Three Modes of Communication
Presentational Interpersonal Interpretive
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ACTFL Levels of Proficiency
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages has designed five main levels of proficiency which track a student's progress as they advance through the process of learning a world language. It is important to note that it can take a long time to move from level to level! Language learning is a process and cannot happen overnight. It requires hard work, consistent practice and patience. Below I have outlined some descriptors for each of the levels that a high school student could attain during their years of language study. All information taken from the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines (2012).
Superior"Speakers at the Superior level are able to communicate with accuracy and fluency in order to participate fully and effectively in conversations on a variety of topics in formal and informal settings from both concrete and abstract perspectives. They discuss their interests and special fields of competence, explain complex matters in detail, and provide lengthy and coherent narrations, all with ease, fluency, and accuracy. They present their opinions on a number of issues of interest to them, such as social and political issues, and provide structured arguments to support these opinions."
*College-level study with extensive time in target language country* AdvancedAdvanced Low - Advanced Mid - Advanced High
"Speakers at the Advanced level engage in conversation in a clearly participatory manner to communicate information on autobiographical topics, as well as topics of community, national, or international interest. The topics are handled concretely by means of narration and description in the major times frames of past, present, and future. These speakers can also deal with a social situation with an unexpected complication. The language of Advanced-level speakers is abundant, the oral paragraph being the measure of Advanced-level length and discourse. Advanced-level speakers have sufficient control of basic structures and generic vocabulary to be understood by native speakers of the language, including those unaccustomed to non-native speech." *College-level study* *Possible to attain with four to six years of HS study* |
Intermediate
Intermediate Low - Intermediate Mid - Intermediate High
"Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning. Intermediate-level speakers can ask simple questions and can handle a straightforward survival situation. They produce sentence-level language, ranging from discrete sentences to strings of sentences, typically in present time. Intermediate-level speakers are understood by interlocutors who are accustomed to dealing with non-native learners of the language."
*Third/fourth year-level study*
"Speakers at the Intermediate level are distinguished primarily by their ability to create with the language when talking about familiar topics related to their daily life. They are able to recombine learned material in order to express personal meaning. Intermediate-level speakers can ask simple questions and can handle a straightforward survival situation. They produce sentence-level language, ranging from discrete sentences to strings of sentences, typically in present time. Intermediate-level speakers are understood by interlocutors who are accustomed to dealing with non-native learners of the language."
*Third/fourth year-level study*
Novice
Novice Low - Novice Mid - Novice High
"Novice-level speakers can communicate short messages on highly predictable, everyday topics that affect them directly. They do so primarily through the use of isolated words and phrases that have been encountered, memorized, and recalled. Novice-level speakers may be difficult to understand even by the most sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to non-native speech."
*First/second year-level study*
"Novice-level speakers can communicate short messages on highly predictable, everyday topics that affect them directly. They do so primarily through the use of isolated words and phrases that have been encountered, memorized, and recalled. Novice-level speakers may be difficult to understand even by the most sympathetic interlocutors accustomed to non-native speech."
*First/second year-level study*
Opinions expressed here are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of New Berlin West Middle/High School or the School District of New Berlin.