9 to 12 Year Old Reading

                                                                    How to Rate an ESL Student’s English Proficiency Level

With reference to work samples and observations, highlight language capabilities at or above current English Proficiency Level. Rate the student at the level which contains the most highlighting.

Name:                                                                           Date:                         New Level: ___

Beginner 1
Language Capabilities		 Beginner 2
Language
Capabilities		 Elementary 3 Language
Capabilities		 Elementary 4 Language Capabilities Intermediate 5
Language Capabilities		 Intermediate 6 Language Capabilities Advanced 7 Language Capabilities
Reads some words from familiar
contexts, eg environmental print,·Recognises own name, and
words related to immediate environment, eg name of school, familiar street
names, classroom items,·Relies heavily on
contextual cues, eg pictures, diagrams,·Follows with finger to
assist in directionality		 ·Recognises and gains
meaning from short texts using contextual and visual cues e.g., recent
experiences, picture cues, as well as whole word shape,(esp. if L1 script is non-Roman),·Responds appropriately to
text e.g., by expressing amusement, surprise, disappointment,·Joins in with key words
and repetitive phrases in familiar texts, e.g., picture stories, written chants
and rhymes, in shared reading sessions,·Employs some decoding
skills when reading unfamiliar English,·Indicates
non-understanding, with gestures or simple phrases/questions,·Benefits from reading in L1 and clarifying and discussing texts with L1
peers		 ·Comprehends and predicts
meaning from short texts in English, on familiar topics, eg simple repetitive
narratives, teacher-selected factual texts on familiar curriculum topics, e.g.,
animal reports,·Recognises words that have
been frequently encountered in speaking and listening,·Applies chunks of language
internalised through repeated reading, to oral and written language,·Shows comprehension orally,·Verbalises need for
assistance with some precision,·Reads simple instructions,e.g., ‘cut out/
underline/circle the…’,·Shows some understanding
of metalanguage, i.e. word, letter, page, title		 ·Retells stories read in
English, including,the details,·Enjoys reading simply
structured stories that do not contain many cultural references,·Acquires factual
information from small range of texts on familiar topics,·Follows sets of simple
instructions,·Shows com-prehension
through oral and written forms,·Responds appropriate-ly to
cues from task instructions, eg list, true/false, match		 ·Retells stories in summary
form,·Comprehends with some
depth a wide range of texts related to personal, social and general school
contexts,·,Reads
subject-specific texts and more complex learning materials with some depth of
understanding,·,Identifies main
idea and some supporting details from expository texts on familiar,
subject-specific topics,·,Understands gist
of new topics		 ·Comprehends most factual
and literary texts at level and within ability range expected at current phase
of schooling,·Skims, scans, gets the
gist, and summarises factual texts appropriate to current phase of schooling,·Uses information acquired
through reading to find relationships make inferences and draw conclusions,,as appropriate to current phase of schooling,·Reads complex texts for gist,
not losing thread e.g., at word level reading,·Comprehends a range of
complex structures,·Comprehends some
frequently-occurring, culturally specific references including nuances,
metaphors and subtle humour,·Demonstrates facility with broad range of vocabulary items		 ·Comprehends texts for the
range of purposes and across the range of social and academic contexts at level
of current phase of schooling,·Comprehends texts with
fluency, within same time frame as native English speaking peers,·Takes notes and summarises
material from variety of sources, eg newspapers, leaflets, library references,
maps (Upper Primary),·Evaluates applicability of
information within range of ability expected at current phase of schooling,·Comprehends most cultural references, including nuances, metaphors, and
subtle humour generally encountered in texts at current phase of schooling

What now?

  • Use English Proficiency Levels which correspond to the student’s NEW level as a means of individualising your programme

  • Observe progress and re-level student in a few months time