Benchmarks are descriptions of proficiency that structure CASLS’ assessment and curriculum tools. The benchmarks describe the types of tasks students should master in order to progress toward proficiency. CASLS’ benchmarks are tied to International Language Roundtable (ILR) and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Guidelines but contain more detailed regarding specific topics and functions that characterize each proficiency level. It is important to remember that these benchmarks are statements of minimum expectations. Further, benchmarks articulate what students can do in a face-to-face interview with a stranger. Students will certainly be able to perform at higher levels in the classroom where they feel more comfortable and have more contextual clues. CASLS’ benchmarks do not specify curriculum or teaching methodology.

These benchmarks have been developed over ten years with input from teachers at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels. Because most English-speaking students require longer to develop proficiency in Japanese than in European languages, CASLS has delineated six levels of performance, which differs from the three levels specified by the ACTFL scale.

In addition, statistical analysis of assessment data from oral interviews and STAMP support the validity of these levels. Empirical data from assessments confirms that the topics and levels represented in the benchmarks do indeed reflect the order in which students develop proficiency. If teachers can aim their curricula towards definable and measurable criteria and have their students reliably and affordably assessed by those same criteria, a feedback loop between assessment and curriculum is created.