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The purpose of Modern Language teaching is the development of communicative proficiency. Language proficiency is the ability to use language for purposeful communication. Proficiency describes what students are able to do with language using the skills of listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and showing. Participating in class discussions, reading literature, playing educational games, giving oral presentations, or watching a video of a news report are examples of purposeful communication in an educational setting. Language proficiency should not be confused with achievement. Achievement, which is also important for students, looks only for students to develop mastery of the content of instruction such as grammar and vocabulary in a particular course. An emphasis on developing proficiency in LOTE classrooms, however, prepares students to use language in practical and meaningful ways in addition to mastering the content necessary for such communication to take place. Achievement is a part of gaining proficiency. Teachers continuously need to move students beyond just learning the elements of language to using them proficiently for purposeful communication. Language proficiency is not developed in a strict linear progression, a progression of equal-sized blocks of material learned and tested. Rather, language proficiency develops when practice is guided repeatedly over time to help students gain confidence and fluency in different language functions. Teachers plan classroom activities to help students get closer and closer to authentic use of language structures and vocabulary, knowing that student's experimentation with language will falter as structured support (such as written sheets to guide pair work is removed, but will then progress again as students stretch to creatively apply their language tools. In this section, key Progress Checkpoints along the path of proficiency are described. These checkpoints cannot be precisely equated with year-long courses, since experience makes clear that students do not neatly reach a new checkpoint at the end of each school year. The pathway is constant, but the time it takes each student to reach each checkpoint is not. These Progress Checkpoints help guide the teacher and students to know first the goals for designing developmental activities and second the signs showing that students are reaching a given checkpoint. In this way, the Progress Checkpoints will guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The specified Progress Checkpoints in the TEAKS for LOTE represent different learning stages also known as proficiency levels (novice, intermediate and advanced). An inverted triangle is often used to show that as students advance from Progress Checkpoint to Progress Checkpoint, the amount of time and practice needed to reach the next stage increases. A student can move relatively quickly through the early stage of mimicking memorized words and phrases, a stage that is limited, controlled, and comfortable. To move into later stages, characterized by flexible, challenging, and creative use of language, requires longer periods of practice and increasingly meaningful volume of experiences. Getting proficiency is a process that requires repeated exposure and opportunities to practice new language functions, vocabulary, and structures to receive feedback; and to use skills in increasingly sophisticated contexts. A topic introduced at one level might reappear in the next as a challenge in a new context; learners reach for the next level as they begin to control the tasks of the present level. "Mastery" does not come two or three weeks after material is introduced, but rather after the student has had many opportunities to practice the material in meaningful ways. In addition, students do not "wake up" one day having changed Progress Checkpoints, Instead, they progress toward the next Progress Checkpoint by showing increasing control over and consistency in the use of the language proficiency characteristics at the next checkpoint. Accuracy is the degree to which communication is structurally correct and culturally appropriate (The College Board, 1996). In real-life situations, communication occurs without complete structural precision, that is, grammar mistakes do not necessarily equate to lack of communication. However, a high degree of accuracy, including communicating in a socially and culturally appropriate manner, is very important to achieving high levels of proficiency. At different levels of proficiency students exhibit different degrees of accuracy. Novices, for example, may repeat memorized phrases with nearly perfect grammar and pronunciation. As they begin to combine these learned phrases in an effort to build more creative ones, accuracy initially declines. Temporary fluctuations in accuracy normally accompany increases in skill development. As students grow more secure in their understanding of another culture, their ability to behave in culturally appropriate ways increases. The overall goal is to gradually use and mesh cultural and linguistic skills with increasing accuracy in order to obtain a high level of language proficiency.   