What is Language Proficiency?
In Shelby County School's World Language Department, we start with the end in mind: student proficiency in the target language. Proficiency is all about what students are able to do with foreign language. We measure our student's proficiency according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)'s proficiency scale that rates speakers on a
novice to superior scale. To view the ACTFL proficiency scale, click here. We set proficiency targets for each level of our program and then we work backwards to design our instruction to meet those targets. We then assess our students on a quarterly basis and conduct external testing once a year to measure learning outcomes. We assess students through performance based tasks and activities that require students to use the
language they know to complete an authentic task. Such tasks give meaning and
purpose to our language study and also maximize opportunities for
students to use the language they know. This information on students' proficiency empowers us as teachers and our students! By sharing program goals and educating students on language proficiency, we can empower them to be in charge of their language learning. In the near future, detailed progress reports for foreign language will be available to parents via a report card checklist.
Proficiency Targets
Year 1 & Year 2: Kindergarten & First Grade
Novice Mid (Blue Level Speaker)
Students beginning to learn a foreign language can understand much more than they can say. They can comfortably participate in a class where little or no English is used. They can follow instructions, understand stories, and answer simple questions. They understand their teacher when he/she speaks about topics they have learned. These students rely greatly on repetition and contextual clues. They speak primarily using one word or phrase and rely heavily on memorized expressions. They have an extremely limited vocabulary and have not yet learned grammatical structures. To communicate, they use repetition, verbal or nonverbal expressions, visual props, contextual clues, or often fall back on their native language. Although they make mistakes, they begin to express their own ideas in a limited manner. The student’s cultural awareness of the similarities and differences between the native and world languages begin to emerge as is their understanding of the target culture develops.
Novice Mid (Blue Level Speaker)
Students beginning to learn a foreign language can understand much more than they can say. They can comfortably participate in a class where little or no English is used. They can follow instructions, understand stories, and answer simple questions. They understand their teacher when he/she speaks about topics they have learned. These students rely greatly on repetition and contextual clues. They speak primarily using one word or phrase and rely heavily on memorized expressions. They have an extremely limited vocabulary and have not yet learned grammatical structures. To communicate, they use repetition, verbal or nonverbal expressions, visual props, contextual clues, or often fall back on their native language. Although they make mistakes, they begin to express their own ideas in a limited manner. The student’s cultural awareness of the similarities and differences between the native and world languages begin to emerge as is their understanding of the target culture develops.
Year 3: Second through Fifth Grades
Novice High (Purple Level Speaker)
Speakers at the Novice High sublevel are able to handle a variety of tasks pertaining to the Intermediate level, but are unable to sustain performance at that level. They are able to manage successfully a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to a few of the predict able topics necessary for survival in the target language culture, such as basic personal information, basic objects, and a limited number of activities, preferences, and immediate needs. Novice High speakers respond to simple, direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few formulaic questions.
Novice High speakers are able to express personal meaning by relying heavily on learned phrases or recombinations of these and what they hear from their interlocutor. Their language consists primarily of short and some times incomplete sentences in the present, and may be hesitant or inaccurate. On the other hand, since their language often consists of expansions of learned material and stock phrases, they may sometimes sound surprisingly fluent and accurate. Pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax may be strongly influenced by the first language. Frequent misunderstandings may arise but, with repetition or rephrasing, Novice High speakers can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors used to non-natives. When called on to handle a variety of topics and perform functions pertaining to the Intermediate level, a Novice High speaker can sometimes respond in intelligible sentences, but will not be able to sustain sentence-level discourse.
Novice High (Purple Level Speaker)
Speakers at the Novice High sublevel are able to handle a variety of tasks pertaining to the Intermediate level, but are unable to sustain performance at that level. They are able to manage successfully a number of uncomplicated communicative tasks in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to a few of the predict able topics necessary for survival in the target language culture, such as basic personal information, basic objects, and a limited number of activities, preferences, and immediate needs. Novice High speakers respond to simple, direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few formulaic questions.
Novice High speakers are able to express personal meaning by relying heavily on learned phrases or recombinations of these and what they hear from their interlocutor. Their language consists primarily of short and some times incomplete sentences in the present, and may be hesitant or inaccurate. On the other hand, since their language often consists of expansions of learned material and stock phrases, they may sometimes sound surprisingly fluent and accurate. Pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax may be strongly influenced by the first language. Frequent misunderstandings may arise but, with repetition or rephrasing, Novice High speakers can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors used to non-natives. When called on to handle a variety of topics and perform functions pertaining to the Intermediate level, a Novice High speaker can sometimes respond in intelligible sentences, but will not be able to sustain sentence-level discourse.
***Year 3: Second through Fifth Grades will be taught to...***
Intermediate Low (Orange Level Speaker)
Speakers at the Intermediate Low sublevel are able to handle successfully a limited number of uncomplicated communicative tasks by creating with the language in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to some of the concrete exchanges and predictable topics necessary for survival in the target-language culture. These topics relate to basic personal information; for example, self and family, some daily activities and personal preferences, and some immediate needs, such as ordering food and making simple purchases. At the Intermediate Low sublevel, speakers are primarily reactive and struggle to answer direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few appropriate questions. Intermediate Low speakers manage to sustain the functions of the Intermediate level, although just barely.
Intermediate Low speakers express personal meaning by combining and recombining what they know and what they hear from their interlocutors into short statements and discrete sentences. Their responses are often filled with hesitancy and inaccuracies as they search for appropriate linguistic forms and vocabulary while attempting to give form to the message. Their speech is characterized by frequent pauses, ineffective reformulations and self-corrections. Their pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax are strongly influenced by their first language. In spite of frequent misunderstandings that may require repetition or rephrasing, Intermediate Low speakers can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors, particularly by those accustomed to dealing with non-natives.
Intermediate Low (Orange Level Speaker)
Speakers at the Intermediate Low sublevel are able to handle successfully a limited number of uncomplicated communicative tasks by creating with the language in straightforward social situations. Conversation is restricted to some of the concrete exchanges and predictable topics necessary for survival in the target-language culture. These topics relate to basic personal information; for example, self and family, some daily activities and personal preferences, and some immediate needs, such as ordering food and making simple purchases. At the Intermediate Low sublevel, speakers are primarily reactive and struggle to answer direct questions or requests for information. They are also able to ask a few appropriate questions. Intermediate Low speakers manage to sustain the functions of the Intermediate level, although just barely.
Intermediate Low speakers express personal meaning by combining and recombining what they know and what they hear from their interlocutors into short statements and discrete sentences. Their responses are often filled with hesitancy and inaccuracies as they search for appropriate linguistic forms and vocabulary while attempting to give form to the message. Their speech is characterized by frequent pauses, ineffective reformulations and self-corrections. Their pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax are strongly influenced by their first language. In spite of frequent misunderstandings that may require repetition or rephrasing, Intermediate Low speakers can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors, particularly by those accustomed to dealing with non-natives.