STANAG 6001 PLUS LEVEL WORKSHOP BUREAU FOR INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE CO-ORDINATION STANAG 6001 PLUS LEVEL WORKSHOP ROME, 2009

Participants: Marc Issele – Belgium Maria Watton - Italy Donald Fischer - USA Hollie West- ACTFL/USA Branka Petek - Slovenia Maryjo DiBiase - Italy Geshe Sutter - Germany David Moore - USA Jaroslaw Grabowski - Poland Elvira Swender - ACTFL/USA Jana Vasily-Begovic James Dirgin - USA

INTRODUCTION PURPOSE: Creating awareness and common understanding of plus level descriptions of STANAG 6001

DEFINITION... ….SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDS BASE LEVEL BUT UNABLE TO SUSTAIN AT THE NEXT LEVEL….STANAG 6001

Questions and Issues surrounding “plus level” performance…

Few Principles to remember... F The Threshold Principle F The Range Principle F The “Mastery” Principle F The Relative Contributions Principle

Where does the plus level performance appear in the range?...more than halfway!

How much does a plus level have to exceed the threshold base level? Substantially...

- How does a plus level user perform at the next level?...does not fully or consistently meet all of the criteria for the next level!

OK...Maybe not “meet all”... But does a plus level user have to meet any of the criteria at the next level?

All of the time? -All of the time? -Most of the time? -Some of the time? - None of the time? “Mostly” usually means more than “some” and less than “all”…

A person performing with a certain degree (mostly?) of “core” accuracy requirements for that level is usually considered to have the “mastery” at that level, meeting the sustainment requirements for the level… %100 accuracy expectation at a level, including for plus level performance, is too high. User operating at %100 accuracy is most likely at the next level--or more... Accuracy & Sustainment

What are we really looking for in plus levels? Certain factors may have “relatively” more significant and important contributions at different levels… These features are more prevalent at plus levels, through the presence salient core features of the next level. Ex.: Organization and abstract linguistic formulations are hallmark of L3, therefore must be observed at L2+ as well...

PLUS LEVELS 1) Can be very useful and efficient to “better understand” the base levels surrounding a plus level. For instance: Level 2 and Level 3 become more clearly defined when one understands, uses and applies 2+ definitions and constructs.

2) facilitate better understanding of the core principles of the STANAG system, leading to better understanding of... the range of performances the degree of deficiency critical factor(s) that are not sustained 3) help diagnosing user deficiencies in the critical linguistic elements and factors - washback to the classroom and curriculum PLUS LEVELS

4) allow finer granulation - more precision help program managers save time and resources in placement, advancement, and more realistic expectations. Ex.: A program manager may be willing to send L2+ user to a L3 program versus a threshold L2, who will clearly not benefit from the program or fail the task clearly and miserably (-$$$). Without plus rating, both will appear as “L2” users without distinction.

5) It is essential to understand, appreciate, and focus on the differences among: plus level testing plus level rating plus level performance

6) Language proficiency appears in a continuum... Plus levels are the zones where transition and overlapping between base levels are not only most apparent, but also the most volatile, unstable, and confusing.

7) There is still a long way to go before we can fully explore and standardize plus level concepts and approaches to testing, teaching, and working with plus levels.

Plus……..

THANK YOU!