Practical tools, activities, and resources
to guide instruction
Oral Proficiency - Descriptors
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Another commonly used set of oral proficiency descriptors in language education are the ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language) Proficiency Guidelines, which range from novice low (“No real functional ability”) to superior (“Able to communicate in the language with accuracy and fluency in order to participate fully and effectively in conversations on a variety of topics in formal and informal settings from both concrete and abstract perspectives”). Although the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are not used in adult ESL instruction (and are not further discussed in this module), they contain many similar elements of speech that are described in the SPLs and are an additional resource in language education.
