What is Language Proficiency?.
All new learners of English progress through the same
stages to acquire language. However, the length of time
each students spends at a particular stage may vary
greatly.
•Listening- process, understand, interpret, and evaluate
spoken language in a variety of
situations
• Speaking- engage in oral communication in a variety of
situations for a variety of purposes
and audiences
• Reading- process, understand, interpret, and evaluate
written language, symbols and text with
understanding and fluency
• Writing- engage in written communication in a variety of
situations for a variety of purposes
and audiences
At the given level of English language proficiency, English language learners will process,
understand, produce or use:
6- Reaching
• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral peers
5- Bridging
• specialized or technical language of the content areas
• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral
or written discourse, including stories, essays or reports
• oral or written language approaching comparability to that of English proficient peers
4- Expanding
• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in oral discourse
or multiple, related sentences or paragraphs
• oral or written language with minimal phonological, syntactic or semantic
errors that do not impede the overall meaning of the communication when
presented with oral or written connected discourse with sensory, graphic or
interactive support
3- Developing
• expanded sentences in oral interaction or written paragraphs
• oral or written language with phonological, syntactic or semantic errors that
may impede the communication, but retain much of its meaning, when
presented with oral or written, narrative or expository descriptions with
sensory, graphic or interactive support
2- Beginning
• general language related to the content areas
• phrases or short sentences
• oral or written language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that
often impede the meaning of the communication when presented with one- to
multiple-step commands, directions, questions, or a series of statements with
sensory, graphic or interactive support
1- Entering
• pictorial or graphic representation of the language of the content areas
• words, phrases or chunks of language when presented with one-step
commands, directions, WH-, choice or yes/no questions, or statements with
sensory, graphic or interactive support
• oral language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that often impede
meaning when presented with basic oral commands, direct questions, or simple
statements with sensory, graphic or interactive support