ACTFL-aligned curricula set performance targets per unit, build every unit around the three modes of
communication, and assess them with an Integrated Performance Assessment. scripts/mode_coverage.py checks a
unit map; scripts/level_map.py explains levels and their approximate CEFR and ILR equivalents.
Trigger Conditions
Activate this skill when the user:
- Designs or audits a world language curriculum in the US (K-12, college, immersion, heritage)
- Writes thematic units, IPAs or ACTFL-aligned can-do statements
- Asks what "Intermediate Mid" means, or how ACTFL relates to CEFR or ILR
- Sets programme targets (Seal of Biliteracy, AP, proficiency-based grading)
CEFR courses: cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder. Outcomes: can-do-statement-writer. Programme review: language-program-review-writer.
Workflow
1. TARGETS -> programme and course performance targets per year (references/actfl-framework.md)
2. LEVELS -> python scripts/level_map.py "Intermediate Mid" (FACT profile, CEFR/ILR equivalents)
3. THEMES -> thematic units with essential questions; 5 Cs connections
4. MODES -> interpretive, interpersonal and presentational task per unit at the target level
5. ASSESS -> IPA per unit: interpretive -> interpersonal -> presentational in one context, with rubrics
6. CHECK -> python scripts/mode_coverage.py units.csv
7. REPORT -> targets, unit map, assessment plan; state that framework equivalences are approximateReview Codes (mode_coverage.py)
| Code | Severity | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| AC001 | high | Unit without a performance assessment |
| AC002 | medium | Unit with no task in a mode |
| AC003 | medium | Rehearsed skit or presentation labelled interpersonal |
| AC004 | low | Interpretive task is translation or word lists |
| AC005 | low | Assessment does not cover all three modes |
Output Format
Programme target table (course/year, target level per mode), unit map (theme, essential question, can-dos per
mode, IPA tasks, authentic resources, culture focus), and the mode_coverage.py result. Include FACT-based task
checks for the target level.
Scripts
python scripts/level_map.py "Intermediate High" | --cefr B1 | --ilr 2 | --tableExit codes: 0 found, 2 unknown level.
python scripts/mode_coverage.py units.csvColumns: unit, interpretive, interpersonal, presentational, assessment. Exit codes: 0 no high findings, 1 high findings, 2 read error or bad CSV.
Additional Resources
| File | Content |
|---|---|
| actfl-framework.md | Levels, FACT task lens, proficiency vs performance, three modes, 5 Cs, backward design and IPA, programme targets, FSI hours |
| framework-alignment.md | ACTFL, CEFR and ILR compared, approximate alignment table with sources, why scales differ, practical use |
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.
classroom-management-for-esl-coach
Coach ESL/EFL teachers in classroom management: the instruction sequence (attention, group first, graded imperatives, demonstration, ICQs, hand out, start, check), ICQ examples, online instructions, routines for the first weeks (class agreement, L1 use, phones, lateness, homework, seating), strategies for L1 use in tasks, dominant and quiet learners, mixed levels, large classes, fast finishers, low motivation, disruptive young learners and teens, cultural expectations, classroom language to teach early and teacher presence. Checks planned instructions for length, missing ICQs, useless ICQs like 'Do you understand?', no demonstration, long sentences, filler and missing grouping or timing, and builds seating plans that keep named learners apart, seat learners who need the front, mix first languages and alternate stronger and weaker learners.