 102):
The goal of these courses is to introduce students to IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols, increase their awareness of articulators, and develop students’ basic pronunciation skills at the beginner level. The objectives of these courses are for students to explore and practice basic pronunciation techniques in a variety of productive and receptive tasks and activities appropriate for the beginner level. Prerequisite: None

High Beginner (EPr 201 & 202):
The goal of these courses is to further develop students’ pronunciation skills and understanding of IPA symbols and articulators at the intermediate level. The objectives of these courses are for students to explore and practice pronunciation techniques in a variety of productive and receptive tasks and activities appropriate for the intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 102, R/W 102 or EPr 102

Low Intermediate (EId 301 & 302):
The goal of these courses is to increase students’ awareness of the role of idiomatic expressions in the English language, develop students’ understanding of common idiomatic expressions and related aspects of pronunciation at the beginner level. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice basic idiomatic expression and pronunciation techniques in a variety of productive and receptive activities appropriate for the low intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 202, R/W 202, or EPr 202

Intermediate (EId 401 & 402):
The goal of these courses is to further develop students’ knowledge of idiomatic expressions, through focusing on more complex idiomatic expressions, and enhancing students’ pronunciation related to these expressions. The objectives of these courses are for students to practice idiomatic expression and pronunciation techniques in a variety of productive and receptive activities appropriate for the intermediate level. Prerequisite: L/S 302, R/W 302, or EId 302

High Intermediate (ETf 501 and 502):
The goal of these courses is to familiarize students with the TOEFL iBT format and components and develop students’ English and test taking skills. The objectives of these courses are to assist students in identifying strengths and areas for improvement with their language skills and review and expand upon students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Additionally, students will strengthen note-taking skills, develop and apply test-taking strategies, build vocabulary and deepen their understanding of selected grammar points in level appropriate receptive and productive tasks involving basic academic and campus life passages. Prerequisite: R/W 402, L/S 402, or EId 402

Advanced (ETf 601 and 602):
The goal of these courses is to familiarize students with the TOEFL iBT format and components and develop students English and test taking skills. The objectives of these courses are to assist students in identifying strengths and areas for improvement with their language skills and review and expand upon students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. Additionally students will strengthen note-taking skills, develop and apply test taking strategies, build vocabulary and deepen their understanding of selected grammar points in level appropriate receptive and productive tasks involving basic academic and campus life passages. Prerequisite: R/W 502, L/S 502, or ETf 502

TOEFL Preparation (Lecture & Lab hours: 256 & 64/level or 64 & 16/course)

The TOEFL Preparation courses prepare students to take the TOEFL iBT. Each TOEFL Preparation course addresses core English language skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) while expanding on vocabulary and complex grammar points and sentence structure. Furthermore, students are exposed to a variety of test taking strategies through TOEFL task-based practice activities, computer based lab assignments, and practice exams simulating the TOEFL iBT.

TOEFL Prep (701, 702, 703, and 704):
The goal of these courses is for students to further analyze the TOEFL iBT format and its components and refine students’ English and test taking skills. The objectives of these courses are to strengthen students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, reinforce note-taking skills, broaden test-taking strategies, further build vocabulary, and deepen students understanding of more complex grammar points in level appropriate receptive and productive tasks involving complex academic and campus life passages. Prerequisite: R/W 502 and L/S 502, or ETf 502

Grading Policy

For most of the courses, the final grade for a course is determined by the weighted letter grades of the student's exams: midterms and finals. The student who withdraws from a course will receive the symbol "W" (Withdrawal) for the course, which has no impact on the GPA. The credit hours for the course are counted as "attempted but not achieved". The grading rubric varies depending on the courses. The following formula is only an example:

Grade Conversion Table

* To interpret your letter grades on proficiency scales, refer to the Correlation to TOEIC, TOEFL, and CEF Ranges below. For detailed descriptions of your proficiency to the SLOs, refer to the SLOs described under the Course Descriptions.

English Proficiency Assessment Test

The English Proficiency Assessment Test (EPAT) is offered to new students to determine their proficiency level. The EPAT consists of two exams:EPAT I and EPAT II. The EPAT I is used to determine placementsbetween levels 1 and 3.The EPAT II is used to determine placements between levels 4 and 6, and the test is given only to the students who scored level 4 or higher on the EPAT I. In place of the EPAT, students may present the TOEIC, TOEFL, TOEFL iBT, orCEF score for their placement. Such scores, correlated to each level, are listed, respectively.

New students may appeal their placement by the 2nd day of the term. Students may move down one level at their sole discretion. However, in order to advance to higher levels, students may either retake the EPAT or obtain recommendation letters from their current teachers. In all cases, the final decision will be made by the administration office.

Course Levels

POLY's program consists of 6 ESL levels and a TOEFL Prep course. The ESL classes are designed for an eight-week study divided into two terms, and the TOEFL Prep course is designed for a sixteen-week study divided into four terms. Each term is four weeks long.