Progress Reports
Initial Assessment upon arrival
We encourage students to submit any English test results which they have taken prior to attending Hometown USA (Ex. SLEP, Michigan Test, TOEFL). This will give the staff a general idea about the English level of villagers before they even arrive to Hometown USA.
Upon arrival, Hometown staff will speak with each of the villagers to assess their level of listening comprehension and speaking abilities. After the initial assessment, villagers will be given an English language level and villagers will be assigned to Brain Train groups with other villagers of the same language level.
Self-Assessment
The Concordia Language Visa (CLVisa) is a tool designed to help villagers document their own English language and cultural learning.
Using the CLVisa, the villagers can assess themselves on their language learning abilities. They can also set goals for themselves related to what they want to be able to understand and communicate.
Villagers can write down their favorite foods, favorite songs, and favorite sayings. They can comment on the evening programs and what they learned during those programs. There is also space for journaling about each day’s experiences.
The CLVisa helps villagers take ownership for their learning and reflect on the experiences as they grow in their English language and cultural knowledge.
Exit Evaluations
At the end of each session, the Hometown USA Dean completes an evaluation of each villagers’ English language progress. The initial assessments and exit evaluations are used to measure the language learning at each session of Hometown USA.