Garbanzo Alignment with ACTFL Standards and Guidelines

Like ACTFL, we believe that language learning is an essential component of every student’s education. Garbanzo addresses ACTFL’s World Readiness Standards, enacts ACTFL’s Guiding Principles, and works toward building proficiency in alignment with ACTFL’s Proficiency Guidelines in a digital environment.

Commitment to ACTFL’s Guiding Principles

• Benefits of Language Learning
  Garbanzo makes language accessible to all learners, regardless of background or prior experience. Because input is leveled and scaffolded, every student can succeed, experience the benefits of bilingualism, and connect language to their own lives.

• Literacy in Language Learning
  Garbanzo lessons build literacy through meaningful, sustained interaction with written and oral texts. Texts are written with the goal of developing literacy, especially in the areas of fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; with additional support in phonics and phonemic awareness in certain contexts.

• Articulated Sequences
  Content is carefully sequenced and spiraled. Each lesson introduces core vocabulary in context, recycles it in varied situations, and then builds toward increasingly complex topics. Just as in Somos, Garbanzo provides a clear path toward higher proficiency over time.

• Backward Design
  Lessons are designed with the end goal in mind: proficiency. Every feature, from processing questions to word cloud tools, is intended to move students toward greater communicative ability and intercultural competence by fostering language acquisition. 

• Target Language Use
  Every lesson a teacher selects is in a student’s target language. Students engage with stories and informational texts on a range of topics; including cultural products, practices, and perspectives; exclusively in the target language, supported with scaffolds that ensure comprehension.

• Authentic Texts
   Garbanzo integrates authenticity from the start: sharing legends, news stories, biographies, traditions, and songs. These align with AP task models and prepare students for real-world communication.

• Communicative Tasks
  Garbanzo lessons are not grammar drills; they are designed for true interpretation and meaning-making. Students process information, express preferences, compare perspectives, and answer questions that help them to understand the language and concepts deeply, preparing them for topical conversation and future learning.

• Grammar in Context
  In Garbanzo, grammar learning is never isolated. Instead, it is embedded in texts and stories. For example, learners see verb forms appear naturally in legends or dialogues, and comprehension questions highlight meaning rather than rules.

• Effective Feedback
  Garbanzo provides instant feedback on every student response, guiding them to notice meaning, refine their comprehension, and build confidence. Teachers also receive data dashboards to target support.

Alignment with ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines

Garbanzo fosters language acquisition, the natural process by which learners build mental representations of language through understanding meaningful input. Proficiency grows out of this acquisition: when students are consistently exposed to comprehensible, engaging texts, they gradually gain the ability to communicate for real-world purposes.

• At the Novice stage, Garbanzo provides highly supported input that students can understand and enjoy. As they process repeated words and structures in meaningful contexts, they begin to recognize familiar phrases and build a foundation for expression.

• As learners acquire more language, they move into the Intermediate range. Garbanzo scaffolds this growth by offering richer stories and authentic texts that expand vocabulary and grammar naturally. Students develop the ability to narrate, share opinions, and connect ideas—skills that emerge not from memorization, but from accumulated comprehension.

• With sustained use, Garbanzo continues to supply the quantity and quality of input students need to progress along ACTFL’s proficiency continuum. Over time, learners demonstrate greater accuracy, complexity, and flexibility, because they have acquired the internalized language system necessary for authentic communication.

In short, Garbanzo aligns with ACTFL’s Proficiency Guidelines by focusing not on isolated drills, but on the process of acquisition that leads to lasting proficiency.

The 5 Cs of the World-Readiness Standards

Garbanzo directly supports the 5 Cs:

• Communication – Every lesson requires students to interpret texts, demonstrate comprehension, and build expressive ability through scaffolded responses.

• Cultures – Authentic cultural perspectives are embedded from the first lessons—songs, celebrations, foods, legends, and social issues.

• Connections – Students build background knowledge in history, science, art, and social studies as they read, making cross-curricular links.

• Comparisons – Texts invite learners to compare cultural products, practices, and perspectives with their own.

• Communities – By connecting classroom learning with authentic voices and current issues, Garbanzo encourages students to see themselves as members of a multilingual, global community.
  
  

Why This Matters for Your District

Garbanzo is not “just an app.” It is a comprehensive proficiency-building platform rooted in ACTFL’s best practices. By combining engaging stories and authentic resources with scaffolds that ensure comprehensibility, Garbanzo helps districts:

• Ensure equity and access so that every learner succeeds in language study.

• Provide a standards-aligned digital resource that supports classroom teachers.

• Build long-term proficiency and intercultural competence, not just vocabulary lists.

Garbanzo translates the vision of ACTFL into daily practice for students; making the Guiding Principles, Proficiency Guidelines, and the 5 Cs a reality in every classroom.