ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Encyclopedia
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines were created by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
in order to provide a means of assessing the proficiency
of a foreign language
speaker.
The guidelines are broken up into different proficiency levels: novice, intermediate, advanced, and superior. Additionally, each of these (except superior) is further subdivided into low, mid and high. These proficiency levels are defined separately for ability to listen, speak, read and write. Thus, in those American programs that emphasize written language over spoken, students may reach the advanced level in reading and writing while remaining at a lower level in listening and speaking.
ACTFL levels are primarily used in academic circles, while the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) is used to measure both government and military proficiency in the United States. An equivalency chart can be found below:
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages is an American organization aiming to improve and expand the teaching and learning of all languages at all levels of instruction...
in order to provide a means of assessing the proficiency
Language proficiency
Language proficiency or linguistic proficiency is the ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language. As theories vary among pedagogues as to what constitutes proficiency, there is little consistency as to how different organizations classify it...
of a foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
speaker.
The guidelines are broken up into different proficiency levels: novice, intermediate, advanced, and superior. Additionally, each of these (except superior) is further subdivided into low, mid and high. These proficiency levels are defined separately for ability to listen, speak, read and write. Thus, in those American programs that emphasize written language over spoken, students may reach the advanced level in reading and writing while remaining at a lower level in listening and speaking.
ACTFL levels are primarily used in academic circles, while the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) is used to measure both government and military proficiency in the United States. An equivalency chart can be found below:
| ACTFL | DLPT |
|---|---|
| Novice - Low | 0 |
| Novice - Mid | 0/0+ |
| Novice - High | 0+ |
| Intermediate - Low | 1 |
| Intermediate - Mid | 1/1+ |
| Intermediate - High | 1+ |
| Advanced | 2 |
| Advanced - Plus | 2+ |
| Superior | 3 and above |
See also
- Task-based language learningTask-based language learningTask-based language learning , also known as task-based language teaching or task-based instruction focuses on the use of authentic language and on asking students to do meaningful tasks using the target language. Such tasks can include visiting a doctor, conducting an interview, or calling...
- Common European Framework of Reference for LanguagesCommon European Framework of Reference for LanguagesThe Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, abbreviated as CEFR, is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and, increasingly, in other countries...
- Canadian language benchmarksCanadian language benchmarksThe Canadian Benchmarks are a 12-point scale of task-based language proficiency descriptors used to guide the teaching and assessment of ESL learners in Canada...
- Defense Language Proficiency TestsDefense Language Proficiency TestsThe Defense Language Proficiency Test is a battery of foreign language tests produced by the Defense Language Institute and used by the United States Department of Defense. They are intended to assess the general language proficiency of native English speakers in a specific foreign language, in...
External links
- ACFTL Proficiency Guidelines, description from SIL International
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages