actfl proficiency levels in the work...

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages © 2012

ACTFL Proficiency Levels

in the Work World

Dr. Elvira Swender, ACTFL

CIBER 2012 Conference

March 21, 2012

Chapel Hill, NC


ACTFLThe American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

• National membership organization– Promote the teaching of languages

– Support language educators

• all languages, all levels of instruction

– Organize largest conference of language educators in US

• Standards– ACTFL Proficiency and Performance Guidelines

– National Standards for students and teachers

• Professional Development– Instructional Workshops, Webinars for Educators

– Tester Training and Certification

• Language Assessment – Certified official testing in 90 languages through Language Testing

International (LTI)


Questions

• Why use a proficiency scale?

• Why use the ACTFL Proficiency scale in the workplace?

• What are examples of minimal levels of proficiency for

specific professions and positions?

• How are these levels established?

• What are the implications for CIBER curriculum,

instruction, and assessment?


Major Levels

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR


Levels Are Defined by Tasks

Can communicate minimally with

formulaic and rote utterance, lists

and phrases

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR





and phrases

Can create with language, ask

and answer simple questions on

familiar topics, and handle a

simple situation or transaction

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR





and phrases





Can narrate and describe in all

major time frames and handle a

situation with a complication

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR





and phrases





Can narrate and describe in all

major time frames and handle a

situation with a complication

Can support opinion,

hypothesize, discuss topics

concretely and abstractly, and

handle a linguistically unfamiliar

situation.

NOVICE

INTERMEDIATE

ADVANCED

SUPERIOR


Contexts and Content Areas Expand

Novice

self



Intermediate

self

daily life


Advanced

self

daily life

community




Superior

self

daily life

community

the world


Quantity and Organization

of Language Expands

• Isolated words

• Words and phrases

• Discrete sentences

• Strings of sentences

• Connected sentences

• Single paragraphs

• Multiple paragraphs

• Extended cogent discourse


Expectations for Accuracy Expand

� By the level of precision needed to convey the message successfully� On a continuum of structural control

� By the type of interlocutor who is able to understand the speaker� On a continuum of empathy


Assessment Criteria-Speaking

Proficiency

Level

Global Tasks and

FunctionsContext/ Content

Accuracy/

ComprehensibilityText Type

Superior

Discuss topics extensively,

supports opinions and

hypothesize. Deal with a

linguistically unfamiliar

situation.

Most formal and informal

settings/

Wide range of general

interest topics and some

special fields of interest

and expertise

No pattern of errors in basic

structures. Errors virtually never

interfere with communication or

distract the native speaker from the

message

Extended

discourse

AdvancedNarrate and describe in major

time frames and deal effectively

with unanticipated complication.

Most informal and some

formal settings/

Topics of personal and

general interest

Understood without difficulty by

speakers unaccustomed to dealing

with non-native speakers

Paragraphs

Intermediate

Create with language, initiate,

maintain, and bring to a close

simple conversations by asking

and responding to simple

questions.

Some informal settings

and limited number of

transactional situations/

Predictable, familiar

topics related to daily

activities.

Understood, with some repetition, by

speakers accustomed to dealing with

non-native speakers.

Discrete

sentences

NoviceCommunicate minimally with

formulaic and rote utterances, list

and phrases.

Most common informal

settings/

Most common aspects of

daily life.

May be difficult to understand, even

for speaker accustomed to dealing

with non-native speakers

Individual

words and

phrases

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

© 2012

What is the ACTFL Rating Scale?

ACTFL Rating Scale


17

ACTFL Scale

N

Int

Advanced

Superior

Moving upward is

increasingly

difficult.


How Long Does it Take?


Ask these questions

• What are the routine tasks that need to be

performed? Are there non-routine tasks?

• What content knowledge is needed to perform

the task?

• What is the context/situation of the task?

• Who is the targeted listener?

• What is the impact of miscommunication?

• How well does the employee need to

speak/write in order to perform task successfully

in the language?

