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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The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) for American Sign Language (ASL) is launching this fall, bringing the trusted ACTFL® gold standard to ASL for the very first time. The test was developed in collaboration with d/Deaf and hearing ASL experts and educators from across the country, as well as psychometricians and […]
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The spring testing is upon us. We have prepared useful tips as you plan for testing with the AAPPL and ALIRA. Contact Us Today to Bring Language Proficiency Testing to Your Organization
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As classrooms increasingly rely on digital platforms for instruction and assessment, ensuring student safety online has become more than a best practice. It’s a legal and ethical responsibility. While teachers often evaluate testing tools and classroom apps based on usability, price, and instructional value, there’s another critical factor that should always be part of the […]
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Spoiler alert: language education is important for college and career readiness (CCR)! Recently, Education Week (EdWeek) launched an informal poll among K-12 language educators on LinkedIn and found that nearly 75% of the roughly 1,900 respondents listed “adaptability as the most important skill graduates need.” Other skills mentioned were ability to focus, empathy, resilience, critical […]
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At the heart of proficiency-focused world language instruction is a commitment to helping learners communicate in real-life situations, to interact, share ideas, ask questions, and negotiate meaning with others. That’s why the Interpersonal Mode of Communication, as defined by ACTFL in the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – 2024, is so important. And it’s also why some […]
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