The Inverted Triangle of Language Development: Progress Checkpoints and Proficiency Levels   ACTFL PROFICIENCY GUIDELINES The 1986 proficiency guidelines represent a hierarchy of global characterizations of integrated performance in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Each description is a representative, not an exhaustive, sample of a particular range of ability, and each level subsumes all previous levels, moving from simple to complex in an "all-before-and-more" fashion. Because these guidelines identify stages of proficiency, as opposed to achievement, they are not intended to measure what an individual has achieved through specific classroom instruction but rather to allow assessment of what an individual can and cannot do, regardless of where, when, or how the language has been learned or acquired; thus, this words "learned" and "acquired" are used in the broadest sense. These guidelines are not based on a particular linguistic theory or pedagogical method, since the guidelines are proficiency-based, as opposed to achievement-based, and are intended to be used for global assessment. The 1986 guidelines should not be considered the definitive version, since the construction and utilization of language proficiency guidelines is a dynamic, interactive process. The academic sector, like the government sector, will continue to refine and update the criteria periodically to reflect the needs of the users and the advances of the profession. In this vein, ACTFL owes a continuing debt to the creators of the 1982 provisional proficiency guidelines and, of course, to the members of the Interagency Language Roundtable Testing Committee, the creators of the government's Language Skill Level Descriptions. ACTFL would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions on this current Guidelines project: Heidi Byrnes James Child Nina Levinson Pardee Lowe, Jr. Seiichi Makino Irene Thompson A. Ronald Walton These proficiency guidelines are the product of grants from the U.S. Department of Education. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, Inc. 6 Executive Plaza, Yonkers, NY 10701-6801 Click to return to student placement Generic Descriptions-Speaking Novice The Novice level is characterized by the ability to communicate minimally with learned material. Novice-Low Oral production consists of isolated words and perhaps a few high-frequency phrases. Essentially no functional communicative ability. Novice-Mid Oral production continues to consist of isolated words and learned phrases within very predictable areas of need, although quality is increased. Vocabulary is sufficient only for handling simple, elementary needs and expressing basic courtesies. Utterances rarely consist of more that two or three words and show frequent long pauses and repetition of interlocutor's words. "Speaker may have some difficulty producing even the simplest utterances. Some Novice-Mid speakers will be understood only with great difficulty. Novice-High Able to satisfy partially the requirements of basic communicative exchanges by relying heavily on learned utterances but occasionally expanding these through simple recombinations of their elements. Can ask questions or make statements involving learned material. Shows signs of spontaneity although this falls short of real autonomy of expression. Speech continues to consist of learned utterances rather than of personalized, situationally adapted ones. Vocabulary centers on areas such as basic objects, places, and most common kinship terms. Pronunciation may still be strongly influenced by first language. Errors are frequent and, in spite of repetition, some Novice-High speakers will have difficulty being understood even by sympathetic interlocutors. Intermediate The Intermediate level is characterized by the speaker's ability to: -create with the language by combining and recombining learned elements, though primarily in a reactive mode; -initiate, minimally sustain, and close in a simple way basic communicative tasks; and -ask and answer questions. Intermediate-Low Able to handle successfully a limited number of interactive, task-oriented and social situations. Can ask and answer questions, initiate and respond to simple statements and maintain face-to-face conversation, although in a highly restricted manner and with much linguistic inaccuracy. Within these limitations, can perform such tasks as introducing self, ordering a meal, asking directions, and making purchases. Vocabulary is adequate to express only the most elementary needs. Strong interference from native language may occur. Misunderstandings frequently arise, but with repetition, the Intermediate-Low speaker can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors. Intermediate-Mid Able to handle successfully a variety of uncomplicated, basic and communicative tasks and social situations. Can talk simply about self and family members. Can ask and answer questions and participate in simple conversations on topics beyond the most immediate needs; e.g., personal history and leisure time activities. Utterance length increases slightly, but speech may continue to be characterized by frequent long pauses, since the smooth incorporation of even basic conversational strategies is often hindered as the speaker struggles to create appropriate language forms. Pronunciation may continue to be strongly influenced by first language and fluency may