Language Task Analysis

Designed in 1998 with group of IO psychologists and

language proficiency experts:

• A standard procedure

• to identify the language proficiency level required to perform job-

related communication tasks in a target language

• to establish a minimum proficiency requirement in the target

language for that position

• Proficiency requirements establish clear language

training goals and identify specific “training gaps”


Input Collected from SME’s

• Job Description for the position (HR)

• LTI Task Analysis Survey

• Review of ACTFL Rating Descriptions

• Review of samples of speech or writing at different levels

of proficiency


Task Analysis Survey

Based on ACTFL Guidelines

Addresses the proficiency assessment criteria:

• Types of Communication Tasks

• Contexts and Situations

• Interlocutor and audience

• Range of Content

• Accuracy and precision

• Degree of elaboration and type of discourse


1. How would you describe you familiarity with the actual communication tasks involved in this bilingual position?

Answer Response %

Familiar 5 83%

Somewhat Familiar 0 0%

Neither Familiar nor Unfamiliar 1 17%

Somewhat Unfamiliar 0 0%

Unfamiliar 0 0%

Question English Other Responses

working with

clients/employees?2 5 6

working with colleagues

in other departments?6 1 6

reporting to

management?6 0 6

2. What is the primary language(s) used in this position when…

6. Which statement below best describes the types of situations in which the employee needs to speak the target language?

Answer Response %

Highly predictable, repetitive situations encompassing basic courtesy situations, such as

directing telephone calls, greeting people, offering coffee, escorting the client/employees to an

office, taking a brief message, etc.

0 0%

Familiar routines and predictable situations in the functioning area of the position, such as giving

standardized (scripted) information about products, services, policies or procedures, taking

orders, arranging for payment, expediting set routines and procedures, etc.

2 40%

Routine and non-routine or unfamiliar situations for which there is the need for the employee to

spontaneously adjust and create responses in the target language to respond to a unique

circumstance or question. For example: making specific recommendations of possible

alternatives; giving detailed explanations and precise descriptions of services, terms,

procedures and policies beyond the standardized (scripted) or published information; resolving

any client/employee problem; justifying a policy or procedure, etc.

3 60%

Routine and non-routine situations (see option above), as well as highly unpredictable situations.

Examples are: negotiating terms and conditions for business transactions; counseling clients or

employees on subjects or issues beyond the immediate scope of the company's products and

services; being a member of target language-speaking business group in the community as a

representative of the company where issues of common business and community concern are

discussed; giving seminars or presentations to groups of prospective clients, employees or

professional groups; being interviewed on a target language-speaking radio station regarding

the company or any other issue as an employee of your company, etc.

0 0%

9. What are the most frequent communication tasks?10. What communication tasks must the employee be able to handle effectively in the target language?

Ask and answer simple routine questions (name, address, account number, etc.). 5 100%

Describe products, services and procedures. 5 100%

Convey information and details about situations or actions that have happened, are happening,

and will happen in the future.5 100%

Resolve misunderstandings and problem situations. 5 100%

Discuss issues and services in broad, general terms, as well as concrete, individual terms. 5 100%

Make recommendations. 5 100%

Persuade by detailing product or service information, stating a point of view, offering justification

through supporting information, or contrasting analysis (pros/cons) of a product.1 20%

Explain, justify and defend a decision, policy, or procedure. 5 100%

Speculate about probably causes, influencing factors and/or outcomes. 2 40%

Given certain conditions, hypothesize about possible outcomes or influencing factors. 2 40%

Negotiate terms of an agreement. 2 40%

Give expert or professional consultation and advice. 2 40%

Lecture or present to groups of people. 0 0%

11. Please list the topics and issues the employee should be able to discuss in the target language?

12. When discussing these topics the employee needs to be able to provide:

Very basic, general information in brief terms. 0 0%

Some detailed information, as well as basic general information. 1 20%

Very detailed information, explanations and elaboration if needed. 4 80%

The employee may speak hesitantly or with frequent self-corrections and exhibit many

inaccuracies in pronunciation, grammar and/or vocabulary which lead to requests for

repetition or miscommunication. The person with whom the employee is speaking may

need to simplify their questioning to a level which can be handled by the employee and/or

make clarifying statements that the employee can confirm with a “yes” or “no” in order to

insure accurate communication.

