LAS Links Profi Ciency Levels And Descriptors

Proficiency Levels27LAS Links Proficiency Levels and DescriptorsThe LAS Links Assessments measure language proficiency within five grade spans: K–1,2–3, 4–5, 6–8, and 9–12. Within each grade span, a student can be assigned to one offive proficiency levels: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Proficient, or AboveProficient.The following table provides the description of learners at each level of proficiency:a65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd 27ProficiencyLevel 1BEGINNINGA Level 1 student is beginning to develop receptive andproductive uses of English in the school context, althoughcomprehension may be demonstrated nonverbally or throughthe native language, rather than in English.ProficiencyLevel 2EARLY INTERMEDIATEA Level 2 student is developing the ability to communicatein English within the school context. Errors impede basiccommunication and comprehension. Lexical, syntactic,phonological, and discourse features of English are emerging.ProficiencyLevel 3INTERMEDIATEA Level 3 student is developing the ability to communicateeffectively in English across a range of grade–level–appropriatelanguage demands in the school context. Errors interfere withcommunication and comprehension. Repetition and negotiationare often needed. The student exhibits a limited range of lexical,syntactic, phonological, and discourse features when addressingnew and familiar topics.ProficiencyLevel 4PROFICIENTA Level 4 student communicates effectively in English acrossa range of grade–level–appropriate language demands inthe school context, even though errors occur. The studentexhibits productive and receptive control of lexical, syntactic,phonological, and discourse features when addressing new andfamiliar topics.ProficiencyLevel 5ABOVE PROFICIENTA Level 5 student communicates effectively in English, with fewif any errors, across a wide range of grade–level–appropriatelanguage demands in the school context. The student commandsa high degree of productive and receptive control of lexical,syntactic, phonological, and discourse features when addressingnew and familiar topics.4/20/07 3:04:37 PM

a65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd ent4AboveProficient5A level 2 student is developing the abilityto communicate in English within theschool context. Errors impede basiccommunication and comprehension.Lexical, syntactic, phonological, anddiscourse features are emerging.A Level 1 student is beginning to developreceptive and productive uses ofEnglish in the school context, althoughcomprehension may be demonstratednonverbally or through the nativelanguage, rather than in English.Early Intermediate students typicallywrite one or more words that attemptto describe a picture or explain apreference.Beginning students are beginning todevelop receptive and productive skillsin English.Early Intermediate students typicallyidentify capital letters and lowercaseletters in isolation, identify frequentlyused beginning sounds, and recallimportant details in a text passageread aloud.Beginning students are beginningto develop receptive and productiveskills in English.Early Intermediate students typicallyfollow simple oral directionsusing knowledge of everydaytasks, academic vocabulary, andidentification of basic shapes, letters,numbers, and common locations.Beginning students are beginningto develop receptive and productiveskills in English.Beginning students are beginningto develop receptive and productiveskills in English.A level 3 student is developing the abilityto communicate effectively in Englishacross a wide range of grade-levelappropriate language demands in theschool context. Errors interfere withcommunication and comprehension.Repetition and negotiation are oftenneeded. The student exhibits a limitedrange of lexical, syntactic, phonological,and discourse features when addressingnew and familiar topics.Intermediate students typically useverbs in the infinitive and describea picture or explain a preference bywriting a simple phrase or sentencethat may contain some grammaticaland/or mechanical errors that do notimpede understanding.Intermediate students typicallyidentify ending sounds, decode basicshort-vowel words, and match wordsto pictures.Intermediate students typicallyfollow simple oral directions bydistinguishing between letters,words, shapes, and/or numbers anddetermining described locations.Intermediate students typically useappropriate words and phrases whenmaking requests and conductingtransactions in social and academicsettings, produce accurate labelsfor common objects and describecommon functions, and producesentences with errors that do notinterfere with communication whendescribing social situations.Early Intermediate students typicallyuse vocabulary for common objectsin social and academic situations,produce words and phrases whendescribing social situations, and usebasic vocabulary and simple phrasesor sentences related to a sequence ofpictures about familiar settings.A level 4 student communicateseffectively in English across a rangeof grade-level-appropriate languagedemands in the school context, eventhough errors occur. The student exhibitsproductive and receptive control oflexical, syntactic, phonological, anddiscourse features when addressing newand familiar topics.Proficient students typically usecorrect grammar such as singularnouns, subject pronouns, subject/verbagreement, auxiliary verbs, and futuretense; use writing conventions suchas capitalization and sentence-endingmarks in declarative, interrogative,and imperative sentences; and identifystandard sentence structure.Proficient students typicallydiscriminate between beginning andending sounds, identify frequentlyused rhyming words, match wordsto definitions or descriptions, recallevents in the story in a passage readaloud, and read simple sentencesindependently.Proficient students typicallyfollow simple oral directions bydistinguishing the location of anobject in relation to another object,recall stated details in an oral story,and make simple inferences.Proficient students typicallyproduce simple sentences withminor errors when making requestsand conducting transactions in theclassroom, use accurate labels forless-common objects and brieflydescribe their purpose, and describeschool-related processes. They tella simple story with mostly correctvocabulary and simple grammar.OverallA level 5 student communicateseffectively in English, with few if anyerrors, across a wide range of gradelevel-appropriate language demandsin the school context. The studentcommands a high degree of productiveand receptive control of lexical,syntactic, phonological, and discoursefeatures when addressing new andfamiliar topics.WritingAbove Proficient students typicallyform regular plural nouns andpossessive pronouns, use sentenceending marks in an exclamatorysentence, differentiate betweencomplete sentences and fragments,and write a complete sentence todescribe a picture or to explain apreference; communication is clearand complete, though it may containminor errors.ReadingAbove Proficient students typicallyidentify less-frequent rhyming words,use context clues to determinemeanings of words, recall subtledetails and determine sequence in apassage, and use interpretation andinference to comprehend a story.ListeningAbove Proficient students typicallyrecall minor details and statedsequence of events and determine themain idea in an oral story.SpeakingAbove Proficient students typicallyproduce simple sentences with nogrammatical errors when makingrequests and conducting transactionsin the classroom, describing familiarsocial situations or a process. Theytell a simple story with native-likevocabulary and grammar appropriateto the age.LAS Links Proficiency Level Descriptors for Grade 134Proficiency Level Descriptors4/20/07 3:04:40 PM

