Proficiency Levels

 

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Language Proficiency Levels and Some General Characteristics

 

Level I

The student demonstrates little or no proficiency in English and is not yet able to function in the language.
 
Listening: The student cannot respond to simple commands in English.
Speaking: The student cannot communicate in complete sentences in English.
Reading: The student cannot read in English.
Writing: The student cannot write in English.
 

Level II

The student demonstrates limited proficiency in English and functions in a limited capacity in the language.
 
Listening: The student understands spoken directions but needs them repeated, simplified or presented more slowly.
Speaking:
  1. The student uses simple sentence patterns in speaking English.
  2. The student uses a limited vocabulary in handling simple conversations and classroom routines.
  3. The student often misuses verb tenses and conveys wrong information.
  4. The student speaks with hesitation and often repeats some information.
Reading: The student understands the concept of reading and can recognize such basic elements as the alphabet and some sight words from the basal word list appropriate to the grade level.
Writing: The student can write his/her name, can reproduce the alphabet and can accomplish simple written assignments with assistance (and with an emphasis on content rather than on mechanics).

 

Level III

The student demonstrates moderate proficiency in English and is able to meet most survival needs and some social demands. The student in upper grades has limited reading and writing skills.
 
Listening:
    1. The student understands most conversations.
    2. The student can follow classroom directions.
    3. The student needs help to understand lecture lessons in content areas.
Speaking:
  1. The student can participate in basic social and academic conversations but has difficulty participating in complex class discussions.
  2. The student can use basic sentence patterns and can handle frequently used syntactical structures, but he/she needs help with word order, verb tense, subject-verb agreement and irregular verbs.
Reading:
  1. With teacher assistance, the student has some comprehension of factual materials written at the appropriate grade level.
  2. The student can independently read high interest/low vocabulary recreational literature at the appropriate grade level.
Writing: The student can complete some written assignment but requires assistance with more complex tasks at the appropriate grade level.
 

Level IV

The student demonstrates sufficient proficiency in English, is able to meet most school requirements and to satisfy most social demands. The student also is scheduled into content-area classes but may still need assistance.
 
Listening/Speaking: The student can understand and can effectively communicate in English to meet the social and academic demands in the content-area classrooms.
Reading: The student generally functions successfully in the content area, but because of differences in background experiences, he/she may encounter vocabulary and concept difficulties that require additional explanation.
Writing: The student generally demonstrates command of the mechanics of writing and the process of writing to convey ideas but may benefit from additional assistance in these areas.

 

Level V

Fully English Proficient (FEP)

 

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Last modified: June 16, 1999

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