0 0%

The employee may have an accent and make some grammatical or vocabulary errors, but

he or she is generally understood without difficulty. S/he gives simple and basic

information about familiar topics effectively, but may make more frequent grammatical or

vocabulary errors when attempting to elaborate at length or deal with an unfamiliar

situation. This may cause his/her message to be harder to understand. However, the

employee is always able to explain things that are misunderstood by giving simpler

descriptions of what they mean.

3 60%

The employee is understood without difficulty, even though they may have a slight accent

and make occasional, inconsequential grammatical and vocabulary errors that do not

affect the overall or subtle meaning or intent of the message being conveyed.

2 40%

Accent should be negligible and errors so rare that they are rarely noticed by the listener. 0 0%

13. How important is target language pronunciation and grammatical accuracy? Please indicate lowest possible level.

The employee does not need to be concerned with correct target language

cultural protocol, what is important is conveying the basic message.0 0%

It is important that the employee be socially courteous in his or her use of the

target language and exhibit some mastery of the most common, culturally

accepted references (the use of correct titles based upon marital, educational

and professional status), formal speech, and idiomatic expressions.

4 80%

The employee should show appropriate, culturally acceptable use of the

target language over a broad range of circumstances, exhibiting much

mastery of idiomatic phrases, register (formal versus informal pronouns) and

cultural references (the correct use of titles based upon marital, educational,

social and professional status.)

1 20%

14. In your own words, describe the level of accuracy with which the employee should be able to speak the target language.

15. How important is the target language cultural correctness of the employee’s speech? Choose the most appropriate answer choice.

16. How much non-standard speech in the target language is acceptable?

The target language with a regional dialect, or a mixture of English and the target language

or slang is acceptable.0 0%

Only when the employee does not know a word in standard target language should English

or slang be used to see if listener can understand the term. If the listener does not

understand the term, the employee needs to be able to explain what the word means in

other target language terms in order to convey the message.

2 40%

Only standard target language should be used with target language-speaking clients and

employees and any adjustments should be based on the listeners' knowledge and use of the

target language, and not the employee's use of the language.

3 60%

17. What is the lowest acceptable level of target language vocabulary needed by a new hire?

A narrow range of social, conversational vocabulary. 1 20%

A broad range of conversational vocabulary. 0 0%

A broad range of conversational and some professional vocabulary. 1 20%

A broad range of conversational and professional vocabulary. 3 60%

Extensive and precise conversational and professional vocabulary. 0 0%

Target language 1 20%

Both English and target language 2 40%

English 2 40%

20a. In what language is the training for this position?

20b. Are target language job aides provided for this position?

20c. Please describe the job aides.

Yes 1 20%

No 2 40%

I am the supervisor of people in this position. 0 0%

I either hold or used to hold this position. 3 60%

I train people for this position. 0 0%

Other 2 40%

21. What is your level of experience with this position?

22. How many years of experience do you have with this position?

0 to less than 1 year 0 0%

1 year to less than 2 years 0 0%

2 years to less than 4 years 1 20%

4 years to less than 6 years 1 20%

6 or more years 3 60%

Poor 0 0%

Fair 0 0%

Average 0 0%

Good 1 20%

Excellent 4 80%

23. Rate your knowledge of the duties required of this position.

24. Rate your level of proficiency in the target language.

Beginner 0 0%

Intermediate 0 0%

Advanced 3 60%

Superior 2 40%

Review of Proficiency Descriptors

Each SME

• reads a description of a speaker at each

proficiency level

• states whether that descriptor describes a

person speaking the target language at a

level that would be acceptable to perform the

communication tasks for that position in that

target language


NOVICE LOW

Can produce a few words and memorized phrases. Needs a sympathetic listener to be understood due to issues of pronunciation or accuracy.

