Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Kindergarten
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) kindergarten standards address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the kindergarten student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to
express ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out,
demonstrate an action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
greetings, classroom objects, story characters, letters, and following one-step directions with
prompting.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use
forms of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use
pictures, actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus
on familiar stories, beginning to identify parts of a book, learning the alphabet, distinguishing upper
and lowercase letters, writing his or her name, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions
on familiar topics. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use forms of nonverbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on making simple
statements, retelling stories and texts, paraphrasing, using adjectives, and following one-step and twostep directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively
in social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may
continue to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon
verbal skills. Learning objectives focus on rhyming words, retelling stories with richer vocabulary,
incorporating grammatical rules, following one-step and two-step directions, and comprehending
English spoken at a normal speed.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and
academic settings and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Occasional errors may
occur. Learning objectives focus on narration and retelling using details and adjectives, paraphrasing
events in greater detail, identifying punctuation marks, following two-step and three-step directions,
and reading or interpreting their own writing with few errors.
Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and
academic expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives
focus on retelling, narrating, paraphrasing, producing rhyming words independently, recognizing
familiar environmental print, following three-step directions with no difficulties, and reading or
interpreting their own writing with very few errors.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade One
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade one address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the first grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on greetings, classroom
objects, letters, choral reading of simple text, copying simple words, distinguishing upper and lowercase
letters, and following one-step directions with prompting.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on familiar
stories and retelling them with gestures and simple words, identifying parts of a book, learning the
alphabet, distinguishing upper and lowercase letters, writing his or her name, and following one-step and
two-step directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use forms of non-verbal
communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on making simple statements,
retelling stories and texts, identifying main idea and other elements of a story, identifying all parts of a
book, recognizing basic punctuation, paraphrasing, using adjectives, correcting their own writing, and
following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on sequencing, distinguishing long and short vowels, retelling stories with richer
vocabulary, incorporating grammatical rules, writing all letters of the alphabet, writing simple sentences
and editing them, following one-step and two-step directions, and comprehending English spoken at a
normal speed.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings. Occasional errors may occur. They rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication.
Learning objectives focus on narration and retelling using details and adjectives, paraphrasing events in
detail, speaking with correct intonation and modulation, identifying punctuation marks, applying
syllabication rules, following two-step and three-step directions, and reading or interpreting their own
writing with few errors.
Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on retelling
by using facts and details, narrating without difficulty, paraphrasing with fluency, speaking with correct
intonation and modulation without errors, producing rhyming words independently, recognizing familiar
environmental print, following three-step directions with no difficulties, and reading or interpreting their
own writing with very few errors.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Two
The DEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade two address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the second grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on greetings, classroom
objects, letters, recognizing and writing his or her name, identifying characters in simple text, copying
simple words and phrases, distinguishing upper and lowercase letters, and following one-step directions
with prompting.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on familiar
stories and retelling them with gestures and simple words, identifying parts of a book, identifying basic
elements of a story, recognizing all letters of the alphabet in spoken and written form, distinguishing upper
and lowercase letters, reading simple text aloud, writing his or her name, composing simple sentences, and
following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, students may
use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying all upper and lowercase letters, distinguishing between short and long vowel sounds, beginning
to produce word families, making simple statements, retelling stories and texts using some adjectives,
identifying main idea and other elements of a story, identifying all parts of a book, making predictions,
recognizing basic punctuation, paraphrasing, speaking in comprehensible English, correcting their own
writing, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on sequencing, distinguishing long and short vowels and self-correcting them,
retelling stories and grade-level text with richer vocabulary and adjectives, making predictions,
incorporating grammatical rules, writing all letters of the alphabet, writing simple sentences and editing
them, reading aloud with fluency, following one-step and two-step directions, and comprehending English
spoken at a normal speed.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings with few errors and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Learning objectives
focus on narration and retelling using details and adjectives, comprehending oral presentations on familiar
and unfamiliar topics, responding to interrogatives, paraphrasing events in detail, speaking using consistent
grammatical forms, speaking with correct intonation and modulation, using punctuation marks correctly,
composing more complex sentences, following two-step and three-step directions, increasing reading
stamina, and reading or interpreting their own writing with few errors.
