Laying the Groundwork for AAPPL Testing to Start the Year

Ready or not, the start of a new school year is here. As language teachers launch their courses, this can be a great time to set the tone for a path towards the Seal of Biliteracy–even if AAPPL testing won’t occur for months (or years) for your students. Beginning the journey toward language development with end goals in mind is a great way to build consistency in your program and helps build student confidence.

Here are some systems teachers and other language support staff can have in place at the beginning of the school year to help create a sustained message of the importance of the pathway towards biliteracy.

Promote and Celebrate Past Achievements

Unless this year will be your first with the Seal of Biliteracy or the AAPPL, you have past success stories to celebrate. Oftentimes we celebrate the graduates or triumphs at the conclusion of the school year, but there’s value in carrying those celebrations forward to the start of the year as well. Is there a place in your school or classroom where students can see photos of past recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy? Will your new students understand the pride associated with achieving this honor someday? Don’t wait until the end to lay the foundation for celebrating these accomplishments. Consider including celebratory messages or introductory explanations about the Seal early on in language classes, so beginning students see a pathway to earn recognition.

Use ACTFL-Related Terminology Regularly

This is a lesson I learned the somewhat hard way. When I first started to use the AAPPL , I only used rubrics and terminology that were directly aligned with AAPPL scores such as I1, I2, I3, etc. rather than referring to Intermediate Low and the other levels on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – 2024. In all of my classes, I would assess the work and give an indication of how I felt it would score on the AAPPL test. (Note: I am not a certified AAPPL rater, so my students understood this was purely speculative and a best faith effort on my part.) However, I stopped doing this after we resumed class following the COVID shut down–mostly because I didn’t have the mental energy to do regular stuff plus educate a batch of new students on what the different proficiency levels meant. This resulted in two years of students not continuously hearing about the nuances of Intermediate level language. When our testing rolled around, the proficiency levels confused them, and they felt unprepared. I was surprised, because language-wise I knew they were prepared. The levels and the test scores were unfamiliar, though, and it left students feeling out of control and confused before, during, and after testing. I realized the difference-maker was using the familiar ACTFL proficiency-related vocabulary consistently for multiple years in our program. Try to work in this terminology in all your classes; point out and explain to the students what Novice High versus Intermediate Low looks like and if possible, conference with the students; show them how those levels align with AAPPL scores, especially in the N4 to I2 range. Then they can see where in the range their performance might be and define what they need in order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy – all long before they are testing to earn the Seal.

Communicate Pending Test Information

If you are not doing AAPPL testing until the spring, it might seem logical not to share related information until testing time approaches. However, you can set the stage early by communicating about the test! If you intend to offer the test, even if it won’t be until spring or next year, lay the groundwork early to help students be ready. Younger students in your program can then see how their language journey might eventually develop. Set the tone and broadcast this message: your program and school believe that the opportunity to earn the Seal of Biliteracy is significant and that the AAPPL test will happen as an integral part of the process.

Over the past few years, I’ve conferenced with some students that abandoned Spanish after two years without realizing that taking the AAPPL or earning the Seal was even an option. Everyone likes to know that they are doing something that matters; let the younger language learners in on the information about the Seal of Biliteracy and testing early and often.

Create Outreach

Building relationships with networks outside of your classroom can be very important in promoting the effectiveness of the Seal of Biliteracy and the value of language learning in general. In Iowa, for example, the Seal of Biliteracy is recognized for college credit at two universities. I continue to reach out to higher-ed institutions and lawmakers about the importance of valuing the Seal of Biliteracy. The dialogue, questions, and conversations happening may not directly result in anything substantial, but it keeps the conversation about language learning alive and bubbling.

It can also be a good idea to reach out to local businesses or community leaders to have discussions about the value of language learning for the workplace. As dialogues with local businesses and leaders develop, share anecdotal evidence with your students regarding what today’s workforce needs (read more on this topic in ACTFL’s Lead with Languages report). You’re informing students about the value of their language skills in the workplace while also showing your local community that you are developing multilingual workers they may employ! Build up these mutually beneficial positive working relationships.

Communicating with alumni and past recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy can help you discover additional information worth sharing with your current students. For example, last year, a former student and recipient of the Seal of Biliteracy contacted me with a thank you message and a story. She is a student-athlete and works part-time at a pharmacy. She included the Seal on her resume when she applied for the job. She said one day a family of Spanish speakers came in, and her supervisors called on her to serve them because of her Spanish abilities. She was able to help this family receive COVID vaccinations that day and felt immensely proud. Hearing this story not only made my heart swell but also made me realize something: students never know the ways in the future that their language skills may benefit them or someone else. Collecting stories from alumni who were in your students’ seats not long ago about how they’re using their language skills in the real world is very powerful. Build and maintain relationships with networks your students respect and understand. Use past evidence to provide examples.

Learn from Common Errors and Move On

If you have data to examine from the past school year and past AAPPL tests, pour over that and learn from it. Chris Lemon recently did a wonderful job reviewing data collection and usage (link)^[1]. Making data-driven curriculum decisions is a great best practice to start your year off in a focused and growth-centered way. Any educator entering a year should be on the lookout for those challenging spots, common errors, and things that students struggle with.

The more educated we as instructors are on areas where students can improve, the more prepared we are to catch common errors as they happen. Additionally, those reports can help us target instructional strategies as we start the year off. No one wants to begin school feeling overwhelmed, so just pick a focus or two from last year’s data. Name and define no more than two things at each level that you’re on the lookout for or that you want to target. Discuss issues with students as you see them and keep moving on. If you’d like to read more about this, I previously did a deep dive on learning from results and moving forward (link).^[2]

Watch –> What Is the AAPPL?