Determining the Levels (or Stages) of English-Language Proficiency

Determining the Levels (or Stages) of English-Language Proficiency
Levels/Stages of Second-Language Acquisition for ESL Students:
Stage/Level 1: Use of English for survival purposes
Stage/Level 2: Use of English in supported and familiar activities and contexts
Stage/Level 3: Independent use of English in most contexts
Stage/Level 4: Facility in English approaching that of first-language speakers

Levels/Stages of Second-Language Acquisition/Literacy Development for ELD Students:
Stage/Level 1: Beginning to use Standard Canadian English appropriately
Stage/Level 2: Using Standard Canadian English in supported and familiar activities and contexts
Stage/Level 3: Using Standard Canadian English accurately and correctly in most contexts
Stage/Level 4: Using grade-level Standard Canadian English appropriately

Skills related to listening, speaking, reading, writing and orientation are described for each level or stage in

Supporting English Language Learners: A Practical Guide for Ontario Educators, Grades 1 – 8, 2008, pages 99-120. http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/esleldprograms/guide.html The descriptors provided in these tables will be helpful to teachers for measuring student progress in language acquisition and, by extension, may also be useful for measuring student achievement of curriculum expectations in other subject areas.