What learners can do with a language
· 2 min read
How do you describe how well someone speaks a language? One influential answer focuses on what they can actually do with it.
What the guidelines describe
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines describe what individuals can do with a language at each level of proficiency in speaking, writing, listening and reading, in real-world situations.
The guidelines are about language proficiency in general, not about SubjectPath.
Why it matters for diagnosis
Describing proficiency by what a learner can do gives a diagnostic something concrete to look for: not a single score, but the next thing a learner is ready to do with the language.
How SubjectPath will apply this idea
The World Languages Path is coming soon. It will be built on the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards and will use the same method as every Path: a map of which skills build on which, answer choices written to reveal specific misconceptions, and practice that starts where understanding breaks down.
From levels to next steps
A description of what a learner can do is useful because it points somewhere. A statement about handling a simple conversation on familiar topics suggests what comes next, in a way a percentage doesn’t. Describing proficiency this way gives teachers and learners a shared language for progress.
About the World-Readiness Standards
The ACTFL World-Readiness Standards describe what language learners should know and be able to do. The World Languages Path will be built on them.
Source
- American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (2024). ACTFL proficiency guidelines 2024.