What is it?
It consists on the offer of Portuguese as a Second Language subject (PLNM) and / or specific measures to support basic education (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles) and scientific-humanistic courses and specialized artistic courses on secondary education.
It consists on the offer of Portuguese as a Second Language subject (PLNM) and / or specific measures to support basic education (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles) and scientific-humanistic courses and specialized artistic courses on secondary education.
Who is the target?
Newly arrived pupils to the education system that do not have Portuguese as their mother tongue.
Newly arrived pupils to the education system that do not have Portuguese as their mother tongue.
To provide fair access to the curriculum and the educational success, particularly with regard to learning and sufficient knowledge of the Portuguese language as a vehicle of all school knowledge.
To ensure effective integration of students in the national education system, regardless of their language, culture, social status, origin and age.
When a student whose mother tongue is not Portuguese is entered into the educational system, you must request in your school that a PLNM diagnostic test is done. This test will give information to the teacher about your knowledge of the Portuguese language and will, depending on results, enable your positioning at a PLNM level of language proficiency.
In order for the teachers to define specific strategies for these students, they need to know your educational background and linguistic profile, so other information on the (s) language (s) you speak at home, with friends and family, with colleagues, the length of stay in Portugal, among other things shall also be transmitted to teachers.
a) Beginners (A1, A2);
b) Intermediate (B1);
c) Advanced (B2, C1).
Attending the PLNM subject, replacing the Portuguese subject if the school meets the conditions to make a PLNM class group.
If this is not possible, the students attend the Portuguese subject, but follow the PLNM curriculum of beginners’ (A1 / A2) or intermediate (B1) proficiency levels. They should additionally benefit from PLNM support classes.
They follow the Portuguese national curriculum and they may, upon a school’s decision, benefit from PLNM support classes.
- Students enrolled on the 4th, 6th, 9th or 12th grades who are integrated in the beginners’ (A1 / A2) or intermediate (B1) proficiency levels.
- Students enrolled on the 12th grade perform the final national examination of intermediate PLNM level (B1).
- If students are integrated at the advanced level (B2 / C1), they perform the National Portuguese test / final exam and not the PLNM test.
Yes, this examination serves the purpose of completion of secondary school and allows access to higher education. However, if the higher education institution requires the Portuguese exam as the entrance test, the final national examination of PLNM will not work for this purpose.
Source: Ministry of Education and Science
