National Standards Update: National Standards Update:

Your Input Needed!Your Input Needed!

Marty Abbott, Director of Education

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

Helene Zimmer-Loew, Executive Director

American Association for Teachers of German (AATG)

SWCOLT Conference

Salt Lake City

Februrary 29, 2008

THE NATIONAL STANDARDS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROJECT

A Collaborative Project of ACTFL, AATF, AATG, AATI, AATSP, ACL/APA, ACTR,

CLASS, & NCJLT)

Foreign Language Foreign Language Collaborative ProjectsCollaborative Projects1993 Federal funding received to develop national

standards for students K-12

1996 Publication of generic standards.

1999 Publication of language-specific standards in

Chinese, Classical Languages, French, German,

Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish;

(seven languages developed K-16)

More Language-specificMore Language-specific StandardsStandards

ArabicArabic Published 2006Published 2006 African Languages—Swahili, Yoruba, African Languages—Swahili, Yoruba,

and Zulu [in development]and Zulu [in development] Hindi [in development]Hindi [in development] American Sign Language (ASL) [in American Sign Language (ASL) [in

development]development] Need to include more Critical Need Need to include more Critical Need

LanguagesLanguages

ACTFL PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES

FOR K-12 LEARNERS

www.actfl.org

BenchmarksBenchmarks

Novice Learner RangeNovice Learner Range Parallels Novice High in Parallels Novice High in ACTFL Proficiency ACTFL Proficiency

GuidelinesGuidelines (K – 4, 5 – 8, 9 – 10)(K – 4, 5 – 8, 9 – 10) Intermediate Learner RangeIntermediate Learner Range

Parallels Intermediate Mid in Parallels Intermediate Mid in ACTFL ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines Proficiency Guidelines (K-8, 5-12, 9-12)(K-8, 5-12, 9-12)

Pre-advanced Learner RangePre-advanced Learner Range Parallels Intermediate High in Parallels Intermediate High in ACTFL ACTFL

Proficiency Guidelines Proficiency Guidelines (K-12)(K-12)

DomainsDomains

Comprehensibility Comprehensibility How well is the student understood?How well is the student understood?

Comprehension Comprehension How well does the student understand?How well does the student understand?

Language Control Language Control How accurate is the student’s How accurate is the student’s language?language?

Vocabulary Vocabulary How extensive and applicable is the student’s How extensive and applicable is the student’s vocabulary?vocabulary?

Cultural Awareness Cultural Awareness How is the student’s cultural How is the student’s cultural knowledge reflected in language use? knowledge reflected in language use?

Communication Strategies Communication Strategies How does the student How does the student maintain maintain communication?communication?

Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA)

Project

I P

A

www.actfl.org

What is an IPA?What is an IPA? AuthenticAuthentic

Reflects tasks that individuals do in the world outside the classroomReflects tasks that individuals do in the world outside the classroom Performance-BasedPerformance-Based

Reflect how students USE the language and cultural knowledge in Reflect how students USE the language and cultural knowledge in communicative taskscommunicative tasks

IntegratedIntegrated Integrates Communication plus other goal areas of the StandardsIntegrates Communication plus other goal areas of the Standards

Developmental Progress of ProficiencyDevelopmental Progress of Proficiency Novice Novice Intermediate Intermediate Pre-advanced Pre-advanced

Blend with Classroom Instruction and ExperiencesBlend with Classroom Instruction and Experiences Based on the 3 Modes of CommunicationBased on the 3 Modes of Communication

InterpretiveInterpretive InterpersonalInterpersonal PresentationalPresentational

I P

A

www.cal.org/flnaep

The FL NAEP The FL NAEP Assessment Framework VisualAssessment Framework Visual

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education

www.ncate.org

NCATENCATE determines which colleges of education determines which colleges of education

meet rigorous national standards in meet rigorous national standards in preparing teachers and other preparing teachers and other classroom specialists. classroom specialists.

is a coalition of 33 national education is a coalition of 33 national education organizations representing teachers, organizations representing teachers, teacher educators, subject matter teacher educators, subject matter specialists, and policy makers.specialists, and policy makers.

NCATE 2000 Unit StandardsNCATE 2000 Unit Standards

are performance-based—radical are performance-based—radical

departure from input-based systemdeparture from input-based system

focus on what teacher candidates focus on what teacher candidates

should know and be able to doshould know and be able to do

require institutions to show candidate require institutions to show candidate

performance dataperformance data

Required Program ComponentsRequired Program Components

Development of proficiency, especially oralDevelopment of proficiency, especially oral Ongoing assessment of proficiencyOngoing assessment of proficiency Language, linguistics, culture, & literature Language, linguistics, culture, & literature

componentscomponents Methods course: on teaching of foreign Methods course: on teaching of foreign

languages, taught by qualified facultylanguages, taught by qualified faculty

Program Components cont’d.Program Components cont’d.

