Overview
Drawing on preliminary work undertaken in adapting the CEFR to sign languages, the project Signed languages for professional purposes (PRO-Sign) is the first to specify proficiency levels for sign languages establishing European standards for use in Deaf Studies and interpreting programmes offered at tertiary level across Europe and beyond.
This website seeks to act as a point of reference for teachers, teacher trainers and curriculum developers of sign languages in tertiary educational environments. It may also support the work of international non-governmental organisations such as the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters (efsli) and other relevant international organisations.
This website provides ‘Can Do’ descriptors for reception, interaction and production from A1 all the way up to C2 level. The descriptions also include ‘plus levels’ (e.g. A2+). As in other CEFR documents, there may not be descriptors for all sub-categories for every level, since some activities cannot be undertaken until a certain level of competence has been reached, whilst others may cease to be an objective at higher levels. For more detailed information on the individual proficiency levels and different scales of CEFR, please refer to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (2001).
As a user, you are invited to use the scaling system and associated descriptors critically. While the Global Scale for Sign Languages – Common Reference Levels provides you with a simple and more holistic representation, it may not be appropriate for some purposes. The CEFR needs further adaption depending on the context that it is applied in. The sets of descriptors offered in the PRO-Sign tool suggest situations in which sign language users engage. An International Sign (IS) version of this document as well as an assessment framework in accordance with CEFR is also available on this website.