A description of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement's standards and curriculum for its Mainstream English Language Training (MELT) program, first designed in 1983, outlines the principles on which the curriculum is based, its structure, and development over its first 15 years. An introductory section gives background information on the project and its design. The second section explains the adoption of the competency-based approach to English language instruction, the design of the core curriculum, and provision for local curriculum development based on this core. The specific competencies for each instructional level are then listed, and criteria for assessing performance at each level are detailed. Finally, procedures and issues in learner assessment and program accountability are discussed. Appended materials include a list of original MELT program participants, a list of commercial textbook series that incorporate MELT competencies, and oral language, reading, and writing assessment checklists at the beginning level. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)