The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), has created reliable tests delivered by Language Testing International (LTI), that measure a subject\u2019s ability to achieve various measures of proficiency when reading in a second language. Second language acquisition usually entails much more than simply studying another language for a few years on one\u2019s own or in a classroom. To attain high levels of native-like competence in reading can sometimes require years of complete immersion in both the culture and the language itself. This allows an individual to not only understand standard versions of the language, but also to understand the more colloquial aspects of language that native speakers use in their vernacular. To live, study, or work in a target culture successfully, it is imperative to be literate in that target language.
\n
\nThere has been renewed interest and emphasis on language literacy in the past few years as 21st century global citizens need to not only speak a second language but also read and write in that language as well.\u00a0A truly effective test of reading proficiency assesses a candidate\u2019s ability to comprehend and understand a variety of different kinds of real-world texts. Testing for a person\u2019s understanding of grammatical rules and lists of vocabulary is neither an effective nor an accurate measure of true reading ability and literacy.<\/p>\n
To get a more realistic understanding of what candidates\u2019 actual reading proficiency levels are, it\u2019s important to establish not only what kinds of texts they can comprehend, but what kinds of texts they can\u2019t. In so doing, one can establish both a \u201cfloor\u201d and a \u201cceiling\u201d for their reading proficiency levels, which indicate the different types of texts and associated aspects of language in which they can successfully operate. For example, some speakers may have little difficulty with a straightforward news passage, but they would struggle if presented with classical literature filled\u00a0 with analogies, metaphors, and indirectly stated points.<\/p>\n