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It is necessary that both Adult ESOL instructors and students understand the different placement and Adult ESOL Levels of the program. If a student is not assessed correctly for appropriate placement, the student may become frustrated and not complete the program. Students should be informed about program expectations regarding attendance, completion, etc. They should also be given class information as well as information about placement level promotion.
Student Performance Levels (SPLs) are a measure of student English language proficiency based on a standardized assessment such as CASAS, BEST or BEST Plus. Student Performance Levels and were developed with the help of staff from seven geographically diverse programs that were participating in the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Mainstream English Language Training (MELT) Project in the 1980s.
The primary goals of the MELT Project were to provide consistency among ORR-funded
programs in the United States, continuity between the domestic
and overseas training programs (mostly in Southeast Asia),
and guidance for curriculum development, establishment of
instructional levels, and assessment. Most Adult ESOL standardized
assessments include the Student Performance Levels (SPLs)
which are cited as test benchmarks by the NRS. The MELT
Project also provided guidance for curriculum development
with a core curriculum document that correlated topics and
competencies to the SPLs.
Since the 1980s, student performance levels have been the standard throughout the U.S. for test and curriculum development
Related reading: Perspectives on Assessment in Adult ESOL by Carol Van Duzer.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 0-1
Listening/Speaking:
- Functions minimally, if at all, in English.
- Communicates only through gestures and a few isolated words.*
Reading/Writing:
- May not be literate in any language.*
- Reads below 4th grade level in native language.*
Employability:
- Handles very routine entry-level jobs that do not require oral or written communication in English and are easily demonstrated; therefore, employment choices would be limited.*
*The difference between Adult ESOL/English Literacy
and Literacy Levels of proficiency are similar, differing
only by the student's literacy in his/her native language.
Non-literate, semi-literate or pre-literate students will
need to also be taught basic literacy along with communication
skills. The student's home language literacy should be determined
by the Native
Language Literacy Screening.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 0-1
(180 or below on CASAS but literate in native language)
Listening/Speaking:
- Functions minimally, if at all, in English.
- Communicates only through gestures and a few isolated words.
Reading/Writing:
- Recognizes limited sight words or "environmental" print (emergency signs, "men, women").
- Reads and writes at the single word or very basic sentence word level in English but is literate in native language.
Employability:
- Handles very routine entry-level jobs that only basic, single-word oral or written communication in English and are easily demonstrated; therefore, employment choices would be limited.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 2
Listening/Speaking:
- Functions in a very limited way in situations related to immediate needs.
- Asks and responds to basic learned phrases spoken slowly and repeated often.
- Can respond to simple questions about personal everyday activities.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and understands most sight words.
- Writes own name and address.
- Can read and write some familiar words and phrases in English.
Employability:
- Handles routine entry level jobs where tasks can be demonstrated or conveyed in simple, basic written or oral instruction.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 3
Listening/Speaking:
- Functions with some difficulty in situations related to immediate needs.
- Handles oral communication using basic learned phrases and sentences.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and writes letters, numbers, a limited amount of basic sight words, and simple phrases related to immediate needs.
- Writes basic personal information on simplified forms.
Employability:
- Handles routine entry-level jobs that involve only the basic oral or written communication in English and in which all tasks can be demonstrated.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 4
Listening/Speaking:
- Satisfies basic survival needs and very routine social demands.
- Understands simple learned phrases easily and some new simple phrases containing familiar vocabulary, spoken slowly with frequent repetition.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and interprets simple material on familiar topics.
- Reads and interprets simple directions, schedules, signs, maps, and menus.
- Fills out forms requiring basic personal information and writes short, simple notes and messages based on familiar situations.
Employability:
- Handles entry-level jobs that involve some simple oral and written communication in which tasks can also be demonstrated and/or clarified orally.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 5
Listening/Speaking:
- Satisfies basic survival needs and limited social demands.
- Follows oral directions in familiar contexts.
- Has limited ability to understand on the telephone.
- Easily understands learned and new phrases containing familiar vocabulary.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and interprets simplified and some authentic material on familiar subjects.
- Writes messages or notes related to basic needs.
- Fills out basic medical forms and job applications.
Employability:
- Handles jobs and/or training that involve following basic oral and written instructions and diagrams if they can be clarified orally.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 6
Listening/Speaking:
- Can handle jobs and job training situations that involve following oral and simple written instructions, multi-step diagrams and limited public contact.
- Can read a simple employee handbook.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and interprets simplified and some non-simplified materials on familiar topics.
- Interprets simple charts, graphs, labels and a payroll stub.
- Completes a simple order form, fills out medical information forms and job applications. Writes short personal notes and letters and makes simple log entries.
Employability:
- Handles jobs and job-training situations that involve following simple oral / written instructions and multi-step diagrams.
- Has limited public contact.
- Reads a simple employee handbook.
(Students at the higher end of this level are able to begin GED preparation.)
SPL (Student Performance Level) 7 and above
Listening/Speaking:
- Functions independently in survival, social, and work situations.
- Clarifies general meaning and communicates on the telephone on familiar topics.
Reading/Writing:
- Reads and interprets non-simplified materials on everyday subjects.
- Interprets routine charts, graphs, and labels; fills out medical information forms and job applications; and writes an accident or incident report.
Employability:
- Understands routine work-related conversations.
- Handles work that involves following oral and simple written instructions and interacts with the public.
- Performs reading and writing tasks, such as most logs, reports, and forms, with reasonable accuracy to meet work needs.
SPL (Student Performance Level) 8
Listening/Speaking:
- Participates effectively in social and familiar work situations.
- Understands and participates in practical and social conversations and in technical discussions in own field.
Reading/Writing:
- Handles most reading and writing tasks related to life roles.
- Reads and interprets most non-simplified materials.
- Interprets routine charts, graphs, and labels; fill out medical information forms and job applications.
Employability:
- Meets work demands with confidence, interacts with the public, and follows written instructions in work manuals.
Standardized assessments, such as the CASAS, BEST or BEST Plus will provide Student Performance Level correlation to test scores. Additionally, NRS reporting guidelines for students initial and subsequent Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) are based on student performance levels. Students can often function at two different performance levels in different skills such as listening/speaking or reading. Therefore, students tested on CASAS must be placed by the lower of two scores to ensure that the instruction is not too complex for the students lowest performance or proficiency level.
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