Global Language Portfolio   (July 2008)

 

COMMUNICATION SELF ASSESSMENT AND GOAL SETTING

 

Date of Self-Assessment _________________________

 

Provisional Checklist for:                                                                               Reading 

 

Self-assessment: 

Work through the checklist and note in the first of the two right-hand columns what you believe you can already do 80% of the time or more.  Placing a checkmark in the first of the two columns indicates mastery of the task performed rather than occasional success.  After you check off over 80% of the items for a given ACTFL level, you should progress to the next level in that same skill.  Each skill is assessed separately with different levels possible in each of 5 skills.  Keep going through this checklist until you reach the highest level where you checked off at least 4 of the 5 tasks.  Record that level (NL, NM, NH, IL, IM, IH, AL, AM, AH, S, or D) on your GLP Language Passport. 

 

Goal setting: 

Place a checkmark in the second column to identify the next set of goals you wish to reach in the future. 

 

 

Language: _______________________________________

(1) I can do this easily and well.

(2) This is  one of my goals.

Interpretive

Reading

Novice Low (NL)

I know the alphabet and can associate most sounds and letters that I will need to read aloud.

I can understand the meaning of some words based on my use of cognates. 

I can follow a text when I hear it read aloud.  

I can match some words with pictures on signs. 

I can understand certain phrases or sentences I have memorized from a textbook or from signs.

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Novice Mid (NM)

I can understand familiar words, certain phrases, and some simple sentences in authentic written materials, rereading as required. 

I can understand basic questions on standardized forms well enough to give certain important information about myself, such as name, date of birth, nationality, and so on.

I can understand short simple messages on familiar topics, such as “No smoking” or “Please be seated,” and indications of where to find streets, restaurants, toilets, or taxi stands. 

I can distinguish between questions, statements, exclamations, and commands.

I can understand indications of what something costs and follow simple directions, such as “left,” “right,” or “this way,” especially if there are arrows or pictures to help.  

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Novice High (NH)

I can understand a simple personal letter or email in which the writer tells or asks me about aspects of everyday life involving familiar topics using vocabulary I know.

I can understand the gist of short narratives about everyday topics if the text is written in simple language with vocabulary I have mastered.

I can understand some simple authentic written materials and identify some of the main ideas found in ads, as well as recognize some of the foods listed on menus.

I can follow short simple directions and understand tourist information on topics such as hours of operation or certain traffic directions.

I can understand from simply written printed materials both basic facts and a few details, depending on how familiar I am with the topic and the sentence structures used. 

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Intermediate Low (IL)

I can understand the main points and some details when reading simple reports written by native speakers at work or other information prepared for tourists when I travel.

I can skim authentic written materials to find relevant, basic facts, such as prices, locations, times, and so on. 

I can apply both material I have mastered and recombinations of mastered material to read a short story in my textbook, although I still rely on a dictionary and my grammar book for some words and structures.

I can read messages, greetings, or statements about social events when they contain common sentence structures and familiar vocabulary and cognates.

I can understand most of what is written in a present time frame, and I can recognize other time frames, especially if there are references to “yesterday” or “tomorrow” or other similar clues.

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Intermediate Mid (IM)

I can identify the main idea and many details of information found in simply written brochures and tour guides that cover both familiar and new topics, as long as I may reread as needed.

I can understand simple content from Web sites, advertising in magazines, and biographical, literary, or historical information, while referring to my dictionary or grammar book for more complex content.

I can understand short, straightforward descriptions of persons, places, and things written for a wide audience of native speakers.

I can understand the writer’s feelings and wishes in everyday letters and routine e-mails I receive at home or at work.   

I can understand and follow simple instructions on new topics if new vocabulary is highly contextualized, such as how to use a coffee maker or a copy machine.

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

 Intermediate High. (IH)

I can spontaneously read and understand without a dictionary either a simple paragraph written to me personally, or paragraph-length information on a familiar topic that I find on web sites or in chatrooms.  

I can understand many simple letters and invitations, with minimal re-reading needed.

I can rapidly grasp the content and the significance of news articles and reports, and decide if a closer reading is necessary.

I can read for pleasure selections from my textbook or even uncomplicated authentic prose, such as cultural information in a tourist brochure.     

I can understand the motives of the characters and their actions in a narrative or play, as well as other pertinent details in literary selections, with assistance from a dictionary as needed.

I can understand and follow instructions in selected consumer-oriented informational materials and Web sites with minimal use of a dictionary. 

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Advanced Low (AL)

I can recognize differences in the styles and language used in poetry, prose, essays, and journalistic documents. 

I can read and appreciate a variety of work-related publications with a dictionary and follow main ideas within my areas of interest or where I have some background. 

I can often understand straightforward ideas in literary texts, as well as some motives for characters’ actions and their consequences in a novel or play I am reading for class.

I can read certain authentic materials with a large degree of independence at work by adapting how quickly and for how much detail I read different types of texts.

I can understand texts written in present, past, and future time frames, with a need for clarification when there are unfamiliar structures.

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Advanced Mid (AM)

I can read standard business letters and social notices, recognizing standard phrases typically used in certain types of correspondence.

I can obtain and analyze facts from authentic printed sources and Web material, as long as there is a familiar context and familiar sentence structures.

I can read uncomplicated prose written for native speakers when it covers familiar subjects containing description or narration, such as news items and work-related materials.

I can understand some idiomatic and colloquial expressions, sometimes reading between the lines to obtain subtle information.

I can read a wide variety of edited texts, such as a poetry anthology or a collection of essays for class. 

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Advanced High (AH)

I can often understand a newspaper editorial, including both main ideas and some supporting ones, as long as I am familiar with the topic. 

I can locate and interpret main ideas and recommendations in a report at work.

I can understand the vocabulary and phrases associated with certain business letters and faxes and recognize their subtleties of meaning and tone.

I can read an unedited novel for pleasure, using a dictionary as needed.

I can do research for a term paper or for a project at work using target language sources, occasionally using a dictionary. 

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Superior (S)

I can read standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader.

I can read routine correspondence, reports and technical material in my fields of interest at a normal rate of speed (at least 220 wpm).

I can gain new knowledge from material on unfamiliar topics in areas of general interest.

I can detect subjective attitudes and interpret hypotheses, supported opinions, and conjectures.

I can read short stories, novels, and other recreational literature for pleasure.

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)

 

 

 

 

Distinguished (D)

I can read fluently and accurately virtually all styles and forms of the language pertinent to academic and professional needs.

I can make inferences and understand almost all sociolinguistic and cultural references in a literary text.

I can easily recognize plays on words or literary devices, and make inferences about work-related or literary texts whose real meaning is not explicit.

I can read with ease both news magazines and Web sites touching on a wide array of topics and resolve common abbreviations without reference to a dictionary.

I can distinguish easily between facts, hypotheses, and opinions in a variety of registers. 

(Added specific descriptors for languages with characters or syllabaries, or for specific language attributes:)