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Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on retelling
grade-level text by using facts and details, comprehending oral presentations on all topics, narrating
without difficulty, paraphrasing with fluency, speaking with correct intonation and modulation without
errors, producing rhyming words independently, recognizing environmental print, demonstrating
familiarity with a variety of types of literature, following three-step directions with no difficulties,
composing written work in response to grade-level text, increasing reading stamina, and reading or
interpreting their own writing with very few errors.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Three
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade three address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the third grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on greetings, classroom
objects, repeating modeled language, developing book and print awareness, demonstrating a sense of story
and sequence, copying and appropriately spacing letters, printing first and last name, drawing pictures and
using letters to illustrate experiences, copying to compose simple sentences, and following one-step
directions.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on using oneword responses to answer familiar questions, demonstrating comprehension of oral presentations, using
simple words and phrases to ask questions, retelling familiar stories using gestures, identifying common
word families, reading simple texts, printing legibly, using correct word order and spacing, spelling
emergent sight words, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying elements of a story, retelling text with limited vocabulary and adjectives, using decoding
strategies to understand text, making predictions, using capitalization, editing writing for spelling, and
following one-step and two-step directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on responding to questions spoken at normal speed, using expanded vocabulary
for discourse, retelling text with less difficulty, using phonetic knowledge and structural analysis to decode
words, asking interrogatives to interpret text, distinguishing between fact and opinion, reading self-selected
texts independently, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Few errors may occur. Learning
objectives focus on speaking correct grammar and intonation on a variety of topics. Occasional difficulty
may occur. Students retell and paraphrase in detail, identify elements of fiction and non-fiction, use
capitalization and punctuation automatically, spell grade-level words with little assistance, edit writing, and
following two-step and three-step directions.
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Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
responding appropriately with no difficulty to conversational and academic expressions spoken at normal
speed. Learning objectives also focus on retelling and narrating in detail, making presentations using gradelevel vocabulary, speaking English with few errors using correct grammar and intonation, reading silently
or aloud with fluency, using features of text to demonstrate comprehension, and following two-step and
three-step directions.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Four
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade four address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the fourth grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on greetings, classroom
objects, repeating modeled language, developing book and print awareness, demonstrating a sense of story
and sequence, copying and appropriately spacing letters, printing first and last name, drawing pictures and
using letters to illustrate experiences, copying to compose simple sentences, and following one-step
directions.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level begin to use simple words and phrases while continuing to
use forms of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use
pictures, actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
using one-word responses to answer familiar questions, demonstrating comprehension of oral presentations,
using simple words and phrases to ask questions, retelling familiar stories using gestures, identifying
common word families, recalling facts and details from text, printing legibly, using correct word order and
spacing, spelling emergent sight words, composing simple sentences, and following one-step and two-step
directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying elements of a story, retelling text with limited vocabulary and adjectives, using decoding
strategies to understand text, making predictions, using capitalization, editing writing for spelling and
subject/verb agreement, writing logical sentences in sequence, and following one-step and two-step
directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on responding to questions spoken at normal speed, using expanded vocabulary
for discourse, retelling text with less difficulty, using phonetic knowledge and structural analysis to decode
words, using reference materials to understand unknown words in text, distinguishing between fact and
opinion, reading self-selected texts independently, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings with few errors and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Learning objectives
focus on speaking on a variety of topics using correct grammar and intonation; students may experience
occasional difficulty. Learning objectives also focus on retelling and paraphrasing in detail, identifying
elements of fiction and non-fiction, using capitalization and punctuation automatically, spelling grade-level
words with little assistance, editing writing, and following two-step and three-step directions.