still be strained. Although misunderstandings still arise, the Intermediate-Mid speaker can generally be understood by sympathetic interlocutors. Intermediate-High Able to handle successfully most uncomplicated communicative tasks and social situations. Can initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation with a number of strategies appropriate to a range of circumstances and topics, but errors are evident. Limited vocabulary, still necessitates hesitation and may bring about slightly unexpected circumlocution. There is emerging evidence of connected discourse, particularly for simple narration and description. The Intermediate-High speaker can generally be understood even by interlocutors not accustomed to dealing with speakers at this level, but repetition may still be required. Advanced The Advanced level is characterized by the speaker's ability to: -converse in a clearly participatory fashion; -initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks, including those that require an increased ability to convey meaning with diverse language strategies due to complication or an unforeseen turn of events; -satisfy the requirements of school and work situations; and -narrate and describe with paragraph-length connected discourse. Advanced Able to satisfy the requirements of everyday situations and routine school and work requirements. Can handle with confidence but not with facility complicated tasks and social situations, such as elaborating, complaining, and apologizing. Can narrate and describe with some details, linking sentences together smoothly. Can communicate facts and talk casually about topics of current public and person interest, using general vocabulary. Shortcomings can often be smoothed over by communicative strategies, such as pause fillers, stalling devices, and different rates of speech. Circumlocution which arises from vocabulary or syntactic limitations very often is quite successful, though some groping for words may still be evident. The Advanced level speaker can be understood without difficulty by native interlocutors. Advanced-High Able to satisfy the requirements of a broad variety of everyday, school, and work situations. Can discuss concrete topics relating to particular interests and special fields of competence. There is emerging evidence of ability to support opinions, explain in detail, and hypothesize. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows a well developed ability to compensate for an imperfect grasp of some forms with confident use of communicative strategies, such as paraphrasing and circumlocution. Differentiated vocabulary and intonation are effectively used to communicate fine shades of meaning. The Advanced-Plus speaker often shows remarkable fluency and ease of speech but under the demands of Superior-level, complex tasks, language may break down or prove inadequate. Superior The Superior level is characterized by the speaker's ability to: -participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, professional, and abstract topics; and -support opinions and hypothesize using native-like discourse strategies. SUPERIOR Able to speak the language with sufficient accuracy to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on practical, social, professional, and abstract topics. Can discuss special fields of competence and interest with ease. Can support opinions and hypothesize, but may not be able to tailor language to audience or discuss in depth highly abstract or unfamiliar topics. Usually the Superior level speaker is only partially familiar with regional or other dialectical variants. The Superior level speaker commands wide variety of interactive strategies and shows good awareness of discourse strategies. The latter involves the ability to distinguish main ideas from supporting information through syntactic, lexical and supra segmental features (pitch, stress intonation). Sporadic errors may occur, particularly in low-frequency structures and some complex high-frequency structures more common to formal writing, but no patterns of error are evident. Errors do not disturb the native speaker or interfere with communication. Generic Descriptions-Listening These guidelines assume that all listening tasks take place in an authentic environment at a normal rate of speech using standard or near-standard norms. Novice-Low Understanding is limited to occasional isolated words, such as cognates, borrowed words, and high-frequency social conventions. Essentially no ability to comprehend even short utterances. Novice-Mid Able to understand some short, learned utterances, particularly where context strongly supports understanding and speech is clearly audible. Comprehends some words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high=frequency commands and courtesy formulae about topics that refer to basic personal information or the immediate physical setting. The listener requires long pauses for assimilation and periodically requests repetition and / or a slower rate of speech. Novice-High Able to understand short, learned utterances and some sentence-length, utterances, particularly where context strongly supports understanding and speech is clearly audible. Comprehends words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands and courtesy formulae. May require