{"id":5437,"date":"2026-04-06T20:47:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/?p=5437"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T21:02:24","slug":"the-human-side-of-the-gold-standard-an-interview-with-an-aappl-rater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/the-human-side-of-the-gold-standard-an-interview-with-an-aappl-rater\/","title":{"rendered":"The Human Side of the Gold Standard: An Interview with an AAPPL Rater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among many things that make\u00a0AAPPL\u00a0the Gold Standard for measuring performance toward\u00a0proficiency\u00a0is\u00a0how\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0scored: student\u00a0spoken and written submissions are\u00a0evaluated by ACTFL-certified raters using\u00a0<\/span>rigorous protocols<\/span><\/a>, so educators can trust the results and use them with confidence. Below, an AAPPL rater shares what\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0like to earn certification, stay calibrated, and score with a \u201cwhat students\u00a0<\/span>can<\/span><\/i>\u00a0do\u201d mindset.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/span>Are You Truly Assessing Proficiency? Revised ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What made you want to become an AAPPL-certified\u00a0rater?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

When I first saw the opportunity to apply to become an AAPPL-certified rater,\u00a0I jumped at it because I am always on a quest to be a better educator, and in my work with world languages, that means deeply understanding each proficiency level and next, how to articulate reaching the next level. Working in curriculum, I miss hearing students along the\u00a0proficiency\u00a0journey, and it is a joy to have the opportunity to hear and read what students can do as they are\u00a0in the process of acquiring\u00a0another language.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How does rating keep you aligned with the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines<\/span><\/i><\/b>,\u00a0and what does that accountability look like in practice?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Being an AAPPL-certified reader pushes me constantly to be sure I am fully aware of and constantly aligned with the\u00a0<\/span>ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines<\/span><\/i>. This steady and important accountability keeps me on my toes and never allows me to become complacent with my understanding. It gives me access to so many varied and unique student responses that I am challenged and responsible for being in touch and calibrated in addition to yearly training. It also holds me accountable to\u00a0focusing\u00a0on what students can do.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How would you describe the rater certification process to someone considering it?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The rater certification process is clear yet nuanced. The variety and number of student samples allow raters to examine what the criteria mean in many different outcomes, and the opportunity to discuss and compare with other raters means\u00a0your\u00a0thinking is refined and articulated.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What would you say to students who feel nervous about being assessed,\u00a0especially on\u00a0interpersonal communication?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

I think it\u00a0is important for students to know that the raters are listening\u00a0for\u00a0everything that they\u00a0<\/span>CAN<\/span><\/i>\u00a0do.\u00a0Raters\u00a0are honest, but they are\u00a0also the students\u2019\u00a0biggest cheerleaders (in addition to\u00a0their own\u00a0teachers, of course!).\u00a0Students\u00a0can be sure that the AAPPL raters are going to recognize every\u00a0skill that\u00a0they have\u00a0shown. I would encourage them to relax and express what they can think of as well as to be the best communicators they can be by sharing details and asking questions. The raters are listening and looking!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why do you recommend that educators become AAPPL-certified raters,\u00a0and how does it change their teaching?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For educators, I highly recommend becoming an AAPPL-certified\u00a0rater. The experience and skills learned in the process directly\u00a0impact\u00a0classrooms. When there is deep clarity about every step along the\u00a0proficiency\u00a0journey, we can better meet students where they are and prepare them for the next step on their journey without skipping any. The great news is that AAPPL does not have a quota, so you can rate when and where you are able\u00a0during\u00a0the time you have available. Rating even 1-5 samples a day provides a great basis to stay sharp.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You cite \u201cteacher clarity\u201d as a big\u00a0reason\u00a0proficiency\u00a0assessment matters. Can you explain that connection?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Proficiency-based\u00a0assessments like AAPPL are so important to educators because they provide true clarity about where students are.\u00a0According to\u00a0John\u00a0Hattie (2009), teacher clarity involves making sure that both teachers and students clearly understand the goals of a lesson and what it means to achieve them. This clarity is\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0when both can effectively answer key questions, such as: What am I supposed to be learning?\u00a0Why am I learning it?\u00a0How\u00a0do I know that I have learned it?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Hattie\u2019s research, teacher clarity is highly effective with an average effect size of 0.75. Not to\u00a0nerd out\u00a0too much, but that means teacher clarity results in\u00a0almost twice\u00a0the average effect size of one year of formal schooling (0.40). While\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0at it,\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0make another plug for continuous educator growth and certifications, such\u00a0as\u00a0AAPPL rater certification, because teacher credibility has an average effect size of\u00a00.90;\u00a0in other words, more than double! If students have access to their results, that can also contribute to helping them set \u201cappropriately challenging goals\u201d with an average effect size of 0.59.\u00a0Math is\u00a0definitely not\u00a0my strongest subject, but these numbers are\u00a0pretty clear\u00a0to me!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AAPPL gives you results you can stand behind. To bring AAPPL to your program,\u00a0<\/span>contact us today<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

References:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). Visible learning. A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to\u00a0achievement. Routledge: New York, NY.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Among many things that make\u00a0AAPPL\u00a0the Gold Standard for measuring performance toward\u00a0proficiency\u00a0is\u00a0how\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0scored: student\u00a0spoken and written submissions are\u00a0evaluated by ACTFL-certified raters using\u00a0rigorous protocols, so educators can trust the results and use them with confidence. Below, an AAPPL rater shares what\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0like to earn certification, stay calibrated, and score with a \u201cwhat students\u00a0can\u00a0do\u201d mindset.\u00a0 Read more:\u00a0Are You Truly Assessing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":5438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[183],"tags":[80,551,552,550],"class_list":["post-5437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic","tag-aappl","tag-aappl-raters","tag-aappl-rating","tag-gold-standard"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/shutterstock_2255366053.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5441,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5437\/revisions\/5441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.languagetesting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}