Summarizes the Australian Language Levels (ALL) guidelines, originally defined in 1988, from the perspective of a professional who helped develop them and has examined their application over a period of years. Highlights aims in writing the guidelines, key concepts, goals and outcomes, and student evaluation and teacher training, and considers…

Explores questions regarding the knowledge and proficiency level expected of second-language learners, the acquisition of valued knowledge, the relationship between cognition and language learning, the nature of "progress," and quality curriculum design. These questions are discussed in reference to the development in Australia of the…