repetition, rephrasing and / or a slowed rate of speech for comprehension. Intermediate-Low Able to understand sentence-length utterances which consist of recombinations of learned elements in a limited number of content areas, particularly if strongly supported by the situational context. Content refers to basic personal background and needs, social conventions and routine tasks, such as getting meals and receiving simple instructions and directions. Listening tasks pertain primarily to spontaneous face-to-face conversations. Understanding is often uneven, repetition and rewording may be necessary. Misunderstandings in both main ideas and details arise frequently. Intermediate-Mid Able to understand sentence-length utterances which consist of recombinations of learned utterances on a variety of topics. Content continues to refer primarily to basic personal background and needs, social conventions and somewhat more complex tasks, such as lodging, transportation, and shopping. Additional content areas include some personal interests and activities, and a greater diversity of instructions and directions. Listening tasks not only pertain to spontaneous face-to-face conversations but also to short routine telephone conversations and some deliberate speech, such as simple announcements and reports over the media. Understanding continues to be uneven. Intermediate -High Able to sustain understanding over longer stretches of connected discourse on a number of topics pertaining to different times and places; however, understanding is inconsistent due to failure to grasp main ideas and / or details. Thus, while topics do not differ significantly from those of an Advanced level listener, comprehension is less in quantity and poorer in quality. Advanced Able to understand main ideas and most details of connected discourse on a variety of topics beyond the immediacy of the situation. Comprehension may be uneven due to a variety of linguistic and extra linguistic factors, among which topic familiarity is very prominent. These texts frequently involve description and narration in different time frames or aspects, such as present and past,habitual, or imperfect. Texts may include interviews, short lectures on familiar topics, and news items and reports primarily dealing with factual information. Listener is aware of cohesive devices but may not be able to use them to follow the sequence of thought in an oral text. Advanced-High Able to understand the main ideas of most speech in a standard dialect; however, the listener may not be able to sustain comprehension in extended discourse which is propositionally and linguistically complex. Listener shows an emerging awareness of culturally implied meanings beyond the surface meanings of the text but may fail to grasp sociocultural nuances of the message. Superior Able to understand the main ideas of all speech in a standard dialect, including technical discussion in a field of specialization. Can follow the essentials of extended discourse which is propositionally and linguistically complex, as in academic / professional settings, in lectures, speeches, and reports. Listener shows some appreciation of aesthetic norms of target language, of idioms, colloquialisms, and register shifting. Able to make inferences within the cultural framework of the target language. Understanding is aided by an awareness of the underlying organizational structure of the oral text and includes sensitivity for its social and cultural references and its affective overtones. Rarely misunderstands but may not understand excessively rapid, highly colloquial speech or speech that has strong cultural references. Distinguished Able to understand all forms and styles of speech pertinent to personal, social and professional needs tailored to different audiences. Shows strong sensitivity to social and cultural references and aesthetic norms by processing language from within the cultural framework. Texts include theater plays, screen productions, editorials, symposia, academic debates, public policy statements, literary readings, and most jokes and puns. May have difficulty with some dialects and slang. Generic Descriptions-Reading These guidelines assume all reading texts to be authentic and legible. Novice-Low Able to occasionally to identify words and / or major phrases when strongly supported by context. Novice-Mid Able to recognize the symbols of the alphabetic and / or syllabic writing system and / or a limited number of characters in a system that uses characters. The reader can identify an increasing number of highly contextualized words and / or phrases including cognates and borrowed words, where appropriate. Material understood rarely exceeds a single phrase at a time, and rereading may be required. Novice-High Has sufficient control of the writing system to interpret written language in areas of practical need. Where vocabulary has been learned, can read for instructional and directional purposes standardized messages, phrases or expressions, such as some items on menus, schedules, timetables, maps and signs. At times, but not on a consistent basis, the Novice-High level reader may be able to derive meaning from material at a slightly higher level where context and / or extra linguistic background knowledge are supportive. Intermediate-Low Able to understand