Five years ago, we became an early adopter of the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy, a prestigious award for our high school students who demonstrate a high level of proficiency in at least two languages. We envisioned the Seal as a way to honor our highest performing world language students, as well as to honor and […]
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Language Testing International, the exclusive licensee of ACTFL, is thrilled to sponsor the Seal of Biliteracy Achievement Scholarship, an award that recognizes the dedication of language learners who attain proficiency in two or more languages. This scholarship serves as a platform to honor their remarkable achievements and celebrate their linguistic accomplishments. This year, we received […]
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We have been using the ACTFL Latin Interpretive Reading Assessment (ALIRA) for a number of years in our school. Currently, we use it exclusively for students who have signed up to pursue achievement of the Seal of Biliteracy.
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Today’s classrooms are full of students from a cohort referred to as Generation Z or Gen Z. Understanding the characteristics of students can be an important tool for an effective teacher. The good news for language teachers is that there are several ways to capitalize on Gen Z characteristics to prompt growth in your language […]
Continue readingWe love to use the AAPPL test for our students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, but to refine our program and to recognize growth as well as achievement, we have explored the data reporting tools that the LTI Client Site has to offer. In this article, I will discuss a few of the ways […]
Continue readingBy Chris Lemon, Northmont High School, Clayton, OH (Spanish Teacher, Department Chair) Four years ago, our school chose the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Language (AAPPL, Form B: Novice High to Advanced Low), over sixteen other options, as our preferred method for students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy accepted by our state. […]
Continue readingIn a recent podcast in our “Language is Your Superpower” series, Johanna López credits her students for her historical 2018 landslide win to become a member of the Orange County Public School Board (OCPS) in Central Florida. Not only did she obtain a seat with 40,000+ votes (previous elections were won by a margin of […]
Continue readingI get so excited watching my students focusing so hard as they take the AAPPL. However, immediately after the test, the students seemed stunned, mentally spent, and slightly overwhelmed. I worried at first that this was caused by the test being too difficult for them, but then realized that it’s the result of the stamina […]
Continue readingBy Chris Lemon, Northmont High School, Clayton, OH (Spanish Teacher, Department Chair) Comprehensible input. Movies. Language Clubs. Guest speakers. Pirates. Conversations. Fly swatter vocabulary matches. Video Pen Pals. Study abroad. A language program can take many forms and have some—or none—of these. But how do you achieve one that is authentic, fun, and successful all at […]
Continue readingRecently, ACTFL put out their comprehensive list of topics for the AAPPL. These topics offer excellent preparation for the test. I’ve also found them to be valuable in other aspects of my curriculum building and unit planning. I began my teaching career in the formulaic era of Realidades and Paso a Paso‘s thematic chapters about […]
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