Levels of English Proficiency

As we discussed yesterday, there are 5 different recognized levels of English proficiency officially recognized and possible on the CELDT: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced and Advanced.

Now, before explaining what we can expect from a student at each of these proficiency levels, remember, a student is given a proficiency level in EVERY domain, and they may be different. So for example, the student may be Early Intermediate in Reading but Early Advanced in Listening.

Also, as a shorthand, teachers tend to talk about their students' proficiency levels in terms of a number from 1 to 5, corresponding to 1- Beginning, 2-Early Intermediate, 3-Intermediate, 4-Early Advanced and 5-Advanced. But they usually are referring to their overall proficiency level, based on their overall CELDT score. Thus, teachers say, "I'm teaching the 1s and 2s, Ms. Fletcher is teaching the 3s..."

Okay, finally lets take a look. And to give credit where credit is due, these descriptions come straight from the horse's mouth- the California Department of Education. Enjoy the slides:

The 5 levels described...

Beginning

•Students performing at this level of English language proficiency may demonstrate little or no receptive or productive English skills. They are beginning to understand a few concrete details during unmodified instruction. They may be able to respond to some communication and learning demands, but with many errors. Oral and written production is usually limited to disconnected words and memorized statements and questions. Frequent errors make communication difficult.

Early Intermediate

•Students performing at this level of English language proficiency continue to develop receptive and productive English skills. They are able to identify and understand more concrete details during unmodified instruction. They may be able to respond with increasing ease to more varied communication and learning demands with a reduced number of errors. Oral and written production is usually limited to phrases and memorized statements and questions. Frequent errors still reduce communication.

Intermediate

•Students performing at this level of English language proficiency begin to tailor the English language skills to meet communication and learning demands with increasing accuracy. They are able to identify and understand more concrete details and some major abstract concepts during unmodified instruction. They are able to respond with increasing ease to more varied communication and learning demands with a reduced number of errors. Oral and written production has usually expanded to sentences, paragraphs, and original statements and questions. Errors still complicate communication.

Early Advanced

•Students performing at this level of English language proficiency begin to combine the elements of the English language in complex, cognitively demanding situations and are able to use English as a means for learning in content areas. They are able to identify and summarize most concrete details and abstract concepts during unmodified instruction in most content areas. Oral and written production is characterized by more elaborate discourse and fully-developed paragraphs and compositions. Errors are less frequent and rarely complicate communication.

Advanced

•Students performing at this level of English language proficiency communicate effectively with various audiences on a wide range of familiar and new topics to meet social and learning demands. In order to attain the English proficiency level of their native English-speaking peers, further linguistic enhancement and refinement are still necessary. They are able to identify and summarize concrete details and abstract concepts during unmodified instruction in all content areas. Oral and written production reflects discourse appropriate for content areas. Errors are infrequent and do not reduce communication.

Until next time...