Pre-employment selection tests can be valuable tools, providing vital information about candidates’ applicable knowledge, skills, and abilities before they are offered employment. Ideally, this information will save you time and money by increasing the likelihood that candidates will perform well and stay on the job. To reap these rewards, however, you must carefully weigh your […]
Continue readingACTFL’s Martha G. Abbott Appointed to National Security Education Board
ALEXANDRIA, VA — ACTFL Executive Director Martha G. Abbott has been appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Security Education Board. “It is truly an honor to be appointed by the President to serve in this capacity on the National Security Education Board advising on the important work of building our nation’s linguistic and […]
Continue readingDoes Bilingualism in America Threaten the English Language?
English is in no danger of disappearing any time soon; it is firmly established both in America and in countries throughout the world. In fact, no language has ever held as strong a position in the world as English does today. Some people worry when they see Spanish showing up on billboards and pay phones, […]
Continue readingIs Texting Killing the English Language?
Texting has long been accused as being the downfall of the written word, “penmanship for illiterates,” as one critic called it. To which the likely response is LOL. Proper testing is not writing at all — it’s actually more like the spoken language. It’s a “spoken” language that is evolving and becoming more complex as time passes. But […]
Continue readingLatest Anti-Discrimination Rules: Language Assistance for Non-English Speakers
On May 18, 2016, United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published its final rules implementing new anti-discrimination rules for Non-English Speakers within provisions of the Affordable Care Act § 1557. This is the first of several alerts discussing aspects of the new rule. The alert focuses on those provisions requiring language assistance for persons with limited English […]
Continue readingACTFL Establishes Center for Assessment, Research & Development
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) announces the establishment of the ACTFL Center for Assessment, Research and Development. The ACTFL Board of Directors approved the proposal for the Center during its May 13-15 annual meeting. The mission of the Center is to support PK-12 schools and institutions of […]
Continue readingThe OPIc Arrives in China
The Oral Proficiency Interview computer system (OPIc), developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), was recently introduced in Shanghai to assist those seeking employment with international companies to demonstrate their proficiency. Currently, the OPIc covers 13 languages and five of them, English, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish, are now available in China. “The system was introduced […]
Continue readingVisit LTI @ SHRM (April 18-20) Booth # 308
Visit LTI at Booth # 308 in Florida during the SHRM Talent Management Conference & Exhibition – 4/18-20. While here, take a spin at our Prize Wheel where you can win gift cards, free tests and much more! Speak with one of Language Testing professionals and learn how we work with the HR community to ensure the […]
Continue readingVisit LTI @ the TESOL Expo (April 5-8) – Booth #633
Language Testing International is excited to once again participate and exhibit at TESOL this year. For those of you attending, be sure to stop by the LTI booth (#633) and speak to one of our Language Testing professionals. And don’t forget to take a spin at our “PRIZE WHEEL” where everyone is guaranteed to win! We also urge you to attend our informative Workshop Sessions […]
Continue readingImprovements to AAPPL Shorten Test Segments
Starting April 1, 2016, ACTFL has launched new updates to AAPPL, The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages. The changes shorten test segments by 10 minutes and impacts all three current levels that include: Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. Due to these improvements, the test segments are now 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes. Each level (Novice, Intermediate, and […]
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