In Spanish 1, our students will quickly progress from "Novice low" to the "Intermediate low" level on ACTFL's scale. By the completion of IB Spanish most students will reach the intermediate-high range. Some particularly motivated individuals who make an effort to practice speaking, reading, and listening to Spanish outside the classroom (which we recommend; resources provided on this web site) may even progress to the "Advanced" level.
What's your PROFICIENCY in spanish?
HOW CAN A STUDENT'S PROGRESS BE DETERMINED? Through the use of PROFICIENCY GUIDELINES by the American Council for Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).
Proficiency guidelines (a.k.a., levels) are used to determine where a student is on a continuum of learning in a language.
As stated above, at this school, students will reach the intermediate-high range on ACTFL's scale by the completion of the IB Spanish course.
PROFICIENCY is NOT the same as performance. According to ACTFL, proficiency is "the ability to use language in real world situations in a spontaneous interaction and non-rehearsed context and in a manner acceptable and appropriate to native speakers of the language." For performance guidelines, see below.
* ACTFL's proficiency guidelines are for SPEAKING, WRITING, LISTENING, AND READING.
* There are five major levels of proficiency in each of the area's above: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished.
* Levels Advanced, Intermediate and Novice are divided into High, Mid, and Low sub levels.
* For each level there's a description of specific abilities and tasks that can be done by an individual at this level. Limitations are also described, so learners know what they have to do to in order to get to the next level.
For a description in English of each proficiency—speaking, writing, listening, and reading—at each level, click here.
To hear and see examples in Spanish of each proficiency at each level in Spanish, click here.
Proficiency guidelines (a.k.a., levels) are used to determine where a student is on a continuum of learning in a language.
As stated above, at this school, students will reach the intermediate-high range on ACTFL's scale by the completion of the IB Spanish course.
PROFICIENCY is NOT the same as performance. According to ACTFL, proficiency is "the ability to use language in real world situations in a spontaneous interaction and non-rehearsed context and in a manner acceptable and appropriate to native speakers of the language." For performance guidelines, see below.
* ACTFL's proficiency guidelines are for SPEAKING, WRITING, LISTENING, AND READING.
* There are five major levels of proficiency in each of the area's above: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished.
* Levels Advanced, Intermediate and Novice are divided into High, Mid, and Low sub levels.
* For each level there's a description of specific abilities and tasks that can be done by an individual at this level. Limitations are also described, so learners know what they have to do to in order to get to the next level.
For a description in English of each proficiency—speaking, writing, listening, and reading—at each level, click here.
To hear and see examples in Spanish of each proficiency at each level in Spanish, click here.
how are you performing in spanish?
The American Council for Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL) created PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTORS which teachers us to "identify appropriate [and realistic] learning targets for language learners at any age or grade level." In addition, these descriptors serve as a roadmap for students because they can see what strategies they'll need to use next in order to improve.
WHAT IS PERFORMANCE? According to ACTFL, "performance is the ability to use language that has been learned and practiced in an instructional setting...coached by an instructor...[and] guided by instructional materials." In other words, it's language that's been practiced in familiar contexts and content areas. A student's performance is what's assessed in the classroom by the teacher.
The descriptors are divided into three ranges of performance: NOVICE, INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED. (For more on these three levels, see below.)
The descriptors are further divided into three areas: INTERPERSONAL, INTERPRETIVE, and PRESENTATIONAL. (For more on these three areas see below).
For a complete list of ACTFL's Performance Descriptors, click here.
In Spanish 1, our students will quickly progress from "Novice low" to the "Intermediate low" level. By the time they take IB Spanish, students will be at or progressing to the "Intermediate High" level. Some students may even progress to the "Advanced" level.
yes i can!
What can you do in Spanish? Assess yourself using "Can-Do Statements," a series of checklists published for students and teachers by the American Council for Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Click here.
standards for foreign language learning
a sSTANDARDS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING describe "what students need to know and be able to do" as they learn a language. (For the current standards, adopted in 2020, see below.)
ACTFL's Standards for Foreign Language Learning states: "The standards are not a curriculum guide. While they suggest the types of curricular experiences needed to enable students to achieve the standards, and support the ideal of extended sequences of study that begin in the elementary grades and contin- ue through high school and beyond, they do not describe specific course content, nor recommended sequence of study. They must be used in conjunction with state and local standards and curriculum frameworks to determine the best approaches and rea- sonable expectations for the students in individual districts and schools." The ACTFL standards identify and encompass the "five C's of foreign language education: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. To see and overview ACTFL's Standards and read a summary, click here. |
New Jersey Student Learning Standards for World Languages were developed as a result of consulting many resources including The American Council for Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Standards. The NJ standards have a strong link to the NJ Student Learning Standards in other content areas, including English Language Arts. The following graphic illustrates this relationship:
Unlike other curriculum areas, however, "the world languages standard is benchmarked by proficiency levels" and grade level performance benchmarks are also included. The world language standards include three strands, one for each of the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.
Unlike other curriculum areas, however, "the world languages standard is benchmarked by proficiency levels" and grade level performance benchmarks are also included. The world language standards include three strands, one for each of the three modes of communication: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.
For more on New Jersey's standards for world languages, click here. For the standards adopted in June 2020, click here.
IB spanish: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The IB Spanish course is closely aligned to the standards of the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the standards for New Jersey Student Learning Standards for World Languages (NJSLS). For a complete description of the course—called "Language B" (because "Language A" is students' first language and they are acquiring "Language B"—please read the "Language B Guide," published by the IB Diploma Programme: Click here.
Briefly, the following pages from the guide illustrate how IB Spanish is aligned to ACTFL's and NJSLS's standards and outline its aims and objectives:
Briefly, the following pages from the guide illustrate how IB Spanish is aligned to ACTFL's and NJSLS's standards and outline its aims and objectives:
To read the specific criteria IB uses to evaluated the Individual Oral Evaluation (a.k.a. Internal Assessment, Individual Assessment, IA) given and graded by the teacher, March) and the written exam (Paper 1), click here.