English Fluency Program

Three Stages of English Fluency

High School Prep 1 (HSP1)

The High School Prep 1 program’s design supports students with basic English Language experience who need to expand their vocabulary and develop their comprehension, writing, conversational, and technical skills. At the end of the semester, they take a test to determine if their language ability has progressed to the next level. If so, they will progress to HSP2; if not, they will continue to work on their skills at this level.

High School Prep 2 (HSP2)

The High School Prep 2 program focuses on students who have a fair understanding of the English language, but need ongoing support as they continue to build their verbal and written English communication skills. Students will begin to “Open High” classes to help them learn in the context of American high school. At the end of the semester they will take a test to determine if their language ability has progressed to the next level. If so, they will progress to POH; if not, they will continue to work on their skills at this level.

Pre-Open High (POH)

The Pre-Open High program supports students who have a functional understanding of English language, but need continued support in refining the technical aspects of their language ability. Students at this level will take more than half of their courseload in the “Open High” Program continuing to practice and demonstrate their language ability in the context of American high school classes. Once they successfully pass their POH classes with a “C” or above and the language placement exam, they will fully transition into the “Open High” Program.

HSP1 students will take four ESL classes per semester that won’t count as high school credit (listed below). Beside these non-credit ESL subjects, HSP1 students can also take one elective-credit class (such as PE or Art).

  • HSP1 Writing
  • HSP1 Reading
  • HSP1 Grammar
  • HSP1 Listening and Linguistics
  • HSP Religion
  • Choir
  • Physical Education or Art
  • Study Hall

HSP2 Students will take four ESL classes per semester, none of which offer high school credit (see list below). In addition to these ESL subjects, HSP2 students will take three credit classes: Religion and two subjects of their choice, such as Keyboarding, Art, Photography, Music, Drama, etc.

  • HSP2 Reading
  • HSP2 Writing
  • HSP2 Grammar
  • HSP2 Conversation
  • Religion I
  • Choir or Keyboarding
  • Art, Drama, or PE
  • Study Hall

​The POH Students will take two non-credit and one credit ESL classes (see list below). They will also take Religion and two other credit classes, such as Algebra I or English I, and one elective, such as PE or Choir.

  • POH Reading
  • POH Writing
  • Intro to Communication
  • Religion
  • English I
  • Algebra I or II
  • Any Elective Class
  • Study Hall

All of our prospective students take an English-fluency exam that helps determine the appropriate level of language training that each student would need to be successful in Primacy‘s American high school curriculum. Once the language ability is assessed, the student will begin classes at the determined level. Every semester the student is in the EFL Program, they will re-take the fluency exams to track their progress. As the students move through the semesters and demonstrate that their language skills have increased, they will take fewer EFL classes and more Open High classes until they are fully integrated in our Open High program.

Testing and Level Placement

The English competency tests cover grammar, writing, reading, and listening comprehension. The EFL program is divided into three levels: High School Prep 1 and 2, and Pre-Open High. High School Prep 1 is for the most limited English skills. High School Prep 2 is the intermediate stage and Pre-Open High is the final stage before fully integrating into our American high school curriculum.

Upon entry to Primacy students may test into any of these levels, but they must progress through the levels in a sequential manner after initial placement. Students who meet the minimum US high school English standard will be accepted into the Primacy American high school program. Progression in the program is based on language proficiency demonstrated through performance in both academics and the language placement exams. Each semester students will take two rounds of testing: one at mid-term (a trial test), and one at the end of the semester. Students must have a 70%  “C” grade or above in all required language classes to be considered for advancement. At the end of each semester, students who maintain an 85% in all core language classes, a 2.0 average in other classes and successfully complete the appropriate language test, will have sufficiently demonstrated their language competency and will move to the next language level. A student‘s attendance record and his citizenship grade will also be taken into account to make a decision. No student will be moved into a higher level except at the beginning of a new semester. No student will be allowed to skip a level.

Description of EFL Levels

The High School Prep 1 (HSP1) program’s design supports students with basic English language experience who need to expand their vocabulary and develop their reading comprehension, writing, conversational, and technical skills. At the end of the semester, they will be assessed to determine if their language ability has advanced enough to move to the next level. If they meet the grade or testing standard, they will progress to HSP2; if not, they will continue working at this level.