Acceptable 0 0%

Unacceptable 5 0%

Proficiency Level Descriptors

NOVICE MID

Produces mostly individual words and memorized phrases. He or she may be able to construct a few discrete sentences about self

or features of daily life. Needs a sympathetic listener to be understood due to pronunciation and accuracy issues.

Acceptable 0 0%

Unacceptable 5 0%

NOVICE HIGH

Can construct some discrete sentences to talk about self and some common features of

daily life, but speech still breaks down to words, phrases and memorized material at

times. Needs a sympathetic listener to be understood due to pronunciation and accuracy problems.

Acceptable 2 0%

Unacceptable 3 0%


INTERMEDIATE LOW

Can obtain and give the most basic information about self and common daily activities in simple

terms. Speaks at the sentence level, primarily in the present time. Needs a sympathetic listener to

be understood due to pronunciation and accuracy problems.

Acceptable 1 0%

Unacceptable 4 0%

INTERMEDIATE MID

Can consistently obtain and give basic information about self and daily activities speaking in simple sentences and

strings of simple sentences in present time. Demonstrates some knowledge of other times frames but most often reverts

to present time. Needs a sympathetic listener to be understood due to issues with grammatical accuracy and/or pronunciation.

Acceptable 3 0%

Unacceptable 2 0%


INTERMEDIATE HIGH

Can consistently obtain and give basic information about self and familiar routine activities speaking in strings of

sentences and short paragraphs. Speaker is also able to describe and explain in all time frames most of the time, but not

all of the time. When speaking simply can be understood by most native speakers although basic grammatical, lexical and/pronunciation errors are evident.

Acceptable 4 0%

Unacceptable 1 0%

ADVANCED LOW

Can describe and explain in all time frames in most informal and some formal situations across a variety of familiar

topics. Has developed strategies for compensating for words or forms that they do not know in the target language. The

discourse produced is typically a cohesive paragraph in length. Although grammatical, lexical and pronunciation errors are evident, they speak with enough accuracy to be understood by any native speaker of the target language.

Acceptable 3 0%

Unacceptable 2 0%


ADVANCED MID

Can explain and describe across a broad range of concrete topics with much detail and accuracy in all informal and some

formal situations. Explanations and descriptions are a paragraph or more in length. When attempting more complex or

formal communication tasks such as persuasion, overcoming objections or hypothesizing about possible conditions and

outcomes on familiar topics, shows limitations in grammatical accuracy, lexicon and precision of discourse. Some speakers may avoid these tasks by giving simple, short explanations.

Acceptable 4 0%

Unacceptable 1 0%

ADVANCED HIGH

Can engage in a broad range of informal and formal situations speaking with much precision and accuracy when describing and

explaining. Exhibits some ability to engage in more complex or formal communication tasks such as persuasion, overcoming

objections, or hypothesizing about possible conditions and outcomes. This speaker can produce paragraph length or multiple

paragraph length discourse even when engaged in more formal or complex communication tasks. Speaks with a high degree of

accuracy with few patterns of error (grammatical, lexical, sociolinguistic, etc.)

Acceptable 5 0%

Unacceptable 0 0%


SUPERIOR

Can engage in all informal and formal situations speaking with precision and accuracy when describing and explaining. Can

engage in more complex or formal communication tasks such as persuasion, overcoming objections, speculating or hypothesizing

about possible conditions and outcomes very effectively. This speaker can produce cohesive and detailed discourse of multiple

paragraphs, even when engaged in more formal or complex communication tasks. Speech exhibits no patterns of error

(grammatical, lexical, sociolinguistic, etc.). If errors occur, they are rarely noticed by nor disturb a native speaker.

