Level	Characteristics	APPROXIMATE Time Frame	Teacher Prompts
1 Low Beginner (Beginning)	The student has minimal comprehension does not verbalize nods "yes" and "no" draws and points	0 - 6 months	Show me... Circle the... Where is...? Who has...?

Points to consider:

• Students tend to "straddle" phases; they do not completely move from one stage directly to the next.
• Depending on students' previous schooling experience, the time frame for learning language may be faster or slower.

Level 2: Early Intermediate

A Level 2 student is developing the ability to communicate in English within the school context. Errors impeded basic communication and comprehension. Lexical, syntactic, phonological, and discourse features of English are emerging.

Stage	Characteristics	APPROXIMATE Time Frame	Teacher Prompts
2 High Beginner (Early Intermediate)	The student has limited comprehension produces one- or two- word responses uses present tense verbs	6 months - 1 year	Yes/No questions Either/or questions One- or two- word answers Lists Labels

Points to consider:

• Students tend to "straddle" phases; they do not completely move from one stage directly to the next.
• Depending on students' previous schooling experience, the time frame for learning language may be faster or slower.

Level 3: Intermediate

A Level 3 student is developing the ability to communicate effectively in English across a range of grade-level appropriate language demands in the school context. Errors interfere with communication and comprehension. Repetition and negotiation are often needed. The student exhibits a limited range of lexical, syntactic, phonological, and discourse features when addressing new and familiar topics.

Stage	Characteristics	APPROXIMATE Time Frame	Teacher Prompts
3 Low Intermediate (Intermediate)	The student has good comprehension can produce simple sentences makes grammatical and pronunciation errors frequently misunderstands jokes and idioms	1 - 3 years	Why...? How...? Explain... Phrase or short-sentence answers

Points to consider:

• Students tend to "straddle" phases; they do not completely move from one stage directly to the next.
• Depending on students' previous schooling experience, the time frame for learning language may be faster or slower.

Level 4: Proficient

A Level 4 student communicates effectively in English across a range of grade-level appropriate language demands in the school context, even though errors occur. The student exhibits productive and receptive control of lexical, syntactic, phonological, and discourse features when addressing new and familiar topics.

Stage	Characteristics	APPROXIMATE Time Frame	Teacher Prompts
4 High Intermediate (Proficient)	The student has excellent comprehension (Listening and Reading) Makes few grammatical errors	3 - 5 years	What would happen if...? Why do you think...?

Points to consider:

• Students tend to "straddle" phases; they do not completely move from one stage directly to the next.
• Depending on students' previous schooling experience, the time frame for learning language may be faster or slower.

Level 5: Above Proficient

A Level 5 student communicates effectively in English, with few if any errors, across a wide range of grade-level appropriate language demands in the school context. The student commands a high degree of productive and receptive control of lexical, syntactic, phonological, and discourse features when addressing new and familiar topics.

Stage	Characteristics	APPROXIMATE Time Frame	Teacher Prompts
5 Advanced (Above Proficient)	The student has a near-native level of speech (mechanically and linguistically, not necessarily through pronunciation.)	5 - 7 years	Decide if... Retell... Evaluate the argument

Points to consider:

• Students tend to "straddle" phases; they do not completely move from one stage directly to the next.
• Depending on students' previous schooling experience, the time frame for learning language may be faster or slower.