main ideas and / or some facts from the simplest connected texts dealing with basic personal and social needs. Such texts are linguistically noncomplex and have a clear underlying internal structure, for example chronological sequencing. They impart basic information about which the reader has to make only minimal suppositions or to which the reader brings person interest and / or knowledge. Examples include messages with social purposes or information for the widest possible audience, such as public announcements and short, straightforward instructions dealing with public life. Some misunderstandings will occur. Intermediate-Mid Able to read consistently with full understanding simple connected texts dealing with basic personal and social needs about which the reader has personal interest and / or knowledge. Can get some main ideas and information from texts at the nest higher level featuring description and narration. Structural complexity may interfere with comprehension, for example basic grammatical relations may be misinterpreted and temporal references may rely primarily on lexical items. Has some difficulty with the cohesive factors in discourse, such as matching pronouns with referents. While texts do not differ significantly from those at the Advanced level, comprehension is less consistent. May have to read material several times for understanding. Advanced Able to read somewhat longer prose of several paragraphs in length, particularly if presented with a clear underlying structure. The prose is predominantly in familiar sentence patterns. Reader gets the main ideas and facts and misses some details. Comprehension derives not only from situational and subject mater knowledge but from increasing control of the language. Texts at this level include descriptions and narrations such as simple short stories, news items, bibliographical information, social notices, personal correspondence, routinized business letters and simple technical material written for the general reader. Advanced-High Able to follow essential points of written discourse at the Superior level in areas of special interest or knowledge. Able to understand parts of texts which are conceptually abstract and linguistically complex, and / or texts which treat unfamiliar topics and situations, as well as some texts which involve aspects of target-language culture. Able to comprehend the facts to make appropriate inferences. An emerging awareness of the aesthetic properties of language and of its literary styles permits comprehension of a wider variety of texts, including literary. Misunderstandings may occur. Superior Able to read with almost complete comprehension and at normal speed expository prose on unfamiliar subjects and a variety of literary texts. Reading ability is not dependent on subject matter knowledge, although the reader is not expected to comprehend thoroughly texts which are highly dependent on knowledge of the target culture. Reads easily for pleasure. Superior-level texts feature hypotheses, argumentation and supported opinions and include grammatical patterns and vocabulary ordinarily encountered in academic / professional reading. At this level, due to the control of general vocabulary and structure, the reader is almost always able to match the meanings derived from extra linguistic knowledge with meanings derived from knowledge of the language, allowing for smooth and efficient reading of diverse texts. Occasional misunderstandings may still occur; for example, the reader may experience some difficulty with unusually complex structures and low-frequency idioms. At the Superior level the reader can match strategies, top-down or bottom-up, which are most appropriate to the text. (Top-down strategies rely on real-world knowledge and prediction based on genre and organizational scheme of the text. Bottom-up strategies rely on actual linguistic knowledge.) Material at this level will include a variety of literary texts, editorials, correspondence, general reports and technical material in professional fields. Rereading is rarely necessary, and misreading is rare. Distinguished Able to read fluently and accurately most styles and forms of the language pertinent to academic and professional needs. Able to relate inferences in the text to real-world knowledge and understand almost all sociolinguistic and cultural references by processing language from within the cultural framework. Able to understand a writer's use of nuance and subtlety. Can readily follow unpredictable turns of thought and author intent in such materials as sophisticated editorials, specialized journal articles, and literary texts such as novels, plays, poems, as well as in any subject matter area directed to the general reader. Generic Descriptions-Writing Novice-Low Able to form some letters in an alphabetic system. In languages whose writing systems use syllabaries or characters, writer is able to both copy and produce the basic strokes. Can produce romanization of isolated characters, where applicable. Novice-Mid Able to copy or transcribe familiar words or phrases and reproduce some from memory. No practical communicative writing skills. Novice-High Able to write simple fixed expressions and limited memorized material and some recombinations thereof. Can supply information on simple forms