In episode 131 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, Maris Hawkins, an experienced language educator and co-author of Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom, helps us better understand the newly updated ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and how they can support our teaching practices. Listen above or here for our full discussion.
Why Are the ACTFL Guidelines Important for Teachers?
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines outline a continuum of language acquisition that helps teachers understand how learners progress and what realistic expectations look like at each level. As Maris shared during our conversation, understanding these guidelines ensures we align our classroom activities, assessments, and feedback with what students are truly ready to do.
For years, many of us have been frustrated when students don’t “master” certain concepts, such as verb conjugations or advanced sentence structures. The truth is, those frustrations often come from asking students to perform beyond their proficiency level. The guidelines are a reminder to honor the natural pace of language development and design lessons accordingly.
Key Components of the 2024 Guidelines
The FACT Framework
One of the most valuable updates in the 2024 guidelines is the inclusion of the FACT framework. FACT stands for:
- Functions and Tasks: The specific communication tasks learners can perform, such as describing, narrating, or asking questions.
- Context/Content: The situations and topics in which learners can use the language (e.g., casual conversations, presentations).
- Text Type: The complexity of language, ranging from isolated words to cohesive paragraphs.
- Accuracy: The degree to which learners control linguistic features to communicate effectively. Notice that accuracy doesn’t mean “perfect or error-free” but the ability to use the language to communicate.
The FACT framework serves as a tool to clearly define what proficiency looks like at each level. For example, a Novice High speaker may communicate using simple phrases and isolated sentences, while an Intermediate Low speaker can sustain conversations with more complete sentences and begin asking questions.
Maris highlighted how understanding these components helps teachers set realistic expectations while supporting students’ growth. Listen here.
Performance Tables
Another significant addition is the inclusion of performance descriptor tables for the Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. These tables bridge the gap between proficiency and performance, helping teachers understand the differences and connections between these two concepts:
- Proficiency: The ability to perform communication tasks in all relevant situations, including those that haven’t been encountered before.
- Performance: The ability to perform communication tasks that have been explicitly taught, practiced, and rehearsed in instruction or structured contexts.
The performance tables offer actionable insights into what learners can do at each level, focusing on functions, contexts and content, discourse type, and comprehension and comprehensibility. This last one is very important since it includes not only language control and vocabulary, but also communication strategies, and socio-cultural awareness.
. For instance:
- At the Novice level, learners rely on strategies like imitation, repetition, and gestures to maintain communication.
- At the Intermediate level, learners begin to rephrase, ask clarifying questions, and use circumlocution to navigate communication challenges.
By using these tables, teachers can set realistic learning goals and provide feedback that helps students advance in their proficiency. Hear more about this above or here.
Why Include the FACT Framework and Performance Tables?
The inclusion of the FACT framework and performance descriptor tables serves a dual purpose:
- Clarity for Teachers and Learners: They provide clear benchmarks for what students should be able to do at each level, making it easier for teachers to align instruction with realistic proficiency goals.
- Bridging Proficiency and Performance: The guidelines help teachers understand how classroom activities and assessments (performance) contribute to students’ overall language development (proficiency).
These tools are particularly useful in formal educational settings, where instructors set learning goals and measure progress using the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.
Eliminating Negative Language
Maris noticed also that Novice low descriptors have shifted from discouraging phrases like “no real functional ability” to more positive, encouraging language.
For example, learners are now described as “beginning to communicate using common words and phrases they’ve rehearsed.”
Recognizing Language in Context
The guidelines emphasize that languages aren’t just for travel! Instead of focusing on tasks like reading train schedules, they include modern contexts such as text messages and community interactions.
New Terminology: From “Memorized” to “Rehearsed”
One significant shift is replacing “memorized” with “rehearsed” in novice-level descriptors. This acknowledges that novice learners rely on practiced language but avoids the outdated connotation of rote memorization.
The guidelines also replace “basic vocabulary” with “high-frequency vocabulary,” encouraging teachers to focus on words students are likely to use often (e.g., gustar, tener, ir) rather than less frequent terms like fuchsia or rocking chair.
Teaching Takeaways: Moving Students from Novice to Intermediate
Understanding the differences between proficiency levels helps us set appropriate goals:
- Novice Level: Students produce rehearsed words, phrases, and simple sentences. Their communication is reactive, meaning they respond more than they initiate.
- Intermediate Level: Students begin creating language, but it’s often messy. They start asking questions and forming sentences on their own.
As Maris noted, “Students grow out of the messiness with time and practice. We just need to provide plenty of high-quality input and opportunities to use the language.”
Practical Applications for Teachers
Maris and I discussed several ways teachers can apply the updated guidelines in their classrooms:
- Use the FACT Framework to Guide Instruction
Plan lessons that align with the four FACT criteria. For example, focus on helping students master specific functions, such as asking and answering questions, within relevant contexts. - Incorporate High-Frequency Vocabulary
Shift away from long lists of thematic vocabulary (e.g., furniture, colors) and prioritize words and structures students will use frequently, such as “es,” “tiene,” “quiere,” and “hay.” - Leverage the Performance Tables for Feedback
Use the communication strategies outlined in the performance tables to provide targeted feedback. Encourage students to use techniques like rephrasing or asking for clarification to overcome communication challenges. - Start Small: Focus on one mode of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, or presentational) or one proficiency level at a time.
- Collaborate: Discuss the guidelines with your department to align expectations and assessments.
- Use ACTFL Trainings: Take advantage of ACTFL’s resources to deepen your understanding of proficiency-based teaching.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are a valuable resource for language teachers, providing a roadmap for supporting students’ language development. By incorporating the FACT framework, performance tables, and sociocultural awareness into your teaching, you can create a more meaningful and engaging learning environment.
As Maris aptly put it, “We need to lift the burden of unrealistic expectations from both our students and ourselves.” The guidelines remind us to focus on what students can do and support them as they grow at their own pace. Listen to the full episode here.
Resources
- Access the 2024 ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines here.
- Explore Maris Hawkins’ blog for more teaching insights: marishawkins.com.
- Growing With CI FB Community
- GWP Blog
- GWP Teacher Pay Teachers Store