Attach 5b_GENERIC BPLDs for Reading.pdf

Generic Borderline Proficiency Level Descriptors (BPLDs)

READING COMPREHENSION

Borderline 0+ Borderline 1 Borderline 1+

1. Word/phrase-level processing.

2. Can recognize all letters of an alphabet and the highest-frequency elements of a syllabary or character system.

3. Can identify about 50 high-frequency general vocabulary items (including phrases/chunks) in settings highly supported by context.

1. Sentence-level processing.

2. Can understand known words recombined in new ways.

3. Limited awareness of basic grammar.

4. Can read very simple sentences on a single topic.

5. Can locate some facts from factual texts.

6. Can identify general subject matter.

7. Recognizes generic vocabulary relevant to immediate needs in routine, everyday domains.

1. Some understanding of timeframes (through lexical indicators).

2. Some understanding of cohesive devices (e.g., pronouns).

3. Can guess at unfamiliar vocabulary if supported by context.

4. Can locate important facts in factual texts.

5. Understands texts that are beyond what is completely predictable within routine, everyday domains.

6. Some basic topic-specific vocabulary (names for types of objects in category).

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

ATFL-LPAD Page 1 of 3

READING COMPREHENSION (CONTINUED)

Borderline 2 Borderline 2+ Borderline 3

1. Paragraph-level processing.

2. Can read authentic prose on familiar subjects and designed for general readers, which is written in a straightforward manner using high frequency sentence patterns presented in predictable sequence.

3. Understands factual content not related to immediate needs, for example news items about frequently occurring events.

4. Understands main ideas and some details.

(Who, what, when, where, how. Also, why when explained in a straightforward, factual, and concrete manner, i.e., a primarily cause-effect type of why.)

5. Understands temporal references beyond the lexical level.

6. Understands cause and effect, chronology/sequence, descriptions.

7. Understands basic time frames and functional grammatical relations within and between sentences.

1. Can grasp all essentials of familiar factual material.

2. Can get main ideas and supporting facts in texts on unfamiliar topics.

3. Can separate major supporting facts from lesser ones.

4. Can understand all essentials of texts with somewhat unpredictable organization, content, or focus.

5. Can sometimes draw conclusions and understand some inferences that are not directly stated.

6. Has a broad active vocabulary (some abstract vocabulary, all common/general concrete vocabulary).

7. Can draw from real world and cultural knowledge to advance understanding.

8. Processing of familiar material is fairly automatic.

1. Extended discourse processing.

2. In texts for the general reader, understands abstract ideas, supporting facts/opinions, and various levels of details. Understands hypothetical statements.

3. Reads extended discourse, moving beyond personal experience into the broader world/societal issues.

4. Able to read “between the lines” — understands the implicit intent of the writer.

5. Understands common sociocultural references that are necessary for understanding major ideas in a text.

6. Has a secure understanding of most grammatical and syntactical structures.

7. Generally able to read smoothly, without pausing to retrieve general vocabulary.

ATFL-LPAD Page 2 of 3

READING COMPREHENSION (CONTINUED)

Borderline 3+ Borderline 4

1. Often able to understand low frequency idioms.

2. Strong ability to “read between the lines,” including comprehension of implicit information.

3. Almost complete comprehension of a variety of extended texts of a professional, technical, academic, or literary nature.

4. Able to comprehend many sociolinguistic and cultural references.

5. May understand some nuances and subtleties.

1. Ability to read beyond the lines (i.e., understand how texts fit into the wider cultural environment).

2. Ability to understand almost all sociolinguistic and cultural references of any country or area where the language is natively written.

3. Ability to comprehend meanings of language used in some sub-culture groups, and some non-standard language use (e.g., profanity, slang [referring to transitory language use], colloquialisms, irony, sarcasm).

4. Ability to follow unpredictable turns of thought in most subject matter addressed to the general reader.

5. Ability to understand nuances and subtleties.

6. Demonstration of strong ability to understand highly abstract concepts and linguistic formulations in texts on complex topics, as well as those in his/her professional field.

7. Recognizes most professionally relevant vocabulary known to the educated non-professional native.

ATFL-LPAD Page 3 of 3