NASBE<strong>THE</strong> <strong>COMPLETE</strong> <strong>CURRICULUM</strong>ACTFL K-12 Per<strong>for</strong>mance GuidelinesAdvancedPre-AdvancedIntermediate NoviceAnticipated Per<strong>for</strong>mance Outcomes <strong>for</strong> Students inForeign Language Programs(Based on Years in Program Starting atVarious Grade Levels)K-4 K-8 K-12 5-8 5-12 7-12 9-10 9-12This chart shows <strong>the</strong> proficiency levels that can be expected from students who begin <strong>for</strong>eignlanguage study at various grade levels <strong>and</strong> continue <strong>for</strong> a certain number of years (e.g., begin inkindergarten <strong>and</strong> go through 4th grade, or begin in 9th grade <strong>and</strong> go through 12th. The per<strong>for</strong>manceguidelines were based on in<strong>for</strong>mation ga<strong>the</strong>red from <strong>for</strong>eign language teachers <strong>and</strong> professionals.Source: ACTFL Per<strong>for</strong>mance Guidelines <strong>for</strong> K-12 Learners (1998). Reprinted with <strong>the</strong>permission of <strong>the</strong> American Council on <strong>the</strong> Teaching of Foreign Languages.same level of attention in <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>mulationof policy <strong>and</strong> funding levels.Despite little attention at <strong>the</strong>state level, assessment of <strong>for</strong>eignlanguage skills has slowly evolvedover <strong>the</strong> last few decades, withdevelopments coming from a14combination of national st<strong>and</strong>ards<strong>and</strong> assessment movements as wellas local initiatives. Nationally, ef<strong>for</strong>tshave focused on gauging <strong>the</strong>achievement level of students ingeneral, while many local initiativeshave focused on how to assesslearning in <strong>the</strong> classroom.At <strong>the</strong> federal level, a NAEP test<strong>for</strong> <strong>for</strong>eign language is currentlyunder development. The newassessment, scheduled <strong>for</strong> administrationin <strong>the</strong> fall of 2004, will reporthow well students in grade 12 havelearned Spanish. The exam willevaluate students’ skills using tasks
<strong>Ensuring</strong> a <strong>Place</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>and</strong> Foreign Languages in America’s Schoolsthat focus on interpretive listening<strong>and</strong> reading, interpersonal listening<strong>and</strong> speaking, <strong>and</strong> presentationalwriting. Culture will be integrated into<strong>the</strong>se tasks. The cost of developingsuch a test at <strong>the</strong> state level would likelybe prohibitively high <strong>and</strong> achievingsufficient validity <strong>and</strong> reliability <strong>for</strong>high-stakes purposes would bedifficult. Both of <strong>the</strong>se are factors inwhy large-scale statewide assessments<strong>for</strong> <strong>for</strong>eign language are not asprevalent as with o<strong>the</strong>r core subjectssuch as reading <strong>and</strong> science. Overall,<strong>the</strong> development of <strong>the</strong> NAEP test <strong>for</strong><strong>for</strong>eign language has made an importantcontribution to <strong>the</strong> field.Local ef<strong>for</strong>ts to develop languageassessments <strong>for</strong> various purposes arenumerous. The Center <strong>for</strong> AppliedLinguistics (CAL) highlights examplesof both local- <strong>and</strong> statedevelopedassessments. At <strong>the</strong> statelevel, CAL highlights <strong>the</strong> ef<strong>for</strong>ts ofConnecticut, which provides sampleassessment questions <strong>for</strong> grades K-4,5-8, <strong>and</strong> 9-12. The state provides anextensive online document thathighlights st<strong>and</strong>ards, assessments,learning activities, <strong>and</strong> samples ofstudent work.As with <strong>the</strong> arts, <strong>the</strong> overall place of<strong>for</strong>eign languages within <strong>the</strong> curriculumremains uncertain. With <strong>the</strong>continuing focus on st<strong>and</strong>ards in <strong>the</strong>o<strong>the</strong>r core academic subjects, some see<strong>the</strong>re is little room <strong>for</strong> second languagestudy. To address <strong>the</strong> marginalizationof <strong>the</strong> arts <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong>eign languages in <strong>the</strong>curriculum, <strong>the</strong> Study Group on <strong>the</strong>Lost Curriculum made ten recommendations<strong>for</strong> state policymakers,which follow in <strong>the</strong> next section.Language Programs <strong>for</strong> Young ChildrenThere are a number of types of <strong>for</strong>eign language programs that are used in elementary schools in <strong>the</strong> UnitedStates:• Foreign language in <strong>the</strong> elementary school (FLES). A second language is presented as a distinct subjectthat is generally taught three to five times per week, with classes lasting from 20 to 50 minutes. Most of<strong>the</strong>se programs focus on teaching communication skills <strong>and</strong> culture, but an increasing number also have aprimary goal of rein<strong>for</strong>cing <strong>the</strong> concepts learned in <strong>the</strong> core curriculum, thus accomplishing two tasks at<strong>the</strong> same time, language learning <strong>and</strong> content knowledge. These are often referred to as content-basedFLES programs.• Foreign language exploratory programs (FLEX). These programs introduce students to o<strong>the</strong>r cultures<strong>and</strong> to language as a general concept, typically in classes taught once or twice per week, with classes lastingfrom 20 to 30 minutes. Students learn about one or more languages, but <strong>the</strong> emphasis is not on attainingproficiency.• Immersion. These programs allow English-speaking children to spend part or all of <strong>the</strong> school daylearning a second language. In full immersion programs, students learn all of <strong>the</strong>ir subjects—math, socialstudies, <strong>and</strong> science—in <strong>the</strong> second language.• Two-way immersion. In <strong>the</strong>se programs, native English speakers <strong>and</strong> native speakers of ano<strong>the</strong>r language(usually Spanish) are enrolled in <strong>the</strong> same class, preferably in roughly equal numbers. Content instructionis provided in both languages, but only one language is used in <strong>the</strong> classroom at any given time. Typicalgoals <strong>for</strong> two-way programs include <strong>the</strong> development of high levels of proficiency in <strong>the</strong> students’ first <strong>and</strong>second languages, <strong>and</strong> per<strong>for</strong>mance at or above grade level in academic areas in both languages.• Partial-immersion programs teach content subjects in <strong>the</strong> target language <strong>for</strong> half <strong>the</strong> day <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> remainingcontent areas in English <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r half of <strong>the</strong> day. Many of <strong>the</strong>se programs are also designated as twowayimmersion when native English speakers <strong>and</strong> native speakers of ano<strong>the</strong>r language are enrolled in <strong>the</strong>same class. 2015
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