Acceptable 5 0%

Unacceptable 0 0%

Review of Samples

Each SME • listens to (or reads) samples at different levels of

proficiency

• states whether the proficiency demonstrated by the

speaker (writer) would be acceptable for the

communication tasks needed to be performed in the

target language on the job


Data Analysis and Report

• Data from SME is collected and tabulated

• Analysts are looking for the levels that SMEs find

acceptable whether they are

– describing the range of tasks and performance of those tasks

– reading a description of the performance of those task

– listening to speakers

– reading written samples of writing at different levels of

proficiency


ACTFL Level

USGov

Language Functions

Corresponding Professions/Positions Examples of Who Is Likely to Function at the Level?

Distinguished

5

4

Ability to tailor language

to specific audience,

persuade, negotiate.

Deal with nuance and

subtlety.

• Diplomat, Contract Negotiator, International Specialist,

Translator/Interpreter, Intelligence Specialist

• Highly articulate, professionally

specialized native speakers;

• L2 learners with extended (17

years) and current professional

and/or educational experience in

the target culture

Superior 3

Discuss topics

extensively, support

opinions, hypothesize.

Deal with linguistically

unfamiliar situation

• University FL Professor, Business Executive, Lawyer,

Judge, Financial Advisor

• Well-educated native speakers

• Educated L2 learners with

extended professional and/or

educational experience in the

target language environment

Advanced High

Advanced Mid

Advanced Low

2+

2

Narrate and describe in

past, present and future

and deal effectively with

an unanticipated

complication

• Physician, Military Linguist, Senior Consultant, Human

Resources Personnel, Financial Broker, Translation Officer,

Marketing Manager, Communications Consultant.

• Fraud Specialist, Account Executive, Court Stenographer

/Interpreter, Benefits Specialist, Technical Service Agent,

Collection Representative, Estimating Coordinator

• Customer Service Agent, Social Worker, Claims Processor,

K-12 Language Teacher, Police Officer, Maintenance

Administrator, Billing Clerk, Legal Secretary, Legal

Receptionist

• L2 learners with graduate

degrees in language- related area

and extended educational

experience in target environment

• Heritage speakers, informal

learners, non-academic learners

who have significant contact with

language

• Undergraduate language majors

with year-long study abroad

experience

Intermediate High

Intermediate Mid

Intermediate Low

1+

1

Create with language,

initiate, maintain and

bring to a close simple

conversations by asking

and responding to

simple questions

• Auto Inspector, Aviation Personnel, Missionary, Tour guide

• Cashier, Sales clerk (highly predictable contexts)

• Receptionist, Housekeeping Staff.

• Undergraduate language majors

without year-long study abroad

experience.

• L2 learners after 6-8 year

sequences of study (AP, etc.) or

• 4-6 semester college sequence

• L2 learners after 4 year high

school sequence or 2 semester

college sequence

Novice HighNovice MidNovice Low

0+

0

Communicate minimally

with formulaic and rote

utterances, lists and

phrases

• L2 learners after 2 years of high

school language study

Oral Proficiency Levels in the Work World

View the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 at http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org/


Caveats

• Different contexts may require different levels of

proficiency to be successful

• Communication tasks for the job determine the level

• Target language culture influences the level

• Language skills are necessary but not always sufficient

• Job training in the target language may be needed for all levels

of speakers

• Industry terminology, product knowledge

Implications for Curriculum

and Assessment in CIBER Programs

• Conduct similar needs analysis with your students and

faculty

• Translate the information into targeted functions that

your students will need for their careers in the business

world

– Determine what is required to get to those levels

– Determine the proficiency “gap”

• This will provide the skeleton for the scope and

sequence of CIBER programs

• Align your program with the ACTFL Guidelines and

Scale


ACTFL and CIBER

ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines provide a

framework for

• Curricular design

• Learning and teaching

• Assessment

• Formative and Summative

• Diagnostic

• Individual and program

• Official and certified

• Graduation

• Hiring and promotion


For more information

[email protected]

www.actfl.org

http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org


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