Language Proficiency Assessments: Why Only the Gold Standard Counts

When it comes to measuring language proficiency, not all tests are created equally. Only ACTFL® assessments, delivered exclusively through Language Testing International® (LTI), produce ACTFL scores and certificates, credentials recognized globally by K-12 programs, universities, employers, and government agencies. Any ACTFL rating provided by a non-ACTFL assessment is not recognized by ACTFL.  In other words, […]

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So… What Actually Happens When a School Tries the Seal of Biliteracy?

A Conversation with a Seal Practitioner   Any time the phrase new initiative enters a department meeting, language teachers start running diagnostics in their heads. Time. Testing. Curriculum creep. Paperwork. ….meetings….  So rather than speculate about what the Seal of Biliteracy should do, I wanted to hear from someone who’s lived it. Andrea Hartle has taught Spanish in New Jersey public schools for more than twenty years […]

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Educator’s Perspective: Walk, Then Run

Building an Ecosystem of Proficiency Across Multiple Language Programs As the recently promoted chair of our school’s World Languages department, I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of culture I want to engender in our 13 teacher “found family.” Teachers are a weird bunch to manage, since most of our work time is spent in a classroom with […]

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