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Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
responding appropriately to conversational and academic expressions spoken with no difficulty at normal
speed; students should not experience any difficulty. Learning objectives also focus on retelling and
narrating in detail, making presentations using grade-level vocabulary, speaking English with few errors
using correct grammar and intonation, reading silently or aloud with fluency, using features of text to
demonstrate comprehension, composing multiple paragraphs with coherent elaboration, and following twostep and three-step directions.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Five
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade five address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the fifth grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on greetings, classroom
objects, presenting their own ideas through non-verbal communication, developing book and print
awareness, demonstrating a sense of story and sequence, copying and appropriately spacing letters, printing
first and last name, drawing pictures and using letters to illustrate experiences, copying to compose simple
sentences, and following one-step directions.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on using oneword responses to answer familiar questions, demonstrating comprehension of oral presentations, using
simple words and phrases to ask questions, retelling familiar stories using gestures, identifying common
word families, recalling facts and details from text, reading simple text, printing legibly, using correct word
order and spacing, spelling emergent sight words, composing simple sentences, and following one-step and
two-step directions.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying elements of a story, retelling text with limited vocabulary and adjectives, beginning to speak in
comprehensible English, using decoding strategies to understand text, making predictions, recalling basic
facts from text, increasing reading stamina, using capitalization, composing one paragraph with a topic
sentence, editing writing for spelling and subject/verb agreement, and following one-step and two-step
directions.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on responding to questions spoken at normal speed, using expanded vocabulary
for discourse, retelling text with less difficulty, using phonetic knowledge and structural analysis to decode
words, using reference materials to understand unknown words in text, distinguishing between fact and
opinion, reading self-selected texts independently, and following one-step and two-step directions.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings with few errors and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Learning objectives
focus on speaking correct grammar and intonation on a variety of topics; students may experience
occasional difficulty. Learning objectives also focus on retelling and paraphrasing in detail, identifying
elements of fiction and non-fiction, using capitalization and punctuation automatically, spelling grade-level
words with little assistance, editing writing, and following two-step and three-step directions.
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Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
responding appropriately to conversational and academic expressions spoken at normal speed; students
should not experience any difficulty. Learning objectives also focus on retelling and narrating in detail,
making presentations using grade-level vocabulary, speaking English using correct grammar and intonation
with few errors, reading silently or aloud with fluency, using features of text to demonstrate
comprehension, composing multiple paragraphs with coherent elaboration, and following two-step and
three-step directions.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Six
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade six address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the sixth grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on developing awareness of
English phonemes, responding appropriately to classroom directions, recognizing and pronouncing most
letters of the alphabet, responding with one- or two-word answers, recognizing common greetings,
developing print awareness, writing all letters of the alphabet, copying from printed text, labeling, and
writing simple sentences.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
demonstrating basic understanding of previewed vocabulary, speaking with simple words and phrases,
asking simple questions, developing an understanding of letter patterns and word families, increasing
comprehension of simple text, reading familiar text, spelling high frequency words, writing a personal
narrative, using present and past tenses, and using a bilingual dictionary.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying key details from oral presentations, differentiating between minimal pairs, participating in
guided discussions, retelling information, identifying figurative and idiomatic language, responding to
different literary genres, increasing reading fluency, taking simple notes, producing simple paragraphs, and
writing simple responses to content area texts.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on identifying main idea and details, recognizing differences in regional
pronunciation, developing familiarity with language conventions, using verb tenses accurately, initiating
and sustaining conversations, paraphrasing, comprehending grade-level text with assistance, recognizing
some literary techniques, taking detailed notes, and constructing more advanced paragraphs.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Few errors may occur. Learning
objectives focus on applying appropriate criteria to evaluate the quality of communication, drawing
conclusions, using moderately complex grammar structures in speech, conducting conversations with a
high level of fluency, interpreting information in grade-level texts with assistance, applying critical
thinking strategies, reading a variety of different genres, writing multi-paragraph essays using the writing
process, and writing to a variety of audiences using different styles.
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Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
interacting appropriately in group settings, extending vocabulary knowledge by internalizing new words
and idioms, narrating coherently with detail, reflecting on personal learning, preparing presentations,
explaining text elements, developing critical stance, increasing fluency and comprehension, exploring the
role of dialects, writing in logs or journals, exploring the problem-solution process, applying proofreading
symbols when editing, and using reference materials appropriately.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Seven
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade seven address the domains of Listening,
Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the seventh grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on developing awareness of
English phonemes, responding appropriately to classroom directions, recognizing and pronouncing most
letters of the alphabet, recognizing and repeating simple vocabulary, recognizing common greetings,
developing print awareness, reading simple and predictable text, writing all letters of the alphabet, copying
from printed text, labeling, writing simple sentences, and beginning to use a bilingual dictionary to aid
writing and spelling.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
understanding English phonemes, demonstrating basic understanding of previewed vocabulary, speaking
with simple words and phrases, asking simple questions, developing an understanding of letter patterns and
word families, increasing comprehension of simple text, reading familiar and sequential text, spelling high
frequency words, writing simple sentences, writing a personal narrative, using present and past tenses,
incorporating irregular past tense verbs in writing, and using a bilingual dictionary.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying key details from oral presentations, differentiating between minimal pairs, developing an
awareness of language conventions, participating in guided discussions, retelling, participating in short oral
presentations on academic topics, identifying figurative and idiomatic language in text, increasing reading
fluency, producing simple paragraphs, and writing simple responses to content area texts.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on identifying main idea and details, differentiating between minimal pairs,
recognizing differences in regional pronunciation, developing familiarity with language conventions, using
verb tenses accurately, initiating and sustaining conversations, paraphrasing, comprehending grade-level
text with assistance, recognizing some literary techniques, analyzing text, expressing opinions, and
constructing more advanced paragraphs.
