6 It is backed by organizational support and has its own principles and
values.
Professional organizations in teaching and language teaching have sought
to obtain greater recognition for teachers and language teachers as pro-
fessionals and for improvements in the status and rewards due to them as a
consequence.proficiencyn
see language proficiency
proficiency level n
a description of a language learner’s level of performance in a target language,
often described in terms of beginner level, intermediate levelor advanced
level. Proficiency levels are often used to describe difficulty levels of language
courses and language teaching materials.
see common european framework
proficiency scale n
a description in the form of band levels on a scale and which describe what a
student is able to do in the different skill areas at different stages in a language
programme. Proficiency scales have been widely used as a framework for
organizing language programme and courses and as a basis for the assess-
ment of language ability in a second or foreign language.
see common european framework, foreign service institute, foreign
service institute oral interview
proficiency testn
a test that measures how much of a language someone has learned. The
difference between a proficiency test and an achievement test is that the
latter is usually designed to measure how much a student has learned from
a particular course or syllabus. A proficiency test is not linked to a particular
course of instruction, but measures the learner’s general level of language
mastery. Although this may be a result of previous instruction and learning,
these factors are not the focus of attention. Some proficiency tests have been
standardized for worldwide use, such as the American toefl that is used to
measure the English language proficiency of international students who
wish to study in the USA.
see also achievement test
profile^1 n
also profiling
proficiency