Proficiency Level Descriptors35Proficiency Level DescriptorsLISTENINGGRADE 1Above Proficient students typically recall minor details in an oral story recall stated sequence of events in an oral story determine the main idea of an oral storyProficient students typically follow simple oral directions by distinguishing the location of anobject in relation to another object recall stated details in an oral story make simple inferencesIntermediate students typically follow simple oral directions by distinguishing between letters,words, shapes, and/or numbers and determining described locationsEarly Intermediate students typically follow simple oral directions using knowledge of everyday tasks,academic vocabulary, identification of basic shapes, letters, andnumbers, and common locationsBeginning students are beginning to develop receptive and productive skillsin English.a65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd 354/20/07 3:04:41 PM

36Proficiency Level DescriptorsProficiency Level DescriptorsSPEAKINGGRADE 1Above Proficient students typically produce simple sentences with no grammatical errors when makingrequests and conducting transactions in the classroom produce sentences with no errors when describing familiar socialsituations produce complete sentences with only age-appropriate errors invocabulary and grammar that do not interfere with communicationwhen describing a process use accurate vocabulary and grammatically correct sentences to explaina school-related process tell a simple story with native-like vocabulary and grammar appropriateto the ageProficient students typically produce simple sentences with errors that do not interfere withcommunication when making requests and conducting transactions inthe classroom produce accurate labels for less-common objects in social situations use accurate vocabulary to describe the purpose of less-commonobjects in social situations use appropriate words and phrases when describing a school-relatedprocess; in the lower range of Proficient, students use basic vocabularyand simple phrases; in the upper range of Proficient, students producecomplete sentences with errors in vocabulary and grammar that do notinterfere with communication tell a simple story with mostly correct vocabulary and simple grammara65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd 364/20/07 3:04:41 PM

Proficiency Level Descriptors37Intermediate students typically use appropriate words and phrases when conducting transactionsand making requests in social and academic settings produce accurate labels for common objects and describe commonfunctions produce sentences with errors that do not interfere withcommunication when describing social situationsEarly Intermediate students typically use vocabulary for common objects in social and academic situations produce words and phrases when describing social situations use basic vocabulary and simple phrases or sentences related to asequence of pictures about familiar settingsBeginning students are beginning to develop receptive and productive skillsin English.a65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd 374/20/07 3:04:41 PM

38Proficiency Level DescriptorsProficiency Level DescriptorsREADINGGRADE 1Above Proficient students typically identify less-frequent rhyming words use context clues to determine meanings of words recall subtle details and determine sequence in a passage use interpretation and inference to comprehend a storyProficient students typically discriminate between beginning and ending sounds identify frequently-used rhyming words match words to definitions or descriptions recall events in the story in a passage read aloud read simple sentences independentlyIntermediate students typically identify ending sounds decode basic short-vowel words match words to picturesEarly Intermediate students typically identify capital letters and lowercase letters in isolation identify frequently used beginning sounds recall important details in a text passage read aloudBeginning students are beginning to develop receptive and productive skillsin English.a65301 IGk-12 01-127.indd 384/20/07 3:04:41 PM