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Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings with few errors and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Learning objectives
focus on applying appropriate criteria to evaluate the quality of communication, drawing conclusions, using
moderately complex grammar structures in speech, incorporating figurative language and idioms,
conducting conversations with a high level of fluency, interpreting information in grade-level texts with
assistance, applying critical thinking strategies, increasing reading fluency, reading a variety of different
genres, writing multi-paragraph essays using the writing process, and writing to a variety of audiences
using different styles.
Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
interacting appropriately in group settings, extending vocabulary knowledge, narrating coherently with
detail, using complex language structures, preparing presentations, explaining text elements, analyzing
grade-level texts, developing critical stance, expressing complex ideas sequentially, exploring the role of
dialects, writing in logs or journals, exploring the problem-solution process, applying proofreading symbols
when editing, and using reference materials appropriately.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grade Eight
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grade eight address the domains of
Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of the eighth grade student.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to express
ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out, demonstrate an
action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on developing awareness of
English phonemes, responding appropriately to classroom directions, recognizing and pronouncing most
letters of the alphabet, recognizing and repeating simple vocabulary, recognizing common greetings,
developing print awareness, reading simple and predictable text, writing all letters of the alphabet, copying
from printed text, labeling, writing simple sentences, and beginning to use a bilingual dictionary to aid
writing and spelling.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use forms
of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use pictures,
actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
understanding English phonemes, demonstrating basic understanding of previewed vocabulary, speaking
with simple words and phrases, asking simple questions, developing an understanding of letter patterns and
word families, increasing comprehension of simple text, reading familiar and sequential text, spelling high
frequency words, writing simple sentences, writing a personal narrative, using present and past tenses,
incorporating irregular past tense verbs in writing, and using a bilingual dictionary.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
identifying key details from oral presentations, differentiating between minimal pairs, developing an
awareness of language conventions, participating in guided discussions, retelling, participating in short oral
presentations on academic topics, identifying figurative and idiomatic language in text, increasing reading
fluency, producing simple paragraphs, and writing simple responses to content area texts.
Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively in
social and academic conversations and presentations. Occasional difficulty may occur. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal skills.
Learning objectives focus on identifying main idea and details, differentiating between minimal pairs,
recognizing differences in regional pronunciation, developing familiarity with language conventions, using
verb tenses accurately, initiating and sustaining conversations, paraphrasing with details, comprehending
grade-level text with assistance, recognizing some literary techniques, analyzing text, beginning to learn
cursive writing, expressing opinions, and constructing more advanced paragraphs.
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Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings with few errors and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Learning objectives
focus on applying appropriate criteria to evaluate the quality of communication, drawing conclusions, using
moderately complex grammar structures in speech, incorporating figurative language and idioms,
conducting conversations with a high level of fluency, recognizing errors in speech, interpreting
information in grade-level texts with assistance, applying critical thinking strategies, increasing reading
fluency, reading a variety of different genres, writing multi-paragraph essays using the writing process, and
writing to a variety of audiences using different styles.
Superior
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulties when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
interacting appropriately in group settings, extending vocabulary knowledge, narrating coherently with
detail, leading small group discussions, using complex language structures, preparing presentations,
explaining text elements, analyzing grade-level texts, developing critical stance, expressing complex ideas
sequentially, exploring the role of dialects, writing in logs or journals, exploring the problem-solution
process, applying proofreading symbols when editing, creating a research product in written and
presentational form, producing final drafts with correct spelling and conventions, and using reference
materials appropriately.
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Achievement Levels for IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT)
Grades Nine through Twelve
The IDEA English Language Proficiency Test (IPT) standards at grades nine through twelve address the
domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing as appropriate to the needs of students at grades nine
through twelve.