and documents. Can write names, numbers, dates, own nationality, and other simple autobiographical information as well as some short phrases and simple lists. Can write all the symbols in an alphabetic or syllabic or 50-100 characters or compounds in a character writing system. Spelling and representation of symbols (letters, syllables, characters) may be partially correct. Intermediate-Low Able to meet limited practical writing needs. Can write short messages, postcards, and take down simple notes, such as telephone messages. Can create statements or questions witting the scope of limited language experience. Material produced consists of recombinations of learned vocabulary, and structures into simple sentences on very familiar topics. Language is adequate to express in writing anything but elementary needs. Frequent errors in grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling and in formation of non alphabetic symbols, but writing can be understood by natives used to the writing of nonnatives. Intermediate-Mid Able to meet a number of practical writing needs. Can write short, simple letters. Content involves personal preferences, daily routine, everyday events, and other topics grounded in personal experience. Can express present time or at least one other time frame or aspect consistently, e.g., nonpast, habitual, imperfect. Evidence of control of the syntax of noncomplex sentences and basic inflectional morphology, such as declensions and conjugation. Writing tends to be a loose collection of sentences or sentence fragments on a given topic and provides little evidence of conscious organization. Can be understood by natives used to the writing of nonnatives. Intermediate-High Able to meet most practical writing needs and limited social demands. Can take notes in some detail on familiar topics and respond in writing to personal questions. Can write simple letters, brief synopses and paraphrases, summaries of biographical data, work and school experience. In those languages relying primarily on content words and time expressions to express time, tense, or aspect, some precision is displayed; where tense and / or aspect is expressed through verbal inflection, forms are produced rather consistently, but not always accurately. An ability to describe and narrate in paragraphs is emerging. Rarely uses basic cohesive elements, such as pronominal substitutions or synonyms in written discourse. Writing, though faulty is generally comprehensible to natives used to the writing of nonnatives. Advanced Able to write routine social correspondence and join sentences in simple discourse of at least several paragraphs in length on familiar topics. Can write simple social correspondence, take notes, write cohesive summaries and resumes, as well as narratives and descriptions of a factual nature. Has sufficient writing vocabulary to express self simply with some circumlocution. May still make errors in punctuation, spelling or the formation of non alphabetic symbols. Good control of the morphology and the most frequently used syntactic structures, e.g., common word order patterns, coordination, subordination, but makes frequent errors in producing complex sentences, Uses a limited number of cohesive devices, such as pronouns accurately. Writing may resemble literal translations from the native language, but a sense of organization (rhetorical structure) is emerging. Writing is understandable to natives not used to the writing of nonnatives. Advanced-High Able to write about a variety of topics with significant precision and in detail. Can write most social and informal business correspondence. Can describe and narrate personal experiences fully, but has difficulty supporting points of view in written discourse. Can write about the concrete aspects of topics relating to particular interests and special fields of competence. Often shows remarkable fluency and ease of expression, but under time constraints and pressure writing may be inaccurate. Generally strong in either grammar or vocabulary, but not in both. Weakness and unevenness in one of the foregoing or in spelling or character writing formation may result in occasional miscommunication. Some misuse of vocabulary may still be evident. Style may still be obviously foreign. Superior Able to express self effectively in most formal and informal writing on practical, social and professional topics. Can write most types of correspondence, such as memos as well as social and business letters, and short research papers and statements of position in areas of special interest or in special fields. Good control of a full range of structures, spelling or non alphabetic symbol production, and a wide general vocabulary allow the writer to hypothesize and present arguments or points of view accurately and effectively. An underlying organization, such as chronological ordering, logical ordering, cause and effect, comparison, and thematic development is strongly evident, although not thoroughly executed and / or not totally reflecting target language patterns. Although sensitive to differences in formal and informal style, still may not tailor writing precisely to a variety of purposes and / or readers. Errors in writing rarely disturb natives or cause miscommunication.

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