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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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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It may have been a few years since your language department implemented an ACTFL assessment in the effort to better understand your students’ language ability. As a teacher whose school has just completed its pilot year of offering the AAPPL to our students, we are definitely still learning about how this new tool will affect […]
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Superintendents and school leaders today are asked to do more than simply manage systems. They are expected to make students future-ready, align learning to real-world demands, and ensure every graduating student is prepared for what comes next. In this work of future-proofing education, where does language fit? In fact, language education is one of the […]
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At Back to School Night and during Parent Teacher Conferences, the single most asked question that I am asked is some iteration of the following: “How can my child become fluent in the language they’re studying? What else can they do?” My instinct is always to horrify them by suggesting their son or daughter should […]
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For years, world language teachers have lived on the fringes of data-driven education. In most schools, English, math, and science departments shape their instruction around benchmark testing while elective departments like ours are left out of the conversation. But that doesn’t mean our classrooms are any less rigorous or our instruction any less important. World […]
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Have you ever wondered how you can integrate the information in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – 2024 (Guidelines) and the ACTFL Performance Descriptors into your Dual Language Education (DLE) or Dual Language Immersion (DLI) curriculum? Are you trying to meet DLE standards and also want to ensure you’re targeting performance descriptors at specific language proficiency […]
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What is the difference between machine scoring systems and chatbots? The term Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword used in various businesses, organizations, and media in general. Many have warned about the dangers of using such a phrase as a blanket term to describe technologies that are not truly AI, as it tends to […]
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Should I teach to the test? That sounds like the wrong approach, at least wrong if the test is not the right evidence of learners reaching the learning goals. But what if the test is the right test? What if the test accurately represents your learning targets, that is, what you want learners to be […]
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At ACTFL® and Language Testing International® (LTI), we are committed to delivering the best possible assessment experiences for educators and learners. We always innovate, always listen, and always improve. As we kick off the new school year, here’s what’s new and updated with the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL). AAPPL Test […]
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