Global Language Portfolio (July 2008)

COMMUNICATION SELF ASSESSMENT AND GOAL SETTING

Date of Self-Assessment _________________________

Provisional Checklist for: Spoken Production

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 (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.
Presentational Mode
Spoken Production (Proposed by GLP: ACTFL does not yet have Spoken Production checklists, only Speaking)
Novice Low (NL)
I can accurately repeat words and phrases I hear in class or at work.
I can use words I have learned and combine them with gestures to make myself understood.
I can use a few memorized phrases in social settings (such as greetings, thanks, or “please”).
I can give my name, possibly in a sentence or a phrase format if I am helped.
I can sometimes sing refrains of songs, especially if someone singing with me helps or tells me what it means.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Novice Mid (NM)
I can use two- and three-word answers to give personal information (address, telephone number, nationality, age, family.)
I can say something about what I like and dislike in a store or at the dinner table, especially if the listener helps and allows me time to pause as I speak.
I can describe myself with a few words and familiar phrases I have memorized.
I can talk about a few topics I have studied, such as numbers, colors, days of the week, using words and structures from my dominant language if there are gaps in communication.
I can use memorized material related to what I do or where I go if I address the topics in the same context for which I have learned relevant vocabulary and phrases.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Novice High (NH)
I can with occasional pauses give a basic description of myself, my family, and other people, using simple sentences and phrases.
I can with limited accuracy describe my activities and personal experiences, repeating, and recombining simple sentences and phrases I have memorized.
I can sometimes expand beyond familiar topics and vocabulary in the present time frame, using gestures to help with gaps in communication.
I can generally be understood by sympathetic native speakers who are patient when I rely on cognates, structures, or pronunciation adopted from my dominant language.
I can talk about a few common topics, such as what I wear, where to find classroom objects, and what I do at home or at work.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Intermediate Low (IL)
I can present my food preferences to the clerk at a fast-food chain, my room preferences to a hotel clerk, and my seating preferences at a concert when it is my turn in line.
I can describe myself, my family, and other people, using several simple sentences, as long as I am able to repeat or rephrase certain statements as needed.
I can with limited accuracy describe where I live, as well as my interests, activities, and personal experiences by using several simple sentences.
I can give a class presentation or present a simple project at work if I am allowed to correct myself and reformulate my sentences to make myself understood.
I can summarize briefly passages from a short story or report at work if the situations are familiar.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Intermediate Mid (IM)
I can provide simple and at times detailed information about myself, my leisure activities, or daily routines.
I can in simple fashion explain and give reasons for my plans, or intentions behind my actions in a way that my teacher or tour guide will understand.
I can describe accurately certain past activities, personal experiences, and plans for the near future, although I may need to restate or clarify what I mean.
I can ask for directions, find out prices, and request services with sufficient control of vocabulary, pronunciation, and sentence structure to be understood by hotel and restaurant personnel.
I can narrate a story based on picture prompts and summarize short stories and simple news items on familiar topics, as long as I am given time to pause or reformulate my ideas.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Intermediate High (IH)
I can describe and narrate most of my routine activities with confidence and ease.
I can explain my viewpoint on certain subjects related to my fields of interest in a way that an international scholar or a business client would understand.
I can summarize news items, interviews, stories, films, or plays in connected sentences, and occasionally in paragraph form.
I can sometimes narrate and describe in the present, past, and future, especially if I have time to prepare.
I can sometimes use vocabulary and structures I have learned to talk about unfamiliar topics.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Advanced Low (AL)
I can accurately narrate and describe in simple fashion using the past, present, and future time frames
I can accurately relate factual information, such as who, where, why, when, or how much.
I can integrate themes and develop my point of view in presentations on subjects of personal or professional interest.
I can respond spontaneously to most audience questions after I give a public lecture.
I can summarize literary or work-related texts, making simple transitions from idea to idea.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Advanced Mid (AM)
I can combine and interweave narration and description and relate relevant and supporting facts in connected, paragraph-length presentations prepared for either the classroom or a work setting.
I can narrate and describe in major time frames, providing a full account and adapting flexibly to demands of a large number of topics and situations for audiences in a social setting or at work.
I can make comparisons and summarize information from different sources, even reconstructing arguments in limited fashion to respond to audience questions at school or work.
I can speak with ease and confidence about a large number of concrete topics in a variety of situations, using circumlocution and rephrasing as needed.
I can convey my intended message without misrepresentation or confusion, correcting most errors in speech effortlessly and within the context of the presentation.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Advanced High (AH)
I can handle almost any informal and most formal presentations with ease, confidence, and competence both socially and at work.
I can consistently give clear, detailed descriptions and narrate fully and accurately in all time frames.
I can present viewpoints in a very flexible manner, even paraphrasing, using circumlocution and giving illustrations in order to give emphasis or to eliminate confusion in a professional setting.
I can discuss some topics abstractly, especially those relating to my interests and special fields of expertise.
I can address some complex subjects at school or at work, although I may need to simplify my arguments in order to present my case.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)
Superior (S)
I can give a presentation on a variety of topics in formal and informal settings, from both concrete and abstract perspectives.
I can present complex topics in my areas of expertise, accurately and fluently tailoring my remarks to the audience.
I can explain my opinions, construct and develop hypotheses, and explore alternative possibilities.
I can command a variety of strategies in presentations, such as separating main ideas from supporting information, as well as providing emphasis through use of intonation or pitch.
I rarely make grammatical errors, and even those are in low-frequency structures or in more formal usages.
Distinguished (D)
I can use the language fluently and accurately on all levels normally pertinent to professional needs.
I can accommodate a number of registers, making distinctions according to age, profession, or social status.
I can speak with almost perfect grammatical accuracy, with only very rare and sporadic errors.
I can support opinions, construct and develop hypotheses, and explore alternative possibilities well enough to counsel and persuade my target audience.
I can express fine shades of meaning and use the precise language needed for the negotiation of contracts, treaties, and other formal documents related to my professional training.
(Added specific descriptors for languages with tones, or for specific language attributes:)