NZSL proficiency assessments
New Zealand Sign Language Proficiency Interview (NZSLPI) is a language assessment tool used to determine overall NZSL proficiency. The assessment, which involves a remote 20 minute interview, is coordinated and conducted by a team of trained SLPI Assessors.
Service priorities
NZSL proficiency assessment contributes to the maintenance and promotion of NZSL and the outcomes of the NZSL Strategy. A priority group for this service is adults working with Deaf children in education settings. The NZSL Board funds up to 80 assessments per year for this group. Candidates will be invited to participate in an assessment by their employer. In future years, we hope to open up assessment blocks for Candidates working in other fields.
Frequently asked questions
Superior description: Able to have a fully shared conversation, with in-depth elaboration for both social and work topics. Very broad sign language vocabulary, near native - like production and fluency, excellent use of sign language grammatical features, and excellent comprehension for normal signing rate.
Advanced Plus description: Exhibits some Superior level skills, but not all and not consistently.
Advanced description: Able to have a generally shared conversation with good, spontaneous elaboration for both social and work topics. Broad sign language vocabulary knowledge and clear, accurate production of signs and fingerspelling at a normal/near-normal rate; occasional mis-productions do not detract from conversational flow. Good use of many sign language grammatical features and comprehension good for normal signing rate.
Intermediate Plus description: Exhibits some Advanced level skills, but not all and not consistently. See below for features of the Intermediate and Advanced level.
Intermediate description: Able to discuss with confidence routine social and work topics within a conversational format with some elaboration. Good knowledge and control of everyday/basic sign language vocabulary with some sign vocabulary errors. Fairly clear signing at a moderate signing rate with some sign errors.
Survival Plus description: Survival Plus falls between Survival and Intermediate. Survival Plus exhibits some Intermediate level skills, but not all and not consistently. See descriptions below for each.
Survival description: Able to discuss basic social and work topics with responses generally 1-to-3 sentences in length. Some knowledge of basic sign language vocabulary with many sign vocabulary and/or sign production errors. Slow-to-moderate signing rate. Fair comprehension for signing produced at a slow-to-moderate rate with some repetition and rephrasing. Basic use of a few sign language grammatical features.
Novice Plus description: Novice Plus falls between Novice and Survival. Novice Plus exhibits some Survival level skills, but not all and not consistently. See descriptions below for each.
Novice description: Able to provide single sign and some short phrase/sentence responses to basic questions signed at a slow-to-moderate pace with frequent repetition and rephrasing. Signs primarily related to everyday work and/or social areas such as basic work - related signs, family members, basic objects, colours, numbers, names of weekdays, and time. Production and fluency characterized by many sign mis-productions and a slow rate with frequent non-standard pauses/hesitations.
No Functional Skills description: (May be) Able to provide short single sign and “primarily” fingerspelled responses to some basic questions signed at a slow rate with extensive repetition and rephrasing.
Advanced Plus description: Exhibits some Superior level skills, but not all and not consistently.
Advanced description: Able to have a generally shared conversation with good, spontaneous elaboration for both social and work topics. Broad sign language vocabulary knowledge and clear, accurate production of signs and fingerspelling at a normal/near-normal rate; occasional mis-productions do not detract from conversational flow. Good use of many sign language grammatical features and comprehension good for normal signing rate.
Intermediate Plus description: Exhibits some Advanced level skills, but not all and not consistently. See below for features of the Intermediate and Advanced level.
Intermediate description: Able to discuss with confidence routine social and work topics within a conversational format with some elaboration. Good knowledge and control of everyday/basic sign language vocabulary with some sign vocabulary errors. Fairly clear signing at a moderate signing rate with some sign errors.
Survival Plus description: Survival Plus falls between Survival and Intermediate. Survival Plus exhibits some Intermediate level skills, but not all and not consistently. See descriptions below for each.
Survival description: Able to discuss basic social and work topics with responses generally 1-to-3 sentences in length. Some knowledge of basic sign language vocabulary with many sign vocabulary and/or sign production errors. Slow-to-moderate signing rate. Fair comprehension for signing produced at a slow-to-moderate rate with some repetition and rephrasing. Basic use of a few sign language grammatical features.
Novice Plus description: Novice Plus falls between Novice and Survival. Novice Plus exhibits some Survival level skills, but not all and not consistently. See descriptions below for each.
Novice description: Able to provide single sign and some short phrase/sentence responses to basic questions signed at a slow-to-moderate pace with frequent repetition and rephrasing. Signs primarily related to everyday work and/or social areas such as basic work - related signs, family members, basic objects, colours, numbers, names of weekdays, and time. Production and fluency characterized by many sign mis-productions and a slow rate with frequent non-standard pauses/hesitations.
No Functional Skills description: (May be) Able to provide short single sign and “primarily” fingerspelled responses to some basic questions signed at a slow rate with extensive repetition and rephrasing.