Novice Low Level
Students performing at the Novice Low Level use various forms of non-verbal communication to
express ideas and demonstrate basic comprehension. They may point, touch, match, draw, act out,
demonstrate an action, or play games to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus on
distinguishing between minimal pairs, identifying meaning of non-verbal cues, developing basic
academic vocabulary, following one- and two-step directions with modeling, recognizing some
academic language conventions, recognizing and pronouncing most of the English alphabet, repeating
words and phrases correctly, speaking with simple words and phrases, developing phonemic
awareness, recognizing common environmental print, understanding directionality, recognizing
cardinal and ordinal numbers, locating and using resource materials, copying words and phrases,
developing an awareness of sentence styles, using basic conventions when writing, and recognizing
characteristics of American high schools.
Novice High Level
Students performing at the Novice High Level use simple words and phrases while continuing to use
forms of non-verbal communication to express ideas and demonstrate comprehension. They may use
pictures, actions, and limited verbal responses to show their understanding. Learning objectives focus
on distinguishing between minimal pairs, identifying meaning of non-verbal cues, developing basic
academic vocabulary, following one- and two-step directions with modeling, recognizing some
academic language conventions, recognizing and pronouncing most of the English alphabet, using tone
of voice and gestures to enhance meaning, preparing and delivering short presentations, increasing
phonemic awareness, recognizing common environmental print, identifying cognates, identifying
sequence in stories, using resource materials, copying words and phrases, writing simple sentences and
paragraphs with basic conventions, and recognizing characteristics of American high schools.
Intermediate Low Level
Students performing at the Intermediate Low Level use limited vocabulary to participate in discussions on
familiar topics spoken at normal speed. Periods of momentary silence may occur. In addition, they may use
forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension. Learning objectives focus on
demonstrating an understanding of English phonemes, knowing the essential content of messages and
greetings, following one- and two-step directions, demonstrating comprehension of various literary genres,
participating in group discourse, using tone of voice and gestures to enhance meaning, applying
grammatical patterns in speech, incorporating idioms, self-correcting basic vocabulary and grammar,
retelling and restating, making predictions, identifying basic text features, identifying elements of fiction
and non-fiction, using reference materials, discerning cultural variations represented in texts, learning
guided note-taking, writing paragraphs on familiar topics, editing their own writing, and recognizing
characteristics of American high schools.
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Intermediate High Level
Students performing at the Intermediate High Level use expanded vocabulary to participate effectively
in social and academic conversations and presentations with occasional difficulty. They may continue
to use forms of non-verbal communication to demonstrate comprehension but rely more upon verbal
skills. Learning objectives focus on developing more complex academic vocabulary, comprehending
academic questions spoken at normal speed, following multi-step directions, demonstrating
comprehension of various literary genres, participating in group discourse, using appropriate stress and
intonation, applying grammatical patterns in speech, negotiating meaning, paraphrasing, identifying
elements of fiction and non-fiction, beginning to understand elements of poetry, using reference
materials, discerning cultural variations represented in texts, learning guided note-taking, writing
multi-paragraph essays with complex sentence styles, and editing their own grammar and writing
conventions.
Advanced Level
Students performing at the Advanced Level use expanded vocabulary effectively in social and academic
settings and rely much less on forms of non-verbal communication. Few errors may occur. Learning
objectives focus on comprehending academic questions spoken at normal speed, following multi-step
directions on academic topics, demonstrating comprehension of various literary genres, initiating and
participating in group discourse, preparing and delivering presentations, elaborating effectively using
description and comparison, developing reading fluency, analyzing text and evaluating literature,
understanding the elements of poetry, using reference materials, discerning cultural variations represented
in texts, identifying literary elements of fiction and non-fiction, writing about complex themes, reflecting,
evaluating, analyzing and responding to texts, and examining cause-effect relationships.
Superior Level
Students at the Superior Level perform without difficulty when interpreting conversational and academic
expressions of grade-level concepts when spoken at a normal speed. Learning objectives focus on
understanding academic language conventions across content areas, making oral presentations that include
an introduction and conclusion, using appropriate ways of speaking based on purpose, audience, and
subject matter, analyzing literature, interpreting literary themes, examining the relationships between
authors and their works, defining issues and using argument effectively, critically analyzing how literature
relates to historical and current viewpoints, applying conventions of grammar and language usage, and
critiquing characteristics of cultural variations represented in texts.
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