Professional Development

2017 Intercultural Can-Do Statements

The 2017 NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements, the result of collaboration between the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guide:

• Language learners to identify and set learning goals and chart their progress towards language and intercultural proficiency;
• Educators to write communication learning targets for curriculum, unit and lesson plans;
• Stakeholders to clarify how well learners at different stages can communicate.

The statements are organized according to the Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication as described in the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages:

• Interpretive Communication:  Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
• Interpersonal Communication:  Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.
• Presentational Communication:  Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.

Aligned with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines 2012 and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors for Language Learners the Can-Do Statements reflect the continuum of growth in communication skills through the Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, and Distinguished levels.
The NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements for Intercultural Communication and the Reflection Tool for Learners provide a set of examples and scenarios that show how learners use the target language and knowledge of culture to demonstrate their Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). (https://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/ncssfl-actfl-can-do-statements)

On November 7, the ERC, along with 70 other area educators, participated in the Ohio Department of Education’s 2017 Intercultural Can-Do Statements professional development. The day was a deep dive into standards-aligned classroom assignments, model curriculum, and curricular analysis.

To request an Intercultural Can-Do Statements consultation, please contact the ERC.