SECTION 114.39. Level I, Novice Mid to Novice High Proficiency (One Credit), Adopted 2014

(a) General requirements.

(1) Level I can be offered in elementary, middle, or high school. At the high school level, students shall be awarded one credit for successful completion of this course. There is no prerequisite for this course.

(2) Students of logographic languages such as Chinese and Japanese and non-Romance and non-Germanic languages such as Arabic and Russian will require more time to achieve proficiency, especially in reading and writing. Initially, the skill focus should be placed on speaking and listening without ignoring reading and writing in the target language's writing system. As the students become more proficient, a balanced emphasis of all four skills becomes more attainable.

(3) Districts may offer a level of a language in a variety of scheduling arrangements that may extend or reduce the traditional schedule when careful consideration is given to the instructional time available on a campus and the language ability, access to programs, and motivation of students.

(b) Introduction.

(1) The study of world languages is an essential part of education. In the 21st century language classroom, students gain an understanding of two basic aspects of human existence: the nature of communication and the complexity of culture. Students become aware of multiple perspectives and means of expression, which lead to an appreciation of difference and diversity. Further benefits of foreign language study include stronger cognitive development, increased creativity, and divergent thinking. Students who effectively communicate in more than one language, with an appropriate understanding of cultural context, are globally literate and possess the attributes of successful participants in the world community.

(2) Communication is the overarching goal of world language instruction. Students should be provided ample opportunities to engage in conversations, to present information to an audience, and to interpret culturally authentic materials in the language of study. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) identifies three modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational.

(A) In the interpersonal mode of communication, students engage in direct oral or written communication with others. Examples of this "two-way" communication include but are not limited to conversing face to face, participating in digital discussions and messaging, and exchanging personal letters.

(B) In the interpretive mode of communication, students demonstrate understanding of spoken and written communication within appropriate cultural contexts. Examples of this type of "one-way" reading or listening include but are not limited to comprehension of digital texts as well as print, audio, and audiovisual materials.

(C) In the presentational mode of communication, students present orally or in writing information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers with whom there is no immediate interaction. Examples of this "one-to-many" mode of communication include but are not limited to presenting to a group; creating and posting digital content; or writing reports, compositions, or articles for a magazine or newspaper.

(3) The use of age-level appropriate and culturally authentic resources is imperative to support the teaching of the essential knowledge and skills for languages other than English (LOTE). The use of culturally authentic resources in world language study enables students to make connections with other content areas, to compare the language and culture studied with their own, and to participate in local and global communities.

(4) Students recognize the importance of acquiring accuracy of expression by knowing the components of language, including grammar, syntax, register, appropriate discourse level, and text type.

(5) Students in Level I are expected to reach a proficiency level of Novice Mid to Novice High, as defined in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners.

(A) Students at the Novice Mid proficiency level express meaning in highly predictable contexts through the use of memorized and recalled words and phrases. They are best able to understand aural cognates, borrowed words, and high-frequency, highly contextualized words and phrases with repetition. Novice Mid students may be difficult to understand by the most sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language learners. Novice Mid students are inconsistently successful when performing Novice-level tasks.

(B) Students at the Novice High proficiency level express meaning in simple, predictable contexts through the use of learned and recombined phrases and short sentences. They are best able to understand sentence-length information within highly contextualized situations and sources. Novice High students may generally be understood by sympathetic listeners and readers accustomed to dealing with language learners. Novice High students are consistently successful when performing Novice-level tasks. Novice High students show evidence of Intermediate Low proficiency but lack consistency.

(C) By the end of Level I, students of logographic languages should perform on a Novice Mid proficiency level for reading and writing. In listening and speaking, students of logographic languages should perform on a Novice Mid to Novice High proficiency level.

(D) Students who have fully or partially acquired the skills required at each proficiency level through home or other immersion experiences are known as heritage speakers. Heritage speakers may be allowed to accelerate based on their ability to demonstrate a proficiency in the Texas essential knowledge and skills for LOTE across all modes of communication at the prescribed proficiency level.

(6) Statements containing the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Interpersonal communication: speaking and writing. The student negotiates meaning through the spoken and written exchange of information in rehearsed and unrehearsed situations in a variety of contexts. The student uses a mixture of words and phrases and some simple sentences with appropriate and applicable grammar structures and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The student is expected to:

(A) ask and respond to questions about everyday life in spoken and written conversation;

(B) express and exchange personal opinions or preferences in spoken and written conversation;

(C) ask and tell others what they need to, should, or must do in spoken and written conversation;

(D) articulate requests, offer alternatives, or develop simple plans in spoken and written conversation;

(E) participate in spoken conversation using culturally appropriate expressions, register, and gestures; and

(F) participate in written conversation using culturally appropriate expressions, register, and style.

(2) Interpretive communication: reading and listening. The student comprehends sentence-length information from culturally authentic print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials as appropriate within highly contextualized situations and sources. The student uses the interpretive mode in communication with appropriate and applicable grammatical structures and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate an understanding of culturally authentic print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials in everyday contexts;

(B) identify key words and details from fiction and nonfiction texts and audio and audiovisual materials;

(C) infer meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases in highly contextualized texts, audio, and audiovisual materials; and

(D) identify cultural practices from authentic print, digital, audio, and audiovisual materials.

(3) Presentational communication: speaking and writing. The student presents information orally and in writing using a mixture of words and phrases and some simple sentences with appropriate and applicable grammar structures and processes at the specified proficiency levels. The student is expected to:

(A) state and support an opinion or preference orally and in writing; and

(B) describe people, objects, and simple situations orally and in writing using a mixture of words, phrases, and simple sentences.

Source Note: The provisions of this §114.39 adopted to be effective July 15, 2014, 39 TexReg 5385