Proficiency-Based Approach to Assessment: The What

What are proficiency-based approaches to language assessment?

A proficiency-based approach to assessment involves aligning your assessments with your curriculum and instruction and aligning your curricular and instructional goals with functional proficiency levels. In this approach, assessment tasks should be designed to measure how well your students can communicate in the language meaningfully and appropriately for real-life purposes, and tasks should allow students to show the extent to which they have met learning goals or outcomes. Student performances on assessment tasks are then measured an evaluated in terms of functional proficiency levels, such as those provided in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.