Early field experiences in foreign language Early field experiences in foreign language classroomsclassrooms

Field experiences supervised by qualified Field experiences supervised by qualified facultyfaculty

Opportunities for candidates to experience and Opportunities for candidates to experience and use technologyuse technology

Opportunities for structured Opportunities for structured study-abroad/immersion experiencesstudy-abroad/immersion experiences

INTASCINTASC

www.ccsso.org/intasc

INTASC: Interstate New Teacher INTASC: Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Assessment and Support

ConsortiumConsortium Program of the Council of Chief State Program of the Council of Chief State

School OfficersSchool Officers Established to promote collaboration Established to promote collaboration

among states in standards-based reform among states in standards-based reform of teacher preparation, licensing, and of teacher preparation, licensing, and professional developmentprofessional development

Centered around performance-based Centered around performance-based standards and assessmentsstandards and assessments

Compatible with the National Board for Compatible with the National Board for Professional Teaching StandardsProfessional Teaching Standards

www.nbpts.org

National Certification for Teachers of National Certification for Teachers of World Languages Other than EnglishWorld Languages Other than English

Designed to recognize accomplished Designed to recognize accomplished practice in the fieldpractice in the field

Standards adopted in 2001Standards adopted in 2001 WLOTE Certificates:WLOTE Certificates:

Currently available in French and SpanishCurrently available in French and Spanish Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood

(ages 11-18+)(ages 11-18+) Revision of standards underwayRevision of standards underway More certificates available in the futureMore certificates available in the future

ACTFLACTFLAssessment for the Assessment for the Performance and Performance and

Proficiency of Proficiency of LanguageLanguage(AAPPL)(AAPPL)

Grade Clusters and Proficiency Grade Clusters and Proficiency RangesRanges

Grade ClustersGrade Clusters PK - 7PK - 7 8 - 168 - 16

Proficiency RangesProficiency Ranges Advanced Low - SuperiorAdvanced Low - Superior Intermediate Mid - Advanced LowIntermediate Mid - Advanced Low Novice High - Intermediate MidNovice High - Intermediate Mid Novice Low - Novice HighNovice Low - Novice High

Report ExampleReport Example

Novice LowNovice Low Novice MidNovice Mid Novice HighNovice High

……provides evidence of the ability to provides evidence of the ability to understand short, disconnected utterances understand short, disconnected utterances within highly predictable and familiar within highly predictable and familiar contexts. Comprehension often depends on contexts. Comprehension often depends on recognizing memorized words and phrases, recognizing memorized words and phrases,

……provides evidence of the ability to provides evidence of the ability to understand short, simple speech with understand short, simple speech with memorized words and phrases on highly memorized words and phrases on highly predictable and familiar topics most often predictable and familiar topics most often related to self. related to self.

……provides evidence of the ability understand provides evidence of the ability understand simple speech with memorized phrases on simple speech with memorized phrases on familiar subjects. Can understand speech on familiar subjects. Can understand speech on content that has been previously seen or content that has been previously seen or heard.heard.

Understanding Sean’s performanceSean’s performance falls in the Novice Mid range. He can understand conversations and recorded materials in familiar contexts. He relies heavily on memorized words, phrases, and structures and expends enormous effort to accomplish these listening tasks. Next StepsLanguage learners at this level would benefit from increasing their exposure to spoken language in live and recorded oral texts. Listening should focus on understanding key words and main ideas. Sources for listening practice include level appropriate texts that are related to academic content as well as individual student interests.

Sean’s performance

Situation: Your Chinese class is partnering with a social Situation: Your Chinese class is partnering with a social studies class on a project designed to encourage Chinese-studies class on a project designed to encourage Chinese-speaking people in the community to vote in the upcoming speaking people in the community to vote in the upcoming

mayoral election. You’ve agreed to make signs to be placed mayoral election. You’ve agreed to make signs to be placed around community showing each candidate’s priorities. The around community showing each candidate’s priorities. The social studies team has come up with graphics for each sign. social studies team has come up with graphics for each sign.

Task: Place the Chinese text next to the matching graphics.Task: Place the Chinese text next to the matching graphics.

Type of Response: Modified selected responseType of Response: Modified selected response

VOTE!VOTE!

ACTFL PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES FOR K-12 LEARNERS

Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA)

INTASC

Impact of the StandardsImpact of the Standards

State FrameworksState Frameworks Local curriculaLocal curricula AssessmentsAssessments

AAPPL (Assessment for Performance and AAPPL (Assessment for Performance and Proficiency of Languages) ProjectProficiency of Languages) Project

Individual classrooms—Annenberg Individual classrooms—Annenberg video library www.learner.orgvideo library www.learner.org

Need to address lack of Need to address lack of impact on instructionimpact on instruction

Only 16 states have some kind of Only 16 states have some kind of graduation requirement in languagesgraduation requirement in languages

Several states are pushing for Several states are pushing for proficiency exit standard rather than proficiency exit standard rather than “seat time”“seat time”

IRS (USED) grant application to IRS (USED) grant application to assess impact of standardsassess impact of standards

Issues to ConsiderIssues to Consider Do the Goal Areas (5 C’s) or the Standards

need revisions? What has the impact been on institutions of

higher education? What kind of professional development is

needed for teachers? Can standards-based assessments drive

changes in instruction?