Volunteering in ESL

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What do the terms beginner, intermediate, and advanced really mean? Unfortunately the definitions vary among institutions. The following guide for oral communication ability, though subjective, may be useful if your program does not have its own definitions of performance standards:

• True Beginner
  • Very limited communication in English
  • Uses gestures and 1-3 word utterances
• Beginner
  • Communicates with difficulty and many errors
  • Very simple, unelaborated answers
  • Many hesitations
  • No ability to extend conversation
  • Uses simple grammar & vocabulary
• Low Intermediate
  • Communicates understandably with some errors
  • Simple answers and little elaboration
  • Attempts interactive conversation
  • Attempts more complex grammar
• High Intermediate
  • Communicates fairly well
  • Some elaboration, especially on familiar topics
  • Can converse with errors and some hesitations
  • Uses more complex grammar & vocabulary
• Advanced
  • Communicates well with occasional errors
  • Converses with lots of elaboration and interaction
  • Errors don't hinder communication
  • Uses advanced grammar & vocabulary

The Canadian College of Business and Language has developed the following series of ESL level descriptors that encompass reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

• ESL Level Descriptors (Canadian College of Business and Language)
  Descriptions of seven ESL levels introductory through upper advanced.

Your volunteer program may or may not have its own system for assessing student language levels. If you work with a student one-on-one, knowing the 'level' is not as critical as knowing the student; you will soon discover strengths and weaknesses and develop a sense of what your student can or can't handle. However, if you work with more than one learner, your task will be much easier if they are all near the same language level. For this reason, many programs test language levels for all new students for placement purposes. The following is a sample intake test based on the above performance descriptions. Testing instructions are found on page two. An accompanying page of drawings has not been included due to copyright.

• Sample Intake Test
  Sample interview test for oral communication ability from International Students Inc. at Colorado State University; used by permission.

Two standardized language assessment systems widely used in adult education are the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) and the Basic English Skills Test (BEST). More information on these is available below.

• CASAS - Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
  The "Life Skills Assessment" is used in many adult ESL programs to measure English ability in listening, reading, writing, speaking (interview), and math. It is appropriate for all English levels. Training is required to administer the test. Contact CASAS for cost information.
• BEST - Basic English Skills Test (Center for Applied Linguistics)
  Several states including Colorado utilize the BEST for their adult ESL programs. Scores are correlated to 10 performance levels zero ability through native speaker. There is a 15-minute oral interview section scoring communication, fluency, pronunciation, and listening, and a 1-hour literary skills section scoring reading and writing. A short form of the oral interview is available scoring communication and fluency through performance level 7. A test administration training video is available. Contact the Center for Applied Linguistics for cost information.